York Pub Guide Map 2020.

It’s taken months of work and dedication to bring you all the most comprehensive Pub Guide Map of York, version 4.0 of the Within the Walls map and hopefully our best is now available. Easy to use across all devices and designed to be legible if printed at A4 you can now download your own high quality copy via Etsy for just the price of a nice pint of premium craft beer. 

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One of the things we loved the most about this castle is the lack of crowds.  It isn’t as notorious with tourists as some of Ireland’s other castles (the Rock of Cashel is just 30 minutes away), so you rarely have to battle large crowds to get access to parts of the castle or have to wait for people to clear to get good pictures.

Because of the lack of crowds, you are also able to access nearly every part of the Cahir Castle, which wasn’t allowed at most of the other castles we visited.  This was really neat as it allowed us to get a true sense of what it would have been like to call the castle home.  It also allowed me to get some really great pictures that I otherwise wouldn’t have gotten.

How to Get There

Cahir Castle is located in Southern Ireland, on the outskirts of the small town of Cahir.  The castle is about an hour drive from the cities of Limerick, Waterford, and Cork, and is conveniently on the route from Cork to Dublin if you are traveling between these two cities on your trip.

Coming from Cork

Get on M8 in Cork from N8 (7.4 km)

Follow M8 to R639 in South Tipperary. Take exit 11 from M8 (64.7 km)

Continue on R639. Drive to Bridge St/R640

Coming from Limerick

Take R527 and Ballysimon Rd to Tipperary Rd/N24 in Limerick (6.4 km)

Follow N24 to R640 in South Tipperary (54.1 km)

Drive to Bridge St/R640

Coming from Waterford

Take R861, Bridge St and R448 to N9 in Kilkenny (4.7 km)

Follow N24 to R640 in South Tipperary (56.6 km)

Drive to R640

The Town of Cahir

Although the Cahir Castle is the city’s biggest tourism draw, it is far from the only thing to see and do in the city and the rest of the county.  Other fun things to see include the Swiss Cottage, the Mitchelstown Cave, the Vee (a scenic mountain drive), and many other amazing sites.

Visiting the Castle

If you would like to get up-close-and-personal with the castle, there are tours available daily.  With modest tour prices and a lack of large crowds, taking a tour of the Cahir Castle is as great of a deal as you will find when touring Ireland.  I have included some important information on available tours for you to review below.

2018 Tour Information

March – Mid June Daily 9:30am- 5:30pm Mid June – August Daily 9:00am – 6:30pm September – Mid October Daily 9:30am – 5:30pm Mid October – February Daily 9:30am – 4:30pm December 24-30 Closed Average Length of Visit: 1 – 1.5 hours

2018 Admission Fees

Adult: €5.00 Group/Senior: €4.00 Child/Student: €3.00 Family: €13.00

Castle Map

I have included a rough map below that details the layout of the Cahir Castle.

Tour Gallery

No visit is complete without a tour of the inside of the castle and its defenses.  Below is a small gallery of just some of what you can expect when you tour the castle.

Photo Gallery

The Cahir Castle is an impressive place to visit.  This castle doesn’t get enough credit for how beautiful and impressive it is.  Below is a gallery of just some of the many pictures I was able to capture at Cahir Castle.

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Even though Dublin County is the country’s third smallest county in size, it hosts roughly a third of the country’s population, so like any other large city there are crowds to deal with.  It isn’t nearly as congested as New York City or London, both of which I have navigated with ease, so Dublin shouldn’t be too daunting (even for those who like to avoid crowds).

In this visitor’s guide, I am going to provide you with a wealth of information that you can use to make your visit to Dublin, Ireland a success.  I will cover the best ways to get to Dublin, and let you know when the best times of year are to plan a visit.  I will provide you with some options for booking hotel accommodations and fill you in on my top list of things to see in the city.

