Mossy Cave Trail

Mossy Cave Trail is located outside the main park entrance along Highway 12 and leads to one of Bryce Canyon's most unusual features: a shallow alcove in the red rock cliff face where seeping groundwater keeps the walls perpetually damp, supporting a lush hanging garden of moss, maidenhair fern, and columbine in an otherwise arid landscape. The contrast between the dry red canyon walls and the brilliant green moss clinging to the dripping overhang is striking.

An optional spur leads to a viewpoint above Water Canyon where a seasonal waterfall drops over a pink and orange cliff face, running strongest from snowmelt in April and May. The trail follows Water Canyon — an irrigation channel built by Mormon settlers in the 1890s to divert the Sevier River into Bryce Valley for agriculture — which means water runs in the dry creek bed even in drought conditions. The combination of the manmade water source and the natural seep creates a genuine oasis effect. In winter, the seep freezes into spectacular curtains of ice on the alcove walls. Mossy Cave can be combined with a drive along Highway 12, one of the most scenic roads in the American West.