View of Bryce Canyon Amphitheater during sunrise as taken by my iPhone
Its beauty and thin air truly take your breath away. Bryce Canyon is one of the most unique and gorgeous natural attractions anywhere. Its defining feature is its many hoodoos. They look like conical shaped temples that you would find in Asia. However, they are not man-made. They are the result of erosion. Hoodoos are distinct because a thicker, less likely to be eroded rock surrounds and protects the softer stone beneath it and thus the column. The erosion of the hoodoos alternates between hard rock and soft rock. Eventually and over many years, the hoodoos will erode enough that the entire structure will collapse. Accordingly, each column erodes differently. This phenomenom results in varying shapes. Moreover, the Canyon was once a lake approximately 60 years ago. Accordingly, different types of sediments descended into the lake from mountains, rivers, streams, etc. that mixed with the limestone. For this reason, the Canyon is very colorful: yellows, oranges, reds, and browns. Combined with the green provided by the Douglas fir trees and other fauna, the Canyon is picturesque. Due to the red sourced from iron, it reminds me of a clay tennis court. 16 million years ago, the land of Southern Utah begin to rise. As such, Bryce Canyon is over 8,000 feet above sea level. Consequently, the air is thin and it is more difficult to breath while visitors are there. It was very noticeable when I first arrived and while I was hiking inside the canyon. Again, the beauty of the views and the thinness of the air will take your breath away.
Bryce Canyon definitely earns its status as one of the special National Parks and as one of Utah’s “Mighty 5”. Personally, it was the first National Park I checked off the Mighty 5 list. It is approximately 4 hours from Las Vegas or Salt Lake City but two hours from Zion National Park and Capitol Reef National Park. Accordingly, Bryce is a good park to combine with the other two on a trip. I flew into Las Vegas then drove to Bryce Canyon National Park before heading to Zion National Park. In my opinion, one full day and two nights was enough time to get the full experience. If you only have the time to drive through the park half a day, it is certainly worth it to do so. Nonetheless, the full beauty of the park cannot be experienced without hiking into the canyon. It is currently $30 to enter the National Park. I bought an annual pass at $80 because I was going to Zion and planning to visit at least one more park this year. It is worth it if you are planning to visit 3 parks in a calendar year.
- Amphitheater and Rim Lookout Points
The most distinguishing feature of Bryce Canyon National Park are its hoodoos. From the rim of the canyon, the many hoodoos below look like an amphitheater. You can drive right to each lookout point. Of course, it is the most popular way to see the park. When it is busy at the park and you do not get there early enough or are not lucky, there is a shuttle around the park you can take to each spot. The first point shortly after the entrance of the park is Sunrise Point. In terms of driving, the lookout points are close together. After Sunrise Point, you will pass Sunset Point, Inspiration Point, and finally Bryce Point. Sunrise and Sunset Points are very close to each other. Accordingly, you can park at either lot to walk to and see both spots. If you wanted to walk or run the full trail to each point and back, it would be 11 miles round trip. However, time and effort is better spent hiking into the Canyon. Nevertheless, it is definitely worth stopping by each lookout point to view the Amphitheater from different elevations and angles at the rim. Naturally, there is not a bad lookout point.
Bryce Point is the highest of the four at an elevation of 8,296 feet. Nevertheless, most people will attest that Inspiration Point is the best lookout point. I agree with that opinion. You are directly over the bulk of the hoodoos as they are immediately below you. It truly is an inspiring point in the park that allows one to soak in the beauty. It absolutely earns its name.
Sunset
One of the most alluring times of the day at the park is when the glow of the last remnants of the day’s sunlight touches the Amphitheater. However, the sun sets behind the canyon so you will not see it dip under it. You will only be able to see the sun from Sunset Point. Moreover, you only see it set under the Douglas fir trees in back of the canyon.
