Most of my hiking time is in the Ozarks of Arkansas -- which features an amazing assortment of waterfalls. For all of the great scenery southern Utah has to offer, vast amounts of water in the desert isn't one of them.
So when there became an opportunity to do a waterfall hike in Bryce Canyon, we were definitely up for checking it out. The Mossy Cave hike is a very short hike (less than 1 mile) and a small 200 foot elevation gain, so it's a great trail for families with young children or people who can't hike long distances. This trail offers a lot for a small amount of effort.
The Mossy Cave Trail is in Bryce Canyon National Park -- but outside of the main area that most people visit and can actually be hiked without paying the park fee. To get to the trailhead, travel EAST on Highway 12 approximately 3.5 miles past the main park entrance. The road will go down a very steep canyon road and the trailhead (with toilets) will be on your right).
The trail begins in a small creek valley called the Tropic Ditch (or I've also seen it called Water Canyon) and past some of Bryce's famous Hoodoos. There are two different bridges that cross the creek.
The waterfall is actually visible from the second footbridge. The falls is roughly 25-30 feet tall and had a nice flow the day we were there in late September.
Just beyond the second bridge crossing, the trail splits. The path to the left goes to Mossy Cave, to the right, the top of Tropic Ditch Waterfall.
Mossy Cave isn't so much a cave as a rock shelter with a lot of moss growing in it. But it does offer the cooling temperatures of a cave which offered a nice respite on this hot day. Please stay on the trail and the overlook on this one to avoid trampling the delicate moss.
To the right leads to the top of Tropic Ditch Waterfall. While the area always served as a drainage during rainfall, in the 1890s, early Mormon settlers actually dug a trench to connect the drainage to from the East Fork of the Sevier River as a way to supply a consistent water supply to the town of Tropic. The drainage now runs year-around, although the "wet season" is May-October. Other than a short stop during the drought of 2002, the falls has flowed continuously for more than a century thanks to the work by these hard-working pioneers.
To get the the bottom of the falls, it's best to go back to the second footbridge and go down to the drainage at the bridge and then hike back up to the falls.
The total distance on this hike is 0.8 miles round trip -- so it's short, with a views of a cave, a waterfall and hoodoos which makes for a really nice, easy hike.
Trail Details
Distance: .8 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Kid Friendly: Yes!
Footwear: Tennis shoes would be fine
Rating: 4 out of 5
I will explore these sights after weekend trips from seattle.
Posted by: Doris | 07/29/2019 at 04:11 AM