Anyone who loves roadtrips & national parks and resides
in or travelling to USA, would definitely have a dream roadtrip planned to “Mighty 5”.
Mighty 5 refers to 5 iconic National Parks of Utah – Bryce Canyon National
Park, Canyonlands National Park, Arches National Park, Capitol Reef National
Park and Zion National Park.
Each of these National Parks is stunningly beautiful and unique.
I had been to Zion National Park earlier, so I decided to
cover the rest of the four in my ten days roadtrip to Utah, Colorado and
Wyoming.
As I mentioned in my earlier posts, I spend the first day of the roadtrip
sightseeing Salt Lake City and exploring the hidden gem of Utah – Bonneville
Salt Flats.
The plan for second day was to cover the most beautiful National Park of the
Mighty 5 – Bryce Canyon National Park. The other national parks of Mighty 5 are
also majestic, dramatic, otherworldly and of course beautiful, but I found
Bryce Canyon National Park the most charming.
Bryce is made of up distinctive red rock pillars, also known as hoodoos, scattered across the plateau and forms numerous amphitheaters which looks perfectly surreal. Whatever be the season of the year and time of the day, they will leave you in awe.
Though, there is a lot to see here, a half day trip covering
the major viewpoints and hiking through the garden of hoodoos, would give you
almost complete glimpse of Bryce Canyon National Park.
So, here is the list of major attractions:
1. Sunrise Point
As the name suggest, it is the point to visit during sunrise, but you can
visit it at any point of the day.
The viewpoint is just a walking distance from the parking lot.
2. Queens
Garden/Navajo Loop Trail
After taking the Sunrise Point view, we started our way down into the
valley on Queens Garden Trail.
It is an easy trail for all the age groups, just keep an eye on the loose
pebbles along the path.
After walking the Queens Garden Trail, you can turn around
and return to Sunrise Point, but if you want to see the very famous Wall
Street, follow signs to the Navajo Loop Trail. The Wall Street hike is a bit
strenuous and steep, as it ascends back up to the rim, but the views from the
top are just stunning.
3. Sunset Point
The Navajo Loop Trail ends at Sunset Point. Get ready to soak yourself in
the amazing views from the viewpoint.
As we had parked our car in the parking of Sunrise Point, we took a shuttle
back.
Yes, they have park shuttles running mostly during all times of the year.
4. Inspiration Point
After reaching the Sunrise Point, we hopped back into the car and drove a
little distance to Inspiration Point. It is the best viewpoint of the park,
where you get to see amphitheater filled with the max hoodoos. There are two
viewpoints here, lower and upper Inspiration Point. Upper Inspiration Point
provides the best view in the park.
5. Bryce Point
The view from Bryce Point is similar to Inspiration Point, so we didn't visit this point.
6. Visitor Center
This can be your first or last stop, depending on whether you took the map
from the fee booth or not.
Also, get your souvenirs here.
Can you find Pooja ?
Tips from our experience
1. Start your day early as early as possible, so that you get the
parking spot and also get the views to yourself.
2. Sunrise is the best time for photography, as there are
less shadows and the sunlight is soft and reflective.
3. As the Bryce National Park is at an elevation of
8,000-9,000 feet, do carry warm clothes, as it might get cooler during the
summer times as well.
4. Make sure to check the trail conditions on national
service website and accordingly plan your trip. During Winter, the hoodoos gets
a dust of snow and they look magical, but not all trails might be open, so plan
your trip accordingly.
Few structures that I was able to capture :
Champagne or Chicken Leg -
Castle -
Hand -
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