Lots of people commonly wonder this kind of question about any tourist destination. What’s the best time of year/month/week/day/etc. to visit X? It’s only natural to want the best possible experience you can get given your narrow window of time on vacation. So, today we tackle this question a bit more specifically. What’s the best month to visit Bryce Canyon? The answer is that it depends on what you’re going for. Let’s elaborate.
The Preliminaries
There are many factors which come into play when choosing when the “best” window of time to visit is, in this case, the best month. Which specific factors affect your vacation schedule and how they affect it only you can know for yourself. However, let’s start with mentioning some obvious ones: children in school/summer vacation, crowds, and weather. Each of these factors plays into the “best” month to visit Bryce Canyon and yields different results.
Deeper factors include what you want to do during your visit. While the park is open year-round, not every trail is open or safe to hike during certain times of year for example. You may find certain activities restricted by area. Also, depending upon the timing of your visit, certain activities may not be available at all. Temperature and snow presence/absence highly affect some available activities. I’ll elaborate on available activities below.
So, with this preliminary explanation out of the way, let’s do it. It’s time for that elaboration promised above. So, now let’s dive into when the best month is to visit Bryce Canyon National Park and some of the criteria to judge by.
Visiting Bryce Canyon Around a School Schedule
One of the biggest points people consider is the school schedule of their local school district, college, or university. If you or your child is supposed to attend classes, this is not an ideal time to go on vacation anywhere. Bryce Canyon has poor cell phone and data reception so it’s not like you could attend classes virtually that easily. No, it’s far better to wait for a break such as Christmas break, Spring/Easter break, or summer break to visit. Those more local might get away with Thanksgiving break or even a 3-day weekend if pursuing a day trip.
When working around a typical school schedule, you often have the last part of May, June, July, August, and the beginning of September to work with. Yes, I know that your individual school schedules may vary. I’m giving a general overview.
Since many people feel the desire to get out and vacation just after school releases for the year (late May/early June) and/or the desire to get in that last hurrah before school begins for the year (late August/early September), I actually recommend that you avoid those windows to visit Bryce Canyon in. For this very reason, many of the local hotels, motels, RV parks, cabins, and campgrounds fill up quickly. Things are especially difficult and expensive around times like Memorial weekend.
Instead, I recommend that you look at planning your visit to Bryce Canyon during the month of July. Things are still going strong for the season but you’re missing those overcrowded windows of time.
Visiting Bryce Canyon Around Crowds
Another issue people often consider in planning vacations is crowds. You don’t want to visit someplace only to face too many people and miss out on most of what you could have done thanks to the crowds. Instead, you want to consider the off-season if available. By utilizing the off-season, you maximize what you can do while minimizing the time you spend waiting. It’s a win-win for most people.
While open year-round, Bryce Canyon has an off-season too. It extends from about mid to late October through the beginning to mid April. During this window of time, many of the local hotels, motels, RV parks, cabins, campgrounds, and restaurants close down for the season. There’s simply not enough demand during the off-season to support them staying open over the winter. On the plus side, you’ll find those who do remain open often have cheap rates and very short lines.
Is there a particularly good month to visit Bryce Canyon during the off-season? No, not really. The entirety of the off-season is about the same if you wish to avoid crowds. There really isn’t anything special about the time surrounding Christmas and New Year’s either. If there would be such a time where you’d expect the off-season to pick up, it’d be that window. However, that’s not the case. It’s still the same even keel of tourism traffic.
The shoulder season months of March, April, and October often offer more temperate desert-in-the-mountains conditions. You also often have the bonus that some accommodations and restaurants are either just opening or still open for the season. You will often find cheaper rates and shorter lines during the shoulder seasons too.
During the regular tourist season, I would advise you to avoid 3-day weekends and other local big events if you wish to avoid crowds. Events such as balloonfest (June) and the marathon (July) bring in lots of people who often decide to visit Bryce Canyon while in the area. Perhaps come during months like March, April, and October when the crowd hasn’t arrived yet or is dying off for the season.
Bryce Canyon Weather Concerns
If you want to visit an outdoor attraction, such as Bryce Canyon, then weather must factor into your decision-making process. The very reason why there is an off-season in the area is because of weather. Let me break down some factors which you may face depending upon weather conditions.
January
Cold weather with snowstorms likely.
February
Cold weather with snowstorms likely.
March
Slightly warmer with ground thaw possible towards the end of the month. Snow still possible.
April
Still only slightly warmer with possible ground thaw during the month. Snow still possible but chance of sticking reducing as the month progresses.
