Hikes & Other Outdoor Pursuits in Bryce Canyon National Park - Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks - page 88

Because mountain bikers are not welcome on national park hiking trails, you'll
have to leave Bryce in search of trails. Fortunately, you won't have to go far—the
DixieNationalForest, which abuts the park, has numerous mountain biking op-
portunities. (See chapter 8, “Nearby Things to See & Do.”)
Mountain bikes can be rented across the road from Ruby's Inn at the Bryce
Canyon American Car Care Center ( & 866/866-6616 or 435/834-5232;
www.rubysinn.com ) for $20 for up to 6 hours and $35 for a full day.
FISHING The closest fishing hole to the park is at TropicReservoir in the Dixie Na-
tional Forest. (See chapter 8, “Nearby Things to See & Do.”)
HORSEBACKRIDING To see Bryce Canyon the way the early pioneers did, you need
to look down from a horse. CanyonTrailRides, P.O. Box 128, Tropic, UT 84776 ( &
435/679-8665; www.canyonrides.com ), offers a close-up view of Bryce's spectacular
rock formations from the relative comfort of a saddle. The company has a desk in-
side Bryce Lodge. A 2-hour ride to the canyon floor and back costs $50 per person,
and a half-day trip farther into the canyon costs $75 per person. Rides are offered
April through November. Riders must be at least 7 years old for the 2-hour trip, at
least 10 for the half-day ride, and weigh no more than 220 pounds.
Horseback rides are also offered by several companies in Red Canyon, just out-
side the national park. See the Dixie National Forest section in chapter 8.
Winter Activities
Bryce is beautiful in the winter, when the white snow creates a perfect frosting on
the red, pink, orange, and brown statues standing proudly against the cold winds.
CROSS-COUNTRYSKIING Cross-country skiers will find several marked, ungroomed
trails (all above the rim), including the Fairyland Loop Trail ★★, which leads 1
mile through a pine and juniper forest to the Fairyland Point Overlook. From here
you can take the 1-mile ForestTrail back to the road, or continue north along the
rim for another 1.2 miles to the park boundary.
There are also connections to ski trails in the adjacent national forest. (See “Dixie
National Forest,” in chapter 8.)
Stop at the visitor center for trail information, and go to Best Western Plus
Ruby's Inn, just north of the park entrance ( & 866/866-6616 or 435/834-5341;
www.rubysinn.com ) , for information on cross-country ski trails and snowmobiling
opportunities outside the park. Ruby's grooms over 30 miles of ski trails, some of