Mossy Cave Trail

The Mossy Cave Trail is a popular short walk off Highway 12. It is not inside the main gate of Bryce Canyon so no fees apply here. It makes for a good leg stretch for families passing through the area. The cave is not very exciting but the route getting there is enjoyable. You can see hoodoos and windows without having to hike much trail. Mossy Cave is a shelter cave. Depending on the season, this large overhang grotto is filled with moss or giant icicles created by an underground spring.

Home

WillhiteWeb.com - Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon NP

Access:

Find the parking area off Highway 12 just about a mile west of Tropic, in the lands managed by Bryce Canyon National Park. Its approximately 4 miles east of the intersection of Highways 12 and 63.

Route:

Simply follow the 0.4 mile trail as it goes up Water Canyon, crossing two bridges along the way. Just before the cave, the trail splits. The cave is to the left and a viewpoint of a waterfall is to the right. The whole hike can be done in 30 minutes or so.

History:

Water Canyon is no ordinary canyon. From 1890-1892 mormon pioneers labored with picks and shovels to carve an irrigation ditch from the East Fork of the Sevier River, through the Paunsaugunt Plateau, into this canyon. Every year since its completion in 1892 (except during the drought of 2002), this canal known as the Tropic Ditch has supplied the communities of Tropic and Cannonville with irrigation water.

Distance: 0.4 miles
Elevation Gain: 150 feet
Access: Paved Highway