Myer

I've read that part of the Navajo Loop may be closed as a result of a landslide.

Has anyone been there recently and if part is closed, which part?

Thanks.

rm_mn

I've been there in March and part of the Navaho loop is closed but I'm not familiar enough with the trails to tell where it is closed.

karens

I won't be much help, either, just to confirm that that trail is still closed. However, I saw that there is a way to complete the Queens Garden/Navajo Loop.

I was there in early April. Love the southern Utah parks!

Myer

Ok. I'll help out.

There's the North side and the South side that passes Wall Street.

Were you able to pass Wall Street?

caligirl56

Myer,
We were just there last week. The south side that passes Wall Street is closed. But you can still make a wonderful loop by going down the northside (where you will pass Thor's hammer).

Then, when you get to the bottom, you can follow the loop around to the bottom of Wall Street where you can see the huge Douglas Fir trees. That's as far as you can go.

Then you can continue on up the Queen's Garden Trail (you will see the Queen Victoria hoodoo)--all the way to the top. Absolutely breathtaking. Then you just have a short walk along the rim back to where you started. (If I remember correctly, the Navajo Loop starts at Sunset Point and the Queens's Garden Trail leaves from Sunrise Point--I may have this backwards).

The whole thing couldn't be more than 3 miles. Would have liked to see "Wall Street"--but honestly, what we saw was so amazing that it made up for it.

The next morning, we took sunrise pictures at Bryce Amphitheater, and then went up to the top of the Navajo Loop and hiked down a bit. These sunrise pictures turned out to be our best. (More personal because we were close to the hoodoos). We even found two deer exploring the steep hills of the canyon. Beautiful.

Myer

Caligirl,
Thanks.

I can picture it.

I'm going for the views and not really for the hiking. I'll be there 2 days and don't mind going to the same places a couple of times at different times of day (different light).

After watching sunrise at Bryce Point, I'll back up to Inspiration Point. Then a morning hike down Navajo Loop (not really a loop now) and back up Queens Garden.

I read about an interesting variation. Depending how I do with the elevation and conditioning (I'm getting older), I may add part or all of the bottom portion of Peekaboo Loop either later in the day or the next day.

I've read that since you're already down in the canyon, the elevation drop isn't that much more. Doing a combination of all 3 involves only one descent.

Has anybody done that? How strenuous is it? I've started doing some conditioning. Amazing how bad I was but starting to get better. I still have a few weeks.

Has anybody done any evening walking/hiking by flashlight? I really can't see doing that.

caligirl56

Myer,

I hope you get to do the Peekaboo loop. We would have loved to do it, because it looks as though it adds a completely different perspective. (We were in the middle of a road trip, and only had one day and night).

Another thing that I would have liked to do (probably only makes sense if you're there for 2 sunsets)--watch the sunset at the Paria View. I had read that this is the real place to get the best light at sunset. It is a MUCH smaller amphitheater of hoodoos, but apparently it is the only one in the park that faces the correct way to catch the sunset light. My husband really wanted to see the sunset at the Bryce Amphitheater since we only had one night--and it was sort of cloudy, so I don't think we had the full experience. But, the sun sets back behind you, so it never really hits that amphitheater as well as it does in the morning. (Also--be sure to be there well BEFORE sunset--an hour or two--by the time the sun actually sets, there is very little light on the canyon anymore).

And I would definitely at least go out to the rim in the dark--get away from lights at the lodge. The stars are supposed to be brighter and more visible here than anywhere in America. (Not sure why it's different than other high altitude locations--maybe it's the the dry air??).

Myer

Thanks again Caligirl.

This is the first I'm reading about Paria View being the place to be for sunset.

Most of what I'm reading for various times of the day are Bryce Point, Inspiration Point and the rim between Sunset Point and Inspiration Point.

Depending upon whether other people are going down, I may try going down a bit so that I get some photos of Hoodoos and stars. I guess I may be able to check it out the day I get there if it's not too dark by then.

I guess I'll be posting photos on my web site.