Hike Mossy Cave in Bryce Canyon
Tropic, Utah
Details
Distance
1 miles
Route Type
Out-and-Back
Description
Added by Rebecca Stubbs
This is a quick hike and easy hike of ~1 mile roundtrip. This is a good one for the whole family. The trail is less crowded than the rest of Bryce Canyon. See a waterfall on the right fork of the hike.
This short hike cannot be reached from the main area of Bryce Canyon, but with a 15 minute drive from the main entrance you can access this less crowded portion of the park. Check out a park map for the directions. This is very family-friendly, and is actually more of a "walk" than a "hike."
It is just over 1 mile out-and-back to a cave (rocky overhang) that drips water continuously throughout the year, resulting in a lot of moss on the walls. My favorite part of this hike is actually not the cave, but rather the beautiful waterfall that you get to see from the trail! It is fun to take a side trail to the base of the waterfall, feel the mist and snap a few pictures.
This short trail is a beautiful way to end a day at Bryce Canyon. You can see the famous hoodos, a waterfall, a cave, with minimal effort and avoid the large crowds that are in the rest of the park!
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Reviews
We came out here just before we left from Bryce. It’s not past the park entrance so there’s no need to pay any admission fees if that’s a concern. The hike is more of a walk along the creek with a few bridges and hoodoos along the edges of the small wash. You’ll get to the final bridge fairly quickly where, looking right you can see the waterfall. For us, in the winter, the waterfall was frozen over and people were standing near the base taking pictures. Crossing the bridge the trail forks. To the left is Mossy Cave and to the right is access to the top of the waterfall and a trail that follows the creek bed further up. The cave was really cool to see with massive icicles hanging down like stalactites. It was more of an overhang than a cave but still very cool. Going right to the waterfall was neat as well but less so. The creek was frozen over at some points and we could easily walk around on top. Do be careful though, right next to the falls the ice was very thin. All in all an excellent little excursion that was very close to the park and had some excellent hoodoos and neat geological features. I would imagine this could be less exciting in the summer.
5.0
Surprisingly had this trail to ourselves. Bryce is usually pretty crowded, so check out this trail if you're looking to be alone in the park for a bit. Its a nice change of pace, but nothing remarkable (in Bryce Canyon, standards).
3.0
This isn't the most spectacular thing you'll see in Bryce, but it's an easy walk with no crowds. Definitely off the beaten path, and it's nice to take in the silence and have the place to yourselves. The bridge is a picturesque spot to take in the hoodoos, and the cave itself has a neat ecosystem if you look closely.
3.0
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