Ruby's Inn: An Area Destination since 1916 -- even before Bryce Canyon

Taylor Arave at the historic Ruby's Inn, which even predates the nearby Bryce Canyon National Park.

                                 Bryce Canyon National Park.

      Ruby's Inn in the 1930s, as represented in a painting, hanging in today's Ruby's Inn.

By Lynn Arave

Ruby's Inn, a commercial establishment, located just north of the entrance to Bryce Canyon, has been around since 1916 and even predates nearby Bryce Canyon National Monument by seven years.

By the time Bryce Canyon was a National Monument in 1923 (or National Park in 1928), Ruby's Inn was already well established and serving as a focal point for the area.

        The Ruby's dining room from decades past. --From a photo hanging at Ruby's Inn.

Given its legacy, the first newspaper mention of Ruby's was NOT for anything relating to Bryce Canyon, but for an area Halloween party on Oct. 31, 1924. The Garfield County News on Nov. 7, 1924 stated that the event was a big success.
The Garfield County News of Jan. 16, 1925 described Ruby's as a "homelike headquarters for the weary traveler" and a "wonderful resort."
In that era, Ruby's not only had plenty of water for visitors, but also cabins, food and even a dancing hall. It was also in 1925 when the resort received its first electric lighting system.
By the spring of 1925, Ruby's had a U.S. Post Office, a monster porch for relaxation, supplies, campground and even access to horses and guides to explore the area.
In July of 1925, the Panquitch Orchestra even played at Ruby's Inn and attracted a large crowd.
It was Ruby Syrett and his wife who started Ruby's. and their descendants still operate the business.
Ruby's Inn was the most popular destination in the area, though as the decades went by, the place became more and more synonymous with Bryce Canyon National Park.
 Indeed, you HAD to travel past Ruby's Inn to enter Bryce Canyon and that's how it remains today. 
Yes, Bryce Canyon does have its own inside-the-park accommodations available, but Ruby's was there first and is literally just a few hundred yards north of the Bryce Canyon entrance.
Today Ruby's has expanded to have an RV Park, a seasonal rodeo, ATV rentals and more. In the summer, its work staff expands top some 600 employees, the largest in the county.

                                 A picture from the 1984 fire.


A tragic fire in 1984 destroyed the lodge and erased some of the Ruby's Inn history, but it was rebuilt and even expanded after that.

                             The rubble after the fire,

-As a kid growing up in the 1960s, my Bryce Canyon visit memories include images of Ruby's Inn, as the two seemed linked. Decades later, when I took my own children to Bryce, was complete without a stop at Ruby's.

 Ruby's Inn, as it appeared in the 1980s, probably just before the fire.   --From a photo hanging today inside Ruby's Inn.