I went with my friend over Veteran's Day weekend to Bryce Canyon National Park. We knew there was cold weather so we brought our own fire wood and some mummy bags to keep warm. The idea of camping was more appealing than going to the lodge. When we arrived at 10pm on Friday night all the camp sites were taken! I was so frustrated because they were taken by giant RVs. They weren't even using their fire pits or the camp grounds, just parking there to be a pain in my opinion. Especially since there was a giant parking lot nearby that could have easily held the RVs. What also didn't help was that there was only one camp site open! The other two were closed. So if you plan to camp out be prepared for that.
My friend and I ended up just parking our car in the parking lot, pulled out our sleeping bags, and slept uncomfortably in our seats that we couldn't recline because we had everything packed nice and tight. It didn't help that it was a full moon so everything was super bright. After maybe six hours of sleep we both woke up and waited. We knew someone would leave the campground, and soon after we woke up someone did! We immediately went in and claimed it. The park has a board, like a bulletin board, where you stop and park to then pay for the campsite. It $20 a night for cars but $30 for RVs. Since the campsite was so full we didn't want to have to deal with it again we paid for two nights. You enclose your money in an envelope and put it in a box while keeping a stub to put on your campsite number. A park ranger checked the following morning so just know they are keeping tabs.
With our new campsite we quickly set up our tent and I got a fire going before we had some breakfast. We knew that the main thing we wanted to do was hike the Fairyland Loop (8 miles) so we set off to do that. I utilized the REI hiking app, because it has an excellent map system that everyone contributes to, and we decided just to walk over to the trail head instead of driving there. Much easier in my opinion and we had come to hike!
The hike was wonderful! Have quite a few pictures. Please keep in mind I took more than 350 pictures on this weekend trip so I have really trimmed it down for this blog post.
Be sure to do this challenge! You can go to the visitor center and they give you an awesome sticker that says you hiked the Hoodoos! My friend and I made friends with the ranger who then gave us great suggestions of what to do next.
There are areas clearly marked off and telling you to stay away so signs like this make me laugh because you know someone was stupid and didn't do what they were supposed to and got injured.
These tall stone formations are called hoodoos, which seems like a funny name but that's what they're called! Either way after knocking out the awesome hike we made our way to the visitor center. We knew we wanted to get a few mementos but also talk to a ranger to see what else was suggested. The visitor center has wifi, so it was nice to get online for a bit to post and then explore their museum that showed how the area was formed. There was even a short film to watch!
We bought a few pins, patches, and even some post cards because those were what intrigued us. Then we started talking to a ranger and asked what else we should hike. She was happy to tell us about the different hikes and when we told her we did Fairyland Loop she said we were obviously dedicated. That's when she gave us our stickers for hiking the Hoodoos and suggested driving the scenic route and then do a combination of the Navajo Trail and Queen's Trail.
With new maps in hand we took the ranger's suggestion to heart and planned out our next day. We had to leave the park in order to fill up on gas and then took a few photos in front of the large sign saying Bryce Canyon National Park because why not? That night we had a bonfire (thanks to me) and cooked hot dogs and drank hot chocolate in the cold. It was funny because the next morning a few of our campsite neighbors who were in RVs asked us if we were cold the previous night. When we told them no they were shocked! Apparently they didn't have good camping gear.
The visitor center also has a calendar of events! Be sure to check that out if you go because we got to do star gazing with some park rangers who had the fancy giant telescopes at night and it was so cool to go and do.
Here's some photos from hiking the Navajo Loop, Queen's Trail/Garden, Tower Bridge, and Sunrise to Sunset.
In my humble and honest opinion the Queen wasn't worth it. We saw much cooler rocks like ones that looked like a giant ram or even a llama! There's a formation called Thor's Hammer but honestly some of the rocks all start looking the same.
The natural bridge that is along the scenic drive of the park. I highly recommend you go on the scenic drive and stop at all the stops! There's something to see at every spot. It maybe takes an hour to do and that's if you stop at each stop and actually get out and take some pictures.
I realize now that I haven't mentioned how strenuous the hikes were or the trails. To be honest I thought they were very doable. Yes there were some switchbacks and inclines but nothing too terrible. Make sure you have enough water (used a 2 liter camelback each day and didn't drink all of it) and some snacks because you will get hungry. It was mostly a dirt trail that was fairly well packed so it wasn't as if you had a bunch of rocks or pebbles you could possible trip and fall on.
FYI Entrance into the park is $35 but I have an America the Beautiful pass so it didn't cost to go in the park. I realize now I didn't mention that so I don't want you to think you get into the park for free.
I hope you all enjoy this post and if you have any questions please feel free to ask in the comments down below or @ me on Twitter. Bryce definitely does not get as much love as Zion does but it deserves it! Has anyone else been to Bryce Canyon? Or do these pictures inspire you and make you want to go? Let me know in the comments down below. (:
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