How to Hike the Peekaboo Loop Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park

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One of the absolute best hikes in Bryce Canyon National Park is the Peekaboo Loop Trail! It may be one of the longest trails in the park, but it’s lesser visited and the views are incredible.

Bryce Canyon National Park is known for its hoodoos, giant rock spires that jut from the earth and will take your breath away. The park is truly underrated, and every time we visit southern Utah from Denver we are reminded why it’s our absolute favorite.

If you find yourself visiting Bryce Canyon, use this Peekaboo Loop Trail guide to prepare yourself for the trek.

Quick Facts About the Peekaboo Trail Bryce Canyon

Most people will begin the Peekaboo Loop Trail right at Sunset Point with the Navajo Loop. This is what we suggest as well. In total, it’s around 5 miles long, and some places on the internet will say it’s a moderate hike, but we’d personally rate it as moderate/strenuous.

Why? Well, it has just shy of 1500 feet of elevation gain, and throughout the hike, you’ll find yourself walking up only to walk right back down. Plus, if you’re afraid of heights, you’ll find the trail even more difficult because a lot of it is right along a cliff face.

In addition, most of the trail is right out in the sun. There’s little to no shade at all throughout this hike, except at the very beginning on Wall Street (if you start right in the morning).

For the best time on this trail, make sure that you start the hike bright and early. We started around 5 a.m. and watched the sun rise over the hoodoos before making our way down Wall Street. The views are so incredible that even though most people will complete the full hike in 4 to 5 hours, you’ll find that it may take you longer.

The trail is gorgeous any time of year, including in winter, but is busiest in the summer. Keep in mind that the Wall Street side of the Navajo Loop closes in winter due to snow and potential hazards, so plan your trip wisely if you want to hike this iconic part of the park.

We also recommend staying somewhere near the park. There are quite a few great places to stay near Bryce Canyon, but the closer to the park you are, the earlier you can start your hike in the morning.

What It’s Like to Hike the Peekaboo Loop Trail

We did the Navajo Loop to Peekaboo Loop Trail, and that’s what we recommend as well. Start right at Wall Street, one of the most stunning parts of the entire park. Be careful walking these switchbacks on the way down; they’re beautiful but can be super steep if you’re not careful.

After walking down Wall Street, you’ll find yourself on the canyon floor. Continue walking and taking in the view. You’ll probably want to stop a few times to take in the view because it’s so breathtaking and the canyon looks so beautiful from the bottom!

You’ll eventually come across a turn-off that connects you to the Peekaboo Loop Trail. Follow that until you get right to the sign that marks the start of this trail.

Funny enough, almost everyone that we saw hiking this trail immediately went right at the sign! However, we recommend going left because then you get the most beautiful part of the views at the end when you’ll most need it after your trek.

The Peekaboo Loop Trail is one of those trails that is very much up and down. By going left, you’ll start to hike up switchbacks, and then you’ll go down a bit. Then this pretty much continues on repeat. However, around every corner, you’ll get to see the beautiful hoodoos in the distance.

About halfway through the trail, there is a restroom where you can stop and go to the bathroom if you need to. This is also a good spot to stop and rest before continuing on the trail because it is around the halfway point.

After the restroom, it does start to go quite a bit uphill as you find yourself walking along the side of the canyon. You’ll start to walk through little doorways too that lead to some of the most beautiful views you’ve ever seen!

Eventually, you’ll find yourself at the end of the Peekaboo Loop Trail right back where you started. Then, you’ll just have to finish hiking the Navajo Loop Trail to get out of the canyon.

Here’s where you will have another choice: go back to the left up Wall Street or head right and go up the Two Bridges side. We made the mistake of going up the Two Bridges side and were not a fan.

It felt so long, and every time we were almost out of the canyon (or so we thought) there was another set of switchbacks. This side also has steeper drop-offs.

If we were to do this trail again, we’d head left and go back up Wall Street. While it feels like a steeper trail up, the drop-offs aren’t as high, and you can at least see the end point!

Once you get back to the top, you’ll be amazed that you just hiked all the way through the park. Seriously, looking down makes you realize how much you went through and saw!

Things to Pack for the Peekaboo Loop Hike

There are quite a few things we recommend you bring if you’ll be doing this trail.

Sunscreen

Because the majority of this trail is in the sun, you absolutely need to bring some sunscreen. You can purchase this pretty much everywhere, but generally, a sports one will fare better because you’ll most likely be sweating during the hike.

Hiking Boots

We pretty much preach this at this point, but you need hiking boots on this trail. The Peekaboo Loop Trail is completely rocky, and it’s way too easy to slip if you’re not wearing proper footwear. Don’t wear sandals or running sneaks. Invest in a good pair of hiking boots.

Sunglasses

The sun gets brutal out on the canyon floor and then on this hike! Bring sunglasses or a hat or you’ll definitely have regrets while you’re hiking.

Lots of Snacks & Water

Because of the length of this trail and the fact that it’s strenuous, be sure to bring some snacks. We love Uncrustables when we hike. Granola bars, trail mix, and other smaller foods are great because they’ll fit easily in your backpack.

You’ll also want to bring lots of water. We have a 32 oz Hydroflask each and we also each have a water bladder we can put in our backpacks. We have tons of water between the two of us just to be safe. Never underestimate how much water you may need on the hike.

Backpack

A backpack is an absolute must on this trail so that you can put all of your belongings in it. I suggest getting a hiker’s pack that you can put a water bladder in, too. We have a great one from Eddie Bauer that also has a built-in rain cover in case it gets wet.

Crampons and/or Hiking Poles

Lastly, if you’re hiking in winter, you absolutely need crampons. The rocky trails can get really hard and icy so to be safe, purchase crampons that you can put onto the bottom of your hiking boots.

If you want to, you can also buy and bring hiking poles. Many people will use these no matter the time of year because it helps to have something else that you can lean on while hiking.

Bonus: Add Queen’s Garden!

Do you want an extra challenge? Consider adding the Queen’s Garden Trail. This will elongate your hike an extra 2 miles, but the Queen’s Garden is one of the most popular trails in the park.

They call this the “figure 8 loop” as you’ll be doing the Navajo Loop, Peekaboo Trail, and Queen’s Garden Trail throughout the day. It’s definitely a full-day hike but can be done if you’re truly up for the challenge and want to see more hoodoos up close.

This post was all about the Peekaboo Loop Trail.