Distance: 8-mile (12.9 km) loop
Hiking time: About 4 hours
Best season: April–October
Difficulty: Moderate
Water availability: None
Topo maps: USGS Bryce Canyon; Trails Illustrated Bryce Canyon National Park
Finding the trailhead: From the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center, drive north 0.7 mile to the sign for the Fairyland Point Overlook. Head east for 1 mile and park in the designated parking zones.
Trailhead GPS: 37.649350, -112.147614
An enjoyable day hike, this route loops through the Fairyland amphitheater just north of Bryce Canyon and goes past many interesting rock formations. The trail can be accessed easily from a trailhead at Fairyland Point or from Sunrise Point via a short jaunt north along the Rim Trail. Since the access road to Fairyland Point is located between the park entrance and the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center, first-time visitors often drive by, missing Fairyland Point and the Fairyland Loop. That's too bad because this hike is well worth doing! Hikers will get rewarding views of the Sinking Ship and many other grand formations as the trail approaches and then descends across scree slopes. Trees growing here include Douglas fir, juniper, and limber pine.
