Here’s a question which lots of people ask: “What time can I enter Bryce Canyon?” It’s a completely understandable question. You want to know what time the gates close. Since that’s an easy question to answer, let’s discuss when you can enter Bryce Canyon.
Park Entrance
Bryce Canyon National Park is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. In other words, it’s always open. All you need to do is present your park pass or pay for a park pass at the entrance. Then you gain admission. Also, there’s no reservation system for entry. You can come as you please.
The then question becomes more about when they staff the fee booths. That’s a little more difficult to say as the National Park Service doesn’t seem to publish that information. Still, I have driven in during early morning and late evening hours without having to stop and present my pass for entry. I’ve observed that they generally staff the booths during business and peak evening visiting hours. Those hours widen in the summer and shrink during the winter with park visitation popularity.
One notable exception to not posting about the fee booths is the holidays of Christmas and Thanksgiving. The park closes the fee booths for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. If you plan on visiting Bryce Canyon during those cold late autumn and winter holidays respectively, then you need not worry about the fee booths at all.
Visitors’ Center Entrance
The Bryce Canyon Visitors’ Center maintains different hours from the gate. The National Park Service publishes these hours online. Check their page out for the most accurate and up-to-date information. Specific dates chance every year. If you want to enter Bryce Canyon’s visitor’s center and check out the exhibits and merchandise near the fringes of winter-spring and autumn-winter, then check with the them to make sure you time your visit properly.
In general, the visitors’ center is open everyday. Hours vary depending upon season. During the summer, they are open from 8AM to 8PM. During the spring and autumn (fall), they are open from 8AM to 6PM. Finally, during the winter, they are open from 8AM to 4:30PM.
When it comes to holidays, they list several popular holidays which include several 3-day weekends. These holidays include New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents’ Day (Lincoln and Washington’s birthdays combined, though they may use other wording), Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. They recently added Juneteenth to the list. The visitors’ center is listed as open for normal seasonal operating hours during all of these holidays, with the exception of Christmas Day where they are just closed period. This means you can enter Bryce Canyon on Christmas Day, but not the visitors’ center. No one wants to work that day.
Times You Cannot Enter Bryce Canyon at All
I’ve only seen one such time where the entirety of Bryce Canyon was closed to the public. They even closed the parts not behind the fee booth. This was during the early months of 202o with the lock-down. Everything which didn’t “need” to be open was closed. However, outside of that extremely rare circumstance, I’ve never seen Bryce Canyon close.
Conclusion
Unless there is something extreme happening, Bryce Canyon doesn’t close. This means you can enter the park at any time of day or night. Depending upon what time you choose to enter, you may need to deal with the fee booths and what lines are already present. However, outside of that window, park entrance is quick and easy.
