Beautiful Bryce Canyon
Ever heard of a hoodoo? Neither had we. A day at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah changed that. We can now spot a hoodoo, and thanks to Wikipedia, I can even explain it – sort of.
The obvious thing about a hoodoo is that it’s spectacular. Bryce Canyon is full of hoodoos. Wiki explains a hoodoo as a towering spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid basin. Preferential erosion is responsible for theses amazing giants. I’ve never heard of preferential erosion, but if it produces hoodoos, I’m all in favor.
Other Half and I have been busy exploring the canyons of Southern Utah. We’re camped at WillowWinds RV Resort in Hurricane, Utah. We’re here for two weeks. Hurricane, pronounced “Her-uh-kan” by the locals, is a gateway to Utah’s national parks. We’re taking full advantage and using the heck out of Other Half’s National Park Senior Pass.
Bryce Canyon was a full day trip. It’s located about 100 miles from Hurricane. We packed our lunch and headed out early. Once we got there, we walked the Sunrise to Sunset Rim Trail of the canyon.
We took the scenic route back to Hurricane. Since gawking is my specialty, the drive was awe inspiring. We reached an elevation of nearly 11,000 feet – high enough that there’s still snow on the ground.
Everywhere you turn there are canyons and equilibrium challenging overlooks. But WOW the views are so worth it.
Zion Canyon National Park
Zion Canyon is about 25 miles from Hurricane, so of course we went. Zion provides a shuttle service within the canyon. In fact Spring through Fall it’s the only option. We had heard that Zion gets insanely busy by mid day with hour plus waits for a shuttle. Not our thing.
We go to the park just as it opened and spent several hours hopping on and off the shuttle with no wait. The thing about getting there that early is that it’s cold. And, of course, neither of us were dressed warm enough.
The cool part about Zion is that you are IN the canyon rather than looking INTO the canyon. It was a day spent looking up instead of down. It’s an entirely different perspective.
There are 8 shuttle stops from the visitor center to the furthest point in the canyon. At each stop there are hiking trails at different skill levels. Other Half and I go for the “easy” level.
We spotted Mule Deer, mountain goats and wild turkeys. I love spotting wildlife in the wild.
One of the shuttle stops is at the Zion Lodge. The Zion Lodge serves breakfast, which happens to be Other Half’s favorite meal. Lucky for me, he was up for more hiking after hot coffee and eggs. We did 4 hikes and plan to return for another 4 before we leave the area.
Kolob Canyons
Today we visited Kolob Canyon. It’s located in the northwest corner of Zion. The canyons of Kolob are designated Wilderness and are pristine and primitive. They are also much less crowded than Zion or Bryce Canyons.
You experience Kolob Canyon by driving a 5-mile scenic route through crimson peaks and 2000 foot cliff walls. Like everything we’ve seen around here, it’s spectacular.
We took the drive to the Kolob Canyons Viewpoint. This is the furthest point and where the Timber Creek Overlook Trail is located. This trail is about a mile roundtrip and is rated moderate. We hiked up to the top and enjoyed the canyon views and a pack of trail mix.
When we finished the hike and got back to the trailhead, I stopped and read the trail information board. I think you’re supposed to read it before the hike – not after – but oh well.
Here’s what was posted: This is Mountain Lion habitat. Yikes! I’d love to see a mountain lion in the wild, but not while I’m sitting on a rock mindlessly eating trail mix. Glad I read this AFTER our hike. Next hike we’ll be more alert. Guaranteed.