Cedar Breaks
National Monument
A 10,000-foot amphitheater of painted cliffs — your closest national monument, sitting just 45 minutes up UT-14. No permit required, rarely crowded, and genuinely jaw-dropping.
What You Need to Know
Bryce Canyon's Quieter, Higher Twin
Most itineraries tack Cedar Breaks onto a Bryce or Zion day as an afterthought. That's a mistake. Cedar Breaks is a full national monument — 6,155 acres of its own — with a natural amphitheater that rivals Bryce Canyon in scale and surpasses it in solitude.
Where Bryce has summer crowds and shuttle lines, Cedar Breaks has open parking and only a few hundred visitors per day even at peak season. Where Zion bakes at 90°F in July, Cedar Breaks sits at 10,000 feet with afternoon temperatures that rarely crack 70°F. And sitting right on your UT-14 corridor — the same highway that passes Starlit Ridge — it requires almost zero detour.
No other lodging in this corridor is as well-positioned for Cedar Breaks as Starlit Ridge. Most Bryce-area hotels add 60+ miles to the trip. From your cabin, it's a straight shot west up the mountain.
A few hundred visitors. On the busiest day of the year. At a place that looks like Bryce Canyon. Let that sink in.
Cedar Breaks National Monument holds official International Dark Sky Park certification — one of only a handful of NPS units in Utah to earn it. At 10,000 feet with virtually no nearby light pollution, the skies here are exceptional. The NPS runs ranger-led Star Parties from Point Supreme Overlook throughout summer. If you're already staying at Starlit Ridge for the dark skies, Cedar Breaks is a natural companion — and the skies up top are something else entirely.
There are no cedars here. The trees settlers saw were junipers — misidentified on the frontier, and the name stuck. "Breaks" is a geographic term for a sharp drop in topography, which the rim delivers dramatically. The Southern Paiute people called it umapwich — "the place where the rocks are sliding down all the time." Another Paiute name, un-cap-i-un-ump, translates as "circle of painted cliffs." Both are more accurate than ours.
The reds, oranges, purples, and yellows are mineral deposits locked into the Claron limestone formation. Iron oxides create the reds and oranges; manganese produces the purples. The geology is uplift — the Hurricane Fault Line pushed the Markagunt Plateau skyward, and erosion carved the shale, sandstone, and limestone into what you see today. The same forces that made Bryce Canyon's hoodoos, just 2,000 feet higher and without the crowds.
Seasonal road closure: UT-148 through the monument is typically closed November through May due to snow. Check nps.gov/cebr for current conditions before you go. Accessible year-round for snowshoeing and skiing from the north via UT-143.
Directions from Starlit Ridge
The drive up UT-14 is half the experience — a dramatic climb through Cedar Canyon with views of Zion opening up behind you as you gain elevation.
The Four Viewpoints
All four overlooks are easily accessible from UT-148. You can hit all of them in 30–45 minutes of driving if you want a quick survey, or spend an hour at each during peak wildflower season.
Trails at Cedar Breaks
Unlike Bryce Canyon where most of the famous hiking drops below the rim, Cedar Breaks keeps you on top — with wide-open views, wildflower meadows, and 1,600-year-old bristlecone pines. Trails are short and high-altitude (take it easy if you're coming from sea level).
Altitude reminder: Cedar Breaks sits at 10,000+ feet. Even fit hikers from lower elevations may feel breathless here. Go slower than you think you need to, drink more water than you think you need, and skip the summit ambitions if you feel lightheaded. Afternoon thunderstorms are common July–August — start early and watch the sky.
Cedar Breaks by Season
Dark Sky at Cedar Breaks
Internationally certified · NPS Star Parties · Summer & winter programs
Cedar Breaks National Monument is an internationally certified Dark Sky Park — a designation earned through rigorous light pollution measurement and NPS commitment to preserving the night environment. At 10,000+ feet with no significant development for miles in any direction, the skies here are exceptional in a way that most people don't expect from a place reachable by paved road.
The NPS runs seasonal ranger-led Star Parties from Point Supreme Overlook throughout summer — free with park entrance, no reservation required. Staff set up telescopes and walk you through the constellations, planets, and Milky Way structure. In winter, Star Parties move to the North Overlook (accessible via UT-143) on weekend evenings.
Spend the day at Cedar Breaks under a certified dark sky, then come back to your cabin for a different angle on the same sky. Both locations earn it — Cedar Breaks at 10,000 ft, Starlit Ridge at 8,000 ft. Fire up the cowboy tub, let your eyes adjust, and try both.
Entrance Fees
Cedar Breaks accepts credit/debit only — no cash. If you have an America the Beautiful (Interagency Annual) Pass, it covers entrance at no additional charge.
Current Entrance Fees
Per NPS — valid for 7 days from purchase
| Pass Type | Cost |
|---|---|
| Private Vehicle (up to 15 passengers) | $25.00 |
| Motorcycle (up to 2 bikes, 4 passengers) | $20.00 |
| Individual (bike, foot, age 16+) | $15.00 |
| Youth 15 and under | Free |
| America the Beautiful Annual Pass | Free |
| Cedar Breaks Annual Pass | $45.00 |
Before You Go
What Else Is on Your Route
The UT-14 corridor between Starlit Ridge and Cedar Breaks passes through some of the most dramatic scenery in southern Utah. Don't just drive through.
The Wildflower Festival
Cedar Breaks hosts one of southern Utah's most beloved annual events — a multi-day Wildflower Festival held in early July when the bloom is at its peak. It's been running for over 20 years and has become the single best reason to time a July trip around Cedar Breaks specifically.
What Happens at the Festival
Free with park entrance · Early July
The festival runs for about a week in early July and all activities are included with your park entrance fee — no separate tickets or reservations beyond your normal entry. Events include:
- Ranger-guided wildflower walks along the Sunset Trail and Spectra Point
- Expert talks on alpine botany, pollinators, and high-elevation ecosystems
- Interactive booths on native plants and Paiute plant knowledge
- The "Blooms of the Breaks" Art Contest — an open juried competition drawing artists from across the region
Check nps.gov/cebr each spring for exact dates and the current year's schedule — they're announced a few months out.
The Wildflowers Themselves
Peak bloom: first two weeks of July
The bloom at Cedar Breaks is exceptional because of its unique combination: high elevation, marshy meadow microclimate, and late snowmelt that compresses the growing season into a few weeks of vivid intensity. Species you'll see include:
Colorado columbine · scarlet paintbrush · subalpine larkspur · pretty shooting star · prairie smoke · Parry primrose · yellow evening primrose
Several wildflower species found at Cedar Breaks are endemic — found nowhere else on earth — because of the specific combination of elevation, soil chemistry, and microclimate here. The Sunset Trail and Spectra Point Trail are the best routes for wildflower viewing. Go in the morning before afternoon thunderstorms build.
The first two weeks of July. A few hundred people per day. Wildflowers that exist nowhere else in the world. A 20-year-old festival that most visitors have never heard of. This is exactly the kind of thing worth building a trip around.
Who Else Lives Up Here
At 10,000 feet, Cedar Breaks supports a different wildlife community than the canyon floors below. The high meadows, rim forests, and rocky outcrops create habitat for species you won't find in Zion or on the valley roads. The same plateau that surrounds Starlit Ridge extends all the way to Cedar Breaks — much of what you might see on property, you'll also encounter up top.
The same mule deer, ravens, and Clark's nutcrackers that live at Cedar Breaks range across the Paunsaugunt Plateau — including right around your cabin at Starlit Ridge.
Wildlife on the Plateau →