Hi everyone, we moved on from Zion National Park on Tuesday to our next destination which is Bryce Canyon. We took the scenic drive route through Mount Carmel which had some great views, and a long 1 mile tunnel dug through the cliff. Stopped for a brief walk at the ‘Canyon Overlook Trail’ as we were leaving the NP and then drove on to Bryce Canyon from there.

The scenic drive on the way to Bryce:

Bryce Canyon Day 1

A few pics from our arrival and of our hotel:

It’s even colder here than Zion, yesterday morning it was -12 degrees and we had a very thick frost on the car. We’ve learnt to park it a bit further away in the car park from the hotel so that it gets the sun on it in the morning, that will hopefully help today when we head out. Loads of pics below from our hiking on day 1:

• Total distance hiked = 9.87 miles
• Elevation change = 760 feet

Queen’s / Navajo Combination Loop

There was snow on the ground in places but with a clear blue sky (again) and the sun on you, it soon warms up when you’re hiking. We did the most popular walk first of all which is the ‘Queen’s / Navajo Combination Loop’ which takes you through the main “amphitheatre” and all the “hoodoos” as they call them. You start at the top of the canyon so you get the best views at the beginning, then hike down in to the valley along a winding path, then back up a steep path the other end.

‘Mossy Cave’ Walk

We then drove about 20 mins to another much shorter walk nearby where you hike up to a cave which at this time of the year, has loads of icicles formed from the roof.

There were also some completely frozen streams and waterfalls on the way up and some icy paths to navigate:

Tower Bridge Trail

Our last hike of the day was another one starting at the top of the canyon and hiking down in to the valley and then back, with the main sight at the end being the ‘Tower Bridge’ formation of rocks:

One bonus pick for Frank in here too 🙂 And a picture of ‘Thor’s hammer’.

And a panoramic shot I took

Sorry for the endless pics!

Si