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Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon: a still from my film

Utah · March 2022 · Solo

Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon

42.9 KM · 2 DAYS · 1,410 M

Chimney Rock, Cassidy Arch, Grand Wash, the Fairyland Loop and Queen's Garden in 2 days.

Watch the film 22:20 · 109K views

At a glance

Where
Utah
Distance
42.9 km (26.7 miles)
Days
2: Capitol Reef on day 1, Bryce Canyon on day 2, two hikes each day
Climbing
About 4,630 ft (1,410 m) up and down, by my GPS
Difficulty
Day hikes on good trails. The NPS rates Chimney Rock, Frying Pan, Cassidy Arch and the Fairyland Loop strenuous: steep climbs, slickrock and drop-offs
When I went
March 2022
Relief maps of the Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon hikes in Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon, each walk drawn in red, with Fruita and Fairyland Point marked.
Day 1Day 2Highest 8,160 ft (2,486 m)

Elevation, start to finish: highest 8,160 ft (2,486 m), lowest 5,230 ft (1,593 m).

My GPS recording on a relief map. The numbers are where each day starts. The GPX files come with the guide.

Everything I made about it

The films

Photos

  • The Waterpocket Fold cliffs and Utah 24 from the rim on the Chimney Rock Loop, Day 1.
    The Waterpocket Fold cliffs and Utah 24 from the rim on the Chimney Rock Loop, Day 1.
  • A wall of hoodoos on the Fairyland Loop, Day 2.
    A wall of hoodoos on the Fairyland Loop, Day 2.
Red cliffs on the way down the Chimney Rock Loop, Day 1.
Red cliffs on the way down the Chimney Rock Loop, Day 1.

The guide · 43-page PDF + GPX files · 2027 season edition

Do it yourself

Chimney Rock, Cassidy Arch, Grand Wash, the Fairyland Loop and Queen's Garden in 2 days.

  • Where things stand
  • All four hikes
  • My GPX files
  • Getting there
  • Other ways to do it

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The whole Day 2, Rim Trail and Fairyland Loop page from the guide as a PDF, plus my hut-to-hut packing list: the 35 things I carry, with a note on each. Both come by email. You'll also get my emails about new guides and trips, a few a year.

What I'd take now

My current kit

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Short answers

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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