Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon has to be seen to be believed. It is one of five national parks in Utah, and we visited it during our recent trip out West. I can't imagine that there's any other place like it on earth. We stopped at every scenic view and took way too many pictures. Don't worry. I won't try to show you all of them.

The temperatures were much more tolerable during our visit to this park than they had been elsewhere in Utah, partly because of the higher elevation of Bryce Canyon, but mostly because we had some cloud cover to protect us from that intense Utah sun.

At the parking area for Inspiration Point, a sign said that there was a Lower Inspiration Point and an Upper Inspiration Point. We decided to walk up to the higher one.

Now, I should mention that the elevation where we live is 750 feet above sea level. The elevation at Inspiration Point is 8,100 feet above sea level. People who live at 750 feet have trouble breathing at 8,100 feet...standing still. Add being overweight and hiking uphill to that equation, and...well...it's HARD!

We came to the next viewing area on our uphill climb, and I was sure that had to be Upper Inspiration Point. But it wasn't. There was one that was higher yet. Now, don't you think that sign should have said there was a Lower, a Middle, and an Upper? A person likes to know what to expect before he (she) embarks on a trail like this.

I was struggling for air, but I had to keep going because my niece, Beckie, had done this hike earlier this year. I couldn't let that young whippersnapper show me up. So she probably deserves some of the credit for my making it to the goal. And I have to say...the view was worth it. The following photos were taken at Upper Inspiration Point.

We wrapped up our tour at Fairyland Point, which is down a short paved road between the main highway and the Visitor Center. Park literature said that a short hike from that point would take you right out among the hoodoos. We had planned to do it, but the hike didn't look short; and the sign at the beginning of it said that it was steep and had loose rocks and that boots were recommended.

View from Fairyland Point. If you look closely, you can see hikers down among the hoodoos.

We walked just a few feet down the path, but it made me very nervous. It was narrow and sloped a bit down toward the canyon. I turned around and returned to the car. Doug walked on down a little further, but it was too much for him, too. Besides, a few drops of rain were falling, and that trail would have become slicker than nasal discharge if it had gotten wet.

Here's one last shot from Fairyland Point:

These photos do not do justice to the awesome beauty of this national park. If you ever have the opportunity to see it for yourself, you really should do it.

From Torrey, Utah to Bryce Canyon National Park

It just seemed as if there was some new photo opportunity around virtually every turn in Utah. Utah Highway 12, from Torrey to Bryce Canyon, also called "Highway 12 — A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway," was yet another example of this. The scenery along this stretch of road is a perfect complement to the two national parks it connects: Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon. Following are a few images taken along that 120-mile route:

A sign near the location pictured above said that this was a major area for dinosaur fossils.

As we entered Bryce Canyon from the east on Highway 12, we pulled into a scenic turnout and saw a sign for a hike to Mossy Cave. Well, Mossy Cave didn't turn out to be very photogenic, but we found a waterfall along the trail that was beautiful.

Waterfall on Trail to Mossy Cave at Bryce Canyon

This was another scene along Highway 12, as we neared our lodging for the night in Hatch, Utah.

The day after we took this drive, we spent the whole day at Bryce Canyon. What an amazing place. My next post will feature photos from there.