iamq

A word about service at the Lodge...Everyone we had dealings with were happy and very willing to help. From check-in to maid service to food service, we experienced attentive, friendly and casual, if low-key service. This was our experience at all three National Park Lodges we stayed at. These lodges are not for the high-maintenance, luxury seeking customer.

After getting settled in to our cabin, we hit the rim trail and started walking and gawking! The rim trail is a treasure as it gives you views into the hoodoos while still offering panoramic views of the edge of the canyon, and distant views of the valleys and plateaus off in the distance. We picked up the trail between Sunrise Point and Sunset Point and walked south to upper Inspiration Point and then back again. As I alluded to before, one's first views of the hoodoos are pretty shocking. It was like there was a community of sandstone people just standing out there looking back at you. I started personifying them and categorizing then into groups, which made it fun for me. As one walks the trail, perspectives and views change constantly. I was thinking that if I had one day in the park and limited time, this is the portion of the rim trail I would hike as it offers so much bang for the effort. It is mostly level, with some slight ups and downs, but remember...it is over 8,000 feet, so one needs to walk slowly, drink plenty of water and take rests if not acclimated yet to the altitude. Stopping frequently was not a problem for us as we stopped for photo ops every 30 or 40 feet!

I might add that the weather was perfect for walking. It was around 75 degrees and there was a fairly healthy breeze blowing to keep things comfortable. the sky was a perfect blue and not a cloud was to be seen.

Being in a place like this seems to bring out the best in people. As we walked along, everyone was all smiles and a "hello" or "good afternoon" was always repsonded to in kind. Some casual converstations were struck up about the beauty of the place, or to point out a particular feature and quick, short friendships were formed before moving on. We found this to be true at Zion and GCNR, but it was more apparent and genuine at Bryce for some reason.

Centralparkgirl

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That is so true - just like riding the subway (lol)!

5OHS

Really enjoying this! We are headed on same itinerary in two weeks! Keep it coming!

elnap29

Glad to hear about the "upgrade" at the Bryce cabins. A mini-fridge and coffee maker will be welcome additions. And hoo-ray for new mattresses! (Are they still double-sized instead of queen-sized?)

iamq

Hi elnap, yes they are double sized beds, but seemed large for a double, but not quite not large enough as a queen. Ours were arranged on either side the doorway to the bathroom area and queens would not have fit in the spaces on either side of that doorway. The housekeeping staff were quite excited about the new beds.

50HS, I should have this done in two weeks. LOL. I get long winded and then I get tired and then I loose interest, but eventually end up wrapping these things up rather quickly. Hang in there.

iamq

We had one full day to fill and the original plan was to get an early start and hike the Fairyland Loop Trial and then drive the park road and visit some viewpoints on the way back. Well, over dinner that night in the lodge we decided to change plans and take a somewhat shorter route through the amphitheater instead. We started at Sunset Point and decsended into the Canyon on the Navajo Loop Trail which connects with the Queens Garden Trail and took that back up to Sunrise Point. I think this ended up being about a 4 mile hike and it was perfectly spectacular. We stopped frequently to take it all in. We both agreed this was one of the nicest hikes we did on this trip. If you start on the Navajo Loop trail, the ascent out of the canyon isn't as steep and has more open and vista laden views. The ranger I spoke to suggested we do it this way and he was right on. It seems like most folks were starting on the Queen's Garden Trail and going in the opposite direction as us though. I am glad we did it the way we did. The Queen's Garden area is jam packed with all sorts of geological treasures and formations and is worth the visit. There are some side trails we took from the main trail that got us up close to some the formations and cliffs. A little scary, but worth it for the views. We had had the lodge pack us box lunches which we were now ready to eat, so once reaching the Rim Trail we continued north for about a mile towards Fairyland Point. We found a great place to sit and eat with a wonderful view of Chinese Wall. What a great day so far!

One thing to note about the the Navajo Loop Trail...there was trail construction going on in one part of it so the loop was actually closed. We descended into the Canyon on the the part that is usually used for coming back up that loop. They were building retaining walls to protect the trail from slides.

At the end of the park road is Rainbow Point where there is a trail that takes you to some old Bristlcone Pine trees that I really wanted to see before leaving the park. So after lunch, we walked back to the cabin, got the car keys and headed south on the park drive. Everyone suggests you drive to the end at Rainbow Point and Yovimpa Point and then drive back up, stopping at the viewpoints along the way. This worked well for us.

For those of us that travel often, we know things don't always go as planned and I as about to experience one of those times. We got to Rainbow Point and walked around a bit, then started walking on the very FLAT, very EASY, and very WELL MAINTAINED Bristlecone Pine Trail. We were walking along when all of sudden out of the blue my toe caught hold of something, I tripped, lost my balance and took a flying spread eagle leap through the air, landing on my forearms, wrists and knees on a lovely patch of gravel headed slightly downhill and off trail. M was behind me when it happened and he said it looked like I was launched into air head first. Well... to say I had a bad case of road rash is putting it mildly. My left forearm took it the worst and when I looked at it I almost fainted. Yikes. Nothing appeared broken, but there was a huge hematoma amongst all the gouges, scrapes and embedded rocks, pebbles and dirt. It was ugly. I freaked out for a moment. M calmed me down, and I remembered that a good friend recently broke her wrist while vacationing in Kauai and I knew if she could get through THAT, I could do this. We walked back to the car where luckily we had a couple of gallons of water in the car as there is no running water here. As M flushed the wounds out with water, I picked out pebbles and other assorted debris. Long story short, we ended up at the Visitor Center where a ranger iced and further cleaned my arms and knees and dressed them nicely with bandages. She was actually impressed with the cleaning job we did. Oy!

