Hiking The Grand Parade Trail

A visit to Kodachrome Basin State Park is a great addition when travelling to Bryce Canyon National Park.  The two parks are a short drive from one another.  At Kodachrome, we decided on hiking the Grand Parade Trail.

By The Numbers

Length: 1.2 miles
Elevation change: 75 feet
Difficulty rating: Easy
Type: Loop
Season: All year

Difficulty Level Easy

After a full day of hiking the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park the prior day, we start our hiking easy today.  The Grand Parade Trail is a 1.5 mile loop on the floor of Kodachrome Basin.  The difficulty level is rated as easy.

Trees Hanging on to Dear Life

As we get ready to start, we notice a few trees like this one; somehow barely hanging on to life with just a few roots connecting their way into the soil.

Cocoa Colored Terrain

We enjoyed looking at the terrain which was so different than that of Bryce NPS the prior day. There were lots of cocoa colored hills with erosion onto the trail floor. The geology here demonstrates the effects of millions of years of erosion by wind and water.

Along the some of the hillsides, it is easy to see how the erosion and run off from the hills themselves provides a cocoa colored floor of a baked budlike consistency. We spend a bit of time in this area looking at the uniqueness of these hill.

A Very Well-Maintained Trail

This hike is nearly completely level. It was enjoyable for a taste of Kodachrome scenery. The trail markers were plentiful and accurate.

Spires All Around

Several sandpipes, including Dinosaur Spire, are also visible.  In fact, this state park boasts at least 67 monolithic stone spires in or near the park.

Fantastic Views

We take in the views of the mountains and the multi-colored hills.

Flowers in Bloom

We see several native flowers during our hike on this trail. A few of the cacti are in bloom in June.

A Hiking Trail for Everyone

The Grand Parade Trail was indeed an easy, but enjoyable stroll through some of the flat areas of Kodachrome Basin State Park.  If you have just a little bit of time during your visit and are interested in a leisurely stroll that lets you take in some of the beauty, the Grand Parade Trail is a great choice.

We spent about an hour on this hiking the Grand Parade Trail before making our way to other parts of Kodachrome Basin State Park.