How To Hike Queens Garden + Navajo Loop Trail

Queens Garden Navajo Loop Trail was the one hike we knew we couldn’t miss when we visited Bryce Canyon National Park. It had amazing reviews and it looked fantastic in photos, but it turned out to be even more impressive in person. Overall, we thought it was a fun, scenic and totally unique hike that’s perfect for first time visitors and the whole family.

In this guide we explain everything you need to know about hiking the Queens Garden Navajo Loop Trail, based on our experiences.

Our Experience

We hiked Queens Garden Navajo Loop Trail on a sunny but cool afternoon in October 2019. We’d spent the previous day exploring Capitol Reef before driving the incredibly scenic highway 12 to Tropic, staying in a log cabin and getting an early start in Bryce Canyon. It was around 9:00am when we descended into the spectacular sandstone amphitheater filled with intriguing hoodoos via Queens Garden Trail.

After twisting and turning down the maze-like trail surrounded by towers, spires and fascinating sandstone shapes, we eventually reached Navajo Loop. We chose to take the longer side of the loop (clockwise) so we could walk through Wall Street and climb the famous switchbacks to the rim. But immediately after summiting, we continued around the loop to see Thor’s Hammer on the other side. You have to see if you’re worthy, right? Read more about us.

Trail Information

Here’s what you need to know about the hike:

• You do not need a permit to hike Queens Garden Navajo Loop Trail
• Queens Garden Trail begins at sunrise point
• Navajo Loop Trail begins at sunset point
• The flat and easy Rim Trail connects the two trailheads
• You can start and end your hike at either trailhead
• Climbing up Navajo Loop Trail is steeper and tougher
• You have to choose between two routes on Navajo Loop

You can reach the trailheads from various parking areas around the visitor center, lodge, sunrise point and sunset point. If you visit in peak months (May-September) you might want to take the free park shuttle instead. It originates outside the park boundary but you still need to pay entry fees as usual. Once you arrive to the rim and see the amphitheater, you simply walk along the rim to access whichever trailhead you want to descend.

For reference, we were able to park near Sunrise Point when we arrived early on a weekday morning in mid-October. We chose to hike down Queens Garden and back up Navajo Loop in a clockwise direction because we wanted the better views ahead of us on the Queens Garden Trail descent.

Trail Statistics

Following the map we created above: You’ll descend the red line (Queens Garden), ascend either of the two blue lines (Navajo Loop) and complete your hike along the orange line (Rim Trail).

• Distance: 3 miles roundtrip
• Elevation: 600 feet
• Type: Loop
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Time: 2-3 hours

We think this hike is moderately challenging because it has a steep climb back up to the rim, but it’s only 600 feet elevation change and you can take your time. If you hike often and you’re in reasonable shape you’ll probably find the hike a breeze. At any rate, you’ll be too distracted by oddly shaped hoodoos, walls and sandstone formations to notice your legs burning and lungs heaving!

READ: 50 amazing US hikes

Walkthrough: Our Queens Garden Navajo Loop Hike

Let’s take a step-by-step look at our hike so you know exactly what to expect:

1. Sunrise Point

After parking on Sunrise Point Road at 8:30am, we walked along a short access trail and a small portion of Rim Trail to a fenced viewing area which is aptly named Sunrise Point. And wow, we were instantly blown away by Bryce Canyon amphitheater. It’s so different to the other popular Utah landscapes. We spent a few minutes admiring mother nature’s work and then hit the trail.

2. The Descent

Queens Garden Trailhead was a few steps away from the viewing platform, so we quickly began our descent into the amphitheater. The dirt packed trail snaked down the outside edge of the main hoodoo formations. It was wide open, easy to take photos of the amphitheater and unexpectedly tree-heavy. At the bottom of the descent we were surprised to see the landscape ahead looking more like smooth and rolling sand dunes, rather than sharp and jagged sandstone hoodoos.

3. Queens Garden Trail

At the wooden trail sign we stayed right to stay on Queens Garden and this is when the hike really got interesting because we were now hiking into the thick of the action. We walked through a door that had been built into a sandstone wall and stood looking up at tall towers from directly below. Then the trail flattened and passed through lots of trees. This part of the hike was very easy, relaxing and enjoyable.

4. Join Navajo Loop

Eventually we reached Navajo Loop and took the clockwise (further left) route because we wanted to pass through Wall Street and the more iconic series of switchbacks. Note here that if you take the counter-clockwise (right side) route instead, you’d see Twin Bridges and Thor’s Hammer. If you’re not sure which to take, go for Wall Street because it’s the only slot canyon in Bryce Canyon.

Hiking tip: Walk as far as Twin Bridges on the counter-clockwise route, then turn around and join the clockwise route through Wall Street. That way you see the major landmarks but don’t have to do the switchbacks on both sides.

5. Switchbacks

We walked through the very narrow Wall Street passage entirely dwarfed by enormous deep orange colored walls and it felt like being in a sci-fi desert maze. Wall Street was over quickly and before we knew it we were standing at the bottom of a very tiring looking set of switchbacks. The gradually inclining switchbacks started off short but got longer as we gained elevation. We didn’t count but we think there were around 20 switchbacks in total, and by the top we certainly knew about it!

6. Thor’s Hammer

If you’ve had your fill of hiking, walk back along Rim Trail once you summit the switchbacks at sunset point. We have fear of missing out issues so we went back down into the canyon on the other side of the loop as far as Thor’s Hammer so we could get a fun photo. But we were definitely done with switchbacks so we returned to the rim, spent the rest of the day exploring and returned here to sunset point at dusk.

Best Time To Hike Queens Garden Navajo Loop Trail

We think spring and fall are the best seasons to visit Bryce Canyon because they have the perfect blend of fewer crowds, more lodging availability, cheaper prices and comfortable hiking conditions for trails like Queens Garden and Navajo Loop. Try to visit the park on weekdays rather than weekends (especially holiday weekends), and arrive either early in the morning or later in the afternoon for quieter conditions.

Bryce Canyon is awesome in the winter because it’s picturesque and there’s barely anyone around. But at 8,000 feet above sea level, it gets very very cold. We camped for a night at Sunset Campground in October and even then we were freezing! In summer Bryce Canyon gets overcrowded, hot, expensive and hard to park, so we personally would avoid July and August.

Hiking tip: Stay on top of current trail conditions on the NPS site and check recent comments on All Trails.

The Morgan Conclusion

What we like: For us this is by far the best hike in Bryce Canyon because it goes into the heart of the amphitheater. We love how scenic and varied the trail is throughout with trees and sandstone formations. It’s also a great middle distance and difficulty level, so it kept us entertained and challenged us just enough.

What we don’t like: There’s really not much to dislike about this hike. If pushed we’d nitpick about more parking spaces being available for the peak visiting months. It might also bottleneck around Wall Street on busier days but it was quiet when we visited.

Is Queens Garden Navajo Loop worth hiking? Yes, it’s definitely worth hiking Queens Garden Navajo Loop Trail on your first visit to Bryce Canyon. The hike is fun, picturesque and completely unique. It’s perfect for kids of all ages and the whole family.

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Want more Utah content? Head over to our Utah Travel Guides to explore the mighty five national parks and beyond.

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We hope our guide to hiking Queens Garden Navajo Loop Trail helps with planning your visit to Bryce Canyon!

Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

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