Queens Garden Trail Bryce Canyon in southwest Utah boasts a unique beauty, thanks to multi-hued rock formations known as hoodoos. These spire-like formations (ranging from the height of the average person to that of a 10-story building) were created from the erosion of layers of sedimentary rock. Despite its name, Bryce Canyon isn’t actually a canyon, but a series of depressions formed by erosions in the Paunsaugunt Plateau; the largest, Bryce Amphitheater, is 12 miles long, 3 miles wide, and 800-plus feet deep. Queens Garden Trail is the easiest way to get you into the amphitheater. 

Length 1.8 miles round-trip; 1-2 hours
Location Trail starts and ends at Sunrise Point
Difficulty Easy to moderate
Scenery Hike down into the canyon to see Bryce’s signature otherworldly hoodoos.

— Liz Webber