Duck Creek-gids

Beste wandelingen in Cedar Breaks

Korte alpine trails met grote uitzichten - perfect voor een halve dag vanuit Duck Creek

Cedar Breaks heeft misschien minder mijlen aan trails dan grotere parken, maar de paden die er zijn leveren veel op. Door de hoge ligging boven 10.000 voet voelen zelfs korte wandelingen bijzonder aan, en de meeste routes geven je toegang tot wilde bloemenweiden, bristlecone-bossen of directe uitzichten op het amfitheater.

Voor dagjesmensen vanuit Duck Creek is de belangrijkste vraag meestal niet hoeveel trailkilometers je wilt lopen, maar hoeveel tijd je aan hoogte wilt besteden. De goede wandelingen hier zijn compact, fotogeniek en makkelijk te combineren met uitzichtpunten of zonsondergang.

Alle paden in een oogopslag

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.

Easy trails

For families, first visits, and anyone who wants the scenery without the effort.

Alpine Pond Trail

2 mi lus 250 ft 45-90 minuten

De kenmerkende Cedar Breaks-wandeling en de route die de meeste bezoekers als eerste zouden moeten doen. Een rustige lus door bloemenweiden en bristlecone-dennen naar een stille subalpiene vijver op meer dan 10.000 voet.

Tip: De piek van de bloei is meestal half juli tot begin augustus. Neem een extra laag mee - wind op 10.000 voet kan snel koud aanvoelen, zelfs op een zonnige middag.

Campground Trail

1 mi enkele reis 100 ft 20-30 minuten

Een kort verbindingspad tussen Point Supreme Campground en het visitor-centergebied. Vlak, schaduwrijk en goed om even de benen te strekken.

Tip: Werkt goed als warming-up voor Alpine Pond of de uitzichtpunten. Kinderen en honden op aangelijnde, verharde stukken kunnen hier prima mee overweg.

Sunset Trail

2 mi heen en terug ~100 ft 45-60 minuten

Een verhard, rolstoeltoegankelijk pad langs de rand tussen Point Supreme en Sunset View, met het picknickterrein halverwege. Zachte hellingen, rustplekken en voortdurend uitzicht op het amfitheater. Het is ook het enige pad in het monument waar aangelijnde honden zijn toegestaan.

Tip: Loop dit pad in de avond zodat je 30 minuten voor zonsondergang bij Sunset View bent, en wandel in de schemering terug - neem een hoofdlamp mee voor het laatste stuk.

The moderate one

More distance, more exposure, and a real climb back at altitude. This is the walk for hikers who want the full rim.

Spectra Point / Ramparts Trail

4 mi heen en terug 400 ft 2-3 uur

De langere rim-route van Cedar Breaks. Volgt de rand van het amfitheater naar het zuiden langs oude bristlecone-dennen tot Spectra Point en Ramparts Overlook.

Tip: Begin vroeg. Het pad is blootgesteld en namiddagonweersbuien zijn in juli en augustus normaal. Neem veel water en zonbescherming mee.

De South Rim Trail, etappe voor etappe

Point Supreme, 10,350 ft

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 bristlecone rim

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.
Spectra Point, mile 1

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.
Ramparts Overlook, mile 2, 9,952 ft

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 Bartizan, 9,725 ft

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.

Startpunten en trailpunten

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.

The drive from the inn
Highway 148 through the monument
Overlook
Trail point
Visitor center
Campground

Trail points are green, overlooks amber. The dashed line is Highway 148 through the monument.

Wandelen op 10.000 voet

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.

Combining trails with the overlooks

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.

Tips from Duck Creek

Start after breakfast, not at dawn. Cedar Breaks does not need an alarm. The trails are never crowded and the lots have room all day; the one exception is Sunset View at sunset.
Altitude matters. Even if you hiked hard at Bryce yesterday, you are now 2,000 feet higher. Water, a slower pace, and permission to stop.
Afternoon storms. July and August bring thunderstorms over the plateau most afternoons. If clouds are building, head for the car; lightning on the exposed rim is the real hazard here.
Layer up. Mornings and evenings can be in the 40s at the rim even in July. A warm layer and a wind shell are the difference between a good walk and a short one.
Wildflowers peak in early to mid July. If you can time it, the meadows on the Alpine Pond loop are the best on the mountain. Our wildflower guide has the calendar.
No water in the park. As of this writing the monument has no potable water. Fill bottles at the inn.

Winter hiking

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.

Stay planning

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

Why trust this guide

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.