Sunrise
If you can wake up in the morning, sunrise is the more majestic experience. The sun will ascend above the mountains in the distance then light up the Amphitheater as if a light switch was turned on for a show. Not surprisingly, most visitors were at Sunrise Point when I went to see it. That spot has a more direct line of sight to the sun as it rises above the mountains. A few people and I positioned ourselves at Inspiration Point. I walked a little bit left of it to place myself directly above a lot of the hoodoos. I preferred that spot. At Sunrise Point, you are actually in front of all the hoodoos. You are viewing the still beautiful but less scenic area east of the canyon with the hoodoos behind you. At Inspiration Point, you get a view of the hoodoos and the sun rising all in one sightline.
The experience will vary dramatically depending on the weather. I would check whether it is stormy or very cloudy before waking up to go.
- Rainbow Point
If you have time, the 17 mile drive to Rainbow Point is a nice but not a must thing to do. It is another gorgeous part of the park. On the other hand, it is not as spectacular if you viewed the Amphitheater first. There are hoodoos at Rainbow Point but not nearly as many as Bryce Canyon. For the most part, you will be driving through a forest on top of a ridge on route to Rainbow Point. However, there are multiple lookout points along the way. Here are the three I thought were worth stopping at:
Fairview Point
It is a good spot to view the back of the canyon and south of it.
Natural Bridge
It is a very pretty arch carved by nature. Of course, it is probably no big deal if you have visited Arches National Park.
Ponderosa
It has good views of Agua Canyon and its hoodoos.
- Figure 8 Combination (6.4 miles/ 1,631 feet elevation change)
One cannot fully enjoy the beauty of Bryce Canyon until one descends into the canyon to hike. Although it is stunning to view the hoodoos from the rim, there is not enough depth perception for one’s eyes to fully process how vastly different each hoodoo and parts of the canyon are from a bird’s eye view. As I hiked throughout the trails, I understood that it was the same canyon but it continually looked like a new canyon from different elevations and points of view. Consequently, I felt like I was falling in love with it over and over again as if it was the very first time.
The most travelled hike at Bryce Canyon is not an official trail. The Figure 8 Combination combines three of the park’s most popular trails. Why do one great trail when you can do three of them in one shot? It took my friend and me a little over 3 hours to complete the 6.4 mile route. The elevation change is legitimate for a hike but the bigger challenge is the thin air. We found ourselves needing to catch our breath often. Then again, we were snapping photos nonstop so we just utilized those moments to multitask and breath as the views and thin air took our breaths away. There are connecting trails that make up the 6.4 mile combination route. Below are the three main trails that comprise it.
Navajo Loop Trail (0.7 miles)
The trail begins at Sunset Point. As you walk towards the direction of Inspiration Point, you will see the beginning of the trail and switchbacks. As you descend the initial set of switchbacks, you will see a rock formation called “Thor’s Hammer”. As the name implies, it looks like Thor’s Hammer with the long handle and a rectangular rock at the top. Shortly after you begin the descent, there is a fork and an option to head toward Wall Street. Depending on the time of the year, it may be closed. In the middle of May, it was still closed during my visit. Instead, I went down another set of switchbacks in between two walls of the canyon. There were echoes when visitors spoke within this part of the trail. Moreover, there were distinct Douglas fir trees growing out of the switchbacks. For me, it felt like a magical gate that granted me entrance to a surreal place. Eventually, I made it to a sign for a sharp left that pointed me back towards Two Bridges to complete the Navajo loop. Instead, I kept on going until I made it to a three way intersection that had signs pointing the directions for the Navajo loop, the Peekaboo Loop, or the Queen’s Garden Trail.
Peekaboo Loop (3 miles)
In my opinion, it is clearly the best and most beautiful loop in the park. It provides the best views of the hoodoos because you see them from all different angles and perspectives as you hike next to them and through them. At varying elevations along the trail, you look up at some of them as you will be below some hoodoos. You will also still be above others yet the perspective is drastically different as your view will be from a significantly lesser elevation than the rim. You can truly better appreciate the differences and uniqueness of the many hoodoos in the park via this loop.
