In 1999, I was traveling back from Salt Lake City to Phoenix with my son, Matthew, and we decided to take in a few sights along the way. One of these respites from the road was Bryce Canyon. Now at the time, I really didn’t know much about it other than it wasn’t too far off highway 89 in south central Utah. The park is just off the highway heading to Page, Arizona and was a convenient side trip.

Subsequent to our trip I learned that the park was originally dubbed Utah National Park in 1923 but was renamed Bryce Canyon National Park in 1928 after a prominent Mormon, Ebenezer Bryce, who lived in the near the park. While we only had time for a 2-3 hour hike before jumping back on the road to Page, the park is over 35,000 acres in size. The beauty of Bryce canyon and its trails made for great memories. Looking back now I am so pleased I didn’t simply push on but stopped to smell the roses…err pines and sights of Bryce Canyon.

Arriving was a little like the Grand Canyon with the requisite National park sign surrounding by pine trees and an open meadow. You’re not even sure their is a canyon until you drive a little further and, WHAM!, the canyon looms before you. Even the view from the parking lot dispelled any reservations about whether we had made a good decision.

Hitting the Trail

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The hiking trail at Bryce Canyon is very good and defined, but as with all trails you need to use a bit of common sense (which sometimes isn’t very common). Clearly, care should be taken when going near edges as th footing can be uneven or slippery with moving pebbles and rocks. Given that the highest point is over 9000 feet in elevation, I also wouldn’t recommend the hike for those people with respiratory conditions or, due to poor footing, and hills, anyone with mobility issues. Other than that, most individuals can navigate the trail and enjoy the scenery caused by the effects of wind and headward erosion. Before you start your hike always remember to bring a water bottle, a jacket, and take your time.

Along the hike you will see many spires, called Hoodoos, which have resulted due to years of frost weathering and other erosion of the sedimentary rock. Many have unique shapes and beautiful colorings. One, in particular, looked to have a tire shaped stone perched precariously atop a pillar. I grabbed the picture and kept one eye peeled for anything deciding to pick that particular time to tumble down.

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Matthew and I enjoyed our time at Bryce Canyon National Park taking in the sights and enjoying some exercise. We saw several fellow hikers of all ages exploring other hiking trails or having lunch near the bottom. Our time nearly over we climbed back up to the parking lot said our goodbye’s to Bryce Canyon and hit the road to see the Glen Canyon Dam.

I hope you found our little side jaunt fun and the photos (albeit scanned from old photos) hopefully made you think a little about including Bryce Canyon onto your next trip in Utah. I truly believe that you will be well rewarded with stunning vistas of natural beauty and the time spent with friends and family hiking the canyon will create lifelong memories.

Feel free to leave any comments, questions or corrections for me. I appreciate you looking and relish your feedback.