Museum Collections

NPS Photo

The Bryce Canyon museum and archive resources are housed and managed at Zion National Park along with collections from Cedar Breaks National Monument. The museum staff manage over 710,000 items from all three park units as of 2017.

Collecting of museum objects at Bryce Canyon began in the early 1930s. The total collection size is 70,134 objects. The museum/archival collections document important people and events in the park’s history; preserve important park records including administrative, facility and resource management reports and related documentation; and document the built heritage of the park through drawings, photographs and original historic fabric. This collection is broken down into:

• 6,246 archeology items
• 46,305 archival items
• 7,410 history items
• 20 art objects
• 3,594 biology
• 3,872 paleontology specimens
• 97 geological items

The collection includes oral histories, original photographs, blueprints, legislative documents, and significant fossil resources.

Herbarium

Bryce’s herbarium resources are housed in the indexed Zion, Bryce, and Cedar Breaks Herbarium. Specimen records can be searched on the SEINet Intermountain Region Herbarium Network.

Research

The Bryce archives also house research from permitted studies. More information for researchers about permits and requirements can be found on the National Park Service Research Permit and Reporting System.

Images and Finding Aids

Some images of the collection items, as well as finding aids can be viewed on NP Gallery.

Make an Appointment

To make an appointment to view the collection in person please begin by visiting the Zion National Park Archives Page.