This is important because you will want to make sure you book your accommodations near what you want to see to minimize your transportation expenses.  Finally, I will provide you with some recommendations my favorite restaurant and some popular tours that you can take advantage of while visiting.  If you are reading and you have some favorite spots in the city that I don’t cover, please be sure to leave us a comment in the comments section.  I guarantee you that other readers will appreciate your feedback!

How to Get There

In case you aren’t familiar with where Ireland is geographically, it sits just West of England.  The island is divided between the Rupublic of Ireland, which is where Dublin resides, an independent state, and Northern Ireland (which is part of the United Kingdom).  Though they are divided politically, they all share an open border.  This means you are free to travel from Ireland to Northern Ireland (or vice versa) during your stay.

The city of Dublin is located on the Eastern coast of the Republic of Ireland, at the mouth of the River Liffey.  To the South, Dublin is bordered by the Wicklow Mountains, which are incredibly beautiful and worth a visit if you have the time.

If you are traveling to Dublin from Northern Ireland, you will come in on highway M1 from the North.  A drive from Belfast, UK to Dublin, Ireland will take you roughly 2 hours.  If you are coming from the city of Galway in the West, you will take highway M6 and then highway M4 to Dublin.  This drive is a bit longer, but will still just take roughly 2.5 hours to complete.  Even a drive from the city of Cork in the South (which has one of my favorite golf courses in the world) will only take you roughly 3 hours to drive.

In addition to renting a car to drive yourself (which is what we did when we visited Dublin), the city also offers a host of other transportation services.   Between buses, trains, trams, and taxis, it isn’t too difficult to get around the city.

In the map below, I have put a box around the key tourism area for the city of Dublin.  All of the top places to see that I cover in this visitor’s guide are located within this small geographic area.  I absolutely suggest that you get out of this area and explore if you have the time, but if you are limited in time then I would strongly suggest that you focus your time in this area of the city.

When I reviewed some recommendations for accommodations later in this guide, I tried to concentrate my recommendations in this area as well so that you can limit your transportation expenses.

When to Visit

There isn’t a whole lot of variation in the weather in Dublin (the temperatures are typically very moderate and it rains a lot throughout the year), but you will want to know what to expect from a weather standpoint regardless.

Temperature (°F)

It typically doesn’t get extremely cold in Dublin, even in the winters.  During the winter months of December thru February, you can expect to see high temperatures in the upper 40’s and low temperatures that fall into the 30’s.  Likewise, during the summer months it doesn’t typically get too hot.  You can expect to see high temperatures in the upper 60’s and lower 70’s during the months of June thru August, with lows in the upper 40’s and lower 50’s.

Precipitation

It is no secret that Dublin gets an awful lot of rain each year.  Throughout the year, Dublin sees rain between 10 and 13 days a month pretty consistently.  The rainiest period of the year is likely between December and January, with the lowest rainfall typically between April and May.  If you are trying to plan a lot of outdoor activities for your trip, you might want to shoot for those spring months.

Accommodations

One of the most important decisions you can make when planning any trip is your choice in accommodations.  Where you choose to stay can have a big impact on how easy it is for you to visit the places you want to visit and how much money you will spend on transportation.

In order to keep you close to the top attractions in Dublin, and save you some money on transportation costs, I have provided a number of different hostel and hotel recommendations that are all within the general vicinity of Dublin’s tourism center.

View Larger Map

Isaacs Hostel Dublin ($) My Place Dublin Hotel ($) Generator Hostels ($) Backpackers D1Hostel ($) Fitzsimons Hotel Temple Bar ($$) Charleville Lodge Hotel ($$) Sandymount Hotel ($$) Dublin Central Inn ($$) The Mercantile Hotel ($$$) The Norseman ($$$) Castle Hotel ($$$) Jurys Inn Parnell Street Dublin ($$$) Holiday Inn Express Dublin City Centre ($$$$) The Morgan ($$$$) O’Callaghan Davenport Hotel ($$$$) Temple Bar Hotel ($$$$) The Fitzwilliam Hotel Dublin ($$$$$) Hotel Riu Plaza The Gresham Dublin ($$$$$) The Merrion Hotel Dublin ($$$$$) The Westin Dublin ($$$$$)

Top 10 Must See Sites

Dublin is an amazing place with a lot of things to see and do.  I have included some additional resources at the end of this visitor’s guide to help you get the most out of your visit.  I have also listed my Top 10 Things to See in Dublin below for you to review.  All of these attractions are must see, and all of these attractions are located within the tourism center of the city of Dublin.

