The Navajo Loop trail at Bryce Canyon National Park. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
BRYCE CITY, Utah — Standing atop Bryce Canyon, I looked down in wonder at the pink rock towers below, aglow in the late-day light.
But to really appreciate the magic of these unusual rock formations, called hoodoos, you’ll want to descend from the rim to see these sculptures up close — to check out their cracks and holes and rough surfaces, the very geologic characteristics that caused their creation millions of years ago.
So at sunrise the day after I arrived, I laced up my hiking boots and headed down the Navajo Loop, a short trail (1.3 miles) with a steep ascent through a narrow passageway of rocks known as Wall Street. (I’ll take these rocks over Manhattan’s skyscrapers any day.)
Standing alongside these towering formations, it was easier to comprehend their formation, the product of millions of years of harsh weather patterns.
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The Navajo Loop trail at Bryce Canyon National Park. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
With an elevation between 8,000 and 9,000 feet, Bryce Canyon National Park is considerably higher than its sister Utah parks, which also makes it considerably colder. Evening temperatures during our mid-September trip dipped into the upper 40s, requiring a sweatshirt. By mid-October, nighttime temperatures are routinely in the 20s. (Zion National Park, just 75 miles away, has about half the elevation, and gets a fraction of the snowfall.)
The area gets an average of 7 feet of snow every winter, and experiences 200 freeze-thaw cycles, according to ranger April Case, who led an afternoon talk on the park’s geology at the canyon’s rim during my stay.
In a process known as frost wedging, freezing precipitation expands the cracks, eventually (over millions of years) resulting in holes, then windows and finally the towering spires located throughout the park.
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Hiking amid the hoodoos at Bryce. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
Hoodoos — they’re also called fairy chimneys, goblins and tent rocks — are not unique to Utah, but Bryce has the largest concentration of them anywhere in the world.
The Paiute Indians called them “Legend People,” and believed they were turned to stone as punishment for bad deeds.
Some of them do, indeed, look like people. One of the hoodoos here has been dubbed Queen Victoria, and bears a striking resemblance to a statue of the late British monarch in London (a photo of which is included on a nearby trail marker). Other hoodoos in the park are called Thor’s Hammer, the Hunter and the Rabbit.
Better yet: Come up with your own names for these ever-changing formations.
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Watching the sun rise from Sunrise Point at Bryce Canyon National Park. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
“I tell visitors to take in everything as if it’s the last time you’re going to see it — it might be,” said Case. The canyon loses an estimated 18 inches of land every 100 years, she added.
“In the winter, you can sometimes hear the rock cracking. Every time it freezes it busts out a little more rock.”
And one more interesting fact she shared: Bryce Canyon isn’t really a canyon, because it wasn’t created by a river. Technically, it’s an amphitheater.
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The view from the rim at sunrise. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
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A Western Cabin at Bryce Canyon National Park, a short walk to the canyon rim. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
Staying inside the park
This was my favorite of the three parks we visited — perhaps because it was our first stop, Mother Nature’s perfect antidote to the audacity of Las Vegas. It’s relatively compact and easy to explore, and also appeared to be the least crowded, although its visitor numbers have more than doubled in five years.
It was also the only place where we stayed inside the park.
I tried back in February to make a reservation for Bryce Canyon Lodge, yet it was booked for my dates in mid-September. But I was determined — checking online regularly, hoping for vacancies. I lucked out in mid-April, when I booked two Western Cabin rooms for two nights (about $250 per night).
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The main lodge at Bryce Canyon was designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood, the father of national park lodge design. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
These 15 cabins, plus the main lodge and two nearby motel wings, were built in the 1920s, by the Utah Parks Co., a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad. The railroad, trying to drum up business, was instrumental during the early days of the national parks, before the automobile ruled.
The railroad hired Gilbert Stanley Underwood, considered the father of national park lodge design, to develop lodges at Bryce, Zion and the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Bryce is the only one still standing as initially designed; the other two, destroyed by fire, have been rebuilt.
The two-story main lodge, with its stone base, oversized log framing and steeply pitched roof, is a fine example of the 20th-century architectural style that became known as National Park Service Rustic, or “Parkitecture.”
I can’t emphasize this enough: If you are able, stay inside the park. It was truly magical being so close to the rim.
The location was perfectly suited for my small group — my mom, my husband and I shared two adjoining rooms in one Western Cabin, which offered privacy and togetherness, all at once.
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Hiking through the Wall Street section on the Navajo Loop trail. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
Early morning hikes
The location also was perfect because my husband and I could rise early and hit the hiking trails while my mother slept in.
In the afternoon, we drove the length of the park’s 18-mile scenic drive, exiting the car at numerous spots for short walks and amazing views, including Natural Bridge, Agua Canyon, Inspiration Point and numerous others.
