Duck Creek Guide
Four trails, none of them long, all of them above 10,000 feet: meadows and a pond, a rim walk through 1,600-year-old pines, a paved sunset stroll, and a flat meadow loop.
Cedar Breaks has a small trail system: two dirt trails, a paved rim path and a short accessible loop, about seven miles of walking in all. What it lacks in mileage it makes up for in where the trails go. Unlike Bryce there is nothing below the rim, so every walk stays on top, through meadows, forest and bristlecone pines, with the amphitheater arriving at the edges. That makes hiking here more relaxed than the national parks, and easier on families and on anyone who is not a committed hiker.
All of it starts above 10,000 feet, and the altitude is real. Fit hikers notice it on the climb back from Ramparts; everyone notices it on the first hundred yards. Pace yourself, drink water, and bring a layer, because the wind at the rim can turn a 70°F afternoon into a 50°F one.
| Trail | Start | Distance | Climb | Time | Surface | Dogs | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine Pond loop | Chessmen Ridge Overlook, 10,461 ft | 2 mi loop (1 mi short loop) | 250 ft | 45 to 90 min | Dirt | No | Wildflowers, the pond, one rim view |
| South Rim Trail to Spectra Point | Point Supreme, 10,350 ft | 2 mi round trip | Under 100 ft | 1 hr | Dirt, exposed | No | Oldest bristlecones, strongest rock color |
| South Rim Trail to Ramparts | Point Supreme, 10,350 ft | 4 mi round trip | 400 ft down and back up | 2 to 3 hrs | Dirt, exposed | No | The widest view; quiet |
| Sunset Trail | Point Supreme or Sunset View | 2 mi round trip | About 100 ft | 45 to 60 min | Paved, accessible | Yes, leashed | Sunset; the only dog-friendly trail |
| Campground Trail | Point Supreme Campground | 0.5 mi | Nearly flat | 15 to 25 min | Level, accessible | No | Meadow flowers with a stroller |
Distances and elevations from the National Park Service. All trailheads are on Highway 148 with paved parking; the entrance fee is $25 per vehicle for seven days.
For families, first visits, and anyone who wants the scenery without the effort.
The signature Cedar Breaks hike and the one most visitors should do first. A gentle loop through wildflower meadows and bristlecone pines to a quiet subalpine pond at over 10,000 feet. The trail starts at the Chessmen Ridge parking area and offers amphitheater views partway through.
Tip: Peak wildflower bloom is typically mid-July through early August. Bring a layer — the breeze at 10,000 feet can turn cold fast even on a sunny afternoon.
A short, level, accessible path through the meadow between Point Supreme Campground and the visitor center area. The easiest walk in the monument, and in July the meadow it crosses is full of bluebells and cinquefoil; in August, sunflowers.
Tip: A good first walk while you get used to the altitude, and the one to pick with a stroller or anyone who does not want to breathe hard at 10,000 feet. Dogs are still limited to the paved surfaces.
A paved, wheelchair-accessible path along the rim between Point Supreme and Sunset View Overlook, passing the picnic area near the halfway point. Gentle grades, benches, and the amphitheater the whole way. It is also the only trail in the monument open to leashed dogs.
Tip: Walk it in the evening so you reach Sunset View 45 minutes before sunset, then stroll back in the twilight with a headlamp. Our sunset page has the times for every part of the season.
More distance, more exposure, and a real climb back at altitude. This is the walk for hikers who want the full rim.
The rim trail. It leaves Point Supreme and follows the amphitheater edge south and west through the oldest bristlecone pines in the monument, some more than 1,600 years old, to Spectra Point at the one-mile mark, where the rock colors are strongest. From there it drops through the forest to Ramparts Overlook at two miles and 9,952 feet, with the widest view on the trail. The trail continues to the Bartizan at the southern boundary, 9,725 feet, but almost nobody goes; the park calls the full route moderate to hard.
Tip: Start in the morning. The rim sections are exposed and afternoon thunderstorms are common in July and August; the climb back from Ramparts is the hard part at this altitude. Stay on the tread past Spectra Point, where the endemic Cedar Breaks gilia grows in the gravel beside it.
Park at the visitor center. The trail leaves the rim walk south of the overlook and follows the edge through the first bristlecones within minutes.
The oldest trees in the monument, more than 1,600 years, on the exposed white ground along the edge. Wind here on most days; the views open at every bend.
The park says the rock colors are strongest from here. Most people turn around, which makes this an easy hour. Look down: the endemic gilia grows in the gravel by the trail.
The trail leaves the rim and drops about 400 feet through spruce and fir to a second promontory with the widest panorama on the trail. The climb back is the hard part.
The trail continues to the southern boundary and a natural arch in the fins, another 275 feet down. Rarely walked; the park rates the full route moderate to hard. Turn around at Ramparts unless you have the afternoon and the water.
Exposed the whole way. In July and August be off the rim by early afternoon.
The rim trail runs south-west from Point Supreme through Spectra Point and Ramparts to the Bartizan; the Alpine Pond loop sits east of the road between Chessmen Ridge and the pond; the Sunset Trail follows the rim between Point Supreme and Sunset View. Tap a pin for the note.
