May 18-23
After thoroughly enjoying Zion National Park it only made since to head to its neighbor, Bryce Canyon National Park. Utah is full of National Parks! And we love it!
We pulled into our nice campground outside the park and settled in. After feeling refreshed, we headed to Bryce Canyon. Our first stop, was of course the visitor’s center for the valuable maps and ranger recommendations. As it was late in the evening we decided to drive the 18-mile scenic road all the way through the park. We were lucky enough to witness the endangered Utah Prairie Dog and Pronghorn along the journey. We also marveled at the pine forest and the many pullouts. The natural bridge formation was very cool and the views from Rainbow and Yovimpa points are breathtaking. You can literally see for miles!
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On our first full day in Bryce we decided to do some hiking. We had yet to see the famous Bryce Amphitheater and needed to find Thor’s hammer. So we decided on the Peekaboo Loop Trail. On our descent into the canyon we did find Thor’s hammer! What a cool hoodoo! We also got our first glimpse of Bryce Amphitheater. Wow, I hope the pictures do it justice. It is quite a different experience hiking in the canyon versus walking the rim trail. You really get to witness the enormity of the formations. Peekaboo Loop was an amazing, yet tiring, trail up and down the canyon. You ascend large ‘hills’ to get amazing panoramas of the area, and then you descend through arches and witness the abundant bird life only to ascend again to gaze upon the Wall of Windows. The best part, is of course the ‘peek-a-boo’. You walk around a corner through a tunnel, then Bam! Bryce Amphitheater is right in to front of you in all its glory! I am not certain about the origin of the name, but from my perspective it was named an amphitheater because it is a large semi-circular area with thousands of people, hoodoos which native lore holds to be once ancient people that were turned to stone, staring at you. We were on the stage of the amphitheater from this perspective. Pretty cool. We finished our loop then returned via Thor’s hammer because ‘Wall Street’ was still closed for the winter season. We were a little bummed because we wanted to walk the famous ‘Wall Street’ but I guess we will have to do that another day.
The next day was a very exciting day because my sister, Angie, was coming to join RVenture for a week! She was arriving in Las Vegas, as that was the nearest large airport. So I drove Falcor, our trusty Ford Focus, to Las Vegas while Wade held camp down with Wizard and Raja. The drive was uneventful and went by fast as the speed limit on Utah’s major highway is 80 mph! Angie arrived at 9 pm Pacific time so we decided to spend the night in Las Vegas. We stayed in the cheapest strip hotel I could find, the Excalibur. Really where else can you stay in a resort for $40 a night? It was a $40 well spent, as I didn’t want to make the 4-hour return journey at that late hour. We were both tired after a busy travel day so after Angie’s arrival we called it a night. Sorry no exciting Las Vegas stories here. However, the next morning we decided to walk the Strip and find a nice restaurant to eat at before heading back to Utah. Angie discovered Gordon Ramsey’s BURGR and we couldn’t refuse. Who doesn’t like a gourmet hamburger? And the burgers did not disappoint! With full stomachs, as we delighted on some fresh ice cream also, we then headed back to Utah. I drove Angie the scenic route through Zion National Park, as it was beautiful day.
After resting from our travels, the three of us Wade, Angie, and myself went to Bryce Canyon National Park for another day of hiking. This time we walked part of Fairyland Loop Trail to Tower Bridge, then Queens’ loop trail to Navajo trail. These are beautiful trails that take you deep into Bryce Canyon. On our return trip to the rim we decided to go look at Wall Street even though the trail was closed at the entrance to Wall Street so we would have to double back down. However, as luck would have it when we reached Wall Street, two rangers told us they were reopening the trail! We only had to wait about 10 minutes and it was open! Wall Street did not disappoint. After our ascent up the canyon we decided we weren’t tired enough yet so we walked the Rim trail to Inspiration Point. We officially ‘broke’ Angie in on her first hiking day with RVenture! There was a reward though, as we had a nice campfire that evening with peppermint marshmallow smores!
And that wraps up our time at Bryce Canyon National Park. Up next we continue our Utah National Park tour with Capitol Reef National Park.
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