gnilma's Hiking Adventures 8 - The Bizarre Hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park \ stacker news ~earth

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:

121 sats \ 2 replies \ @birdeye21 23 Jan

Wooooow.

Red canyons contrasted with the white snow is an unparalleled combo. What a vibe that is.

54 sats \ 0 replies \ @grayruby 24 Jan

Stunning. I was thinking the same thing.

44 sats \ 0 replies \ @gnilma OP 24 Jan

A different sight for sure, versus the summer views. Disadvantage is that about 2/3 of the park is closed due to winter conditions and roads not being plowed. Trade offs.

54 sats \ 1 reply \ @grayruby 24 Jan

Wow. Incredible. I need to get out to Utah and check out a Jazz game while I am there.

100 sats \ 0 replies \ @gnilma OP 24 Jan

If you plan on going and have the time, visit all of the mighty 5: Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce, Zion, Capitol Reef. They are all unique and different. If you don't have as much time, I suggest doing Arches, Zion, and Bryce, as I personally think they are the best out of the 5. If your schedule is really tight, go Zion and Bryce, as they are relatively close together.

Or if you want to make it an adventure, have the time, and don't mind the long drive, start from Salt Lake, go Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce, Zion, then head to Page Arizona for Antelope Canyon + Horseshoe Bend, loop to Grand Canyon and back to Salt Lake.