So we thought we had seen the best that Utah National Parks had to offer, and then we went to Bryce Canyon. I can not even begin to describe the beauty in this National Park. The park has an 18 mile scenic drive, with the first 3 miles of the drive called the Bryce Amphitheatre. This area of the park is ‘referred to as an “amphitheater” as it is a bowl-shaped area shaped by the drainage of seasonal rains and melting snow (not truly a canyon, as those are shaped by flowing rivers)’1. This is the most iconic section of the park, the Bryce Amphitheater is home to the greatest concentration of “hoodoos” found anywhere on Earth. A hoodoo is a pinnacle, spire, or odd-shaped rock left standing by the forces of erosion. The Amphitheatre can be seen from several stops on the scenic, Sunrise Point, Sunset Point, Inspiration Point and Bryce Point.
Views from Sunset Point
Views from Sunrise Point
View From Bryce Point (My Favorite)
When we told the Park Ranger that we were from Florida, she asked us if we had seen the Bryce Point Alligator. Can you see it in the picture below? Look for the flat white topped rocks. His tail is to the right and his head is to the left.
We drove all the way out to Rainbow and Yovimpa points at the end of the 18 mile scenic drive.
The Natural Bridge was beautiful.
The Mossy Cave hike is really neat. It is the only hike in the park that begins with an assent and ends with a decent. All of the hikes in the Amphitheatre require that you walk down first. Seeing the hoodoos from the bottom is just fascinating. This hike has a special treat too.
We really enjoyed Bryce Canyon National Park. The scenery is just absolutely amazing. If you enjoy unique scenery and beautiful views, definately add a trip to Bryce Canyon NP to your bucket list.
I have so many more pictures. If you would like to see them, just put a note in the comments of send me a text/email and I will send you the link to the entire album.
After beautiful Bryce Canyon, we headed to the last of the 'mighty five' National Parks in Utah, Zion National Park. This park is a little different from many of the ones that we have been to so far. Most of the parks have a scenic route with various pullouts and parking areas showcasing the beauty of the park. At these stops, there are trails of various lengths taking you closer to the sights....
We continued our journey through southern Utah over to Capital Reef NP. Looking at the map below, our travels took us north of Arches and Canyonlands up to Interstate 70. We headed south and traveled along the western side of Canyonlands NP.
On our way ov...
Canyonlands National Park is also in the Moab area. Although close in proximity, this park could not be more different from Arches. As towering as many of the rock formations are in Arches, the Canyonlands views are hundred times deeper. The contrast of these lo...
Moab, Utah is an outdoor lover's dream. There is so much to do and to see you will definately be on sensory overload. There are two National Parks in the area and hundreds if not thousands of trails for walking, hiking and offroading in a 4 wheel drive Jeep or a si...
Bryce is magical !
How beautiful!
Oh! What a beautiful country we have! Bryce is truly amazing!
Oh! What a beautiful country we have! Bryce is truly amazing!
Holy moley! What a fantastic park! I’m so ready to get out there.