Trying to beat the storm to Bryce Canyon!
If I had one word to describe Bryce Canyon National Park it would be…UNIQUE!
Bryce Canyon is located in southern Utah, the park is much smaller and at higher elevation than Zion National Park nearby. Due to the remote location, far from any major town Bryce Canyon only sees a fraction of the visitors as Zion. The unique landscape is definitely worth the detour and shouldn’t be missed if you’re ever in the area!
The park would be better suited as “Bryce’s Amphitheater”
Strangly there’s no canyon at Bryce Canyon, the park is known for its sprawling amphitheaters full of Hoodoos! Don’t worry, I had no clue what a hoodoo was either.
What are Hoodoos?
Hoodoos for days…
There are areas on earth with the similar hoodoo formations as Bryce Canyon. However, there is no other place in the world with the concentration of them as Bryce Canyon.
This area of Utah experiences more than 200 freeze – thaw cycles during the year. When this happen water that has seeped into the soft sandstone freezes, expanded and quickly erodes the rock formations creating the unique towering formations.
Not the biggest park but easily accessible.
At roughly 35,000 acres, Bryce Canyon is much smaller than many of the parks but don’t let the numbers fool you, this park packs a punch!
The park has a 18 mile scenic road along the entire vista, with convenient stops at the most stunning viewpoints! This was perfect for us due the fact we were trying to outrun an approaching thunderstorm.
Can you spot the famous Alligator formation?
Along the 18 mile road there are around 12 different look out points. All of them are worth stopping at but a few stood out more than others. Like the Natural Bridge, seen below.
Maybe outrunning the storm isn’t so bad after all!
On our return from the loop, after getting rained on, we were able to catch this awesome double rainbow over the Natural Bridge Arch.
No better place to catch a rainbow than Bryce Canyon!
Despite the park being small and compact it didn’t feel crowded at all. We didn’t spend as much time hiking around and exploring as we would have liked due to the in coming thunderstorms. The views from the top of the amphitheater were jaw dropping but I think it would have been quite humbling to hike to the bottom and be surrounded by towering hoodoos.
With that being said the park is in my opinion one of the more family friendly National Parks. The major sights can be seen be seen by vehicle in half a day, but hopefully you have more time to explore deeper and get off the beaten path.
Even the deer are friendly at Bryce Canyon!
If you have plenty of time to spend at the park, they have 15 hiking trails from beginner to expert. Many of which won’t be crowded at all expect during peak times of the year. Camping is also a common activity just like any other park.
Like I mentioned the park is REMOTE! Which is a huge benefit for dark sky’s at night. Bryce Canyon National Park is known for its beautiful starry sky’s with little to no light pollution. It would be a perfect landscape for astro-photography.
Overall,
Our visit was short and getting to the park was a little out of the way but I am very thankful that we made the effort to see it. I know I will be back to see more of the park on foot, maybe even during winter when the landscape transforms.
Have you visited? What was your favorite hike or lookout?
PLANNING A TRIP? Be Sure to check out the other National Parks HERE!
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