We also walked the well-traveled, mile-long, flat, paved Rim Trail between Sunset and Sunrise points.
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The Navajo Loop trail at Bryce Canyon National Park. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
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Natural Bridge, a stop on the 18-mile Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
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Agua Canyon, a stop on the 18-mile Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
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Hiking trails meet at the bottom of Bryce Canyon. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
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Hiking the Navajo Loop trail at Bryce Canyon National Park. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
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Ducking sometimes required, at Bryce Canyon National Park. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
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Hiking before the crowds hit the trails, at Bryce Canyon National Park. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
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On the Rim Trail, at Bryce Canyon National Park. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
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The gorgeous glow of early morning, at Bryce Canyon National Park. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
Bright, midday sun can sometimes bleach out the colors of the canyon. These two spots, crowded with photographers in morning and late afternoon, offer perfectly-lighted views of the canyon.
It’s the iron and manganese in the rock that gives them their pinkish-orangish-reddish hue, especially in soft light. It’s not the actual sunrise or sunset that’s important to witness, according to Case, but the soft glow that comes just after the sun comes up and before the sun sets.
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Photographers line up to catch early morning images, just below the rim at Bryce Canyon national Park. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
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The sun is setting in this photo, taken at Bryce Point lookout. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
One thing we missed out on: the spectacular dark sky. The combination of high elevation, clear, dry air and scant light pollution make for terrific stargazing. Unfortunately, there was some cloud cover and a nearly full moon during our visit, which hampered our effort to search the sky for constellations.
Not to worry. We had plenty to see during daylight hours.
Both mornings of our visit, my husband and I headed into the canyon, weaving in and out of the rock sculptures, gazing up at the hoodoos from their base.
Bothered by the elevation, my mother didn’t make it more than perhaps 100 feet into the amphitheater. But whatever the vantage point, above or below, it’s a view to cherish.
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Bryce Canyon's rocks change color throughout the day. (Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)
Bryce Canyon National Park: If you go
Getting there: Bryce is located about four hours from both Las Vegas and Salt Lake City, which each have nonstop flights from Cleveland. There are smaller airports in Cedar City, St. George and Page.
Admission: $35 per private vehicle for seven days.
Accessing the park: Unlike Zion, you're allowed to take your automobile into the main areas of Bryce, although parking is limited and spaces fill up during the summer and other busy periods. The park operates a daily shuttle, April-October, between the visitors center and main park areas, which also include several stops outside the park.
Information: nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/shuttle.htm
Where to stay: Reservations for all of 2020 at the Lodge at Bryce Canyon opened in May 2019. In-park lodging includes 70 hotel-style rooms in the Sunset and Sunrise motels, 40 Western Cabin rooms and four rooms in the main lodge. Overnight rates start at about $223 per night. Main season dates run from late March through late October, although cabins don't open until May 1. The Sunset Motel is also open in November, December and March, with limited services.
If you can’t get a room there at first, keep trying — there are lots of cancellations.
The park also maintains 200 camp sites.
Other hotel possibilities, located just outside the park entrance: Best Western Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel and Best Western Ruby's Inn, named after Reuben (Ruby) Syrett, who established a ranch and a lodge at the canyon rim in the early 1900s, before it was a public park. Today, the property serves as a hub for recreational outfitters, entertainment and more.
Where to eat: We stayed inside the park for food, eating dinner twice at the recommended lodge restaurant, with rainbow trout, elk chili and bison stew on the menu. There's also a small pizza shop, Valhalla Pizzeria, on the park grounds, where we ate outside. Outside the park, Ruby's Inn Cowboy Buffet and Steak Room is recommended.
Information: nps.gov/brca
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By the numbers: Utah’s national parks
Utah has five national parks, more than any other state except California (with nine) and Alaska (with eight). They’re all located in the southern half of the state.
Bryce Canyon: 35,835 acres
Annual visitors: 2.7 million
Year established: 1928
Zion: 146,597 acres
Annual visitors: 4.3 million
Year established: 1919
Arches: 76,679 acres
Annual visitors: 1.66 million
Year established: 1971
Canyonlands: 337,598 acres
Annual visitors: 739,449
Year established: 1964
Capitol Reef: 241,904 acres
Annual visitors: 1.2 million
Year established: 1971
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Read more
Traveling with Mom: Slowing down the pace in Las Vegas, Utah's national parks
24 hours in Las Vegas (and no gambling)
Hiking through Zion National Park's spectacular Narrows — and crowds
Coming next month: Exploring Arches National Park and Moab, Utah
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2019-12-22 10:02:57Z
https://www.cleveland.com/life-and-culture/g66l-2019/12/6b43f5765b1357/hiking-amid-hoodoos-at-utahs-magical-bryce-canyon-national-park.html
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