— During our road tour around Utah’s five national parks, hiking the Queen’s Garden trail at Bryce Canyon NP was a high point. Not only are those hoodoos very intriguing, but the fact we were doing that hike in the late afternoon increased our enjoyment. Light and shadow kept stopping us all the time to admire the color changes in the hoodoos. So, I invite you to come along and enjoy this easy hike right from the comfort of your seat. You can look down from our starting point and look up when we meet the Queen herself.
The Queen’s Garden trail is an easy hike starting at Sunrise Point and descending 320 feet (98 m). Being able to see these hoodoos from a lower angle gives a hiker a whole new view of the park. At the end of the trail, you reach an area with a hoodoo resembling Queen Victoria. The roundtrip hike is about 1.8 miles (3 km). Just keep in mind that while it is easy to hike down the trail, you will climb back up on the return trip.
This is one of those trails where you have a chance to see the famous Bryce Canyon NP hoodoos from above as you start the hike and then experience the same towering hoodoos from the canyon floor. The Queen’s Garden trail begins as a small path, winding its way down into the heart of the canyon. In fact, in the photo above, you can see a portion of the trail in the lower left corner of the photo. As hikers venture deeper, they are greeted by the enchanting beauty of the hoodoos, these mystical rock formations carved by the hands of time. Each hoodoo seems to have a unique personality, standing tall and proud, as if guarding the secrets of the canyon.
Once we reach the bottom of the canyon, the landscape seems almost otherworldly. You find yourself turning around and marveling at each different hoodoo. They look so different from this perspective. At this point, we find ourselves immersed in a realm of tranquility and wonder. The canyon walls stand tall, creating a natural amphitheater that is very different from the amphitheater we saw when we started. The sun’s gentle rays filter through the trees, casting a magical glow upon the trail. And then, while looking up, we find the main attraction. The trail gets its name from a hoodoo formation that resembles Queen Victoria, earning its place as the “queen” of the garden. You just need to look way up to find the hoodoo. In the photos below, I first show a close-up of the hoodoo. The other photo shows the hoodoo way up above the canyon floor. The black-and-white photo is used here to highlight the strong resemblance the hoodoo has to Queen Victoria’s image.
Even though the trail is relatively short, for the most adventurous hiker, the trail can be extended by connecting with other trails in the area, such as the Navajo Loop trail or the Peek-a-Boo Loop trail. We actually did those trails, but it was on a burro. You can see those photos in other posts here.
Tea time is over. Now, it is time to return back up and admire the hoodoos along the trail and from the top once more.
I hope you have enjoyed this painless hike.
This post is actually my response to James’ Lens-Artists’ challenge this week: Looking up, Looking down. When considering what I was going to show in this post, many things went through my mind. In the end, I thought it would be more fun to show both sides of looking up/down by visiting one single place. Be sure to check out James’ post in the link above. Also, more information about the Lens-Artists’ challenges can be found here.
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JohnRH
Great great photos. Stunning!!
Egídio Leitão
Thank you, John.
Leya
Breathtakingly beautiful, Egídio. Perfect for the challenge too. If I ever should go to America for something…it would be to Bryce Canyon and Antelope Canyon. Now you made me think it over again…
Egídio Leitão
Ann-Christine, thank you for your kind words and feedback. I’ve been to Antelope Canyon, too, both the upper and lower sections. It’s a magical place indeed.
Wind Kisses
This was a favorite hike of ours in Bryce, and what a great idea for looking down and looking up. So true. You get to overlook the vast and beautiful hoodoo forest, and then to find yourself amidst the hoodoos is fantastic. I remember feeling like I was in a chess game, moving through the pieces. Great idea, Egidio. Fantastic photos.
Egídio Leitão
Donna, thank you very much. Bryce Canyon NP is truly fascinating.
Tina Schell
Glorious Egidío, I think Byrce is one of the most underrated places in the U.S. Having been to most of the national parks it is by far my favorite. Part of that may be because, as you’ve shown, it’s incredibly photogenic. Marvelous!
Egídio Leitão
Thank you, Tina. Those parks in Utah are truly amazing.
Amy
Magnificent photos of the queens garden, Egidio! Wow… the hoodoo!! Yes, I love this painless hiking. 🙂
Egídio Leitão
Amy, thank you for the feedback. I am glad you were to hike with me.
Sofia Alves
The colours are amazing, the place looks unforgettable. Beautifully captured, Egídio.
Egídio Leitão
Thanks, Sofia. Bryce Canyon is indeed unforgettable. Those formations and their strong colors are mesmerizing.
PR
My eyes are popping out of my head 🤩. What amazing landscape. Some of the pictures feel like an imagined painting 😀
Egídio Leitão
PR, thank you for the feedback. Bryce Canyon NP is a stunning place to visit. It is almost otherworldly.
jazzibee
Egidio, this is an education for me. I never dreamed such a place existed and I’d never heard of a hoodoo. Brilliant post and great storyline. Thanks so much for sharing these images.
Egídio Leitão
Thanks for the feedback, James. Hoodoos are very common in some parks across the southwest of the USA. Bryce Canyon National Park is probably the most famous for its hoodoos.
jazzibee
It’s amazing
margaret21
What extraordinary formations those hoodoos are. Whether any combination of them resembles Queen Victoria is another matter entirely.
Egídio Leitão
Margaret, thanks for the comment. Sometimes these formation names do leave some room for creativity. I find the same is true for the constellation names: Orion, the Big Dipper, etc. It takes a lot of imagination to see them and think they are similar. 🙂
Tra Italia e Finlandia
Grazie per la condivisione. Un posto davvero strabiliante…e che colori! 😯
Egídio Leitão
Grazie per il tuo commento. Il Bryce Canyon è incantevole e misterioso allo stesso tempo.
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography
It is a beautiful place, visited it years ago, during film era so I don’t have that many photos. These are lovely and spot on for the challenge
Egídio Leitão
Thanks, Ritva. Bryce Canyon is truly enchanting.
Anne Sandler
These are wonderful image of Bryce Egidio.
Egídio Leitão
So glad you enjoyed seeing them, Anne. Thanks for the feedback.