Hancock Peak

Hancock Peak is a 10,598-foot cinder cone on the Markagunt Plateau, roughly an hour's drive west of Bryce Canyon near Cedar Breaks National Monument — a different corner of Dixie National Forest from the park's immediate backcountry, not a nearby side trip. The cone and its associated lava flow are estimated at around 600,000 years old, now blanketed in Engelmann spruce (many killed off by bark beetle in recent years) and quaking aspen.

Good to know

• It's reached via the Hancock Peak Trail (Forest Trail #32053), a gentle walk across the high Markagunt Plateau between Cedar Breaks and Highway 89 rather than a technical summit push
• The route crosses Mammoth Creek and open flats near Meadow Lake before entering spruce forest, with tread that gets rough in places where old lava beds cross the path
• A short side spur leads to a small alpine lake ringed by rock
• Small parking areas exist at both ends of the trail

Plan this as a Markagunt Plateau outing, best paired with a Cedar Breaks visit, rather than something you'd tack onto a Bryce Canyon day.