Bryce Canyon National Park

 

Yesterday we had a full day of driving to get from Fresno to Ruby's Inn RV Park just outside of Bryce National Park. We woke up this morning to an outside temperature of 22 degrees and a forecast of snow. Despite the chilly temperature, we got an early start to our day at the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center. After purchasing our national park magnet and watching the informational video, we headed for the furthest point along the main park road - Rainbow Point. The skies were dark and threatening as we hiked across the packed snow from Rainbow Point along the Bristlecone Loop. The winds soon started picking up and it began to snow. We quickly wrapped up the hike, got back in the truck, and continued the drive back along the main park road, stopping at most of the overlooks and viewpoints.

The view from Rainbow Point

In front of the Natural Bridge

The skies began to clear as we pulled into the Inspiration Point overlook, so we took the short walk to the overlook for beautiful views of Bryce Canyon.

Jim on the Inspiration Point pathway.

After a picnic lunch in the truck, we were ready for the main hike of the day. We started at Sunrise Point and descended into the canyon along the Queen's Garden/Navajo Loop which brought us back to the canyon rim at Sunset Point. We then walked the 1-mile trail back to our truck parked at Sunrise Point. The hike was absolutely amazing with beautiful vistas in every direction!

Neat rock formations along the Queen's Garden Trail

Some of the hoodoos that Bryce Canyon is known for.

Two Bridges

Hiking back up out of the canyon.

After the hike, we stopped in at the General Store near Sunrise Point for a snack, then drove over and walked through the Bryce Canyon Lodge.

We did one last short hike - the Mossy Cave Trail before wrapping up our day at Bryce Canyon National Park.