Sunset Point
115 spaces, 7 of them oversize — an NPS-published count, and the largest lot in the Bryce Amphitheater. It still fails first, because the Navajo Loop (1.3 mi, 515 ft of climbing) and the Queen's/Navajo Combination (2.9 mi, 600 ft) both start here, and those are the two hikes almost everyone at Bryce does.
NPS names the mechanism and it's uncomfortably specific: "The number one cause of parking lot congestion is hikers whose cars sit in popular overlook parking lots for multiple hours while they hike. When these parking lots reach capacity, they may be temporarily closed until parking becomes available." So the failure mode here isn't circling — it's being turned away at the turnoff. The free, optional shuttle (Stop 11) exists exactly for this, and Sunrise Point's 113 spaces are a flat half-mile walk away on the paved Rim Trail.
The facts
- Trail served
- Navajo Loop (1.3 mi RT, 515 ft, 1–2 hrs) past Thor's Hammer and Wall Street; Queen's/Navajo Combination Loop (2.9 mi, 600 ft); Rim Trail — the paved, accessible, leashed-pets-allowed 0.5 mi to Sunrise Point and 0.7 mi to Inspiration Point; Figure-8 and Peekaboo connections
- Cost / pass
- Parking free. Park entrance $35/vehicle for 7 days; America the Beautiful accepted. No cash — card or digital pass only. Shuttle free with admission
- Lot size
- 115 total spaces, 7 oversize, per NPS. The largest of the four amphitheater lots — Sunrise has 113, Inspiration 36, Bryce Point 49
- When it fills
- NPS publishes no clock time — only that the amphitheater is "the most congested area of the park" and that spaces "can be sparse during our peak seasons" (May–September). Visitor reports consistently describe mid-morning through mid-afternoon as the wall, with the lot workable again in the last hours of daylight
- Overflow option
- Sunrise Point (113 spaces), a flat paved 0.5 mi away on the Rim Trail — you can hike Navajo/Queen's from either end. Otherwise the free shuttle from the Shuttle Station in Bryce Canyon City or the Additional Parking Lot at the Visitor Center
- Tow / citation risk
- Park in marked spaces only. The practical risk here isn't a tow, it's the lot being closed to inbound traffic once it's at capacity
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Road to the lot
- Paved spur off the main park road at Mile 2.25. Vehicles 23 ft or longer are barred from this lot during shuttle hours
- Busy season
- Year-round; the lot is plowed as part of the priority first three miles. Wall Street on the Navajo Loop closes for the winter — Two Bridges stays open
Getting there
Get directions →Why the biggest lot is the worst lot
Sunset Point has more spaces than any other viewpoint in the amphitheater — 115, seven of them oversize — and it's still where the day goes wrong. The reason is dwell time. A viewpoint visitor parks for fifteen minutes. A Navajo Loop hiker parks for two hours; a Queen's/Navajo hiker for three; a Figure-8 hiker for five. Sunset Point is the trailhead for all of them.
NPS says this out loud rather than dancing around it: hikers' cars sitting for multiple hours are "the number one cause of parking lot congestion," and full lots "may be temporarily closed until parking becomes available." Read that as written. You can be denied the turn, not merely delayed in it.
The trails themselves are short by national-park standards, which is part of the problem — they're achievable for everyone. Navajo Loop is 1.3 miles with 515 feet of climbing, one to two hours, with grades touching 30% on the switchbacks. The Queen's/Navajo Combination is 2.9 miles and 600 feet, and is the single most-recommended hike in the park. Two million-plus annual visitors, one obvious hike, one 115-space lot.
Wall Street, winter, and which way you'll actually go
The Navajo Loop has two sides. Wall Street — the slot between hundred-foot fins — is the one on the postcards. It closes in winter, and NPS ties the closure to conditions rather than a fixed date: it shuts in months when precipitation combines with freezing overnight temperatures, because of rockfall. When it's closed, you descend and return via the Two Bridges side, which stays open year-round and passes directly under Thor's Hammer.
That matters for parking because a closed Wall Street doesn't reduce demand at Sunset Point at all — it just changes the route. Winter is still the easiest time to get a space here, since the lot sits inside the first three miles of road that NPS plows as a priority. After a storm the main road may close to all traffic beyond Mile 3 while crews work the higher elevations; Sunset Point at Mile 2.25 is inside that protected stretch.
One more constraint that catches people: if your vehicle is 23 feet or longer, you cannot park here during shuttle hours at all. Same at Sunrise, Inspiration, Bryce Point, and Bryce Lodge.
Plan B
Sunrise Point, then walk. This is the good Plan B and almost nobody uses it. Sunrise Point has 113 spaces — two fewer than Sunset — and sits a flat, paved half-mile away on the Rim Trail, the most accessible trail in the park and the one section where leashed pets are allowed. Better still, hike the Queen's/Navajo loop from Sunrise Point instead: same loop, opposite direction, different lot.
The free shuttle. Sunset Point is Stop 11. In 2026 the shuttle runs April 3 – October 18, roughly every 15 minutes, 8am–8pm from May 9 to September 20 and 8am–6pm at the shoulders. Park free and all day at the Shuttle Station in Bryce Canyon City and skip the whole question. It costs nothing beyond your entrance fee, and it's the only option if you're driving something over 23 feet.
Or change the hour. The park is open 24 hours. Sunset Point at first light or in the last hour before dark is a different place, and the lot behaves accordingly. Honest version: on a summer weekend, arriving here between about 10am and 3pm without a backup plan is the mistake.
Frequently asked questions
How many parking spaces are at Sunset Point in Bryce Canyon?
115 total spaces, including 7 for oversize vehicles, according to the National Park Service. That makes it the largest of the four Bryce Amphitheater viewpoint lots — Sunrise Point has 113, Bryce Point 49, and Inspiration Point 36.
What time does the Sunset Point parking lot fill up?
NPS does not publish a fill time. It says only that the Bryce Amphitheater is the most congested area of the park, that spaces can be sparse in peak season (May through September), and that lots may be temporarily closed once they reach capacity. Visitor reports put the hard window from roughly mid-morning to mid-afternoon on summer days.
Can you drive to Sunset Point, or do you have to take the shuttle?
You can drive. The Bryce Canyon shuttle is free and optional — NPS states that riding it is not mandatory anywhere in the park. Sunset Point is shuttle Stop 11 but the lot is open to private vehicles year-round. The one exception: vehicles 23 feet or longer cannot park here during shuttle hours.
Where does the Navajo Loop trail start?
At Sunset Point. The Navajo Loop is 1.3 miles round trip with 515 feet of elevation change, typically one to two hours, and passes Thor's Hammer and the Wall Street slot. Combined with Queen's Garden it becomes the 2.9-mile, 600-foot Queen's/Navajo Combination Loop, which can be started from either Sunset or Sunrise Point.
Is Wall Street open in winter?
No. The Wall Street side of the Navajo Loop closes during months when precipitation combines with freezing overnight temperatures, due to rockfall risk. The Two Bridges side stays open year-round and can be hiked as an out-and-back or combined with Queen's Garden.
Facts on this page last verified July 21, 2026. Fees, hours, and access rules change seasonally — confirm with the official source before a long drive.