“I’ve worked in a bunch of parks and visited every single one,” he said. “But if I had to pick a favorite experience? Hiking Bryce Canyon under a full moon.”

That stuck with me. And this year, the stars (and moon) finally aligned.

Under one the brightest full supermoons I’ve ever seen — so bright it cast shadows — we laced up our boots, packed our headlamps we mostly didn’t need, and dropped into Bryce Canyon’s famous hoodoos for what would become the greatest Halloween hike of my life.

Make no mistake: Bryce in daylight is already otherworldly. But Bryce in moonlight? It’s another dimension entirely. It felt like walking through an ancient cathedral carved by time and lit by moonbeams. Silent. Sacred. Surreal.

Our 4-mile loop started at Sunset Point. From there, we descended into the twisting narrows of Wall Street, where towering sandstone spires rose like skyscrapers around us. With the canyon empty and the moon hanging high, the whole place glowed a soft, silvery orange. It was like being inside an outdoor museum sculpted by Martians.

We looped up past Two Bridges, the natural stone arches connecting hoodoo walls like architectural marvels. The light was so clear we could see every detail — cracks, shadows, textures–without artificial light. Occasionally, a breeze would rush through the canyon like a whisper, and we’d stop and just listen. There was no sound but nature. No people. No crowds. Just us and the moon.

At the rim, we picked up the trail and followed it along the edge, the vast amphitheater of Bryce Canyon spreading out below like a prehistoric coliseum. From above, the hoodoos looked like silent sentinels frozen in time. And we weren’t looking down at darkness. We were looking at moonlit sculpture, bright as dawn, yet still dreamlike.

From there, we dipped back into Queen’s Garden — the softest descent in the park and one of the prettiest. Under the moonlight, the formations took on different personalities. One looked like a dragon. Another resembled a castle. We half expected to run into a ghostly queen riding a moonbeam. It was October, after all.

The climb back up Wall Street was just as magical. We took our time, soaking it all in. This wasn’t just a hike. It was a memory being etched in real-time. The kind you don’t rush. The kind you never forget.

Bryce Canyon is famous for its clear skies and low light pollution — one of the best places in the country for stargazing. But under a super full moon, it becomes something else. The shadows dance. The rocks shimmer. And the entire landscape takes on a kind of lunar glow. But the stars came out, too — shining in tandem with the main event moon.

Even the air felt different — crisp and cool, but not cold. Just enough bite to remind you it’s late October, but without the deep chill of winter. It was, in every sense, perfect.

And we had it all to ourselves.

No buses. No selfie sticks. No park traffic. Just a quiet, beautiful hike through a place that looked more like Mars than Earth, lit by a glowing pearl overhead.

By the time we got back to the top, we were buzzing — not from exertion, but from the experience. The kind that makes you feel small in the best possible way. The kind that makes you grateful for public lands, for wild places, and for the kind of advice that only comes from a seasoned ranger who’s seen it all.

He was right, by the way.

Out of all the trails I’ve hiked, all the parks I’ve explored, and all the adventures I’ve been lucky enough to have, hiking Bryce Canyon under a full Halloween moon is one of the best I’ve ever endeavored. It’s more than a hike. It’s a portal to another world.

If you ever get the chance, take it.

Blake Snow contributes to fancy publications and Fortune 500 companies as a bodacious writer-for-hire and seasoned travel journalist to all seven continents. He lives in Provo, Utah with his wife, five children, and one ferocious chihuahua.