asdaven

I am going to Bryce in early august and I only have a day there. I want to take one of the trails down into the canyon. Any updates on the Navajo Loop Trail? I was going to do that by going down that trail and coming up the Queen's Garden Trail. Any suggestions on a good alternative? Some people reccomend taking the Fairyland Loop to Tower Bridge or taking the Peakaboo Loop. I don't really have the time to hike the whole Fairyland Loop. I also want to hike the Bristlecone Pine loop which is short and a short section of the rim trail, and the Mosey Cave Trail which is also short.
Thanks for any suggestions-

asdaven

Oops, I posted twice. This is the right posts. Any suggestions on the trails? What is a good alternative to the Navajo Loop if it is going to be closed? What are the horse tours like? I might just do the horses instead of hiking.

travelina

We did the long horse trail ride last June and it was wonderful! I took my 8 year old son with me. It is so much nicer on horseback. (we hiked a shorter trail and rode the longer ones) Everyone who took the long hike down wanted to ride up with us. We had a wonderful guide who made it very interesting. After 4 hours my knees were a little stiff but it is by far one of the neatest experiences I have ever had!

Patrick

I've done a half day horse (mule) trip twice and really loved it. You will cover more distance than walking -- probably, even though it seems very slow paced. It makes you feel like you're in an old western movie riding through those rocks on the horses -- is that Tonto behind the next formation?

Jill2

Hi there. We were in Bryce one week ago and the beginning of Navajo Loop is still closed. However, we hiked the Queen's Garden trail down to the end, where it meets up with Navajo Loop. We hiked partway up Navajo Loop to the beginning of Wall Street. There the trail is closed. So we turned around and hiked back the way we came. I had wanted to see Wall Street so I was real glad we could get to it this way. What a magical place!

asdaven

So, you can see Wall Street that way, does it loop back around? What would do you reccomend more, hiking or taking the horses?
Thanks for the good replies-

Jill2

Yes, you can hike the first little bit of Wall Street. Then there are barricades, so you have to turn around and return the way you came.

I think the horseback vs. hiking is a personal preference. I considered horseback but decided on hiking for these reasons (in order of importance for us):
1) It saved $180 for our family of 4 to hike rather than ride horses. On a long trip, I had to keep a close rein (ha ha) on our money.
2) We're not much into group tours with a tour guide and prefer to explore by ourselves. We did see the horse groups with a leader loudly explaining the sights.
3) We're physically able to hike.

That said, I've read reports by people who say going by horse was absolutely the highlight of their trip!

netta7

Thanks Jill for the hiking vote. We are going in a couple of weeks and will be hiking. Our 6 year old is too young to ride per their rules.

travelina

We did both. We hiked the shorter trails and saw Wall Street close up. I do not think this is possible on horseback. The longer trails would have taken much longer and it gets really hot in the summer. I would do both if time/$$ allows....

asdaven

What is your favorite trail in Bryce that goes to the bottom of the canyon?

travelinandgolfin

Sounds like you're an experienced hiker, so I'm sure you already know, but just in case, take into account that the rim of Bryce is about 8000 feet in elevation. You should be in excellent shape.

asdaven

I am not an experenced hiker and I am only going to do one of the trails into the canyon then a couple on the rim. The Navajo combined with the Queen's Garden was what I was going to do because it was a little under 3 miles and was only about 320 foot climb out of the canyon.

asdaven

I just made a reservation for the half day mule trip into the canyon at 8 o clock. I am driving there from Zion, so I will have to get up early. The half day mule rides ride around the whole Peakaboo Loop Trail. Since, I am doing this, is it necessary to hike down the Queen's Garden's Trail after the mule trip? Since, I will be done the mule trip by 11, I will have a lot of time at Bryce. But, I would like to ride to Rainbow Point and take the Bristlecone Pine Trail, hike a short section of the rim trail, and maybe hike the Mosey Cave Trail. I would appreciate any suggestions.