{{ Bryce Canyon NP }} Highlights
- We hiked (and survived) the HOODOOS, and they were pretty amazing!!
- Our hikes included: Queen Garden Trail, Navajo Loop, Sunrise and Sunset Inspiration Points, Mossy Cave and Waterfall
{{ Our first hike (Queen Garden Trail) was a big one! It was about 3 1/2 miles, zig-zagging deep into the bottom of the canyon, and then back up. The picture below shows a small amount of the descent, but pictures don’t do it justice! It was HARD, especially after the last five days of heavy hiking, but it was beautiful, and SO different from every other area we have seen so far! }}
- Another Jr. Ranger badge and we all earned our “hiked the hoodoos” awards (a nice sticker) – you hike to the hoodoos, take a selfie each time, then show the park ranger at the visitor center to earn your award – a great, free souvenir ☺️
{{ It was pretty chilly when we started our hike (lower 40s), but the strenuous hike definitely warms you up. By the time we made it down and all the way back to the top, it was snowing on us, and it felt glorious! }}
I must say, going into this trip, I was MOST excited about Zion National Park…in my mind, it would be my all-time favorite place, and nothing would compare. It is definitely high on the top of my list, but Bryce Canyon took me by surprise!! I did NOT expect to love it like I did, but I would be hard-pressed not to say that it was my favorite of all 8 National Parks we visited!
On a side note, this was not the best park to choose tennis shoes instead of hiking shoes… {I have Morton’s neuroma, which means when my foot starts to flare with a certain shoe, I have to change…so I did just that for Bryce.}. These trails were steep inclines on lost of loose rock/dirt, which meant you needed lots of extra traction (especially going down). I slipped a few times, and quickly realized the value in having and using trekking poles!
I find it so difficult to limit my number of pictures at these parks, so here’s another short video compilation of our time at Bryce Canyon…making it had me wanting to go back again!
We chose to rent a tiny home near Bryce Canyon at this point in our trip, and we couldn’t have been more thrilled with it! We booked with Escalante Escapes and stayed in the Tumbleweed Tiny Home. It was absolutely perfect for us, and the night sky views were amazing! And, if you have extra time and want to explore a little more, the Grand Staircase in Escalante is within minutes! This also gave us the perfect time to take Scenic 12/24 toward Moab, which was probably our favorite scenic drive of the entire trip.
Next in our journey is Capital Reef National Park and Goblin Valley State Park… {Click here to read}
Here are some of my favorite National Park items (for souvenirs and for hiking/travel), if you want to check it out – https://www.amazon.com/shop/marsha0727/list/338Y20NRBHI1H?ref_=aipsflist ((as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small percentage of commission from your purchases using my link – at no cost to you! Thanks for supporting our family 🤍)
Straight Outta My Mind 