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Video Link: Through the Hoodoos (About 6 minutes long)
Link to photo album: Bryce Canyon
At 7,600 feet, Bryce Canyon sits at the top of the Grand Staircase Escalante, a series of plateaus that descend from Bryce Canyon south toward the Grand Canyon. The park is famous for the largest collection of columns of weathered rock (called hoodoos) in the world.
Bryce Canyon has been at the top of my list since I was a child. I remember buying a jigsaw puzzle of this beautiful, mysterious place and vowing that I would visit it someday, even though I had no idea where it was! That someday finally arrived, some 50+ years later, but better late than never.
Even though the park appears to be huge, you really only need one day to appreciate its beauty. Like the Grand Canyon, you view from the top and hike to the bottom. The road travels along the rim of the canyon for about 17 miles from the visitor's center to Yovimpa Point, offering breathtaking views of the hoodoos. There are several trails you can hike for a close-up view of the geology. Today we are hiking the Queen's Garden/Navajo Loop Trail.
Queen's Garden/Navajo Loop
The loop is about 3 miles long, starting at Sunrise Point and finishing at Sunset Point. It starts at the top of the canyon and descends about 500 feet to the bottom. You hike among rocks that were formed 64 million years ago from sediments that were left behind when ancient rivers and lakes dried up. The start of the trail is an easy gentle downhill on red sandstone paths lined with hoodoos, winding through multiple tunnels carved into the rock, and pine tree forests at the bottom.
(Click on any photo to enlarge it)
The day started with bright blue skies, but storms were predicted for the afternoon. Around Noon, the sky started to cloud up and darken. We were still at the bottom and had about 1 1/2 miles left to hike out to the top. With the most difficult part of the hike still ahead of us, we put it into gear and tried to get out as fast as we could. However, Bryce Canyon said, "Not so fast!". The uphill on this side was far steeper than the downhill we just came through, teeming with switchbacks, slowing our progress. This is not the first time on this trip that I wished I was 20 years younger and 20 pounds lighter.
It was grueling but beautiful at the same time. Rest stops allowed us to catch our breath and admire the scenery. Please check out our video link at the start of the blog to gain an appreciation of the beauty and wonder of this spectacular canyon.
We finally made it out before the rain came in and stopped for some lunch at Bryce Lodge (which by the way, had the best Tortilla Soup we've ever had). Even though it was strenuous in some parts, this was one of the most beautiful hikes we've ever done and 100% worth it. If we could do it again, we'd leave earlier, pray for good weather, hike it in reverse so that the switchbacks were downhill, and spend more time exploring. We hope that we have the opportunity to return someday.
Romin was sad that he couldn't get his picture taken with the Bryce NP sign. The parking lot was full and there were too many people around. There was no way to position him to get a good picture.
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Coming up next: Capitol Reef National Park
Until next time,
Peace, Pete & Lori
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