Bryce Canyon/Escalante Trip, Pt. 1
Sep 26th, 2001, 03:45 PM
#1
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Bryce Canyon/Escalante Trip, Pt. 1
Just got back from a week at Bryce Canyon and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Parks (southern Utah. The red rock hoodoos and gaping canyons, the wind and rain-eroded rocks, the water-polished caverns, etc. are beyond imagination. Pictures don't do them justice. A camera can't capture the depth of color and the textures and the vastness of these areas.
We stayed at the Bryce Canyon Lodge for 3 nights. There are no other accommodations or restaurants or anything in the park. Nothing else is allowed, so it's very peaceful. You walk from your room or cabin about 100 yards to the edge of a rim and look down over miles and miles of hoodoo-filled canyon.
The rooms are situated in two 2-story buildings—upper units have small balconies; lower units have small patios. Cabins have high ceilings and gas fireplaces. For the small price difference, I’d choose the cabins over the rooms (assuming reservations are available at all; we got in on cancellations). None of the rooms or cabins have views, but are situated among the Pines about 100 yards from the Rim. Thank you to the people on this Board who suggested staying at the Lodge rather than Ruby’s Best Western or other motels outside the park—we carried our wine and cheese picnics out to a bench along the Rim and watched the sun set, then, in the mornings, carried our thermos of coffee back to the Rim and watched the sun rise. It gets chilly as the sun is setting and first thing in the morning, so windbreakers and sweaters are a definite must. The food in the dining room was good, but the bureaucracy surrounding the reservation system is something out of Catch-22. Unless you call 3 weeks ahead for a reservation, you’ll be given a 9 p.m. or later slot; however, one couple was seated while we were waiting for our 8:15 reservation—they were walk-ins, but other people on a different night were turned away from an early seating even though the dining room was half empty.
There are many stunning walks and hikes on and below the Rim, with names like "Queen’s Garden" and Fairyland Loop." Daytime temps are in the low 90’s right now. We brought mountain bikes but didn’t use them—they’re not allowed on the trails. We could have ridden throughout the park from viewpoint to viewpoint, but with so few days, we decided to "drive the Points." Inspiration Point was my favorite.
We stayed at the Bryce Canyon Lodge for 3 nights. There are no other accommodations or restaurants or anything in the park. Nothing else is allowed, so it's very peaceful. You walk from your room or cabin about 100 yards to the edge of a rim and look down over miles and miles of hoodoo-filled canyon.
The rooms are situated in two 2-story buildings—upper units have small balconies; lower units have small patios. Cabins have high ceilings and gas fireplaces. For the small price difference, I’d choose the cabins over the rooms (assuming reservations are available at all; we got in on cancellations). None of the rooms or cabins have views, but are situated among the Pines about 100 yards from the Rim. Thank you to the people on this Board who suggested staying at the Lodge rather than Ruby’s Best Western or other motels outside the park—we carried our wine and cheese picnics out to a bench along the Rim and watched the sun set, then, in the mornings, carried our thermos of coffee back to the Rim and watched the sun rise. It gets chilly as the sun is setting and first thing in the morning, so windbreakers and sweaters are a definite must. The food in the dining room was good, but the bureaucracy surrounding the reservation system is something out of Catch-22. Unless you call 3 weeks ahead for a reservation, you’ll be given a 9 p.m. or later slot; however, one couple was seated while we were waiting for our 8:15 reservation—they were walk-ins, but other people on a different night were turned away from an early seating even though the dining room was half empty.
There are many stunning walks and hikes on and below the Rim, with names like "Queen’s Garden" and Fairyland Loop." Daytime temps are in the low 90’s right now. We brought mountain bikes but didn’t use them—they’re not allowed on the trails. We could have ridden throughout the park from viewpoint to viewpoint, but with so few days, we decided to "drive the Points." Inspiration Point was my favorite.
Sep 26th, 2001, 03:48 PM
#2
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Guess I can post Part 2 as a reply.
The next 2 nights we spent at a B&B in the town of Escalante (pop. 800) on scenic Hwy. 12. The whole area is beautifully rugged with a surprising number of different geologic formations. Whereas in Bryce, a person could experience the wonders of the area without walking more than a few hundred yards, Escalante begs to be hiked. One day we hiked up the Escalante River--literally. The path meandered back and forth across the river as it made it's way up a canyon (you couldn't do it in the spring, I'm sure). The day was hot, the river was cool, and after the 3rd crossing in 20 minutes, we left our boots off and hiked up the middle of the river (bring acqua sox or water shoes). There is a fabulous arch and natural bridge at one point along the river, and a few areas with petroglyphs.
