Location: Bryce Canyon National Park
About:  Located south central part of Utah, Bryce Canyon National Park features unique desert and alpine scenery that is the result of millions of years of erosion. Featuring pinnacles and hoodoos, this unique location offers visitors and hikers many opportunities to enjoy the scenery.
Time of year visited: Middle July 2004
Official National Park Service URL: http://www.nps.gov/brca/
Map: http://www.nps.gov/brca/pphtml/maps.html
Elevation:  ~7900  - 9100 ft/2390 - 2760m
Locations within the park photographed: Navajo Loop, Bryce Point, Natural Bridge
Route Map:

 

Travelogue:

On the way back home from our Glacier trip, we stopped off at Bryce Canyon for a short half day visit.  This visit to Bryce was actually our second, but the first where we had the opportunity to enjoy it beyond what is visible from the overlooks.

We arrived early in the morning, having stayed in Beaver Utah which is about 2 hr drive from the park.  Private vehicles are allowed in the park, though a park bus system is also available.  The bus system provides several several stops at key points along the road.

There are numerous trails that visitors can explore, ranging from a couple of hours to extended single day trips and even overnight backpacking.  As our time was limited, we opted to stick the to main road and one of the shorter trails accessible from the many pullouts.

When we arrived around 10:00 am, the park was just starting to get busy.  By the time we left in mid-afternoon, the parking lots were full and finding a parking spot looked to be difficult.

Our first stop was at Sunset point where we took the Navajo loop trail down into the lower canyon.  This trail has a steep descent of .7mi/1.1km down several switch backs before reaching the bottom.  We dropped into the canyon following the southern loop route.  During our descent we then fully realize the pure awe of the canyon. 

The sun had not risen high enough yet in the sky to light the canyon floor, as a result the reflected light off of the bright orange and reddish walls were accentuated against the deep blue sky of that day.  The hoodoos and pinnacles seemed to glow like fiery teeth bursting out of the jaw of the canyon.

We continued even deeper into the canyon, passing through narrow slots that were dozens of feet high and yet only a few feet wide in places.  The well traveled trail took us through areas that felt as if the walls were going to close up above us.  The vegetation throughout most of these narrow areas was minimal, probably due to the loose nature of the soil that is surely washed away during a rainstorm.  

Only in a few places protected by rock formations, were plants able to eek out a living. When they were able to grow, they seemed to be quite successful as demonstrated by some of the towering trees that shot high up the canyon walls.  The dead trees dotting the canyon floor far outnumbered the few large living ones giving testament to just how difficult life in the canyon must be.

As we approached the bottom, the temperature increased and we were fully exposed to the high mid morning sun.  Be sure to wear sunscreen and a hat in the high altitude canyon to protect yourself from the harsh sun.  Don't forget to bring plenty of water, at least a quart per person if you're only going to be down in the canyon for a little while.  On hot days, bring extra water as you'll go through it fast.

Once we reached the bottom, the scale of some of the rock formations became more significant. The formations that seemed small from above, looked much larger from this vantage point.   Peering up to the ledge above us, hundreds of feet above, we could barely see people walking along the canyon's edge. 

At the bottom of the canyon, the trail is fairly flat and runs through a few areas shaded by trees or rock formations.  Snags and live pine trees were the dominant plant features.  Small bushes and patches of grass could be found hugging areas protected from the wind and rain that would have otherwise washed them away.

The ascent was certainly steep in places, but the many switchbacks make it a lot easier.  The high altitude can easily sap a person accustomed to lower elevations of his or her breath, so take your time and, if necessary take breaks.  There are many spots to stop, rest and enjoy the scenery.  There is a small natural bridge along this portion of the trail but signs ask visitors to stay off the arch so others can enjoy it in the future. 

Some popular rock formations are passed on this leg of the trail, most notably Thor's hammer.  The ascent is about .6 km/1.0 km long, so it's a bit shorter than the descent.  As a note, both routes seemed like they would be equally difficult to ascend, so no particular route is "better" than the other.

Once back to the top, we caught our breath, filled our water bottles and enjoyed one last view of this area before moving on and further up the canyon to our next stop, Bryce Point. 

This spot is quite common for photographers, and we felt the best way to capture this location was with a sweeping panorama that gives you the feel for the vastness of the rock formations.

After Bryce Point, we moved further up the road, stopping the other view points.  One very popular spot is the Natural Bridge pullout where you can see  one of the several natural bridges in the park up close. 

We eventually came to the end of the road at the highest points in the park, Rainbow & Yovimpa points at over 9100 ft/2757m.  As it was getting late, we only spent a few minutes here before setting off on our long drive back home

View all of our pictures of Bryce Canyon in our gallery.