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By Jacob
By Jacob
Bryce Canyon National Park is located in south central Utah, east of Zion National Park and west of Lake Powell. Bryce Canyon is a series of amphitheaters with pinnacle rock formations called hoodoos. These series of red rock hoodoos create a spectacular place of astounding beauty. This is a small national park but has a lot to do so here we go.
1. Visitor Center
Because of the park's small size, Bryce Canyon has one visitor center. It is located along the main road of the park on the right if you are going south. The visitor center has rangers on duty there to help you with detailed descriptions or trails, current and future weather conditions, lodging and any other questions you might have. Backcountry permits are also available here. There is also a park bookstore where you can get any merchandise you want as well as the park stamp. In the other part of the building are exhibits about the geologic and human history of Bryce Canyon National Park. Do not miss the park film “Shadows of Time” about the geology of Bryce Canyon. The film plays every half hour and is 20 minutes long.
2. Sunset/Sunrise Point Area
Just past the visitor center is our next area of interest as well as the main area of the park. Park your car at Sunrise Point, you can reach the rest of the destinations by foot via the rim trail or you can move your car from place to place. Here you can get your first perspective of the canyon and the hoodoos across the amphitheater. This is just a snapshot of the journey ahead. Just down the rim trail is Sunset Point. From here you should take the best trail in the park, the Navajo Loop Trail. This trail descends down into the canyon past Thor’s Hammer and Two Bridges. You then find yourself hiking up between two walls with switchbacks in an area of the trail called Wall Street. This is the most popular trail in the park so you might want to get here early or later at night. Hike up the rim trail to the most spectacular vista in the park, Inspiration Point. This provides an excellent view of the entire amphitheater of red rock. At the end of the Rim Trail you arrive at Bryce Point, a higher view of Inspiration Point. From here take the steep Peek-a-boo trail to hike past the Wall of Windows and Three Wise Men. This area can be done in a half day if you walk the whole thing.
Wall Street
3. Bryce Canyon Lodge
After a long day of walking around the Sunset/Sunrise Point Area stop for a break at the famous Bryce Canyon Lodge. It is located between Sunrise and Sunset Points. Like the park lodges in other places you do not have to have a reservation to sit in the lobby. Take some time to look through photos of the trails and Bryce Canyon while sitting in the historic hotel. You can also sit outside on the large porch at the entrance of the lodge. Hungry? Inside the lobby there is a restaurant to full up after your long day of hiking.
4. Highway 63 Overlooks
Highway 63 is the main road through the park and provides excellent views of park sites from the comfort of your car. There are 8 vista points that you can access from your car south of the Sunrise/Sunset Point Area. The first point you come across is fairview point. This view features a red cliff and looks towards the Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument to the east of the park.
The next point is particularly spectacular, Natural Bridge. A wall of red rock points out from the canyon wall, with a large circular arch framing the trees beyond. This is one of the best vistas in the park. Agua Canyon Overlook features a small amphitheater with a particularly tall and large hoodoo. Ponderosa Point also has a view of a small amphitheater as well as trails to Agua Canyon. Black Birch Canyon shows off a narrow and long amphitheater of hoodoos. At the end of the road Rainbow Point provides an excellent perspective on the smaller amphitheaters that you just saw. Yovimpa Point shows the end of the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park.
5. Mossy Cave Trail
To the north along Highway 12 the road actually enters Bryce Canyon National Park for a short time. Along the road is a pull out that leads to the Mossy Cave Trail. There is a small but scenic waterfall that you should stop to see. The National Parks Service warns that this area is extremely busy between 10am-6pm so arrive early or late at night before the crowds take over the area.
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