Do you need a permit to hike in Capitol Reef or Bryce Canyon?

Not for day hikes like these: the park pages list no permit. You pay the entrance fee at each park: in 2026, $20 a car at Capitol Reef and $35 at Bryce Canyon, or an $80 America the Beautiful pass for US residents.

Is there a fee for non-US visitors at Bryce Canyon?

Yes. From 2026, visitors who aren't US residents, aged 16 and over, pay a $100 nonresident fee on top of the entrance fee at Bryce Canyon and ten other parks. Capitol Reef isn't on the list.

How long is the Fairyland Loop?

8.0 miles and 1,900 ft of elevation change from Fairyland Point, by the Park Service. I started from Sunrise Point and walked the Rim Trail to Fairyland Point first: 9.5 miles by my GPS, in about 3.5 hours in late March.

How do you hike the Frying Pan Trail to Cassidy Arch and Grand Wash?

From the Hickman Bridge trailhead on Utah 24, up Cohab Canyon, along the Frying Pan Trail to Cassidy Arch, down into Grand Wash and out to Utah 24: 8.4 miles one way by my GPS. It ends about 2 miles by road from where you start, so bring two cars or arrange a ride.

Can you hike Bryce Canyon in March?

Yes. In late March 2022 I had pockets of snow but didn't need microspikes. The Park Service warns that March and April storms can bring heavy snow, recommends traction devices on icy trails, and the Navajo Loop's Wall Street side is closed in winter.

How far is it from Capitol Reef to Bryce Canyon?

Scenic Byway 12 runs 123 miles from Torrey toward Bryce Canyon, about three hours of driving according to the Park Service.

The film of Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon

Watch the film

213K views on YouTube. This guide is that trip, day by day.

Utah · 2 days · 26.7 miles · Utah

Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon Hiking Guide

In late March 2022 I spent two days hiking alone in two Utah national parks. In Capitol Reef I hiked the Chimney Rock Loop, then Cohab Canyon, the Frying Pan Trail and Cassidy Arch down to Grand Wash, one way to Utah 24. The next day in Bryce Canyon I walked the Rim Trail and the whole Fairyland Loop through the hoodoos, then went down Queen's Garden and up the Navajo Loop. It's the trip from my films Hiking Alone in Capitol Reef National Park Utah and Hiking the Fairyland Loop in Bryce Canyon National Park. This guide has my GPX files, a map and elevation profile for every hike, the 2026 fees and rules, getting there and between the parks, other hikes nearby, costs, heat, flash floods, snow and safety, and a trip sheet.

Days: 2 days
Distance: 26.7 miles
Climbing: About 4,630 ft (1,410 m) up

Free updates. 2027 season edition, updated October 2026. When I update the guide, your download link gets the new version.

Or get it in The Americas and New Zealand: 32 guides for $39, or all 58 for $59.

The cover of the Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon Hiking Guide

What's inside

Where things stand. Both parks in October 2026: what's open, the entrance fees, Bryce Canyon's new nonresident fee, and the Navajo Loop in winter, checked on the National Park Service pages.
All four hikes. Stats, the time I took, my notes, the route, where to turn back, maps with elevation profiles, and links to that part of my films.
My GPX files. My own recordings of Chimney Rock, the Frying Pan hike to Grand Wash, the Fairyland Loop and Queen's Garden with the Navajo Loop, plus all four in one file, ready for AllTrails, Gaia GPS, Garmin or Organic Maps.
Getting there. Flying into Las Vegas or Salt Lake City, the drive to Torrey, the trailheads on Utah 24, Scenic Byway 12 to Bryce, the Bryce shuttle, and how to do the one-way Frying Pan hike.
Other ways to do it. Cassidy Arch from Grand Wash, Grand Wash alone, Hickman Bridge, Cathedral Valley, the Fairyland Loop from Fairyland Point, Tower Bridge, Peekaboo, Mossy Cave and the Bristlecone Loop.
Heat, flash floods, snow and safety. When to go, monthly temperatures for both parks, water, Grand Wash in a storm, lightning on the Bryce rim, spring ice and altitude.
Torrey, Bryce, costs and a trip sheet. Where to sleep and eat, the campgrounds, what a trip costs in 2026, one page of checks and a printable summary of the hikes.

The route

My GPS recording of 2 days, simplified. The numbers are where each day starts; the dot is the finish. The full GPX files and the maps come with the guide.

Elevation, start to finish: highest 8,160 ft (2,486 m), lowest 6,050 ft (1,843 m).

Look inside

At a glance page from the Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon Hiking Guide — At a glance

A day page page from the Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon Hiking Guide — A day page

A day map and elevation profile

Is it open? (October 2026) page from the Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon Hiking Guide — Is it open? (October 2026)

The details

Format: A 43-page PDF sized for a phone (A5, prints fine too) and a folder of GPX files, in one zip download.
Edition: 2027 season edition, updated October 2026.
Delivery: Instant. After you pay you get a private download link. Bookmark it to download again on any device.
Payment: Secure checkout through Stripe, in your own currency. Tax is included in the price, except in the US and Canada, where any sales tax is added at checkout.
Refunds: Not useful? Email me within 30 days for a refund: kraig@kraigadams.com.
Questions: Email kraig@kraigadams.com.

Questions

Do you need a permit to hike in Capitol Reef or Bryce Canyon?: Not for day hikes like these: the park pages list no permit. You pay the entrance fee at each park: in 2026, $20 a car at Capitol Reef and $35 at Bryce Canyon, or an $80 America the Beautiful pass for US residents.
Is there a fee for non-US visitors at Bryce Canyon?: Yes. From 2026, visitors who aren't US residents, aged 16 and over, pay a $100 nonresident fee on top of the entrance fee at Bryce Canyon and ten other parks. Capitol Reef isn't on the list.
How long is the Fairyland Loop?: 8.0 miles and 1,900 ft of elevation change from Fairyland Point, by the Park Service. I started from Sunrise Point and walked the Rim Trail to Fairyland Point first: 9.5 miles by my GPS, in about 3.5 hours in late March.
How do you hike the Frying Pan Trail to Cassidy Arch and Grand Wash?: From the Hickman Bridge trailhead on Utah 24, up Cohab Canyon, along the Frying Pan Trail to Cassidy Arch, down into Grand Wash and out to Utah 24: 8.4 miles one way by my GPS. It ends about 2 miles by road from where you start, so bring two cars or arrange a ride.
Can you hike Bryce Canyon in March?: Yes. In late March 2022 I had pockets of snow but didn't need microspikes. The Park Service warns that March and April storms can bring heavy snow, recommends traction devices on icy trails, and the Navajo Loop's Wall Street side is closed in winter.
How far is it from Capitol Reef to Bryce Canyon?: Scenic Byway 12 runs 123 miles from Torrey toward Bryce Canyon, about three hours of driving according to the Park Service.

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