Garfield County, Utah
A farming town in the valley below Bryce Canyon’s east rim, minutes from Mossy Cave and the historic Tropic Ditch.
About Tropic
Tropic lies in the upper Paria Valley just east of Bryce Canyon National Park, beneath the pink cliffs of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. At 6,309 feet, the valley’s milder climate supports farms and orchards, and Scenic Byway 12 puts the park’s east-side trailheads minutes away.
Tropic offers lodging, dining, and services and makes a quieter base for visiting Bryce Canyon, Kodachrome Basin State Park, and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
Known For
Mossy Cave Trail and the historic Tropic Ditch on the east side of Bryce Canyon
Historic Ebenezer Bryce cabin
Quiet base for Bryce Canyon, Kodachrome Basin, and Scenic Byway 12
History of Tropic
The townsite was surveyed in 1889 and laid out in 1891. Settler Andrew J. Hansen named it Tropic for the valley’s mild climate, warm enough to grow fruit.
About 40 men spent three years digging the 10-mile Tropic Ditch by hand to bring water from the East Fork of the Sevier River over the Bryce Canyon rim, completing it in May 1892. Ebenezer Bryce, the park’s namesake, ranched in the area from 1875 to 1880.
Quick Distances
| Bryce Canyon City, UT,15 min · 11 mi |
| Panguitch, UT,35 min · 28 mi |
| St. George, UT,2 hr 45 min · 155 mi |
County Services
Spring
59°
low 35°
Summer
85°
low 59°
Fall
63°
low 41°
Winter
37°
low 20°
Daily averages, 2016–2025.