MikeImagine yourself trekking the high desert. All the sudden, a large gathering of giant limestone columns of very unusual shapes and sizes lay out in front of you. A magnificent sunset creates vivid colors from bright red to soft, pale yellow. Like being in the surface of another planet, a feeling of awe fills your soul. A place like no other, Bryce Canyon in Utah!
Getting to this place is part of the adventure itself. While similar places, like the Grand Canyon, or Yosemite are more accessible, Bryce is a bit farther than other attractions. According to the National Park Service website (2020), the nearest large international airports, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, are more than 250 miles away, but there a few regional airports, like Cedar City and St. George that are closer. For getting here by bus or by driving, I-15, US-89 and UT12 are the main highways that connect the park north, to Utah, or south to Arizona. For further information, refer to the links that we provide in the reference section below.
For me, it was a family camping trip. We decided to get here by driving across four states, within a short window of opportunity (seven-day round trip). It seemed daunting and the drive was a long one, but we finally made it to the park during the evening, by the second day. After unpacking and setting up our tent we couldn’t wait for the first hike!
Backpacks ready, we were on our way! After a short walk from the campground, we got close to a cliff edge, which was part of the rim trail. Unsuspectingly, before our eyes, a majestic scenery of hoodoos, the canyon “amphitheater” left us speechless!
Thinking about other natural canyons, what makes Bryce Canyon different, is the distinctive arrangement of the rock formations, the “uniqueness of the rocks” that caused the place to fall into National Park category back in 1928 (nps.gov, 2020). The National Park website (2020) also mentions that the park stands at a base elevation of 2000 ft. / 650m. through various climatic zones, and is home to hundreds of species of animals, including deer, prairie dogs and mountain lions! (no, luckily, we never ran across one! 🙂
We had the opportunity to hike a few of the nice eight trails that run through the place. They stretch from a short to a whole day hike, and they were worth it! We particularly loved the Navajo trail, which goes down to the canyon itself and back up, where you admire famous features like Thor’s Hammer. Nearby places that we loved and recommend include Natural Bridge, Sunset and Bryce Point, the last one being a must, where a huge, wide, almost 300-degree view of the park and surroundings is featured. You just can’t get tired of the incredible scenery around you!
Real story:
Right at Bryce Point, which stands at an elevation of 8200 ft / 2750 m., we noticed that there were posts warning about thunderstorms and flash-floods. While reaching the outlook, we heard thunder and distant lightning. “It’s far away”, we thought. We kept enjoying the views, taking pictures and chatting. All the sudden, when I looked at my son’s hair, something was strange. His hair tips were pointing up, towards the sky, literally standing on end. “Dad, look at your hair” my daughter said, my wife’s hair looked the same way too! Our dire situation was evident! A crazy amount of static was building up from the clouds above us to the ground. Raising hair could be an indication of an imminent lightning strike! We left soon after. Loud thunder, lightning and pouring rain followed.
We left Bryce Canyon with a feeling of wonder, wishing to come back soon!
References:
-National Park Service. Getting to Bryce Canyon National Park. 2020.
https://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/directions.htm
-My Utah Parks .com. 2020
