Southwest Desert Trip II: Bryce Canyon

By John Carr2 months ago

Navajo Loop Trail

Waking up early, Dan and I drove to the Visitor Center at Bryce Canyon National Park on the second day of our Southern Utah trip. It had dropped to 12 degrees the night before and the temperature was only in the low 20’s when we arrived. Thankfully, it was a clear and sunny day.

We parked the pickup at Sunset Point (elevation 8,000 feet). After taking some pictures from the Canyon rim, we began hiking the Navajo Loop Trail. The Trail descends among the hoodoos, rock spires eroded from soft limestone evidencing warm shades of creams, pinks, yellows, oranges and reds. It is a truly unique experience and one I enjoyed even more the second time around.

The Pharaoh Hoodoo

Queens Garden

Upon reaching the intersection of the Navajo Loop and Queens Garden Trails, Dan returned on the Loop Trail to do some mountain biking. I continued hiking among the hoodoos, shooting many photos and marveling at the beauty of the place. The Trail ascended to Sunrise Point after passing the Queens Garden (one of the hoodoos supposedly looks like a portly Queen Victoria), leaving a short return walk to Sunset Point for a total of four miles and maybe 500 feet of elevation gain.

My photos attempt to capture the beauty of Bryce, but that is an impossible task. The Park remains one of the most striking places I have ever visited.