Bryce Canyon National Park – 10/24/2020

There are too many beautiful sites to explore in Utah, and we only have a week. My mother said her favorite was Bryce, so we made a day trip detour on our way to the Grand Canyon. The All Trails app directed us to the Fairyland Loop Trail as an excellent way to see the hoodoos, for which Bryce is known.

Today I learned that Bryce Canyon is not actually a canyon, having not been carved by a central stream. Instead, according to Wikipedia, a different kind of geologic process called headward erosion exposed a bunch of pinnacles called hoodoos, in a collection of giant natural amphitheaters. I bored Won during the drive with a dramatic reading of the Wikipedia article.

My poor bunions, sore from 8 miles, 1680 feet elevation gain, are now propped up in the Revel. I have another wee dram of Balvenie 12 year. And we are debating our dinner menu.

If you’re traveling in a 19ft campervan, there are many great options for dry camping (in an established campground, but no hookups, so entirely dependent on your campervan’ s power and water supply). The North Campground inside the National Park looked nice and popular, if a bit crowded. We passed the Red Canyon Campground, just 20 minutes up the road, and were jealous of its access to an awesome looking paved bike path, but it looked closed for the season. So we choose a nice spot amid the pines in Tom’s Best Spring Dispersed Camping on public lands.

A huge thank you and shout out to the USDA Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service for the excellent and often unrecognized work you do. You guys are an American national treasure.

October 25, 2020