Bryce Canyon: new 24-mile path links the hoodoos to Red Canyon

Thousands of red-orange rock spires known as hoodoos, lined up in amphitheaters along the rim of a high plateau: Bryce Canyon in the U.S. state of Utah is among the best-known landscapes of the American Southwest. Now it can also be explored without a car. The national park has completed the final 2.7-mile (about 4.3-kilometer) segment of its Shared Use Path, the National Park Service (NPS) announced. That creates a continuous 24-mile (about 39-kilometer) paved route from Bryce Point in the park to Red Canyon in Dixie National Forest. The Southern Utah Independent reported on the project on Oct. 24, 2026. Construction on the last segment ran from May 2025 to September 2026, in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration.

The route, known as the Canyon2Canyon Trail, connects the Visitor Center, Sunrise Point, Bryce Canyon Lodge, Sunset Point, Inspiration Point, Bryce Point and both park campgrounds. It is open to pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair users, leashed pets, non-motorized scooters, skaters and longboarders; e-bikes are allowed under NPS guidelines. "The Shared Use Path expands access, supports sustainable transportation," said BJ Cluff, the park's program manager for visitor experiences. He said it "creates new opportunities for visitors to experience Bryce Canyon without relying solely on a vehicle."

From April through October, the park's free shuttle serves the viewpoints and carries up to two bicycles. Cyclists can ride it to Bryce Point and coast back on a mostly downhill route of about seven miles to the Visitor Center. Note that bicycles are not allowed on the Rim Trail along the canyon edge or at the viewpoint overlooks themselves. In winter, parts of the path may be used for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, depending on conditions. According to the NPS, the park covers 35,835 acres (about 14,501 hectares) at elevations between about 2,018 and 2,778 meters and has been a national park since 1928.