Bryce

Our drive from Hurricane to Bryce Canyon was uneventful. Once on the interstate, an 80 mph posted speed limit kept us moving right along. The view got better after turning off onto the 2-lane road, as the topography became more varied.

The promise of the guidebooks was that Bryce would be less crowded than Zion. This was only true by matter of degree. We wanted to park at the Sunset Point area in order to find the Queen’s Garden trail head. There was no parking to be had. After a couple fruitless loops around that lot, it occurred to me that the Bryce Canyon Lodge was not that far away. From a corner of a Lodge auxiliary parking lot (which was nearly empty) it was only about a quarter mile walk on a path through the trees back to Sunset Point. (When we returned a few hours later, lots of others had figured this out, and the lot was full.)

The air was unseasonably crisp at 29 degrees when we started down into the canyon, but the sky was crystal clear and the sun was warming things quickly. We were layered up, with hats and gloves, on the descent. Those we met coming up had stripped to shirtsleeves. The way was steep, with frequent switchbacks. Any loose gravel underfoot could cause a slip, so one had to take care.

Much of Bryce Canyon is a desolate moonscape, although one can be surprised by the sudden cluster of trees. The rock has eroded in many locations as clusters of spires, which the early explorers called “hoodoos.” The hoodoos take on many and various odd shapes. One of the most famous is called “Queen Victoria” — an entirely natural formation that early arrivals thought looked uncannily like a sculpture of Britain's reigning monarch. Erosion has continued over the last century or so, thus one must now use a bit of imagination to see the likeness. The Victoria hoodoo is within a cluster of others of similar size. This comprises the “Queen’s Garden” for which the trail is named.

The trail continues between Sunset Point and Sunrise Point. Many try to go from Sunrise toward Sunset, but our guidebook suggested that the climb out would be less steep going in the opposite direction. You couldn’t prove it by us. At an altitude of just under 8000 feet, the climb up to Sunrise Point literally took our breath away. But with a few rest and water stops along the way, we finally made it, completing the 3+ mile hike.

Our lunch was a peanut butter sandwich picnic along the Rim Trail at the top of the canyon, on the way back toward our car. We then set off along the highway to the southernmost observation point in the park, some 15 miles away. Our strategy was to go directly there, and then see other viewpoints on the way back. It worked. We found a parking spot at Rainbow Point without difficulty, and walked an interesting 1.5 mile loop trail there. We had to be careful, not only for muddy spots caused by melting snow, but in the shade, for ice from snow melt that had refrozen overnight. At the same time, we were overly warm when in sunshine.

We worked our way back by stopping the car at nearly every lookout point along the road. Even when close together, each offered a slightly different view. When we finally got back north to Inspiration Point (just slightly south of where we had started our first morning hike) we were too spent to make the rather steep climb up to the actual point. We settled for a lookout that was just a bit lower on the trail.

We drove out of the park to our overnight spot at Tropic, UT. It would be interesting to learn how the place got its name, as there is absolutely nothing tropical about the place. It’s desert. It is small, with several “mom and pop” motels and a handful of restaurants. However, several restaurants were not yet open for the season, forcing every tourist in town to one spot. Fortunately we elected to eat early and beat the rush. The burgers weren’t bad, but the service left much to be desired.