Bryce Canyon National Park
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Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon is not a canyon at all but is the jagged edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau and the top riser of the Grand Staircase. Dazzling Bryce Canyon consists of fourteen amphitheaters filled with fairytale domes, pillars, temples and various nature made sculptures called hoodoos. The masterpiece of Bryce Canyon has been in the making for over sixty-million years. Standing on the rim at Bryce Canyon National Park is unforgettable; the view is filled with statuesque multi-sculpted spires, turrets, arches, fins and walls of soft limestone. A casual strolls along the rim allows fantastic views. Some sections of the Rim Trail are paved, others are dirt, but almost the entire foot path is covered with first time visitors with their eyes wide open and jaws dropped.
East Zion Lodging |
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Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park is located 2-miles south of Highway 12 on Highway 63, and 60-miles north of the junction at Highway 9 & Highway 89. During the drive from Zion National Park, the road passes through a fantastic and unusual section of Dixie National Forest called Red Canyon where there is a delightful display of hoodoos. Red Canyon is 47-miles from Mount Carmel Junction and 9-miles from Bryce Canyon. The highlight of Scenic Byway 12 however is Bryce Canyon. No matter what time of the year you visit Bryce, the drive through the park is wonderful, but it is special in the winter when hoodoos are topped with snow. The scenic drive through Bryce is an enjoyable eighteen-miles long, offering view points to areas such as Natural Bridge, Sunrise Point, Sunset Point, Inspiration Point and Rainbow and Yovimpa. The viewpoints in the park are accessible. Bryce Canyon, like Zion National Park, is a year-round destination, and if you do not mind the cold, the hoodoos are never so spectacular as when they are capped with pillows of snow. But then in the summer the colors shines as the sun glistens on the pinkish rock and in the fall, autumn leaves adorn the land. Spring brings the wild flowers and the park animals to attention. So it's hard to say when is the best time to visit Bryce, each season has its special moments. |
Mossy Cave
One of the most interesting trails in Bryce Canyon National Park is also the least hiked one and you don't even need to pay the entrance fee to get to it. But once at Bryce who could resist seeing the rest of the park? Although there are not hoodoos galore on the .8 mile round trip, the hike has its distinct charms. There is a wonderful desert waterfall towards the end of the trail, and if you take the short spur in the other direction you will find a cave recessed into the cliff. This is a great family hike that will thrill the kids. To find Bryce Canyon's Mossy Cave Trail, drive north on Highway 63, past the main Bryce Canyon entrance. You will see a small sign and a parking area, on the right, marking the trailhead. |
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Bryce Canyon is located a quick 60 miles from the junction of Scenic Byways 9 & 89 on the east side of Zion National Park. |
 Nature Notes
Although the dry slopes beneath the rim, where the hoodoos sit, are arid and dry, there are many areas of Bryce Canyon that are quite the opposite and even lush with vegetation. Below the rim where many trails are located, the elevation is about 7,000 ft., but at the higher elevations where the lodge and viewpoints are, beautiful meadows and fir-spruce forests flourish. Animals thrive and wild flowers bloom.
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