Trail points are green, overlooks amber. The dashed line is Highway 148 through the monument.
Every trailhead here is higher than any point in Bryce Canyon and 6,000 feet above Zion Canyon. The air at 10,350 feet holds about a third less oxygen than at sea level, which is why the first climb feels harder than it looks and why the park's own advice is to slow down, drink, and eat. Coming from the inn at 8,455 feet helps; coming from Las Vegas or St. George the same morning does not. Headache, nausea and unusual breathlessness are the signs to turn around and lose elevation, and the car is never more than two miles away.
The other altitude hazard is lightning. The rim trails are the most exposed ground on the plateau, and the park warns that storms are common and dangerous in the afternoons. Walk in the morning, watch the western sky, and treat a building cumulus as a schedule.
The best Cedar Breaks day pairs a trail with the overlooks. Start at Point Supreme for the visitor center and the first view, walk the rim trail to Spectra Point and back, drive north to Chessmen Ridge for the Alpine Pond loop, then finish at Sunset View and North View on the way out. That is a solid four hours and covers everything without hurrying.
If you want a shorter version, do Alpine Pond and the overlooks in a morning, about two and a half hours, and come back for sunset on the same pass. The Sunset Trail is the evening walk: time it so you reach Sunset View 45 minutes before the sun goes.
When Highway 148 closes, usually from mid November to mid or late May, Cedar Breaks belongs to snowshoes, skis and snowmobiles. The plowing stops at the Highway 14 junction, 3.5 miles from Point Supreme, and the marked snowmobile route follows the closed road between orange poles; travel off it is prohibited to protect the meadows. The National Park Service leads guided snowshoe walks on select winter weekends. It is a different monument, white and silent and empty, and a worthwhile day from the inn if you have the gear and the weather. Our winter guide covers rentals and the rest of the mountain.
A hiking morning at Cedar Breaks pairs naturally with a bigger park day at Bryce Canyon or Zion later in the week. For lower, shadier trails on the way back down the mountain, see hiking near Duck Creek: Cascade Falls, the Navajo Lake loop and the Virgin River Rim Trail all start within 20 minutes of the village. Use Plan Your Days to build the itinerary and compare our rooms and cabins; Cedar Breaks is close enough that you are back for lunch.
Reviewed September 2026
We hike these trails from the inn every summer. Distances, elevations and trail points follow the National Park Service and its places data (Spectra Point, Ramparts at 9,952 ft, the Bartizan at 9,725 ft); the bristlecone ages and the pet and water rules are the park's. Snow and mud linger on the dirt trails into June, so check the NPS conditions page before you go.
Which trail, how hard, kids, dogs, and when.
The Alpine Pond Trail is the best all-round walk: a 2-mile loop from Chessmen Ridge Overlook through wildflower meadows and bristlecone pines to a spring-fed pond. For the rim, the South Rim Trail from Point Supreme reaches Spectra Point in a mile and Ramparts Overlook in two, through the oldest bristlecones in the monument.
Four: the Alpine Pond loop (2 miles), the South Rim Trail to Spectra Point and Ramparts (2 to 4 miles round trip, further to the Bartizan), the paved Sunset Trail between Point Supreme and Sunset View (2 miles round trip), and the half-mile accessible Campground Trail. About seven miles in all.
Yes. The Alpine Pond loop and the Campground Trail are manageable for school-age kids, and the Sunset Trail is paved. The 10,000-foot elevation is the thing to plan for; children tire faster than at home. Bring snacks, water and a warm layer.
No. Unlike Bryce Canyon there are no maintained trails into the amphitheater. Every trail stays on the rim or in the meadows and forest behind it, which keeps the walks short and the views arriving from the edges.
Only on the paved Sunset Trail, on leash, plus parking lots and other paved areas. Dogs are not permitted on the Alpine Pond, South Rim or Campground trails.
Whenever Highway 148 is: mid to late May to mid November in a typical year, May 15 in 2026. Early in the season lingering snow and mud affect the shaded sections of the Alpine Pond loop and the forest stretch of the South Rim Trail. Check the NPS conditions page before you go.
To Spectra Point it is an easy mile along the rim with little elevation change; the park rates the full South Rim Trail moderate to hard because the continuation to Ramparts drops 400 feet that you regain on the way back at 10,000 feet. Start in the morning to avoid afternoon lightning on the exposed sections.
The rest of the Cedar Breaks guide.
The signature Cedar Breaks walk: wildflower meadows, a spring-fed pond, and bristlecone pines in two easy miles from Chessmen Ridge
See alpine pond trail
Point Supreme, Sunset View, Chessmen Ridge, and North View in driving order, plus the new visitor center and the campground
See overlooks & visitor center
The best sunset spot in southern Utah and an International Dark Sky Park, with sunset times by month and how to plan an evening at Cedar Breaks
See sunset & stargazingTurn a hike into a full day.
Rooms for an easy start, cabins for a slower week.
Rooms with breakfast or cabins with a kitchen at Duck Creek Village Inn, 25 minutes from the trailheads, with cool mountain mornings and no traffic.
