Bryce Canyon National Park

May17, 2013

Our exit toward Bryce City was back through Zion Park in our car as we continued on Zion National Park Drive.  The drive out of the park was spectacular.  It rises above the stone mountains of Zion for even better vistas than the ones we had from the canyon floor.  We reached a long and interesting tunnel that took us out to the other side of Zion to see very different and interesting rock formations.  Our trip to Bryce City was about 4 hours of interesting driving through Dixie National Forest.  We saw Elk and Buffalo Ranches as well as Pronghorn Antelope along the way.

Bird Notes:  Along the drive to Bryce we spotted 3 Black-billed Magpies and an Osprey on a nest.  At the motel there were many Pine Siskins, a White-crowned Sparrow, Western Meadowlarks, Brewer’s Black Birds, a Western Tanager, Ravens, House Sparrows and House Finches, Northern Rough-winged and Barn Swallows.

The Hoodoos were always with us in Bryce

In the afternoon we headed to Bryce Canyon and once again the Shuttle was the way to travel.  It is much easier and less worry than driving and finding parking.  The main attraction at Bryce Canyon is the Rim where one can see the vast canyon and incredibly interesting hoodoos that rise up from the canyon floor.

A view from the rim into the canyon floor where the trail we hiked is visible.

Another view from the top of Bryce Canyon's rim

The Hoodoos remind me of the stories that cyress knees tell.
The one on the right is a duck.

A servant is bowing to two decorated warriors.

Hoodoos also remind me of drip castles we make at the edge of the ocean.

The trails into the canyon hung off the cliffs
and were often not wide enough for 2 people to pass
especially if you were the one on the edge.

We actually walked the reverse of the route recommended.  We began at Sunset Point and walked the rim  .5mi. to Sunrise Point.  We then began a 3 mile loop into the floor of the canyon that climbs back out at Sunset Point.  It is very steep going down and very steep coming back out.  At the bottom we visited the Queen’s Garden.   It is a view of a hoodoo that looks like a queen.

Here she is close up.

The Queen is the Hoodoo on the left.

                                                 

Uintah Chipmunk:  We saw lots of them.

May 18, 2013
We returned to Bryce for a morning of hiking on the Peekaboo Trail.  We didn’t think we had time for the entire loop so we started at Bryce Point  (8,000 ft) and headed down into the canyon.  Starting early is ideal because we had the canyon all to ourselves.  We took the left fork of the Peekaboo Trail to Sunset Point.  This was reported to have the best Hoodoos.  Each turn produced more interesting formations.  This was another 3 mi. hike.  Once again it was very steep going into the floor of the canyon and rising out again at Sunset Point.  We didn’t take time to go to Rainbow Point, a long scenic drive to over 12,000 ft.  It was time to head toward Capitol Reefs.

Looking into the canyon floor from Bryce Point

Heading down to the canyon floor to Peekaboo Trail

A one lane tunnel

So many interesting formations along the trail

Danny never saw a dozer he didn't like.  ...so that's how they work on those
powdery trails.

The rim trail is where the trees are seen at the top

Bright blue skies behind the Hoodoos

View through a small tunnel.

Hiking down from Bryce  Point to Peek-a-boo Trail.
 Fir trees rise up from the bottom of the canyon offering some
welcomed greenery.

Mrs. Western Tanager was hiding in the Ponderosa Pine.

Bird Notes:  3 Western Tanagers, 4 Townsend’s Solitares, Mountain Chickadees, 2 Virginia’s Warblers, Western Bluebirds and the most common bird, the Raven shared the day with us.

a male Western Tanager in all his glory at the rim of Bryce in the parking lot.

Cherrie's first life bird of the trip: a Western Bluebird to be joined by the two below

Mountain Chickadee at Bryce Point

Cassin's Finch with nesting material on Peekaboo Trail

Virginia's Warbler on Peekaboo Trail

Accommodation notes:  The motel in Bryce called the Bryce Canyon Resort Motel was not a resort.  It was bare basics with only WiFi in the lobby.  It was not our original choice but we decided to change our reservations because we could check in at noon.  Coffee was only in the lobby.   ...no frills, but the room to the outside allowed for wandering with binoculars.  Ruby’s Inn is a huge complex of motel rooms, convention centers, convenience store, restaurants, etc.  We had originally planned to stay there but gave up that reservation to check in early at the other place.  It also has a huge campground. This would have been a better choice to stay.  The town of Bryce is down Hwy 12 a little way.  We didn’t discover it until we were leaving Bryce.