The day after we visited Arches National Park, we continued to Bryce Canyon National Park, as part of our long road trip in March 2023. The plan for my trip was to stay at a hotel close to the next day's destination so we can reach and see it early in the morning, while avoiding crowds. As such, we got to the park early in the morning.
Because the rim of Bryce is at about 2400m to 2700m elevation, it is still quite cold in March and the park is mostly covered in snow. The roads are cleared very well, but we found that only the Ampitheater portion of the park is open. But supposedly, the best views are in the Amphitheater anyways. We decided to go to the furthest view point first and work our way back, so we drove to Bryce Point to find the views completely covered in fog.
Disappointed by the fog, we tried our luck at Inspiration Point, but we were disappointed yet again. We moved on and drove to Sunset Point, were the fog was not as thick in some sections and we were able to see some of the hoodoos. It was my first time seeing hoodoos in person, and this geology formation was very interesting to see.
View of Amphitheater from Rim Trail at Sunset Point
We saw the trailhead to the Navajo Loop, which was covered in snow. We decided to go on the trail, so we went back to the car to grab our micro spikes and went hiking in the snow. Further down the trail, we were able to see the hoodoos closer and more clearly.
My son going down Navaho Loop
Closer views of hoodoos
Hoodoo at the center right is called Thor's Hammer
As we continued on the trail, we eventually reached a steep section with a lot of switchbacks. They call this section Wall Street, probably because of the wall of high hoodoos on the two sides. We went down to the bottom of the switchbacks and decided it was time to head back.
Looking down Wall Street from top of switch backs
Looking up Wall Street at the bottom of switch backs
When we got to our car, we wanted to try our luck again at Bryce Point. This time, the long line of cars waiting to enter Bryce Point looked extremely promising. When we were lucky enough to find a parking spot and got off the car, we understood why there was such a long line. The fog had receded and the view was simply amazing.
View at Bryce Point
Check out my previous adventures:
- The Panoramic Views of Panorama Ridge
- The Golden Larches of Frosty Mountain
- The Winter Snow of Pump Peak at Mount Seymour
- Sapphire Waters and Azure Skies of Battle Bluff
- It Isn't Always Sunshine and Blue Skies
- The Frozen River and Waterfalls of Maligne Canyon
- The Amazing Arches of Arches National Park