The hoodoos of Bryce Canyon are absolutely spectacular any time of year, but when capped by snow, they are especially otherworldly. If you’re able to go after a snowfall but on a bluebird day, this just might jump to the top of your favorite National Park visits ever.
Snowshoes and/or microspikes are highly recommended — the chances are very high you’ll be trekking through the snow. Depending on the route you want to take, it may be along a compacted trail or it may involve breaking your own trail (hence the snowshoes). You can rent these things in Bryce Canyon City, near the park (but outside its boundaries).
There are seasonal road closures depending on how recent and robust the snowfall is, and seasonally closed trails as well. When we went, the Figure 8 Trail (but with a modification by Thor’s Hammer/Two Bridges instead of Wall Street, which was closed due to rockfall) was open and provided a spectacular introduction and overview of the park. Given the recency of a snowstorm, this was the extent of the park that was open at the time, and it did not disappoint.
If you’re not up for extensive snow hiking, there are a number of viewpoints along the rim. The best views-per-mile are helpfully at the start and end of the Figure 8 Loop, near Queen Victoria on one end and Two Bridges on the other. You can drop down into the valley a little to visit these two areas, then go back to the less-intense walk along the rim in between them.
