Bryce Canyon National Park – Journey's End
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Named after the Scottish ship and road builder, Ebenezer Bryce, Bryce Canyon was designated a national monument by President Warren G. Harding in 1923. Congress designated it as Utah National Park in 1924, and with a name change, it formally became Bryce Canyon National Park in 1927. The park is celebrating its centennial birthday this year.
We spent three wonderful and frigid days at Bryce. The altitude at Bryce is 8000-9000’ (2438-2743m). The higher altitude plus a brisk wind accounted for colder temperatures than we were accustomed to. The nights dropped to the 30s, and when the sun came out and warmed our campsite, the highest temp we saw was mid-50s (2-10C). Along with the usual campsite amenities, Bryce offered some very positive extra amenities: the bathrooms were heated with flush toilets, and there was hot water for dishwashing. Sites were $30/night ($15 for pass holders).
A free park shuttle runs every 15 minutes on a loop through the park with several convenient stops including a stop near our campground. Like many national parks now, the mass transit system helps to minimize vehicle congestion and lowers the impact on the park itself. We used the shuttle every day and left Blanche to rest and sun herself at our campsite. The first afternoon, we rode the entire loop to familiarize ourselves with the stops and get a feel for the hikes we planned to take.
The park shuttle bus was convenient and free.
The shuttle drivers also provide ongoing commentary and information about the park. We learned, for instance, that the Utah prairie dog is considered a threatened species. The smallest species of prairie dog, it is endemic to the south-central steppes of the American state of Utah.
Utah’s endemic prairie dogs are threatened and protected.
We stopped at the General Store and walked ¼ mile to the Visitor Center to check them both out. Basic supplies and some groceries including beer were available at the store along with hot showers; $3 for an 8-minute shower. The showers were very small and quite basic, but the water was hot and the showers most welcome. The Visitor Center had great exhibits, a movie and a big gift shop which was very crowded.
The Bryce Canyon Visitor Center was excellent, but very crowded.
We returned to our campsite via the shuttle, made dinner, and sat in the late afternoon sun sipping hot tea until the breeze picked up and it was too cold to sit out. The cold and dark set in early, but we had cell coverage which allowed for an evening movie. What a treat!
There are many hiking trails available in the park with varying levels of difficulty, and they all looked appealing. The next day, we caught a mid-morning shuttle to Bryce Point and began walking the Rim Trail. It was absolutely awe-inspiring… almost too much for the eye to behold. Hoodoos, windows, arches, bridges… innumerable massive formations in an array of dazzling earth tones cast against a pale blue sky.
Views seem to go on forever and the colors are astounding!
It was cold walking with a brisk breeze on the nose. The altitude kept us a bit winded, but once we became accustomed to the altitude and the sun warmed us, it was an awesome hike. We followed the well-marked gravel trail up and over ridges between overlook points. Bryce Point was first, then Inspiration Point and Sunset Point.
View from Bryce Point
Inspiration Point ahead
Views of the points which jutted out over the canyon were gorgeous. When we arrived at each point, we could view the others.
The trail was sometimes narrow with steep ups and downs and sheer drop-offs always hugging the canyon’s rim for spectacular perspectives of the views below.
The trail was sometimes narrow with steep drop-offs on each side.
The sun illuminated the red rock formations.
For two days we hiked all day and tried to keep warm at night. We woke each morning with cold noses and ears, but Blanche warmed up quickly once we pried ourselves from our warm bed and turned on the diesel heater.
The last morning we were up before sunrise and ready to head onto scenic Utah 12W through the Dixie National Forest and Red Canyon Tunnels heading toward Zion National Park and eventually Las Vegas. We’d already checked campsites at Zion and none were available.
One of two Red Canyon Tunnels
As an aside and observation, Utah’s state license plate motto is Life Elevated and it suits the state perfectly.
The route led us through Zion National Park, another eye-dazzler. As we entered the park, the road surface turned red.
The highway turned rusty red as we entered Zion National park.
Passing through the Mt. Carmel/Zion Historic Tunnel was amazing. According to Zion NP’s website, “Construction of the 1.1-mile Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel began in the late 1920s and was completed in 1930. At the time that the tunnel was dedicated, on July 4, 1930, it was the longest tunnel of its type in the United States. The Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel (and the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway) provides direct access for travel between Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, and Zion National Parks.”
The tunnel has several windows and though we couldn’t stop in the tunnel, we got a fleeting glance as we passed each window and then stopped on a pull-out below the tunnel to check out the windows on the side of the tunnel.
One big epiphany for us… Zion National Park is only 168 miles to our doorstep in Las Vegas. Why didn’t we realize this sooner? We thought maybe we’d return in a couple of weeks when the park was less crowded, but checking the reservation-only campgrounds once again, no sites were available for a month or more. Maybe next Spring?
It really was time to head back home, but we were reluctant to head there directly. It’s always a let-down at the end of a big trip. In order to stave off the going-home-blues, we decided on a day or two at Valley of Fire State Park, close to home, but not quite home. It only seemed a fitting ending to our journey here since this is the place where we started last May. We found an excellent site at the Atlatl Campground. After freezing temperatures for days, it was such a pleasure to sit outside by the campfire in the evening without jackets, watching the sunset and observing the stars.
Site 17 - Atlatl Campground in the Valley of Fire State Park is absolutely awesome!
Sunset views at Valley of Fire State Park
A few desert flowers were still in bloom. Whiptail tiger lizards slithered across the hot desert sand and up the sides of rocks.
White-tailed antelope ground squirrels scurried around constantly, chasing each other and begging for food, and generally providing excellent entertainment. Sage sparrows competed with the squirrels for attention and begging rights. Without contributions from us, they seemed to find plenty of crumbs and scraps from previous campers to keep them fed and occupied.
The next morning we walked to Atlatl Rock and Window Rock and checked out another campground. When we returned we just couldn’t bring ourselves to leave the campground yet… just one more night!
Yes, we finally made it home. 16,000+ miles, 5 months and so many adventures, experiences, and memorable sights, it’s hard to fathom them all. Now… time to catch up at home, plan for the holidays, and think about next year’s adventures.
Next time, David recaps the trip and we’ll share our ‘best of’ pics. Tune in!