View Larger Map

Ha’Penny Bridge St. Patrick’s Cathedral Dublin Castle Temple Bar Trinity College Guiness Storehouse Chester Beatty Library St. Stephen’s Green Grafton Street Jameson Distillery Dublin Zoo Aviva Stadium Dublin Port

Ha’Penny Bridge

The Ha’Penny Bridge, which was originally named the Wellington Bridge and is now officially named the Liffey Bridge, is a unique and beautiful bridge over the River Liffey in downtown Dublin, Ireland.  The bridge is made out of cast iron and its design sets it a part as one of the prettier foot bridges I have seen in my travels.

You may need to use the bridge if you are crossing from one side of the River Liffey to the other during your exploration of Dublin.  However, even if you don’t need to cross the river, I would suggest stopping by to check out this wonderful bridge.

Recommended Time To See:  15 minutes

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Built between 1191 and 1270, St. Patrick’s Cathedral is Ireland’s largest church, and may just be one of Europe’s most beautiful.  It was built on the site of an earlier church, which stood on the grounds since the 5th Century, so there is a lot of history behind this church as well.   In fact, Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels, was dean of the church from 1713 to 1745 and is buried on the church grounds.

You will be enthralled with the beauty of this amazing church and its neo-gothic design when you tour.  Being the only remaining building from medieval Ireland, touring the church really gives you a great sense of what Ireland was like at the time.  If you visit, be sure you take a tour of the inside of the church as it is even prettier than the gorgeous exterior.

Recommended Time to See:  2-4 hours

Dublin Castle

Located off Dame street in downtown Dublin, the Dublin Castle is one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions.  The castle has stood on the grounds since the days of King John of Ireland, but most of what you see today only dates back to the 18th Century.  The Dublin Castle has served as the seat of the English, British, and the Republic of Ireland’s government over its history, but is now primarily used for state receptions and other ceremonies (such as the inauguration of each president of Ireland).

If you visit, make sure you take a tour inside the castle.  It is mostly open to the public, except on occasions where it is being used for a state function.  The Castle is also the home of the famous Chester Beatty Library, which I discuss in more detail below.

Recommended Time to See:  2-4 hours

Temple Bar

Temple Bar isn’t actually an establishment, although there is a Temple Bar Pub, which is famous in its own right and is pictured above.  Temple Bar actually refers to an area of downtown Dublin, located on the South bank of the River Liffey, which serves as the unofficial cultural center of the city.  The area is home to some of the treasured cultural institutions of the city, such as the Photography Centre of the Dublin Institute of Photography, the National Photographic Archive, the Ark Children’s Cultural Centre, and the Irish Film Institute, among others.

The area has a great night life if you are looking for something to do at night, and has some really great pubs (The Palace Bar, The Temple Bar Pub, Oliver St. John Gogarty’s, The Auld Dubliner, and Peadar Kearney’s) in the area.  The Temple Bar Pub is arguably the most famous of them all, and is a big attraction for tourists from around the world.

Recommended Time to See:  2 hours

Trinity College (Book of Kells)

Founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, Trinity College is the sole constituent college of the University of Dublin.  It is widely considered to be the most prestigious and elite college in the Republic of Ireland.  Some notable graduates of this infamous college include Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift, and Bram Stoker (the author of Dracula).  The campus of the university is beautiful and absolutely filled with history.  You can get absolutely lost in marvel while touring its campus.

