Day 67-70: Bryce Canyon National Park
Trip Start
Jun 21, 2008
1
40
42
Trip End
Ongoing
Bryce Canyon National Park,
Utah,
United States
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Arrived at Bryce Canyon NP before lunch. Set-up camp, had lunch, and then walked to the Visitor Center. Rode the park shuttle to Sunset Point, and then walked back to the campground along the Rim Trail. Beautiful colors and shapes! Very interesting! Along the way, we stopped at the Bryce Canyon Lodge and made dinner reservations for Thursday night.
Back at camp, wrote postcards (lots, then walked back to the Visitor Center to put them in the mail. We also checked out the museum and park video this time.
After dinner, Taco Salad, we had s'mores and a campfire. Yeah! Our first s'mores of the trip. Delicious! Can't believe we waited to so long.
Day 68 - Wednesday, August 27, 2008 - Bryce Canyon NP
Today we hike down into the canyon. We hiked the Navajo/Peek-a-boo/Queens Garden Loop. About 2 miles from the campground round trip. Good hike. The last mile was the toughest - coming up out of the canyon, and it was getting warm too. We got back at 1:00pm. Time for resting at the campsite.
On the hike we walked through Wall Street - a narrow, steep walled gorge. Then we walked among hoodoos - pinnacles or odd shaped rocks left standing by the forces of erosion.
The park is named for Ebenezer and Mary Bryce, Mormons who settled in the area in the 1880's. In the evening we rode the park shuttle down to Bryce Point and walked the Rim Trail back.
Throughout our trip we completed the Rim Rail a few miles at a time.
Day 69 - Thursday, August 28, 2008 - Bryce Canyon NP
Today was the long hike, Fairyland Loop, at 8+ miles. Fairyland Loop was the best hike we did. The scenery was great and the trail was not very strenuous. Not sure when we left, but it was early, and we returned just before noon. Wow!
We sat around for part of the afternoon, and then did a load of laundry and took showers. We ate dinner at the historic Bryce Canyon Lodge. This trip is being considered a honeymoon for us since we did not have time for a long one when we got married. After dinner we walked back along the rim and went to bed early.
Day 70 - Friday, August 29, 2008 - Bryce Canyon NP to Zion NP
Today is the day we left Bryce Canyon NP for Zion NP. Before we left, we drove to the end of the park, hiked the Bristlecone Pine Trail and took in the morning scenery. We did see a few bristlecone pines, the longest living things in the world. The temp was 47 degrees when we woke up but quickly warmed to 60 degrees.
The drive to Zion NP was nice and fairly short. We came in the East entrance, saw Checkerboard Mesa - very cool - and went through the Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel. Amy got nervous while we were going through. The tunnel is over a mile in length.
Once we got to the campground we set-up camp and went to the Visitor Center. We rode the free, and mandatory, shuttle to the Natural History Museum and then to the Temple of Sinawava, and hike into the Narrows. The Virgin River felt good walking in because the weather was very hot - like Arches NP. Saw some people repelling down into the canyon - called canyoneering - its own sport. Talked to them on the shuttle bus later. Because it was so hot we had trouble falling asleep, but managed it somehow. Tomorrow is supposed to only by 100 degrees.
