Day 3 Zion National Park to Bryce Canyon
Mileage 111 Miles, States - Nevada, Utah
What a spectacular day! This post is all about the
photos because no amount of describing stupendous red rock gorges and amazing
geological structures can do the day justice. Last night we managed to get the
second last room in the Quality Inn and judging by the “No Vacancy” and
“campsite full” signs possibly one of the last places to crash in Springdale.
Hardly surprising since it was a Friday night and 7pm. Springdale, Utah, was a
happening little place with a really nice vibe that we had not expected to find
so close to a National Park. (We are used to the remote snobbery of Yosemite!)
We began Saturday by taking the shuttle bus into
Zion Canyon. Cars are not permitted into the canyon from March to October
(Sounds like a title of a book, right?). Our trip is more of a scouting
mission. If we like a place we’ll try to make it back to do the detailed stuff
such as longer hikes, (and chilling out) but for now it was the glance and
click tour – for the most part.
Zion Canyon was beautiful - kind of a smaller and
redder version of Yosemite. The buses were really regular, and we were very
impressed with how organized the place was.
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| Top of Zion Canyon at the beginning of The Narrows |
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| Zion-Mt Carmel Tunnel |
Mesas are elevated areas of land with a flat top
and sides that are usually steep cliffs. Mesa is Spanish for table.
Basically, they are the little cousins of plateaus, complete with meadows, and what looked liked nice farmland. Once up here you couldn’t see the canyons below and it looked like a different world.
Basically, they are the little cousins of plateaus, complete with meadows, and what looked liked nice farmland. Once up here you couldn’t see the canyons below and it looked like a different world.
I’d heard great accolades of this Bryce Canyon,
claims that it was better than the Grand Canyon, claims I’d found hard to
believe, but, oh boy, this big ole hole in the ground did not disappoint! Actually,
it isn’t really a canyon, rather the eroding edge of a plateau.
However, as literature at the visitor center points out, Bryce Eroding Edge of
Plateau doesn’t fit easily on a Tee Shirt, so Bryce Canyon it is.
At 4pm we got one of the last campsites in Sunset
Camp, actually in the park. The whole tourist industry here seems much “kinder”
than in California, where it feels like the top spots are always full, and
there are fewer places to stay in the places you most want to. Here everything
flowed into place, even though we did not
make a single booking. Traveling in September helped.
Then we went exploring! We drove the length of the
canyon rim all the way to Rainbow Point then stopped at the various viewing
points on the way back. This works well, since you are now on the right side of
the road for the stops. When we return I think a nice thing to do would be take
the shuttle to Rainbow Point then work back via the various trails.
At certain
points you can reconnect with the shuttle and stop there, returning the next
day where you left off. This might take a week or more!
“Let’s just go down it a little bit, get a taste
of it!” We told each other. So off we went, no food, water nor map! (Typical
Lee hiking adventure…) At least I wasn’t wearing flip flops and a pink
mini-skirt this time…like that time in Death Valley, in July 2005…but that’s another story!
This canyon went straight down for a half mile
(and obviously straight up for the same.)
It was glorious, like nothing I’ve
ever seen before.
I officially declare that the Navajo Loop Trail is
a MUST DO. Take it slowly if you need
to, and do bring water, and maybe you shouldn’t embark upon it as the sun is
setting!
It was a very happy couple that sat watching the Milky
Way outside our tent before we hit the hay.
As I drifted off to sleep, I looked forward to
more exploring tomorrow and gave thanks for having the chance to do trips like
these.
Byddi Lee