Housed within the beautiful library at Trinity College is the Book of Kells (also referred to as the Book of Columba), which is a Latin gospel book containing the four gospels of the New Testament.  It takes its name from the Abbey of Kells, which is where it was held for centuries before coming to the library at Trinity College.  It is referred to by many as the most famous medieval manuscript in the world.

This amazing campus and its history, including the fascinating Book of Kells, make Trinity College one of the most-see destinations for anyone visiting Dublin.  If you are planning a trip and would like a guided tour of the campus and to see the Book of Kells, you can arrange a tour with the university.   I highly recommend it.

Recommended Time to See:  2-4 hours

Guinness Storehouse

Very few, if any, other beverages conjure up visions of Ireland more than Guinness beer. Over 10 million pints of this magic elixir are brewed in Dublin every day.  EVERY DAY!  For this reason, the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin is a huge tourist draw.  In fact, it is Ireland’s largest tourism draw.  Stationed in the legendary St. James’s Gate Brewery, this has been the home of Guinness beer since all the way back in 1759.  I can’t think of many other breweries or distilleries that are as famous.

This is such a cool place to tour.  You can find out what goes into making Guinness beer so special, see the magic that happens behind the curtain, and browse thru the large souvenir shop for some keepsakes to take home.  This is an absolute must for anyone visiting Dublin, whether you like beer or not.

Recommended Time to See:  2-4 hours

Chester Beatty Library

Located within the Dublin Castle, the Chester Beatty Library is a world renown library that holds over 20,000 rare manuscripts, rare book, paintings, and other historical artifacts.  It was established in 1950 to house the collections of mining magnate and collector Sir Alfred Chester Beatty.  It has been located in the Dublin Castle since 2000 and was named the European Museum of the Year as recently as 2002.  If you are into museums, this is a one-of-a-kind treasure worth exploring.

Recommended Time to See:  2 hours

St. Stephen’s Green

If you get tired of the hustle-and-bustle of the city, a temporary escape can be found in St. Stephen’s Green in downtown Dublin.  This beautiful city park is home to lots of walking paths, sculptures, an ornamental lake, and even a waterfall.  It’s a great place to take a stroll and escape the crowds of the city.  Best of all, it is located adjacent to Grafton Street, which is Dublin’s main shopping thoroughfare.  If you like beautiful parks, then a stop at St. Stephen’s Green will be worth your while.

Recommended Time to See:  2 hours

Grafton Street

Grafton Street is one of the busier streets in downtown Dublin for good reason.  It is in what is considered one of the city’s main shopping districts (the other being Henry Street).  The street runs from St. Stephen’s Green in the South to College Green in the North, and includes many high-end stores and merchants.  In fact, the street was the fifth most expensive shopping street in the world in 2008 and thirteenth most expensive as recently as 2016.  Some of the shops you will find on Grafton Street include the following:

American Apparel

Boots

Brown Thomas

Cath Kidston Limited

Disney

Dunnes Stores

Karen Millen

Levi Strauss & Co

Marks & Spencer

Swatch

Swarovski

Ted Baker

Tommy Hilfiger

Topman

Recommended Time to See:  2-4 hours

Jameson Distillery

Jameson Whiskey is about as Irish as things come, and the Jameson name is as infamous a name in the world of whiskey as you are likely to find.  Whether you are a whiskey connoisseur, or you are just interested in the history, a tour of the Jameson Distillery on Bow Street is a great experience that is more than worth your time.

The distillery offers three fully guided tours that are designed to meet your specific interests in touring the facility.  The Bow St. Experience, The Whiskey Makers, and The Whiskey Shakers are all tours that center around story telling about and taste testing of Jameson whiskey.  The distillery on Bow Street also offers classes on blending whiskey and making cocktails.  This is the perfect tours for groups that are looking for something fun to do together.

Book Tours

Recommended Time to See:  2-4 hours

Other Tourist Sites

In addition to the wonderful tourist attractions I listed above, there are plenty of other things to see and do in the city of Dublin.  Here are just a few of the other tourist sites in the city that I didn’t highlight in this guide.