May
Temperature finally becomes more temperate as the month progresses. Snow still possible but much more likely to rain instead.
June
Temperate to hot temperatures. Nights might still be chilly. Precipitation is often minimal. Fire season often begins during this month.
July
Hot days and temperate nights. Mid-month or month’s end may begin monsoon season with daily or almost daily afternoon rain showers and thunderstorms. Fire season continues.
August
Hot days and temperate nights. Monsoon season continues with rain tapering off towards after the middle of the month. Fire season continues.
September
Begins with hot days which cool off to more temperate conditions as the month progresses. Rain showers possible but monsoon season has concluded. Fire season continues.
October
About half of the month is reasonably temperate and the rest is cold. One day, we wake up and it’s just cold with no warning. Rain possible but not likely. Early snow possible but not likely and not likely to stick. Fire season ends.
November
Cold weather with snowstorms likely.
December
Cold weather with snowstorms likely.
As you can see, Bryce Canyon features vastly different weather conditions depending upon time of year. It is located in the mountains, after all.
If you’re like me and hate the cold, then the off-season might not be the time you want to visit Bryce Canyon. If you don’t really know how to drive on snow and black ice, then winter visits probably aren’t for you. Again, if rain or snow might cancel your trip, then you know which months you should avoid. In fact, June or early July might be the best months to plan your trip if you want the best predictable weather.
What Do You Plan on Doing During Your Visit?
Bryce Canyon National Park offers several outdoor adventure activities and also many scenic views. However, your best month to visit might be limited by what you plan on doing while there. Most people come to see the vistas. You can see those any day of the week or month. Sill, many come with secondary plans which can include hiking, back-country, camping, horseback riding, cycling, photography/videography, astronomy, and geology study. I’ll break these down so you can see what’s generally available when.
Keep in mind that certain activities are limited by cloudy skies, snow on the ground, and more. Some activities are run by private companies who determine when they will offer such. If you bring your own, then it’s available to you year-round. Also, certain activities technically available year-round might have seasonal limits placed upon them. Always follow current park ranger instructions and guidelines along with official posted signs.
January
- limited hiking
- winter camping
- photography/videography
- astronomy
- geology studies
February
- limited hiking
- winter camping
- photography/videography
- astronomy
- geology studies
March
- limited hiking
- winter (?) camping
- photography/videography
- astronomy
- geology studies
April
- limited hiking
- camping
- horseback riding
- cycling
- photography/videography
- astronomy
- geology studies
May
- hiking
- back-country
- camping
- horseback riding
- cycling
- photography/videography
- astronomy
- geology studies
June
- hiking
- back-country
- camping
- horseback riding
- cycling
- photography/videography
- astronomy
- geology studies
July
- hiking
- back-country
- camping
- horseback riding
- cycling
- photography/videography
- astronomy
- geology studies
August
- hiking
- back-country
- camping
- horseback riding
- cycling
- photography/videography
- astronomy
- geology studies
September
- hiking
- back-country
- camping
- horseback riding
- cycling
- photography/videography
- astronomy
- geology studies
October
- limited hiking
- winter (?) camping
- photography/videography
- astronomy
- geology studies
November
- limited hiking
- winter camping
- photography/videography
- astronomy
- geology studies
December
- limited hiking
- winter camping
- photography/videography
- astronomy
- geology studies
A few more considerations: If you don’t really know how to handle certain outdoor activities in the cold of mountain winters, then do not attempt them. Doing so might end in disaster for you. Also, depending upon snowfall cover and plowing, park rangers might close the back end of the park (and access to backcountry) temporarily or for the entire off-season. Another consideration is that snow melt in March and April leaves muddy, soggy, and even slick trails. If rock falls or washouts will happen to close trails, they will most likely happen in early spring. Repair and removal will take some weeks or months.
So, if you truly want the best possible Bryce Canyon visit based upon activities, then the months of May through September are where you want to plan. They offer the widest variety of activities with the least restrictions.
Conclusion
So, in conclusion, what is the best month to visit Bryce Canyon? For most people, it seems to be around June or July. However, depending upon what you want and need, there might be other perfectly acceptable windows for you. So, please plan out your trip to Bryce Canyon using whatever criteria you need to now that you have a good idea of what will work best overall for certain schedules.
What do you think is the best month or what is your personal favorite month to visit Bryce Canyon during? Please leave your votes in the comments section below.
Love any of the landscape photos of Bryce Canyon which you see here? You can buy prints from our online store. Each photo for sale is hyperlinked to its respective sale page. Or, you can use this link below to go straight to the Bryce Canyon Collection.
