Golden Wall Trailhead

Best Time to Visit

Late spring and early fall offer the most comfortable hiking conditions. The ponderosa pine provides shade on much of the route, which makes summer hiking more manageable here than on fully exposed trails — but afternoon thunderstorms build quickly at this elevation in July and August, often arriving by early afternoon. Plan to finish before midday clouds develop. Winter brings snow to Red Canyon and can leave the trail icy, particularly on shaded north-facing sections, so check conditions before visiting November through March.

Trail Tips

• The trailhead pullout is easy to overshoot — watch for it on the south side of the highway before you reach the tunnel portals.
• Hiking the full loop rather than the one-way Golden Wall segment adds the Buckhorn section and provides a more complete circuit of the canyon terrain.
• The trail's rocky sections require attention underfoot, especially on the descent portions of the loop.

Getting There

From Bryce Canyon City, head west on UT-12 to US-89, then turn south a short distance into Red Canyon. The trailhead pullout is on the south side of the highway, just northwest of the Red Canyon Visitor Center. The pullout is small — if you reach the Red Canyon tunnels, you have gone too far east and should turn around. Arrive early on summer mornings, as the limited parking fills once visitors recognize the canyon's quality relative to its size.

What to Expect on Golden Wall Trail

The Golden Wall is most often hiked as a loop — combining the Golden Wall segment with the Buckhorn return — for a route of about 4.8 miles with roughly 1,060 feet of elevation gain. Most hikers finish in 2.5 to 3 hours. The trail is rated moderate and follows well-maintained singletrack that alternates between open stretches and shaded passages under ponderosa pine. The defining feature is the close-up contact with the canyon's layered red and yellow sandstone walls, which rise directly alongside the path rather than across an open amphitheater. The scale feels more intimate than Bryce's formations, and the route carries noticeably fewer hikers — a meaningful difference on summer weekends.