The Dublin Zoo

The Aviva Stadium

Port of Dublin

The Spire of Dublin

Christ Church Cathedral

Phoenix Park

The Wicklow Mountains

Top Restaurant Recommendation

There are a lot of restaurants worth trying in Dublin, but nothing beats visiting one of the city’s local pubs for some good food and drink.  The city has more than 600 licensed pubs, so there is no shortage of options to choose from.  The oldest pub in the city, the Brazen Head, was established in 1198 AD as a coach house.

Peadar Kearney’s

My recommendation, and the favorite pub that we visited, was Peadar Kearney’s.  With good food and drink, and a fantastic atmosphere, Peadar Kerney’s is a fantastic choice for a lunch or dinner venue.

Trip Advisor Reviews

Top Tour Recommendations

If you are looking for some extra activities to fill out your visit to Dublin, there is no shortage of great tours and excursions to choose from.  The following are just some of the many great options you have to choose from.

Dublin Shore Excursion: Dublin and Glendalough

Meet and Eat Dublin: Dublin Food Walking Tour

Private 4-hour Dublin Tour with a Local Dubliner Guide

Whiskey Tasting Tour of Dublin

Dublin Bay Cruise

More Dublin Excursion and Tour Recommendations from Viator

Other Resources

In order to make sure your visit is as memorable as possible, I have included some additional resources below that you can use to plan your trip.

Travel and Leisure – Dublin Vacation and Trip Ideas

Lonely Planet – Dublin Travel

Europe Up Close – First Time Visitor’s Guide to Dublin

Trip Adviser – Dublin Travel Guide

Fodor’s – Dublin Travel Guide]

US News Travel – Dublin Travel Guide

My Ireland Tour – Dublin Visitor’s Guide

Recommended Length of Visit

You could spend a week in Dublin and still feel like you really haven’t seen everything that this amazing city has to offer.  If you are planning a visit to Ireland, I would plan on spending at least two or three days in Dublin.  This is especially true if you want to take advantage of some tours and excursions that are available in the area.

Recommendation:  2-3 Days

Photo Gallery

Dublin is such a fun city to capture in images.  I thoroughly enjoyed taking photos and video in the city.  Below are just some of the pictures that I was able to capture during my stay in Dublin.

The picture of beautiful Bryce Canyon taken from Inspiration Point.

While Bryce Canyon may not be as big and vast as the Grand Canyon, it is every bit as beautiful.  The contrast of the red sandstone spires, known as hoodoos, against the green trees and blue sky is breathtaking.  As someone who loves photography, this park is undoubtedly my favorite park to photograph.

Bryce Canyon National Park also offers a lot of fun things to do for outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds.  The park has some great hiking paths, ample biking paths, and plenty of opportunities for horseback riding.  And for those who aren’t up to hiking or biking, the park offers a number of amazing viewpoints that give you postcard worthy views of the canyon.

  ++*9 How to Get There

Bryce Canyon National Park is located in beautiful Southern Utah.  This is my favorite area of the United States because I believe it is the most beautiful area of the United States.  There are five national parks, in addition to national monuments and national recreation areas, all within the bottom third of the state of Utah.

Southern Utah contains a wealth of national parks and other public lands.

Southern Utah has some of the most vast areas of wilderness in the United States, so there aren’t any large cities or even many big towns in the area.  If you are going to visit the Bryce Canyon area from outside the United States, or aren’t interested in a cross country road trip within the United States, there are a few recommendations I can give on how to best reach the park.

Fly into Salt Lake City and then Drive to Bryce Canyon

One option would be to fly into Salt Lake City, Utah and then drive South to Bryce Canyon.  It is roughly a 4 hour drive from Salt Lake City to Bryce Canyon, so it isn’t that far of a drive.  Although the area you will drive thru is very scenic, there aren’t very many other stops I would recommend along the way.

