Click here to see the full post on the web with pictures.
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
In the morning we went to a coffee shop and did some trip planning. The problem with all of these National Parks in Utah is that they are in the middle of nowhere. There are few hotels nearby and those that are near are very expensive. We managed to find a hotel within reasonable driving distance to our next destination: Capital Reef National Park.
The other thing we did was research whether camping sites were available in the parks we intended to visit. These sites tend to get reserved well in advance. We weren’t surprised to see that the sites in the most popular parks were reserved well into August. Surprisingly, sites could not be reserved online for several parks. It’s not clear at all how to get space in those parks. What we did manage to determine is that, in spite of the obstacles, there are enough parks with sites available that camping is still a viable option for us.
In the afternoon we did a little more research on what it would take to get some camping equipment. We had made a list of all the things we think we’ll need and found quite a few of them on Amazon but we were surprised to see how many items were out of stock. We decided to visit a couple of local camping supply stores to see if we could find the things we were interested in and to price them out. By the end of the day we had a complete camping inventory along with the expected cost.
Thursday, May 26, 2022
The drive to Zion was dominated by desert, high sandstone bluffs and buttes. We expected this. The drive to Bryce was dominated by rolling hills covered in green and large swathes of forest. It was no different as we entered the park and went into the visitor’s center. There was no sign of the canyons or even the sandstone we expected to see.
Bryce is basically divided into two large sections. The first section is where all of the popular viewing sites are located. Although cars can drive in this section the park service provides high quality shuttle service that makes it easy to get around. The second section is an 18 mile drive.
The visitor’s center had a suggested agenda and we decided we would follow it to get acquainted with the area. The first stop was Bryce Point. This is where we finally got to see the sandstone canyons that we had expected. It’s also the home of the famous Amphitheater. The view is striking. Before you is a huge red hued canyon laden with “Hoodoos” (tall skinny shafts of rock) that goes on for miles. We stood in awe for a while and took a lot of pictures. Unfortunately, by the time we got there it was almost 11:00 am and the light was far from ideal for taking good photographs.
We got back on the shuttle and got off at the next stop: Inspiration Point. Another fantastic viewing area. We walked up a very steep trail to a higher viewing platform. It was interesting to see how every few steps the scene seemed to change rather dramatically. It was a combination of new formations that could be seen and how the light was hitting them.
Walking up to the higher observation point was quite a chore. It’s not that it was so very high but a combination of the altitude and the temperature. Most of the canyon rim is well above 8,100 feet above sea level. Given that the temperatures were well over 80 degrees the effective height was about 12,000 feet. At that altitude there is just 2/3 of the oxygen in the air that you would encounter at sea level. It was not surprising that our lungs were feeling it.
From there we hiked that part of the Rim Trail over to Sunset Point for more canyon viewing. Next we walked over to Bryce Lodge. There was a huge line of people waiting to get into the dining room. Since COVID help has been hard to get so they’ve been having buffet meals. Lunch was $18.00 per person. We decided to try our luck elsewhere. We continued on foot and found the General Store. It was part gift shop, part camping supply store and part eatery. We ordered an onion pizza. During the 15 minute wait we sat on the shaded part of the porch and ate some cheese doodles and drank some Gatorade. We were both feeling the altitude and the heat and thought that a sports drink might help.
The pizza was nothing special but we didn’t enjoy it at all. Neither of us were feeling great. We walked over to Sunrise Point to see that view and, by the time we looked around for a bit, we knew we were done. We took the shuttle back to our car and left for the day.
Friday, May 27, 2022
We decided to get up a little extra early to try to beat the heat and bypassed the shuttle. We parked at the General Store near Sunrise Point so we could take the Queen’s Garden Trail. It went down into the bowels of the Canyon descending 600 feet. We were fortunate to get a parking space there because the park was much more crowded with Memorial Day visitors. When we started our descent the temperature was already well into the 70s and the sun was high in the sky but there were a few, diffuse clouds that really helped make it feel cooler.
The first part of the trail was really spectacular. The path took us so close to the hoodoos that we could easily touch them. Now we were looking up at the rock formations. From there the light was really quite good and I was able to get some great photographs.
Yesterday, we had seen some people hiking through natural arches in the rocks down below. It wasn’t clear how they could possibly have gotten there; the canyon walls are so steep and slippery that it would be impossible to climb down. Today we found the secret. The arches were part of the trail. Everyone stopped to take numerous selfies. At the lowest point in the trail, on the canyon floor, we followed a stream for a bit. Eventually we turned on to another trail for the ascent back to the canyon rim. This would lead us to Sunset Point.
The Navajo Loop Trail started the upward journey. It was not too strenuous at first. Soon we came to a place called, “Wall Street”. It is a narrow canyon with sheer rock formations on both sides. It was an awesome sight.
Once through that canyon there was a set of steep, switchback slopes that seemingly lead straight up all the way to the canyon rim. By now it was fairly hot and we were feeling the altitude. We stopped a few times along the way but managed to get to the top. It was a great feeling of accomplishment. We all took turns taking pictures of each other at the pinnacle. Everyone was in a great mood.
We walked the rim trail for a little over half a mile from Sunset Point back to Sunrise Point and the General Store. For lunch we had a couple of sandwiches and another Gatorade. The clerk had recommended the huge chocolate chip cookies so we bought one of those, too. It was very good.
After lunch we embarked on the 18 mile drive to the West to see the rest of the park. There were a number of Vista points. Two stand out as being particularly memorable. The first was Natural Bridge. It was a large arch that had been eroded into the rock. Even the information sign conceded that it was really an arch and not a bridge. It was a beautiful sight.
The second memorable stop was Agua Canyon. When we got there we saw two enormous Ravens sitting on the fence posts. I got the camera out and started taking pictures. I got pretty close to the first one; he just ignored me. I got closed enough to the second one to touch him. He just sat there like he was posing. After a while they both flew off. On our way back from the furtherest end of the park we noticed that they were back in their assigned places.
GREAT PICTURES!!
Thanks for the feedback.