A Journey Through the Utah Mighty 5: Bryce Canyon National Park
This September, my husband and I decided on the journey through the Utah Mighty 5 as our long vacation. The Mighty 5 are the five National parks in Southern Utah - Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Zion. Our trip was a total of 8 days, and we opted to travel from east (Arches National Park) to west (Zion). During this post, I’ll replay our time during the fourth park, Bryce Canyon National Park!
One thing to note: of course, we couldn’t see and do everything in every park. And maybe there are some things I would have done differently…instead of calling these “regrets”, I’ll call them “Notes for next time!” and post them at the bottom at the bottom of each post.
Photography Equipment I used at Bryce Canyon:
About Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park is just outside of Tropic, UT and is the smallest of the Mighty 5 parks. Bryce features amphitheaters of hoodoos, which are geologic features formed by erosion - which means new hoodoos are always forming.
Mighty 5 Day 4: Afternoon
After taking the long scenic drive on Scenic Byway 12, we arrived in Tropic, UT, just outside of Bryce Canyon. We checked in to our little cabin just about 15 minutes from the park.
PRO TIP! When we booked our lodging about 6 months in advance, the lodging within Bryce Canyon, and immediately outside the park, were all booked. And so we had to book a little farther away at the cabins. The cabin wasn’t great, but it was safe and clean and was enough. That being said, it was nonrefundable…which means when a room opened up at the Bryce Canyon Lodge just a couple of weeks before our trip, I was stuck with what we had. Be mindful - book early if you want to be in or as close as possible to the park!
We grabbed a few food items from the little local grocer so we could have breakfast the next morning before heading to the park. We then headed straight to Bryce to watch the sunset - in a similar fashion to what we experienced at Arches - to watch the sunset glow over the hoodoos. Now, Bryce Canyon offers a viewing point at Sunset Point…which, based on my research, is not the best spot in the park to watch the sunset! (Although, one could argue that there are no bad spots and I would have to agree!) Instead, we parked near Sunset point and walked along the top of the rim to Inspiration point, which was supposed to be just about 1.5 miles…but honestly, it felt much longer! We were able to make it to our destination with plenty of time.
Unfortunately, some clouds decided to move in just over the sun…which meant we didn’t get quite the view we wanted. No worries - we still enjoyed what we had! The hoodoos are incredible…they’re colorful, unique, and numerous. Gazing over them, I was excited for our hikes the next day!
Mighty 5 Day 5
We slept in until 6:15am (truth be told - I didn’t get much sleep and experienced my first night of week-long night terrors thinking we were sleeping on the edge of a cliff…) Our first item on the agenda? A mule/horse ride down into the hoodoos! We booked this last-minute before we left Capitol Reef the day before. We had received 3 recommendations to do this, so I couldn’t resist. We opted for the 1.5 hour ride, leaving us plenty of time to then have lunch and complete a hike in the afternoon.
We arrived early for the ride which meant I got to spend a little extra time with the sleepy horses and mules.
When it was time to start, our guides assigned us to our rides - I was assigned a horse, Patricia, and my husband was assigned a mule, Clyde. As our group head out on the trail, our guide informed us that these animals like to walk close to the edge…and, when she said close, what she meant was - right. on. the. edge. Considering the goal was to ride DOWN into the canyon and then back up, this meant that Patricia would be walking along the edge of cliffs. Awesome.
Thankfully, Patricia was a good match for me - she watched every single step. A large rock on trail? She would pause and carefully walk over it. This also meant that we would be a little behind the rest of the group, but I was grateful for her cautious demeanor.
PHOTO TIP! While riders are allowed to bring a camera - including a DSLR - I personally would not recommend it. While trekking forward, you need to have your hands on the reign and center on the neck so that the horse or mule does not lose their balance or over correct. When stopping on the trail, there are chances to take pictures, but I would have found having my large camera difficult to deal with. I opted to take only my Sony RX100-VI and my husband had the GoPro - both seemed sufficient for this experience!
We rode past the Queen Victoria hoodoo, and into the forest on the canyon floor. In addition to admiring the red rock and the hoodoos, we also came across numerous twisted pines. As it so happens, these pines are twisted as the result of being struck by lightning. The ground in Bryce Canyon is heavy in iron (hence, the red rocks!) and therefore, the park is giant lightning rod. According to the National Park Service, Bryce Canyon has highest lightning hazard density in the state of Utah - which means…pay close attention to the weather and seek safe shelter at any threat of a storm (even one that is miles away).
After the ride, we had some time to walk along the rim trail before going to lunch at the Bryce Canyon Lodge.
After lunch, it was time to go hiking down into the canyon on our own two legs! We hiked the Queen’s Garden/Navajo Loop trail starting at Sunrise Point and ending at Sunset Point, going clockwise and on the tail end, we took the side that brought us next to Thor’s Hammer. This trail was definitely in my Top 3 of all of the hikes we did in Utah. The scenery is unique and changes throughout the hike. Looking up at the hoodoos was like nothing I’ve ever seen and again, I felt like we were on another planet, or at least somewhere ancient (which, I guess we were!)
The hike back up was challenging, partially due to the sun, partially due to the elevation, and partially due to the fact that it was steep! But the views were worth it!
After the hike, we went along the scenic drive within Bryce Canyon so we could take in additional views. We then stopped outside of the park for some ice cream and then to do one more hike on the way back to our cabin. On the outskirts of Bryce Canyon is Mossy Cave which offers a short easy hike along a little creek, with views of a small waterfall - uncommon for this part of Utah! This was a quiet part of the park, with it’s own parking lot and few visitors. And it offered incredible views that are almost like a desert paradise. In other words, I recommend making a stop to this little part of the park!
Mighty 5 Day 6 - Morning:
We woke up early to pack up our car and head to Bryce Canyon for the sunrise. It was cold - about 35 degrees - but the sky was clear and we were ready to enjoy another magnificent sunrise on this trip. Unlike Sunset Point, Sunrise Point is ideal for watching the sunrise although…again…I don’t think there’s any bad spot for the sunrise. There is parking at Sunrise Point as well, which makes it easy to quickly get to your ideal spot with just a short hike.
The sunrise was unique and worth watching in the cold. It didn’t quite top the sunrise at Mesa Arch…but, maybe that’s just my personal preference! I loved watching the sun rise over the distant mountains, and glow over the colorful hoodoos. Once the sun had risen, we walked to observe from different viewpoints and with every turn, you see something different…something special.
After sunrise, it was time for breakfast (we stopped at Ruby’s Inn) and then make our way to Zion!
Tips that worked for us:
Stay 2 nights at this stop
Take the horse ride into the canyon
The Queen's Garden/Navajo Loop Trail really is a must-do!
Arrive at lunch when the restaurant opens - lots of tour groups!
Notes for next time:
Book early and book a room at the Lodge or at a hotel immediately outside the park
Do some stargazing and astrophotography
Book the horse ride again!