Fly into Las Vegas and then Drive to Bryce Canyon

In my opinion, the ideal way to visit Bryce Canyon would be to fly into Las Vegas, Nevada and then drive North to Bryce Canyon.  Like the drive from Salt Lake City, the drive from Las Vegas to Bryce Canyon is a very scenic 4 hour drive.  However, there are far more stops along the way that I would recommend.

In the coming weeks, I will be writing a post on my recommended itinerary for a trip to Southern Utah and Northern Arizona.  These areas are absolutely loaded with amazing things to see, and all are in pretty close proximity to one another.

There are plenty of things to do in the Bryce Canyon area of Southern Utah.

If you are visiting Bryce Canyon National Park, there are a few other parks and public lands that I would absolutely recommend checking out while you are in the area.

Zion National Park

One hour and 20 minutes to the Southwest, accessible by taking highway 89 South, is Zion National Park.  Zion is one of the most visited parks in the US national park system because of its beauty and iconic hiking trails.  This park is on the way if you are flying into Las Vegas and heading to Bryce Canyon.

Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument

The Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument is something that I have written about quite a bit in recent weeks.  Below are some of the articles I have written on places to see within the national monument.

Long Canyon 

Zebra Slot Canyon

Devil’s Garden

This large national monument contains some of the best hiking and back-country areas in the country.  There are three visitor centers for Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument, and all three are easy drives from Bryce Canyon National Park.

Kanab Visitor Center – 1 hour and 20 minutes from Bryce Canyon

Escalante Visitor Center – 50 minutes from Bryce Canyon

Cannonville Visitor Center – 20 minutes from Bryce Canyon

Navigating within Bryce Canyon National Park is very easy as highway 63 takes you all the way thru the park.  Along the drive down thru the park, there are several different viewpoints where you can stop, get out of your car, and view the canyon.  If you would like to do some hiking within the park, these viewpoints offer ample parking.

Shuttle Bus Service

There is also a shuttle bus service that will take you into and throughout the park if you don’t want to worry about the hassle of parking.  In addition to saving you the hassle of finding parking, this service also minimizes the traffic congestion within the park, so we highly recommend it.

Map overview of Bryce Canyon National Park.

Best Time to Visit

Bryce Canyon sits at over 8,000 feet of elevation, so it gets its fair share of snow.  The canyon is absolutely beautiful after a fresh snowfall.

Bryce Canyon National Park is open 24 hours a day, year-round.  However, during the winter months certain roads, campgrounds, and visitor facilities are closed or operate on reduced hours.

In our opinion, the best months to visit the park are during the Spring (March thru May) and Fall (September thru November).  The park is less crowded than it is during the summer months and it isn’t as cold as it can get during the winter.  Keep in mind, Bryce Canyon is at high elevation (8,000+ feet), so the temperature can vary greatly and snow is possible even in late spring or early fall.  Regardless of when visit though, the park is always beautiful and a blast.

Average Temperature (°F)

Average Precipitation (Inches)

Top Things to See and Do

One of my favorite visits ever was this Spring.  It snowed the morning we visited and the canyon was covered with a beautiful blanket of fresh snow.

Bryce Canyon is an amazing park with a lot of things to do.  Make sure you plan ahead so that you get the most out of your visit.  I have included links to some great resources for planning a visit below.

Bryce Canyon National Park – Map

Bryce Canyon National Park – Things to Know Before You Visit

Bryce Canyon National Park – Plan Your Visit

Bryce Canyon National Park – Things to Do

Bryce Canyon National Park Area – Visitor’s Guide

Sunrise and Sunset Viewpoint

The Sunrise Point offers some spectacular views of the canyon.

Sunrise and Sunset viewpoints are two of the more popular viewpoints in Bryce Canyon National Park because they offer fantastic views of the canyon.  These viewpoints are also where the trail heads for the Navajo and Queen’s Garden loop trails.  If you aren’t interested in a lengthy hike, a nice stroll along the rim of the canyon between the Sunrise and Sunset viewpoints is one of the shortest and most popular hikes in the park.

