Day 17 - Dixie National Forest - Bryce Part 1

After back to back stargazing nights (on nearly the longest day of the year and on the very Western edge of a time zone), we all slept in.  It felt great, but we were concerned about what it meant for beating the crowds into Bryce.  As it turns out, we were right to be concerned, after over two weeks, the crowds of the National Parks had caught up to us.  We pulled into the first area we wanted to see (Sunset Point) and there wasn’t a spot available.  So, we leaned hard into the ranger recommendations for where to go that others wouldn’t go and started up the scenic road.  



It turned out that this recommendation was terrific and we were able to stop and get away from others for at least a bit at each stop along the way.  And, despite the crowds not coming, there still were some amazing views of the canyons.  The one thing we did find up the scenic drive was the WIND!  It was a consistent 20+ mph wind and it just seemed to rip up the valley and over the sides of the walls.  Not sure how a wind out of the south kept the place cool, but it also left all of us glad to have our sweatshirts!


After exploring the scenic drive, we headed back to camp for what felt like some much needed downtime.  We enjoyed a casual lunch and then just relaxed for a while to let the heat of the day pass a bit and let that wind settle down.  I’m not sure we succeeded on either front, but regardless we headed back into the park to ride the shuttle so we could see the sights we had missed this morning with the crowds present.


While we had planned to ride the shuttle the full way through the park, I pulled a fast one on my family and asked them to hike down into the amphitheater with me.  I thought that this was the memory from my childhood and I wanted to see if I could find the trees that seemed to grow out of nothing between the hoodoos.  As we went down the 29 switchbacks of “Wall Street” (we were so glad to be going down, not up - it’s STEEP), it was clear that this was the spot I remembered.  This hike seems to be unlike any other.  It’s down in the bottom of the canyon, but instead of solid walls, there’s hoodoos and windows all around.  It was so scenic, even if the hike back out of the amphitheater was a bit strenuous - especially after back to back stargazing nights.


For me, Bryce is unlike the other canyon parks.  It feels like it’s still a canyon in development and the hoodoos of the park really just make it seem like a foreign landscape.  It’s my favorite of the Utah parks, though I will admit there may be some nostalgia in there.  When my family visited when I was roughly Sebastian and Robinson’s age, Bryce was the one place I could remember - possibly because it was just so unique?  Whatever the reason, it felt great to be back in the park and have the opportunity to show the boys.












After we got back to the top, we got back on the shuttle, found Rover, and headed back to camp.  There we had another fairly relaxing evening with another fire before all falling asleep before the stars could come out.


Thank you Bryce Canyon for a great scenic day.


Total miles travelled - 3,828

# States (Provinces) - 10

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