RunnyHunnyBee
Kent, United Kingdom99%
I spent 2 nights at Bryce Canyon in August of last year as part of a fly-drive holiday that also included Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Monument Valley, and Zion National Park. Of all the National Parks in the USA, Bryce Canyon has to be the strangest and most intriguing landscape I have come across so far. The vivid reds, oranges, and pinks, so distinctive of much of Arizona and southern Utah, are at their most vibrant here, no matter what time of the day or month of the year you visit. The unique, intricate rock formations make you feel as though you are on another planet, and the high elevation and wide-open spaces allow for some breathtaking views. The rich green colour of the Ponderosa Pines, set against the contrasting pinks and oranges of the limestone, adds vibrancy to the landscape, while the numerous oddly shaped structures known as 'hoodoos' provide intrigue.
Apart from its stunning landscape, Bryce Canyon is also known for its clear, dark sky at night. Set away from major sources of light pollution, the Bryce sky has a limiting magnitude rating of 7.4, providing one of the best locations for stargazing.
The park is open all year round, although the visitor centre is closed at Christmas and Thanksgiving. The busiest times are between June and September, and we were there around the middle of August. As it is one of the smaller National Parks, and due to its remote location, it actually receives far fewer visitors than many of the others, and I found this to be immediately apparent. Although I had read that parking spaces fill up quickly at the overlooks within the park, I never had any problems, and actually found that there were plenty of empty spaces (and there aren't really that many provided). We didn't see any crowds or queues anywhere, although at the time of our visit they were resurfacing the road, which led to long waits as they stopped the traffic for 20 minutes at a time. I personally prefer to travel during the hottest months, wherever I go, but many people say that Bryce Canyon is at its prettiest when covered in snow.
Many people visit Bryce canyon as part of a trip around several of the National Parks, as both Zion and the Grand Canyon are relatively close. We drove from Monument Valley, through a town called Page (near Lake Powell) and took the US 89 North West. We then took Scenic Byway 12 towards Bryce Canyon Park. This is a very scenic drive which passes through Red Canyon, and through two tunnels in the rock which are quite famous and feature on many postcards in the area. They're a little too perfectly rounded and man-made looking for my liking though.
Entrance to the park costs $25 per car, and this buys you a 7-day pass. Included in this price is unlimited use of the shuttle buses which operate daily, every 12-15 mins, from the end of May until the beginning of September.
We stayed at the Best Western Ruby's Inn, which is just outside the entrance to the park, and it also has an RV park and campground next to it. Within the park, the only lodging option is Bryce Canyon Lodge, which is open from April until the end of October, and there are also 2 large campsites within the park.
Ruby's Inn provides motel-style rooms and has two restaurants and a diner, as well as a general store for self-catering. We chose to eat at the diner one night, and as we had a microwave in our room, we chose self-catering on the second night (simply to cut costs, and save what little money we had left for our return trip to Vegas). The diner was like any other fast food establishment, no better, no worse, and the food in the general store was pretty poor, although there was quite a large selection to choose from. The general store also supplies camping equipment, a limited selection of clothing/footwear, and all the usual souvenirs.
The recommended way of traveling within the park is by shuttle bus. As I have said, these are included in the cost of entry, and are very regular, and this is the environmentally friendly option. The only reason we drove ourselves was because of the unpredictable weather at the time.
There are 14 viewpoints on the 18 mile scenic drive within the park. We chose to drive to the furthest point, Rainbow Point, and work backwards, which actually works nicely because all of the viewpoints are then on your right. Rainbow Point, which is the southernmost point, is at an elevation of 9115 feet, and offers spectacular views back across the whole park and over the Grand Staircase. Although there were roadworks happening while we were there, we managed to see all of the viewpoints within around 3 hours. My favourite sights along the way were probably Natural Bridge, Sunrise Point and Farview Point.
Hiking is probably the most popular activity at Bryce, and here are 8 maintained hiking trails of varying difficulty within the park, with some of them being interconnected providing the option of varying your route to suit you. Overnight hiking can be done on two of the trails; Riggs Spring Loop and the Under-the-Rim trail. A backcountry permit is needed for any overnight hiking, which can be purchased from the visitor centre for around $5 to $15, and backcountry camping is only allowed at the designated sites.
Due to a lack of preparation, unsuitable footwear, and persistent thunderstorms, we didn't hike any of the trails in their entirety. We did, however, take a leisurely stroll out into Bryce Amphitheatre from Sunrise Point, until the clap of thunder forced us to turn back. What struck me the most about being out in the amphitheatre was how peaceful and unspoiled these beautiful surroundings were, but also how much of a huge, open space it really was, thus reinforcing our decision to head for the car at the first rattle of thunder!
Another short trail I can recommend is Mossy Cave Trail. We came across it by accident as we were leaving the park, as it is situated to the North, away from the main park road, off Highway 12. It is the shortest trail, being less than 1 mile round trip, and involves a very pleasant walk along a crystal clear stream up to a small waterfall and a mossy overhang. Being tucked away in a small canyon, this trail doesn't involve the same kind of spectacular views provided by the overlooks along the main scenic drive, but it's very pretty nonetheless.
A number of educational, ranger-led activities are available at various times throughout the day, and information about these can be found at the visitor centre just inside the park. 2-hour and 4-hour horse and mule rides are also available. I had doubts about doing this, due to the unpredictable weather, but the extortionate prices quoted at Ruby's Inn were what ultimately made me decide against it.
A small, western saloon-style row of gift shops, known as Old Bryce Town, can be found just outside the main entrance opposite Ruby's Inn. These offer all the usual touristy trinkets, but also some more unique items such as wood carvings, pretty rocks and petrified wood segments.
A rodeo, hosted by Ruby's Inn, takes place 4 nights a week (Wednesday - Saturday) to the left of Old Bryce Town. Again, this is something we looked forward to but sadly missed due to the storms.
If you are going to venture out onto any of the trails, hiking boots or shoes with good tread are a must. The ground is very loose and gritty, as well as being quite steep in places. There are loads of great photo opportunities, and many can involve an awkward short climb or descent if you want someone to take a picture of you in front of a particularly odd looking 'hoodoo'. Also, make sure you carry water, as the trails can be long and strenuous. Bear in mind that you are at elevations of 8000-9000 feet, and so will tire more easily. Bottles of drinking water can be purchased within the park, but as far as I can remember, I didn't see any of the free 'top-up' stations that I did in Zion park.
Thunderstorms are very common during summer. They are most likely during July and August, usually in the afternoons. These are spectacular to watch due to the amazing views, but obviously very dangerous too. I would recommend taking a lightweight, waterproof jacket too. Stupidly, I didn't pack anything with long sleeves whatsoever, as I only had the words 'August', 'Vegas' and 'Arizona' in mind at the time of packing, and I ended up having to buy a ridiculously over-priced fleece at the gift shop.
If you love the great outdoors, and enjoy spectacular scenic views, I would say Bryce Canyon should be very close to the top of your list of places to see in the USA. Of all the national parks I have visited so far, I would have to say Bryce was the cleanest and the friendliest. Visitors seem to hold more respect for the natural beauty here than at other parks I have been to, and there is less of a touristy feel to the place. My only regret is that I didn't get up earlier in the mornings to experience more of the park during the first half of the day. I'm glad I got to see Bryce Canyon during such impressive thunderstorms, however, as this made the atmosphere of the place so much more dramatic. I will definitely be returning to Bryce to see as much as possible of those bits I missed.