Go Hiking

Bryce Canyon has some amazing hiking trails.

In addition to offering some of Southern Utah’s most beautiful vistas, Bryce Canyon National Park also has some of the areas best hiking trails.  There are hikes with a wide range of distances and difficulty levels in the park, so hikers of all skill levels will be able to find a trail that works for them.  I have outlined some of my favorite hikes in the park for you below.

Sunset Point to Sunrise Point

The Rim Trail is a great way to explore Bryce Canyon.

Distance:  1 (out-and-back)

Elevation Change:  0 feet

Difficulty:  Easy

If you are looking for a short and easy hike that will allow you to see some of the prettiest parts of Bryce Canyon, this is the hike for you.  The Rim Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park is a 5.5 mile (one way) trail that follows the rim of the canyon from Fairyland Point to Bryce Point.  It is a half mile hike along the Rim Trail between Sunrise and Sunset Points, so a round trip between the viewpoints is just an easy and scenic mile.

Map of the Rim Trail from Sunrise to Sunset Points.

Navajo Loop Trail

The Navajo Loop Trail includes Bryce Canyon’s most famous trail switchbacks.

Distance:  1.3 miles

Elevation Change:  550 feet

Difficulty:  Moderate

The Navajo Loop Trail isn’t an extraordinarily long hike, but it is a moderately strenuous one.  This short 1.3 mile hike includes 550 feet of elevation change.  And at over 8,000 feet, climbing that much elevation, even in a short hike, can be taxing.

The hike features some of the park’s most iconic switch backs, like the one pictured above.  From Sunset Point, you descend into the canyon, loop thru some of the canyon’s prettiest hoodoos, and then make your way back up to the rim trail.  It is a great hike for those who want to get a close-up view of the canyon’s hoodoos without having to hike a great distance.

Map of the Navajo Loop Trail.

Navajo and Queen’s Garden Combo Loop

The Navajo and Queen’s Garden Loops can be combined to make one of Bryce Canyon’s most popular hikes.

Distance:  2.9 miles

Elevation Change:  600 feet

Difficulty:  Moderate

The Navajo and Queen’s Garden Combo Loop combines parts of the Navajo Loop trail with the Queen’s Garden Loop trail.  This 2.9 mile hike features around 600 feet of elevation change, which makes this trail moderately difficult at over 8,000 feet of elevation.

You can start this hike at either Sunrise Point or Sunset Point, which gives you a lot of flexibility in how you can do this hike.  Either way, you will descend steeply into Bryce Canyon by way of switch-backs, and then meander thru the canyon’s hoodoos before climbing back out of the canyon.

Map of the Navajo and Queen’s Garden Combo loop hike.

Fairyland Loop Trail

A view from the Fairyland Loop Trail.

Distance:  8 miles

Elevation Change:  2.300 feet

Difficulty:  Difficult

If you are interested in a longer, more difficult hike at Bryce Canyon National Park, then the Fairyland Loop trail is the perfect hike for you.  It is not a really technical hike, but the hike is fairly difficult because of the distance and elevation change.  The 2,300 foot elevation change on this trail is no joke, and is the primary reason why this hike is listed as “strenuous” by the park.  However, if you are up to the task, the trail takes you thru some truly breathtaking parts of the park and is well worth the effort.

A map of the Fairyland Loop Trail.

Inspiration Point Viewpoint

  The path leading from one level to the next at Inspiration Point.

Inspiration Viewpoint is undoubtedly my favorite viewpoint in Bryce Canyon national Park.  This viewpoint is comprised of three different levels of viewing platforms that give visitors extraordinary views of the canyon.  From these viewpoints you can see some of the areas of Bryce Canyon with the most dense concentrations of hoodoos.

A fantastic view of Bryce Canyon from Inspiration Point.

Bryce Point Viewpoint

Bryce Point may be one of Bryce Canyon’s most popular hikes because of the elevation and vast views of the canyon.

