After we had inspecting Zion National Park yesterday, today was all about exploring the Bryce Canyon National Park.
Table of contents
From Zion National Park to Bryce Canyon
The National Park is only about 1 1/2 hours from Zion National Park and can be reached in just over an hour by car (Google Maps). We had spent the night at Bryce View Lodge, so we had the opportunity to explore the national park early in the morning. Luckily we caught really good weather. It is fresh but sunny and a bright blue sky. We were very excited about what to expect, because the national park itself advertises on its homepage with the slogan “There is no place like Bryce Canyon”.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park is located at an altitude of 2400 to 2700 meters and is located in the southwest of the U.S. state of Utah. The national park was declared a National Monument in 1924 and a National Park in 1928. Today, well over one million visitors visit the park every year. Bryce Canyon was not formed by a river. It is not a canyon in the true sense of the word, such as the Grand Canyon. Wind, water and ice eroded the edge of the plateau into large amphitheatres with bizarre rock pinnacle, so-called hoodoos. These rock needles reach a height of up to 60 meters. Bryce Canyon National Park is considered the region in the world with the most hoodoos in the tightest of spaces. The amphitheatres thus created extend over a length of more than 30 km. The largest amphitheatre is called Bryce Canyon. It is almost 5 km wide, 19 km long and falls over 240 meters opposite the plateau. [Source: wikipedia.de]
A 29 km long panoramic roadleads through the national park, which leads to the 13 different viewpoints. A map of the national park we have here.
The entrance to the National Park
The Sunrise Point
Our first port of call was Sunrise Point, from which you have a great view of the canyon below. And here you can also see the multitude of bright orange hoodoos (rock needles) for which the park is so famous.
Hike along the Navajo Loop
From Sunset Point we walked along the approximately 2 km long Navajo Loop. This leads through the middle of the different sized rock needles, which always offer great photo motifs. It is hard to imagine that you are here at about 2,500 meters above sea level.
Wall Street in the Canyon
The notorious Wall Street is one of the most famous rock formations in Bryce Canyon. It is a section of The Bryce Amphitheatre, characterized by towering cliffs and hoodoos.
The Bryce Point
After many photo stops we walked back to the starting point and looked at some other viewpoints, like Inspiration Point or Bryce Point.
The Inspiration Point
All travelogues from the USA (2012)
This trip through the USA took us through 10 different states in 17 days. We started with a short stopover in the megacity Chicago. From there we continued by plane to Los Angeles and from there by rental car via Las Vegas, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Salt Lake City and Yellowstone National Park to Denver. For the last leg of our trip we went to the East Coast, where we visited New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. All in all an incredibly varied round trip with really many highlights.
» Illinois: Chicago – Tourist Attractions, Things to Do & Photo spots» California: Los Angeles – Walk of Fame, Chinese Theatre & Hollywood Sign
» Nevada: Las Vegas – Casinos, Fremont Street & the Las Vegas Sign
» Utah: Zion National Park – Attractions & Hiking Trails
» Utah: Bryce Canyon – Navajo Loop, Wall Street & Viewpoints
» Utah: Salt Lake City – Tourist Attractions, Things to Do & Photo spots
» Idaho: Idaho Falls – The Waterfalls & the Yellowstone Bear World
» Wyoming: Yellowstone National Park – Travel Guide & Things to Do
» Colorado: Denver – Travel Guide, Things to Do & The Zoo
» New York: New York in one day? The perfect route to walk through Manhattan
» New York: New York – One World Trade Center & 9/11 Memorial
» New York: New York – Travel Guide for a visit to the Statue of Liberty
» Pennsylvania: Philadelphia – Tourist Attractions, Things to Do & the Liberty Bell
» Disctrict of Columbia: Washington D.C. – Tourist Attractions, Things to Do & Photo spots