Figure 8 Trail - September 2021
Summary
The Figure 8 trail is a trail that combines two popular loops in the Bryce Canyon National Park. The two loops are the Navajo and Peekaboo loops. These two loops can be joined with a connector trail that brings the total distance of this figure 8 to around 6.5-7 miles.
This is the trail I followed for this hike. I went solo on this hike in a group trip, so to minimize wait time, I ran many of the flat and downhill sections. This worked out well as the way I traversed this hike the downhill portions were less eventful and had less views.
Where
The Figure 8 trail is part of the Bryce Canyon National Park located in Utah in the United States. Bryce Canyon Village is the closest town to Bryce Canyon and reminded me a lot of a smaller version of Grand Canyon Village. There wasn’t much there, and it likely served solely to assist with visitors to the National Park. This was a 1.5 hour drive for us traveling from Cedar City.
Logistics
Logistics for this hike were easy. There are two main trailheads that you can start the Navajo loop, either at Sunrise or Sunset points. These two points are connected by a flat, paved trail, so the start of this hike can be very easy and accessible. It all changes once you hike down into the canyon, as “what goes down must come up”.
Hiking
I started this hike on the Navajo loop, specifically at Sunset point and hike clockwise up to Sunrise point. From there, the trail drops down into the canyon and the challenge begins. At this point, you are immediately immersed in Hoodoos, which are the term used to describe the many towers you will see. By starting out this way, the next mile or so was a slow jog with great views. Eventually, I encountered the connector trail that connected the Navajo loop to the Peekaboo Loop. This was only a quarter mile or so, but brought me to the second loop of this hike.
The Peekaboo loop is a bit more unique as it is harder to access by foot and some access the loop by horse. This presented less foot traffic and other obstacles to avoid on trail! I really enjoyed this loop over the Navajo loop for many reasons. The views were incredible, it was much less crowded, and it was more constant up and down vs. the dramatic drop and climb of the Navajo Loop. It really was hard to keep going forward here, as it seemed like every new view was something I needed to take in. Eventually however, I found myself back at the connector trail having finished the ~3 mile Peekaboo Loop.
The last portion of this Figure 8 is a hike up Wall Street. This is a lot of switchbacks and climbing. It was pretty cool to see some of the carved out stairs and arches in this section, but I was pretty quickly reminded that I was back on the popular trail. There were many more people on this last section of the trail as it was close to the trailhead and parking area. It took some time to get to the top and out of the canyon, but I am glad I did this hike in this direction, as Wall Street offered a great climb.
This hike was an awesome way to see Bryce Canyon in a short amount of time. It seemed to combine many of the major attractions at the park and you got to see many Hoodoos along the way. I wouldn’t change anything about the way I did this hike or the hike itself. I really enjoyed the views and the challenge.
Photos
All photos on this trip were taken with my current phone at the time, the iPhone 12 Pro.
