Wall Street

Best Time to Visit

Wall Street is open May through November. The slot canyon floor receives direct light roughly between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM, when sun reaches down between the walls and illuminates the orange and pink limestone. Earlier and later in the day the canyon sits in deep shadow. For the lightest crowds, start before 9:00 AM — the parking lot at Sunset Point fills quickly in summer. July through September brings afternoon thunderstorms, and flash flooding is a real risk inside the slot; if rain appears in the forecast, avoid the canyon and check conditions before you go. Late May through June and September through early November offer a useful middle ground — better light angles, more manageable crowds, and lower storm frequency than midsummer.

Trail Tips

• Dogs are not allowed on Wall Street or any other trail in Bryce Canyon National Park. Leashed pets are permitted only in parking areas, paved surfaces, and campgrounds.
• The trail descends before it climbs — the 515-foot gain all comes on the return. Budget more time and energy for the Two Bridges exit than the initial descent suggests you'll need at 8,000 feet of elevation.
• Cell service is limited or absent inside the inner canyon. Download a trail map and check the weather forecast before you leave the rim.
• The full Navajo Loop adds very little distance beyond the slot itself; continuing to Two Bridges connects the route and is strongly worth the minimal extra effort.

Getting There

The trailhead is at Sunset Point on the park's main road. An entry pass is required for all vehicles entering Bryce Canyon National Park. Parking at Sunset Point fills by mid-morning on summer days, so the park shuttle — which runs from mid-April through mid-October and stops here directly — is the most reliable way to arrive without a parking scramble. Wall Street closes from November through May each year due to frost wedging and documented rockfall risk along this section; during the closure, the Two Bridges side of the Navajo Loop remains open for below-rim access. Check current conditions at nps.gov or the Visitor Center before your hike.

What to Expect on Wall Street

Wall Street is Bryce Canyon's only slot canyon — a half-mile section of the Navajo Loop that drops 515 feet between limestone walls rising 100 to 200 feet overhead. The passage descends through more than 20 tight switchbacks, and at the narrowest points the canyon squeezes to just a few feet across. NPS recommends hiking counter-clockwise, which means descending Wall Street first and returning via the Two Bridges side. Near the bottom, several ancient Douglas fir trees grow straight up from the canyon floor — some estimated at over 500 years old — their trunks reaching toward a narrow strip of sky overhead. From the upper switchbacks near Sunset Point, Thor's Hammer is visible to the north, the Silent City spreads to the west, and the Temple of Osiris stands to the east. The combination of confined slot terrain below and sweeping hoodoo panoramas above makes Wall Street one of the most scenically layered short descents in the park.