Southern Utah Trip - Day 10 (Monday, May 28, 2001)
- Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks -
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| A hoodoo at the Agua Canyon view known as The Hunter. (Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah) |
We woke around sunrise, ate breakfast, then packed up camp and drove to Bryce Canyon National Park. After a quick stop at the visitor center, we made our way to Sunrise Point for our first view of the impressive Bryce Amphitheater. Continuing on, we then stopped at Sunset Point and started going down the Navajo Loop Trail to see the formations more intimately.
As we quickly descended the trial, the rock spires, known as hoodoos, began to tower high above us. We passed an interesting one known as Thors Hammer, then later saw two bridge formations. Chipmunks scurried around, apprently unafraid of humans. I knew better than to touch them and get a disease from the fleas they carried.
Soon the trail started ascending as we completed the loop. We entered a narrow canyon known as Wall Street. What particularly impressed me were that trees were growing in between these huge cliffs. The trail switchbacked up until we returned to the overlook. We next drove then walked up to Inspiration Point, which had the best view of the Bryce Amphitheater, also known as The Silent City. Bryce Point also had good views, including a look at the Wall of Windows, which were hoodoos with holes in between them.
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| Vermilion hoodoos tower above in Red Canyon. (Dixie National Forest, Utah) |
Done with looking at the gorgeous amphitheater, we drove to other overlooks such as Paria View, Farview Point and Piracy Point to get views of other hoodoos and other pink and orange rocks. One point had a great arch called Natural Bridge. The viewpoints at Agua and Ponderosa Canyon offered a contrast between the colorful rocks and green forest. Our last stops were Rainbow and Yovimpa Points for views of Southern Utah.
Afer a quick picnic near Yovimpa Point, we headed back to the park entrance. Just after passing the entrance kiosks, I quickly headed to Fairyland Point for one more picture of the park. We then passed the town of Bryce and headed through scenic Red Canyon. I stopped to take a picture of a car driving through a tunnel carved in the rock as well as the impressive rocks near the Red Canyon Visitor Center. An X marked on the pavement behind the Dixie National Forest Visitor Center showed me where to take a good picture of two hoodoos.
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| The Cedar Breaks Amphitheater at Point Supreme. (Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah) |
After passing Panguitch, we climbed in elevation again as we made our way past Panguitch Lake to Cedar Breaks National Monument. At elevations over 10,000 feet, there was still snow on the ground, but most of it had melted. We stopped at Chessman Ridge Overlook, Sunset View, and Point Supreme for great views of the amphitheater. However, I was hesitent to stay outside when a thunderstorm threatened, so we left after visiting the gift shop and museum.
The weather improved and warmed up as we took a winding road down to Interstate 15. We then entered the freeway in Cedar City and drove until we left Utah, passing the Virgin River Canyon in Arizona before entering Nevada. We then left the freeway and passed through Overton to get to Valley of Fire State Park, where we camped for the night at the Arch Rock Campground.
Contact me if you have any questions or comments about this trip.
| Document last modified January 06, 2009. Copyright © 1995-2009 Andrew Sawadisavi. All rights reserved. |
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