Bryce & Zion National Parks
Immerse yourself in otherwordly landscapes.
After living most of my life on the East Coast of the US, I fell in love with the West by venturing to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. If you re thinking of visiting America, these might not be on the first time bucket list, but if you are going to Las Vegas you owe it to yourself to rent a car and visit at least one of these two magnificent spots. In the East you hike to the view; in the West the hike is the view.
Bryce is a mystical place unlike anywhere on earth where the crimson colored “hoodoos” look like God squeezed mud out of his fist when it is just the opposite — a slow erosion of calcium by frost and rain leaving the unusual formations in place. It created mute sentries that the Native American tribe the Paiutes have regarded as the Legend People punished by Coyote and turned into rocks. You can still feel the awe.
The canyon is at 9,100 feet (2,778 meters) in altitude so be aware that you may be short of breath for a good reason. And that also keeps it cool, even in the summer — but absolutely apply sunscreen and wear protective clothing since the sun is deceptively strong with so much less atmosphere above your head. Also the National Park Service would like to point out that as the #1 and #2 reason for injury:
“Bad Choice of Footwear: Wear hiking boots with good ankle support and "lug" traction. Sport-sandals & "trainers" are NOT safe hiking footwear. Wearing shoes or boots not designed for hiking is the NUMBER ONE cause of rescues and injuries that require hospital visits at Bryce Canyon National Park.”
If you want to stay at the historical Lodge at Bryce Canyon (highly recommended) you must make your reservations pretty far in advance. The ability to quickly stroll to the sunrise point is something you will not soon forget and it is a stunning vista for photographers.
The two parks are 78 miles apart which makes it a great idea to visit both.
Imagine it’s 1850 and you are traveling across the brutal and unforgiving desert; losing family members and livestock along the way. And then you see an unusual canyon in the distance and, as you approach, it appears to be filled with green plants (more than 1000 species) and plentiful water. You might think you had reached a biblical refuge — Zion. Now imagine that people had already been living there for 10,000 years.
Zion is an amazing location for hiking and breathtaking views that will challenge you as a hiker for an intense couple of days. However, during the peak season the parking lot will fill up between 8-9 AM so plan on parking in the town of Springfield and taking the shuttle bus. Since you can’t actually drive through the park anyway, you will need to be on foot to take the park shuttles to the various trailheads.
Plan your hikes carefully — some, like Angels Landing and the Narrows, may have hundreds of people on them. And some of the hikes are not only physically challenging, but scary as all get out. We hiked during the spring rain which made everything slippery. You could imagine a giant finger coming down to flick you over the edge every time there was a serious gust of wind. Watching new waterfalls spouting spontaneously from the hillside was remarkable, but best viewed from the valley floor!
Not to mention the dangers of flash floods and lightning.
Almost as if Nature wants to send you back from whence you came.
