November 29:  Bryce Canyon National Park. Starting mileage:  39,261.

Likely, you’ve seen photos of the pointed pink and white rock pinnacles–thousands of them in a valley of trails and trees. Bryce Canyon has been on my travel wish list for many years. And today would be the day!

Through Red Canyon and Dixie National Forest

After a wonderful breakfast at our favorite little diner, Golden Hills in Mt. Carmel Junction, we headed to Bryce Canyon, just 50 miles northeast of Zion National Park.  This was high desert land is mostly barren but with a few scrubby bushes and trees sprinkled here and there. Along the road, we saw a horse rolling on his back in the dirt, mane tossing and feet peddling in the air–a dust cloud rising around him. We were driving on twisting roads, up, and passed into a land of red rocks. Red Canyon, elevation 7,777 feet, was our first sighting of the formations called “hoodoos”.

Bryce Canyon

While hoodoos can be found in Cappadocia Turkey, France, Japan, Serbia, and Canada, Bryce Canyon has the mother lode of them–more than any other place in the world. In 1923, Bryce Canyon was declared a national monument, and made a national park in February 1928.

Bryce Canyon is really a series of canyons, or natural amphitheaters, carved on the edge of a high plateau. From viewpoints along the 18-mile rim road, visitors can see formations exposed in the valley below. These formations are part of the Grand Staircase–and related to the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park. The youngest parts of the rock layers are exposed in the Bryce Canyon area.

Sunset Point

Our first stop in Bryce Canyon was Sunset Point. It was early and as we walked to the lip of the canyon–the sun was just reaching in. Wow! Just wow. The spires–thousands of them–gleamed in pinks, reds, corals, whites. Layers and layers of stone towered over tiny trails in the valley. We were the only ones there for a few minutes and walked carefully, down a little way into the valley.

 

Inspiration Point:  8,100 elevation

Our next stop was at Inspiration Point, and Upper Inspiration Point. Again, it was deserted, just us and two other girls. “The cliffs of Inspiration Point are exceptionally dangerous as they are formed of crumbly rock, slippery slopes, and sheer drop-offs. All visitors are strongly cautioned to remain on trails and behind railings,” warned the National Park brochure. What an extraordinary view, an eerie silence, and just a breath of whistling wind. Gnarly Bristlecone Pines hung on to the dirt and rustled in the breeze.

 

Bryce Point:  8,300 ft elevation

We stood for a while at Bryce Point, admiring the plants we could see way down in the valley. It smelled good up there, a faint scent of the piñon pine and juniper. Trees stood tall, and yet looked so tiny far below. We saw rocks with windows and natural arches, in the slow process of eroding into hoodoos.

 

Fairview and Ponderosa Points

We stopped at Fairview Point (8,819 ft elevation) and Ponderosa Point (8,904 ft). Each had a view of the valley of hoodoos, windows, arches, and so many beautiful trees and birds.

There are more than 400 native plant species in Bryce Canyon. The brochure said there were piñon pines, junipers, manzanitas, serviceberry bushes, antelope bitterbrush, aspens, cottonwoods, birches, and willows growing along streams in the park. Also, ponderosa pine forests with blue spruce, Douglas fir, white fir, Engelmann spruce, and ancient Great Basin bristlecone pines (some more than 1,600 years old).

Rainbow Point:  9,115 ft. elevation

At the highest point in the park, we could see for miles. The rock layers along the Grand Staircase have sections of pink, vermillion, grey, red, chocolate, and white.  In the distance horizon, a tree-covered hill is at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. After this viewpoint, we headed back to the General Store for our pressed pennies and postcards.

 

After Bryce Canyon

On the drive back to Mt. Carmel Junction, we saw a pink sunset over red hills and the moon rising bright white. We saw deer eating in a field, and later, a cow pushed his face and neck into the dirt before rolling over to scratch his back in the dusty field.

We returned for the soup and salad bar buffet dinner at Golden Hills, and tucked in tired!

Select photos are available on Etsy.

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