The Bryce Canyon National Park Scenic Trails Historic District comprises the trail system that was developed to allow day hikers to view or to descend into Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park is a national park located in southwestern Utah in the United States. The major feature of the park is Bryce Canyon which, despite its name, is not a canyon but a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau...

's natural amphitheater of eroded sandstone

Sandstone

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...

 hoodoos

Hoodoo (geology)

A hoodoo is a tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland. Hoodoos consist of relatively soft rock topped by harder, less easily eroded stone that protects each column from the elements...

 from the developed portion of the park on the rim of the Paunsaugunt Plateau

Paunsaugunt Plateau

The Paunsaugunt Plateau is a dissected plateau, rising to an elevation of , in southwestern Utah in the United States. Located in northern Kane County and southwestern Garfield County, it is approximately wide, and extends southward from the Sevier Plateau approximately , terminating in the Pink...

. Five trails are included in the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 district: the Navajo Loop Trail, the Queen's Garden Trail, the Fairyland Trail, the Peekaboo Loop Trail and the Rim Trail. Mainly built between 1917 and 1935, these trails intersect to create a continuous network of trails. Portions of the trails were constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps

Civilian Conservation Corps

The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...

 labor from CCC Camp NP-3.

History

Early trail construction focused on the area adjacent to the Bryce Canyon Lodge

Bryce Canyon Lodge

Bryce Canyon Lodge is a lodge in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. It was built between 1924 and 1925 using local materials. Designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, the lodge is an excellent example of National Park Service Rustic design...

 between Sunrise Point and Sunset Point. It is believed that what is now the Navajo Loop Trail incorporates sections from 1917, immediately after the National Park Service

National Park Service

The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...

 took over administration from the U.S. Forest Service, and may include some earlier USFS-built paths. The Queen's Garden Trail, the Navajo Trail and the Peekaboo Loop Trail were completed about 1929, most for foot traffic, with horse and foot traffic for the Peekaboo trail. This trail featured a spring with a horse trough and water fountain. Additional connecting trails were built at this time. The remainder of the trails in the district were completed between 1929 and 1935. Portions of the Rim Trail and the Fairyland Trail were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934-35.

Description

The Navajo Loop Trail closely follows its original alignment, leading to the "Wall Street" section of the amphitheater. The Queen's Garden Trail covers the area between Sunrise and Sunset Points, leading to the Queen Victoria rock formation. The trail includes two tunnels. The Peekaboo Loop Trail is about 4.4 miles (13,007.2 kn) long, starting at Bryce Point. The eastern portion of the loop enters Peekaboo Canyon, then crosses to Bryce Canyon, then back into the Peekaboo Canyon drainage along the base of the Wall of Windows formation. The trail returns through a tunnel. The Fairyland Trail is about 5 miles (14,780.9 kn) long, running through Fairyland and Campbell canyons. The Rim Trail follows the edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau for 5.3 miles (15,667.7 kn) between Fairyland Point and Bryce Point. Portions of especially heavy use have asphalt paving.

The Under-the-Rim Trail

Under-the-Rim Trail

The Under-the-Rim Trail is a hiking trail in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. The trail was established by the National Park Service to provide access to the portions of the park located below the rim of the Paunsaugunt Plateau, whose edge forms the eroded natural amphitheater for which the park...

 and the Riggs Spring Fire Trail

Riggs Spring Fire Trail

The Riggs Spring Fire Trail, also known as the Riggs Spring Loop Trail, was built in Bryce Canyon National Park in 1936 to provide access to the park's backcountry for fire suppression crews...

connect to the day-hike trail system to provide access to the park's backcountry. Both are separately listed on the NRHP.

The Bryce Canyon trail system was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 25, 1995.