Another day, we hiked to Lower Calf Creek Falls. The swirls of color in the smooth rock at the waterfall was stunning. We took some pictures looking up the rock and they turned out like art prints. We then continued up Hwy. 12 to Boulder (a very, very small town) which is said to be the last town in the U.S. to get it’s mail by mule train. We drove the mule train route (now a gravel road). Get this—it’s called Hell’s Backbone—48 miles of bad road. Very scenic though, with many trails heading off into canyons and forests. We stopped at Posey Lake as the sun was setting and got some nice pictures of the just-starting fall colors on the Aspens. The next day, our hosts told us of a "short cut" back to Phoenix. It did save us about an hour, but I’m not so sure I’d do it a second time. It was worse than Hell’s Backbone, and we dubbed it "Hell’s Underbelly." It did have the advantage of taking us by Kodachrome State Park. We stopped for a few pictures, but didn’t do any hikes. It looked beautiful, but after Bryce it didn’t seem worth the time. Neither of these two roads should be attempted in anything but perfect weather—you could see where rain floods the washes and rivers and wipes out the road.
The next 2 nights we spent at a B&B in the town of Escalante (pop. 800) on scenic Hwy. 12. The whole area is beautifully rugged with a surprising number of different geologic formations. Whereas in Bryce, a person could experience the wonders of the area without walking more than a few hundred yards, Escalante begs to be hiked. One day we hiked up the Escalante River--literally. The path meandered back and forth across the river as it made it's way up a canyon (you couldn't do it in the spring, I'm sure). The day was hot, the river was cool, and after the 3rd crossing in 20 minutes, we left our boots off and hiked up the middle of the river (bring acqua sox or water shoes). There is a fabulous arch and natural bridge at one point along the river, and a few areas with petroglyphs.
Another day, we hiked to Lower Calf Creek Falls. The swirls of color in the smooth rock at the waterfall was stunning. We took some pictures looking up the rock and they turned out like art prints. We then continued up Hwy. 12 to Boulder (a very, very small town) which is said to be the last town in the U.S. to get it’s mail by mule train. We drove the mule train route (now a gravel road). Get this—it’s called Hell’s Backbone—48 miles of bad road. Very scenic though, with many trails heading off into canyons and forests. We stopped at Posey Lake as the sun was setting and got some nice pictures of the just-starting fall colors on the Aspens. The next day, our hosts told us of a "short cut" back to Phoenix. It did save us about an hour, but I’m not so sure I’d do it a second time. It was worse than Hell’s Backbone, and we dubbed it "Hell’s Underbelly." It did have the advantage of taking us by Kodachrome State Park. We stopped for a few pictures, but didn’t do any hikes. It looked beautiful, but after Bryce it didn’t seem worth the time. Neither of these two roads should be attempted in anything but perfect weather—you could see where rain floods the washes and rivers and wipes out the road.
Sep 26th, 2001, 04:25 PM
#3
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So glad you had a great trip! We were at Bryce this time last year, and the memories are still strong. You must have taken Cottonwood Road (what you've dubbed "Hell's Underbelly")- it does provide some great vistas, but as you remark, it's smart to check status of road before you use it. Think we called Kodachrome Basin State Park (435-679-8562) before we attempted it in May 2001. Thanks for hiking info on Escalante- we plan to check it out on our next trip.
Sep 26th, 2001, 05:33 PM
#4
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(sorry if this is a ramble)I am so glad I am not alone in my awe of the beauty of Bryce Canyon. It was so incredible! Everyone laughs when I tell them my next vacation will be to Utah (I live on the East coast). Zion National Park was also wonderful - the drive from Bryce to Zion through the mountains and valleys, with log cabins nestled in green valleys and horses grazing and looming over these scenes are snow capped mountains or sheer red rock - INCREDIBLE and BREATH TAKING. I was there this Spring and the roads were just starting to thaw...I also loved driving through Dixie National Forest....when you stand there in between the pines - there is NO sound...that in itself is just a lot to take in - so quiet and peaceful and seemingly untouched...
Sep 27th, 2001, 09:21 AM
#6
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Dear Sandy, RB & Sabrina,
So glad to hear you enjoyed my backyard! It seems Utah's natural beauty is better recognized by Europeans than Americans! You could spend many vacations in this state and never go to the same place twice. I live in Park City, Utah just east of Salt Lake City. I can see the Olympic Nordic ski jumps & bobsled & luge track from my deck. It's a perfect day outside and the aspens are golden. Write if you have questions on the western US. I've been to almost every Nat'l Park multiple times, love to ski and camp. I'll be happy to share whatever detailed info I can. Come visit us again soon!
So glad to hear you enjoyed my backyard! It seems Utah's natural beauty is better recognized by Europeans than Americans! You could spend many vacations in this state and never go to the same place twice. I live in Park City, Utah just east of Salt Lake City. I can see the Olympic Nordic ski jumps & bobsled & luge track from my deck. It's a perfect day outside and the aspens are golden. Write if you have questions on the western US. I've been to almost every Nat'l Park multiple times, love to ski and camp. I'll be happy to share whatever detailed info I can. Come visit us again soon!
