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| I loved this park ... so intrigued by the colorful hoodoos. |
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| The canyon area was settled by the Mormons in the 1850s; and named after Ebenezer Bryce who built his homestead in 1874. |
Bryce Canyon National Park isn't actually a canyon but the eastern slope of the Paunsaguant Plateau, where thousands of spires (hoodoos) reach to the sky in a fabulous display of color ... pinks and corals of every hue.
The 19 mile scenic drive took us up 3,000 feet through meadows, forests, and spectacular amphitheaters of spires. Along the drive there are many pull offs for all your Kodak moments ... one of mine was catching pronghorn antelope grazing in a meadow. We also took advantage of hitting several of the hiking trails.
Late afternoon, we finally take a break and had lunch at the warm and cozy Bryce Canyon Lodge Restaurant. Loved the decor and huge stone fireplaces. I had a yummy big bowl of elk chili ... Delicious! During lunch we heard the storm approaching, huge thunderclaps and winds whipping the trees around, the forest was bending low. We scarfed down lunch to hurry back to the Jeep. Too late ... we were stung and pelted with large hail. The drive back down the steep grades of the winding mountain roads was a white knuckle event for Jim ... the weather changed to snow, then rain, and at the base the sun was coming out again. What a wonderfully diverse day of landscape and climate through the elevation changes.
Hope you enjoy the photos and video of our day. We thank you for tagging along and we'll see you back soon.
Wishing you safe travels! Pam, Jim, Maxx and Mollie
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| This hike started at 8,100 feet, boy did we huff and puff and felt weak at altitude, but was worth the effort ... outstanding canyons and monolith cliffs |
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| A park ranger advised, when at high elevations, you must drink four times the normal amount of water to avoid dehydration. Carry plenty with you. |
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| I froze at this point of the hike, the wind was howling, and I feared being blown off the side of the cliff. It didn't help not knowing what was around the narrow bend. But I did it one step at a time hugged up next to the wall. |
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| Excellent example of the thousands of hoodoos in this park. |
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| At the bottom of the canyon, Bryce established his homestead. |
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| A taste of what we'll see when we go to Arches National Park in a few days. |
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| Lunch at the Lodge Restaurant |
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| Made it to the highest point in Bryce Canyon at 9,115 feet. |
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| Be sure to dress in layers, we started out with sun and shirt sleeves and ended up freezing during a sudden snow and hail storm with high winds. |
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