Hoodoo…you do..remind me of a babe… Bryce Canyon Trip
I woke early and drove 25 minutes from my campground to Bryce. My early start went a lot better since the day before was a little rough. But more on that another time. As I entered the park, I was greeted by two mule deer that started by the side of the road and made their way to the middle of it. I put my SUV into the park to watch them in their element. I'm always mesmerized when I see animals in the wild. These are encounters where I stop, focus on the moment, and appreciate how freaking awesome mother earth is! I sometimes wonder if they stop in awe of humans or if they go, “oh not another human again!”
After letting the mule deer cross, I drove past the visitor's center since I got to the park before 7 am. I headed to the first overlook called Sunrise Point. I missed sunrise, but I was still excited to head overlook. When I did, I nearly froze my ass off, to my surprise. I was in capris, Chacos, a tank, and a light jacket because when I woke up, it was not that cold!! I lasted 5 mins at the overlook before I returned to my car to find more layers. Since I did not have a chance to talk to my ranger friends, I was unsure what trail I should take at Bryce.
When I planned this trip a few months prior, I had Bryce and Zion on my list of places I wanted to go. I wanted to check off the Utah 5 (all the national parks), but I took these two off, thinking I did not have enough time on my trip to explore these parks. Even though I later realized that I could also do both parks on my journey, I was so focused on Zion and the hikes I had already planned out that I kind of winged Bryce. In some way, it was fun to come to a park and figure out as you go. While you should always consider talking to rangers, once you’ve done a few hikes, it’s easier to feel confident in your ability to navigate, too.”
I drove to Bryce Point next and easily found parking. At this point, I changed into my hiking boots and had more layers on. I walked to the overlook. Bryce Point stands at 8,300 feet, which is why I was freezing! This overlook offers a sweeping view of the "canyon." Fun fact about Bryce, it's not really a canyon. It's a series of natural amphitheaters. The difference between the two is:
Canyons are created by flowing rivers
Amphitheaters are created by frost wedging, which works to alter and recreate the entire landscape over a significant period. Seasonal snow melts, and the water seeps into cracks and creates fractures in the rock, and when it freezes at night, the water turns to ice and expands, causing it to crack and fracture further, forcing sections of it apart and making wedges into the rock.
Another thing that Bryce is famous for is its most extensive collection in the world of Hoodoos. They formed over millions of years of erosion. There is a famous Native American Story of how these Hoodoos were created. The short version of this story is the Coyote God, who oversaw the land and invited the Legend People to a grand feast. These people were known to be selfish and abused the land. Legend people dressed to the nines and painted their faces for the feast. But before the Legend People started to gorge on the food, the Coyote God cast a spell on them and turned them into stone. Ones who didn't turn into stone tried to escape by climbing on each other until they turned into stone, which is why Hoodoos, cling to the sides of the cliffs. Or maybe it's nature, I guess we won't ever know!
I was one of the very few people at Bryce Point. It was so lovely to enjoy the quietness of the view, especially since I was now dressed for the weather”. After hanging out there for a while, I started my hike on the Peek-a-Boo Loop trail since Bryce Point is the trailhead. Peek-a-Boo Loop trail is a strenuous 5.5-mile trail that winds among the majestic red rock hoodoos such as the Wall of the Windows and Three Wise Men formations. As I was making my way down, I kept running into a group in their early 20s, and I felt like I was following them, but we chatted a few times when we exchanged taking pictures. I finally got ahead and had the trail to myself for a bit. As I was hiking, I was taken aback by the views of the hoodoos. The piercing colors of the rocks felt like I was in a dream. You had the reds, browns, and oranges of the rocks mixed with the greens of the Douglas Firs. It's fascinating how you had two different sceneries, rocks, and the woods.
Meanwhile, I got to a section in the trail where I could jump off the Peek-a-Boo Loop trail and go on the Queen's Garden Trail. Most people take this trail down into the canyon because it's the most accessible trail since you descend 320 feet. Your homegirl took it up, and damn, it was hard for me to go up, maybe because I was exhausted from the day before. But it was a struggle! While hiking Queen’s Garden, you are supposed to use your imagination to see Queen Victoria overseeing her Garden. Once you reach the top, you will be a Sunrise Point, where I started earlier in the morning.
To get back to Bryce Point, I hiked the rim back until I got to the overlook again. On the Rim Trail, there are points you can stop and take in the views, such as Sunset Point and Inspiration Point. The Rim Trail is also where I met my friends for the first time, the ones I mentioned in my Zion post. These three guys were lovely to talk to. I even found out that one of them shared the same birthday as me. Yay for May birthdays!!
I decided to check out Bryce Point, and as expected, it was a massive zoo of people because it was almost lunchtime. I left and went back to my car to make some food. At this point, the parking lot looked like parking in front of an airport. You had people directing traffic since the now full parking lot was closed, and people did not know what they were doing. Like Zion, they have a shuttle to help combat traffic, and I saw it come and drop off even more people. But unlike Zion, you can drive around the whole park.
I then decided to drive the main road in Bryce called Southern Scenic Drive. The whole drive is 18 miles, the first 3 miles I did that morning. On this drive, there are nine scenic overlooks. What is mind-blowing about this drive is that when you get to Rainbow Point and Yoimpa Points, you are over 9,000 feet above sea level, compared to 7,894 at the visitor's center!! I stopped to check out the Natural Bridge along the way to Rainbow Point. Remember when I told you the parking lot at Bryce Canyon was like dropping off at the airport? Rainbow Point parking was worse, it was beyond a clusterfuck!
I guess there was a motorcycle event because every bike in America was there. Maybe that's a slight lie, but Jesus, it felt like it. There was no parking at all! I circled around with 20 other cars for 20 minutes until I got annoyed and left.
Here's my unsolicited advice: If you have a motorcycle and know it's a super small parking lot, maybe don’t take up one space when all your friends manage to fit five motorcycles into a single parking spot. Also, don't dick around leaving if you see other cars looking for parking. And try not to cut in the front of cars just because you are on a bike. You will probably get hit. I almost hit two guys on their bikes because they jetted before me, giving no fucks. I was disappointed and highly annoyed with the behavior and lack of safety, and I missed seeing the views of Escalante. I called the Park Rangers, but the service was terrible, and I couldn't get through.
I returned to the visitor's center, checked their store, and talked to the rangers. I told them what happened at Rainbow Point, and they thanked me. After that, I headed off to Zion National Park, which should be an hour and 40-minute drive, but it took over 2 hours since I got stuck outside the park in construction. I would return to the park and explore more, especially the backcountry, as my day felt short but long, and there was a lot else to see. I would love to spend a few days here, especially in the winter, to see the canyon with snow on it. I have seen pictures of the canyon with snow, and it legit looks like a carrot cake! It has an awesome vibe. As I mentioned, I love the mix of the forest with the red rocks. This may be my second favorite national park, Arches being my first.