Scenic Overlooks

The Paria River and its many tributaries continue to carve the plateau edges. Rushing water carrying dirt and gravel gully the edges and steep slopes of the Paunsaugunt Plateau on which Bryce Canyon National Park lies. With time, tall thin ridges called fins emerge. Fins further erode into pinnacles and spires called hoodoos. These in turn weaken and fall, adding their bright colors to the hill below.

#1 Fairyland Point... offers views of Fairyland Amphitheater and its fanciful shapes. Highlighted by the Sinking Ship, with a backdrop of the Aquarius Plateau and distant Navajo Mountain, this scenery rivals any in the park. Because this overlook is a mile off the main park road, many visitors miss it. The road is not plowed and is used as a crosscountry ski trail during snowy months.

#2 Sunrise, Sunset, Inspiration, and Bryce Points... ring Bryce Amphitheater, the largest natural amphitheater in the park. The Queen's Garden Trail begins at Sunrise Point. From Sunset Point, you can hike to Thor's Hammer and Wall Street. Inspiration Point offers the best view of the Silent City. The Under-the-Rim Trail begins at Bryce Point. Distant panoramas from each point feature the Black Mountains in the northeast and Navajo Mountain in the south.

#3 Paria View... looks out across hoodoos in an amphitheater carved by Yellow Creek. The Paria River valley and Aquarius Plateau form the backdrop. To the south, the White Cliffs, carved out of Navajo Sandstone, are visible.

#4 Farview Point... affords a panorama that includes neighboring plateaus and mountains, and far to the southeast, the Kaibab Plateau of Grand Canyon's North Rim. Here ponderosa pines begin to give way to spruce and fir trees.

#5 Natural Bridge... was not formed by a stream as true natural bridges are. It is more accurately an arch, carved by the combined forces of rain and frost erosion acting from the top of the rock.

#6 Ponderosa Canyon... shows off multicolored hoodoos framed by pinecovered foothills and the Aquarius Plateau to the north.

#7 Aqua Canyon... Displays contrasts of light and color that are among the most satisfying in the park. Look for small trees atop a hoodoo known as the Hunter. In the distance, the rims of southern plateaus and canyons are visible.

#8 Yovimpa and Rainbow points... offer expansive views of southern Utah. On most days you can see Navajo Mountain and the Kaibab Plateau 90 miles away in Arizona. On the clearest days, the view extends into New Mexico. The foreground is awash in the colors of long-eroded slopes and remnant hoodoos. The road ends at Rainbow Point.

Back to Bryce Canyon

#1	Fairyland Point... offers views of Fairyland Amphitheater and its fanciful shapes. Highlighted by the Sinking Ship, with a backdrop of the Aquarius Plateau and distant Navajo Mountain, this scenery rivals any in the park. Because this overlook is a mile off the main park road, many visitors miss it. The road is not plowed and is used as a crosscountry ski trail during snowy months.
#2	Sunrise, Sunset, Inspiration, and Bryce Points... ring Bryce Amphitheater, the largest natural amphitheater in the park. The Queen's Garden Trail begins at Sunrise Point. From Sunset Point, you can hike to Thor's Hammer and Wall Street. Inspiration Point offers the best view of the Silent City. The Under-the-Rim Trail begins at Bryce Point. Distant panoramas from each point feature the Black Mountains in the northeast and Navajo Mountain in the south.
#3	Paria View... looks out across hoodoos in an amphitheater carved by Yellow Creek. The Paria River valley and Aquarius Plateau form the backdrop. To the south, the White Cliffs, carved out of Navajo Sandstone, are visible.
#4	Farview Point... affords a panorama that includes neighboring plateaus and mountains, and far to the southeast, the Kaibab Plateau of Grand Canyon's North Rim. Here ponderosa pines begin to give way to spruce and fir trees.
#5	Natural Bridge... was not formed by a stream as true natural bridges are. It is more accurately an arch, carved by the combined forces of rain and frost erosion acting from the top of the rock.
#6	Ponderosa Canyon... shows off multicolored hoodoos framed by pinecovered foothills and the Aquarius Plateau to the north.
#7	Aqua Canyon... Displays contrasts of light and color that are among the most satisfying in the park. Look for small trees atop a hoodoo known as the Hunter. In the distance, the rims of southern plateaus and canyons are visible.
#8	Yovimpa and Rainbow points... offer expansive views of southern Utah. On most days you can see Navajo Mountain and the Kaibab Plateau 90 miles away in Arizona. On the clearest days, the view extends into New Mexico. The foreground is awash in the colors of long-eroded slopes and remnant hoodoos. The road ends at Rainbow Point.