Trip Report - Bryce Canyon Utah first week of October 05
Rented a mid sized car in Las Vegas, (we had coupons for Hertz, no waiting time, 2006 car) stopped at Costco's for water, film, and snacks and headed out to Bryce. We should have stopped and stayed somewhere on the way. 5 hour drive and we’d already been traveling all day. I also didn’t take into consideration the time change. (Brain burp). BTW, the woman at the Hertz counter said that a group of 5 people had rented a SUV recently, put all their camping gear in the back and stopped at Walmart. When they came out, the rear window had been broken and all their stuff taken.

We stayed at the Bryce View Lodge across the street from Ruby’s. It had obviously had new carpet, paint, etc in the last year or so. Clean, comfortable, but basic (no fridge, hair dryer, etc.) the people were very nice. Better than I’d anticipated. You have access to Ruby’s pool.
We ate breakfast and supper at Ruby’s. Food was good, service ranged from excellent to pitiful. Lunch was generally nuts, cheese, etc. stuff we could carry.

Day 1 we stopped at the visitor center then drove to the end of the road. On the way back we stopped at every overlook. The views were fabulous. Since we were both suffering headaches from travel fatigue and altitude, (not to mention that with the sun directly overhead photography was a waste) about ½ way back (early afternoon) we went back to the hotel to take a nap. Went back to Inspiration point for 1 ½ hour before sunset. I was disappointed, the basin quickly became way too dark though long views were good. Decided to come back for sunrise.

Day 2 Sunrise was MUCH prettier, though cold. People had been there well before the sun rose to judge by the blankets they were carrying. Checked out the rest of the overlooks - walked a very little. (Pant....) Saw plenty of deer.

We decided to drive out RT 12. The scenery was spectacular along the whole road.
Stopped at the “Mossy Cave” trail along the way. Frankly the cave wasn’t too impressive, but the short hike was very nice, with a small waterfall near the end.
Very surrealistic landscape all along the road. If you are afraid of heights don’t drive past Calf Creek Recreation Area. The mountain suddenly drops off and you are driving on a narrow road with no guard rail. Scared me half to death. We stopped at the Recreation area with a picnic lunch, but didn’t think we could handle 6 mile hike to the falls at that point.
Back at Bryce they were doing a ‘burn’, you could see the smoke for miles.

We found that the altitude issues (couldn’t hike too far without panting for breath, headaches, and slight nose bleeds as well) didn’t abate for about 3 days, by which time we were heading to Zion. At home (sea level) though we are overweight and middle aged we can easily handle hiking for 3-4 miles.

Very interesting! I'm not familiar with that area of the US so it was all new info! Sorry to hear about altitude problems-do many folks get those symptoms? Looking forward to next part of your report.

That section of road you were refering to between Calf Creek and Boulder, Utah is know as the hogsback. Here are a few pictures.

http://www.so-utah.com/hwy12/hogsback/homepage.html

The first time we did this section of road it was POURING down rain and we couldn't hardly see the road, much less the scenery. You can imagine our surprise when we headed back from Boulder to Bryce and the sun had come out!

I guess when someone flys into this area they should consider going to Zion first to acclimate themselves to the altitude before going to Bryce.

Utahtea

I believe Bryce Canyon is at an elevation of 8,000 to 9,000 feet where Zion is down at 4,000 or so. Quite a difference. Check out Max Bertola's Utah site for an aerial shot of the Hogsback. I love this stretch of Hwy. 12. See www.so-utah.com (a great site).

Hi Ch,

Sorry to hear the alititude cramped your style! It's a common problem. Drinking LOTS of water can help greatly. People don't realize that they are getting a triple whammy: desert climate + high altitude + you loose more water exerting at high altitude anyway! Also, keeping food in your stomach helps. Altitude can curb some peoples' appetite and they don't eat = more altitude problems.

Hope you come back again for more of our great state!

Hi,
We visited Zion and Bryce this Easter. As UK visitors we found both parks unbelieveably beautiful. We had snow, and Bryce particularly was spectacular with the snow and a cloudless sky. However, I've never known it so cold, despite being wrapped up! We did not find the altitude too much of a problem, but then again, it was too cold to be out of the car for long. We are hoping to return in April 2006 and this is one of those places I would always come back to. Look forward to hearing how you got on. RogandLin

I didn't realize there may be an altitude issue as we went to Zion first, then to Bryce.

I heard, Gingko biloba pills help, taken well in advance. Also slow ascend.

Absolutely agree with Chaladyg - the views are fabulous!