Bryce Viewpoint offers a different perspective of the hoodoo filled canyon then you get from Sunrise and Sunset points.  This perspective also makes it one of the best viewpoints at Bryce Canyon for viewing a sunrise.  At 8,300 feet of elevation, Bryce Point offers some of the most sweeping views of Bryce Canyon.  This also makes it one of the most popular viewpoints at Bryce Canyon.

Natural Bridge and Thor’s Hammer

A view of the Natural Bridge in Bryce Canyon National Park.

There are a lot of really cool rock structures in Bryce Canyon National Park.  Two of the more famous formations are the Natural Bridge and Thor’s Hammer.   The Natural Bridge is one of many natural stone arches found within Bryce Canyon National Park, and creates a beautiful window in which to view the canyon beyond.  Thor’s Hammer, which gets its name from its shape that resembles a war hammer, is one of the more prominent sandstone hoodoos in Bryce Canyon.

A view of Thor’s Hammer in Bryce Canyon National Park.

Wildlife Viewing

Pronghorn Antelope graze inside Bryce Canyon National Park.

In addition to some of Southern Utah’s most fantastic rock formations, Bryce Canyon is also home to a large amount of wildlife.  A wide variety of birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects can be found within the park’s borders.  These include, but are not limited to, such animals as Pronghorn antelope, coyotes, mountain lions, and chipmunks.  So if you are a wildlife enthusiast, make sure you keep your eyes peel while hiking within the park.

Horseback Riding

Horseback rides are a great alternative to hiking in Bryce Canyon National Park.

If you want to get a closer look at the hoodoos and other rock formations within Bryce Canyon, but aren’t really interested in taking a hike, a horseback ride might be an option that you enjoy.  There are two different outfits in the Bryce Canyon area that offer horseback rides into Bryce Canyon.  Information on these companies can be found at the links below.

Canyon Trail Rides

Ruby’s Horseback Adventures

Where to Stay

A view of the famous Ruby’s Inn at Bryce Canyon National Park.

Speaking of Ruby’s, the Best Western Ruby’s Inn is my favorite place to stay near Bryce Canyon National Park.  If you aren’t familiar with the history behind the famous Ruby’s Inn, I strongly suggest you take a moment to read up on the inn’s fun history.  Sitting just outside of Bryce Canyon National Park, Ruby’s Inn is the closest hotel to the park (aside from the lodging inside the park itself).  Ruby’s inn includes the following amenities that make it the perfect place for a family to stay:

Ample Lodging

Wonderful Western Theme

Huge General Store

Indoor pool and whirlpool

Incredible buffet restaurant

Photo Gallery

Bryce Canyon is an amazing place with plenty of opportunities to get some remarkable photographs.  Below is a gallery of some of my favorite pictures I have taken at Bryce Canyon during my numerous visits over the years.

I mentioned recently that we at Auto Assembly are working hard this year to provide a little extra help to our much valued international attendees, some of whom travel thousands of miles to support our convention. (D’awwww thanks you guys)

The first stage of our new system is being handled by AA team member Tori, who is producing a fabulous guide to highlight all of the best places to visit during your stay - castles, cathedrals, Shakespeare - the guide will help you make the most of your trip to England. It should be especially good for those of you who find yourselves with free days before and after the con.

(Of course, you don’t have to be an international attendee to use the guide. I live less than two hours away from the convention hotel and have spotted lots of cool looking write ups for places I’ve yet to visit. Awesome stuff.)

As with all updates, the finished guide will likely get a super huge deliriously massive press release to ensure everybody sees it - but feel free to email [email protected] to request a copy (which will be provided in PDF format just as soon as it is complete).

More handy hints on the way soon :)

The official visitor guide for Mammoth Lakes.

Mammoth....describes the size of our mountains, the number of our lakes and the expanse of our valleys, but also the number of possibilities for exploration, recreation and reuniting with your family.