Queen’s Garden Trail (1.7 miles, including the connecting trail from Peekaboo (0.9 miles by itself))
As the name clearly states, the trail leads to Queen’s Garden. It is named after a rock formation that supposedly resembles Queen Victoria and the garden she is overseeing. It is a unique part of the park. It is also connected to the trail I took back up to the top of the Rim at Sunrise Point. Moreover, if you only wanted to take a short trek into the canyon, it is definitely the easiest trail to hike down and back up among the options. Regardless, it provides its own unique and special vantage points of the canyon and its hoodoos.
- Dining Room in the Lodge at Bryce Canyon Restaurant
Unfortunately, there are not too many dining options around Bryce Canyon. Moreover, they generally close early at 9 or 9:30 PM. If you go to catch the sunset at a time of year when it sets after 8, you may not have time to drive to restaurants outside the park before they close. The Dining Room at the Lodge inside Bryce Canyon is open till 10 PM. Since it is next to Sunrise Point, it is a convenient option. Obviously, do not expect a gourmet meal inside a National Park. Regardless, I thought the food was very good. I intentionally ordered beef because one of the main industries in Utah is cattle ranching and I drove past many ranches on the way to Bryce Canyon. For my appetizer, I ordered the chili. It was homemade and very good. Next, I had the ribeye as my entrée. It was legitimately good. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare: tender, juicy, and melted in my mouth.
- Lodging
The main cluster of hotels are located immediately outside the entrance of the park. I had tried to book a room at the Best Western Plus but it was sold out. I would recommend Best Western Pluses in general because I stayed at one for Zion National Park and loved my stay. It was very comfortable. For Bryce Canyon National Park, I stayed at the town of Tropic and specifically at Americas Best Value Inn & Suites-The Red Ledges Inn (181 N Main St, Tropic, UT 84776). From my perspective, it was a place to stay: comfortable enough at decent price. It is an older property so it does have an older décor and smell [although not odorous]. Across the street, there are also a cluster of log cabins you can rent. Since Tropic is only a 20-25 minute drive to the rim, it is a convenient location outside of the park to stay.
- Food Outside the Park
Idk Barbecue (105 Main St, Cannonville, UT 84718)
It is a food truck in Cannonville, which is less than 10 minutes south of Tropic thus a little over 30 minutes from the entrance of the Park. I ordered the brisket and the pulled pork. Both meats had a great smoky flavor. On the other hand, they were dry rub. While I prefer my meat moist, the barbecue sauce was a game changer and provided the moistness. It was sweet, amazing, and certainly one of the best barbecue sauces I have tried. I also recommend the mac and cheese as a side. It was great. The cole slaw was solid and complemented the meats I chose. With the lack of options in the area, it was definitely worth it to take a trip to Idk Barbecue.
Stone Hearth Grille (1380 W Stone Canyon Ln, Tropic, UT 84776)
The area around Bryce Canyon is kind of already in the middle of nowhere. Stone Hearth Grille would be in the middle of nowhere within the middle of nowhere. It is approximately a mile from the main road that cuts through the town of Tropic. You will see a couple signs that point you toward the Grille. You will also need to cut through a residential area and make a couple of sharp turns to get there. It was a slight challenge at night in the dark.
Stone Hearth Grille is a part of an inn. The restaurant is absolutely beautiful. As such, it is one of the few spots you can have a really nice dinner in terms of food and ambience while visiting Bryce Canyon. For my appetizer, I ordered the French Onion soup as I saw reviews raving about it. However, I thought it was ok but nothing exceptional. For my entrée, I ordered the tender filet of beef. It is their most tender of the Grille’s cuts of beef and 7 ounces. The ribeye and New York strip cuts were bigger at 14 and 12 ounces each. At first, the tender filet tasted a little too tender (i.e. almost mushy). Nevertheless, the tenderness grew on me as I continued to eat more of the meat and I ultimately loved it. Again, one of Utah’s main industries is cattle ranching. I definitely recommend a steak at Stone Hearth Grille.
Utah Mighty Five Checklist:
1. Zion National Park- Complete
2. Bryce Canyon National Park (Above) – Complete
3. Arches National Park – Trip to be Planned
4. Canyonlands National Park – Trip to be Planned
5. Capitol Reef National Park – Trip to be Planned
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