Explore scenic Mossy Cave hiking trail in Bryce Canyon

Don’t miss the short, easy Mossy Cave hiking trail in Bryce Canyon National Park.

Get your camera ready! Mossy Cave is a great photo stop. Here, you can view red-orange hoodoos and a waterfall tumbling over the rock cliffs of Water Canyon.

Mossy Cave Hiking Trail

The Mossy Creek hike is an easy trail that is less than one mile round trip. It follows what looks like a river but is actually an irrigation canal known as the Tropic Ditch. From 1880 to 1892, Mormon pioneers took two years to carve out the ditch using shovels and picks.

The canal provides irrigation water to the nearby Tropic and Cannonville communities.

Travel to Bryce Canyon to discover the largest hoodoo collection in the world. A visit to Mossy Creek is one of the top things to do in Bryce Canyon National Park. Photo Credit: Wendy Nordvik-Carr©

After following the canal and crossing over a bridge, take a left up the hill to see the Mossy Cave. The cave is a grotto with an overhang that, depending on the season, usually has moss or icicles hanging from it.

After seeing the cave, head back down the trail to view the waterfall or continue further to the top of the falls.

Travel to Bryce Canyon to discover the largest hoodoo collection in the world. A visit to Mossy Creek is one of the top things to do in Bryce Canyon National Park. Photo Credit: Wendy Nordvik-Carr

Travel to Bryce Canyon to discover the largest hoodoo collection in the world. A visit to Mossy Creek is one of the top things to do in Bryce Canyon National Park. Photo Credit: Wendy Nordvik-Carr

How to get to Mossy Cave Hiking Trail

Mossy Cave is in the northern section of Bryce Canyon near the junction of Highway 63 and Highway 12. The entrance to the small parking lot is easy to find.

If you are heading towards Tropic, it is on the right side of the road after crossing a little bridge.

Travel to Bryce Canyon to discover the largest hoodoo collection in the world. A visit to Mossy Creek is one of the top things to do in Bryce Canyon National Park.

Geology of Bryce Canyon

Canyons are usually formed by the steady flow of water over a rock-like surface. However, many of the canyons in the Bryce area are formed by a different method called frost wedging. This happens when rock cracks filled with water freeze. These thin pieces of ice are several metres in length, causing a wedge. Over time, weathering occurs from the melting, freezing, and expansion. The rock then begins to change shape as the crack wedge enlarges and breaks off.

Travel to Bryce Canyon to discover the largest hoodoo collection in the world. A visit to Mossy Creek is one of the top things to do in Bryce Canyon National Park.

Travel to Bryce Canyon to discover the largest hoodoo collection in the world. A visit to Mossy Creek is one of the top things to do in Bryce Canyon National Park.

• Travel to Bryce Canyon to discover the world’s largest hoodoo collection
• Trip planning tools for Bryce Canyon.
• Explore scenic Mossy Cave hiking trail in Bryce Canyon.
• Discover more hiking trails at Bryce Canyon.
• Learn interesting facts about Bryce Canyon.
• Discover the world’s largest gypsum dunes.

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