The family and I took a fascinating journey through one of Utah's great National Park attractions. It was a much needed diversion and one we won't forget. Unlike Capitol Reef National Park, Bryce Canyon has a much stronger touristy feel. The large fleet of buses parked near the entrance was a strong indicator. We made our hiking HQ out of a room at the Best Western.
The Navajo Loop Trail
After arriving in the afternoon, our first trip was to the Navajo Loop Trail at Sunset Point. This is a very popular trail and it was packed with people. In our case, it appears we arrived when Japan and all of Europe were on Spring Break. (Special kudos to the state's Economic Development and Marketing folks.)
Thor's Hammer is a prominent feature on the way down the trail.
Vegetation in the park is very interesting. It is amazing that it survives the harsh environment.
Toward the bottom of the descent, there is a short spur to the east where Two Bridges can be seen.
The trail eventually reaches a junction that takes hikers to the Queen's Garden. Instead, we continued along the loop.
The trail turns north to complete the loop.
Unfortunately, our loop was cut short...
The park shut down this part of the trail due to rock falls and ice problems.
The Fairyland Trail
As with most touristy places, the farther you go from the parking lot, the fewer people you will see. Our day hike through Fairyland Trail was a solitary and beautiful experience. The trail is a loop with two possible trailheads. We started our's near Sunrise Point.
The trail descends quickly and passes some tortured-looking trees and hoodoos.
The trail then meanders along some amazing fin features and colorful outcrops.
The trail takes a short detour to the Tower Bridge.
The trail then begins to ascend several hundred feet through more amazing scenery.
A couple from Lake Placid, NY was kind enough to snap this photo of all of us with Boat Mesa behind us.
The kids did remarkably well for the 8.5 mile hike.
The trail then works its way along a ridge line with remarkable views.
The trail then descends again into a wash.
As we approached the Fairyland Trailhead near the last leg of our hike, we were greeted with some amazing hoodoos.
From the top of the canyon rim we can look back and see where we were hiking. The Tower Bridge is in the center of the photo.
The Mossy Cave Trail
The next morning we decided to top off our Bryce Canyon experience with a series of small hikes. Our first stop was the Mossy Cave trail. It is located on the Highway headed east to Tropic, UT. The trail is just .4 mile one way.
Of course, no trailhead is complete without a fancy bathroom prominently located at the front.
The Bristlecone Trail
At Rainbow Point in the very south end of the park, there is a 1 mile loop called the Bristlecone Trail. It was a remarkable hike since it is at 9000 feet elevation and yet the geology continued to amaze.
Yovimpa Point has breathtaking views.
The boulders you see laying in the dirt are the size of houses. Remarkable.
At Aqua Canyon lookout this raven came begging for food. He wasn't shy at all and made a point to put himself within a couple feet of us. When it became obvious we weren't going to feed him, and the kids got super excited to cuddle their supposed new found friend, he moved along to the next family.
The Queen's Garden
Our final hike took us to the popular Queen's Garden trail. To get there, we followed the first leg of the Navajo Loop and then took the detour at the junction.
It appears some pranksters found their way into a wash and got "Cairn Happy". They even put cairns in the trees. Strange but amusing.
Here is "The Queen" sitting on her throne.
If you look just below the treeline in this photo you can see the Navaho Loop trail with people hiking down. It helps give you a sense of scale.
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