It hurt like hell and did put a bit of a crimp on things for the next day or two, but the worst of it was over in a couple of days and I was determined not to be a drama queen and milk it as I have been known to do and got over it. Anyhow M got good at giving me sponge baths and changing the dressings!

Bryce is amazing. We both agree to return as I still need to see those damn Bristlecone Pines! LOL.

Right now the newly forming scabs itch like a mofo!

Onward to the Grand Canyon!

smetz

Oh man, iamq, I can't tell you the number of times I worried about a spill just like yours! Sorry about your fall, but it sounds like you weathered it well. At least you didn't pitch over a canyon wall, lol!

iamq

Hi smetz, Like you, my big worry has always been loosing my balance and tumbling over a cliff or ledge. The "funny" thing about this fall was that it was on the most benign and wimpy trail in the entire park and the nearest ledge was a half mile away! Go figure, you never know.

elnap29

You're right, iamq. You never know. One reason I still haven't written a trip report on our April trip to Zion/Snow Canyon/ Valley of Fire was due to a shocking fall I took. (I'll get to that report eventually...) BUT I am so glad you are OK and weathered it well, even if it did take the fun out of a few of your adventure days. Looking forward to reading the rest of your trip report, bandages and all!

Froderick

This is what its all about. The joy and discovery, and the sharing.

sharondi

Great trip report, iamq. Hope your wounds are healing nicely. As I read about your fall, it sounded like I wrote the report since I am notorious for tripping, falling and general klutziness. My husband is constantly reminding me to be careful and pay attention while I'm hiking. I'm glad you didn't get injured too badly. Looking forward to reading the rest. Thanks for the report.

swisshiker

Your report is a real treasure, packed with such lovely descriptions and details. It's been several years since we've visited, and now I think we need to go back again, but this time stay in the cabins. We've always stayed at Ruby's Inn, and really it was fine, but I can so imagine staying right there at the rim would be awesome, especially in the early mornings and at sunset. Well done, iamq!

zlaor

What a great report.

iamq

Thanks Sharondi and swissshiker.
Sharondi, in our house, M is considered the clutz with two left feet and hands. That was another thing where we found humor in this situation. "It wasn't suppossed to be me. You're the one who's always injuring yourself!" Ah well.

North Rim Grand Canyon
The drive from Bryce to NRGC was uneventful. We stopped in Kanab for medical supplies and food. We stopped at a market called Glaziers. For some reason, I really liked this market, maybe because we got everything we needed and they were so nice to us. They have a nice deli, bakery and fry counter too! It located at the intersection of 89A and 89 and would be a good place to stock up on supplies (we needed bandages, LOL).

The one real surprising thing about the long drive to the North Rim was the terrain on 89A through the Kaibab National Forest. Meadows! HUGE meadows for as long as one could see surrounded by forests that climbed up the hillsides. Meadows are my favorite mountain feature, so this was a real treat for me. It was amazing and unexpected. I guess I was expecting a high desert, dry terrain. Since it was still fairly early in the season on the north, the meadows were bright green and very mosit with small lakes dotting the expanses. Just beautiful. I imagine by now they are blooming with wild flowers.

Anticipation and excitment were our emotions as we approached the north entrance to the park. I am 51 and it was always a source of shame to me that I had never been to the Grand Canyon, especially since I live within easy access. M's only trip to the GC and been a drunken junket from LA in a private plane in the early 70s and he remembers nothing, so we won't count that.

The North Rim facilities area is very compact and nicely contained. We found parking easy and was pleasnantly surprised by the lack of the throngs of people I was expecting. We'd soon learn that the north gets only about 10% of the visitors to the park. Yay! Sure, there were some tour buses, but there was a wonderful lack of tourist chaos. It seemed quiet and peaceful. The weather was wondeful. 75 degrees with a farily strong breeze...similar to Bryce.

We stopped in at the Lodge to check on our room (I tried not to sneak a peak out the lounge window at the views, as I wanted my first viewing to be from the outside deck) and was told it would be ready in two hours. We had some time to wander around. We visited the Visitor Center and talked to a lovely ranger about what our options were for the next few hours and for the next few days. I love these rangers! They have to answer such a wide variety of questions. I'm not sure I could do it. This woman loved her job and broke into an impromptu lecture to the growing group of folks around her. She was genuinely interested that we get the most from our visit her information proved really helpful to us.

smetz

"The one real surprising thing about the long drive to the North Rim was the terrain on 89A through the Kaibab National Forest. Meadows! HUGE meadows for as long as one could see surrounded by forests that climbed up the hillsides. "

My wife and I had the same experience on exiting Zion at the east end of the park. As dry as Zion was, just after exiting the park on Route 9, the terrain turned to green rolling hills and forest. Take away the mountains in the background, and we could have been back in Maryland!

Keep it up, great TR iamq.

Froderick

You mean you flew like an eagle into the gravel? Or was it more like iamq in flight, afternoon delight? Itchy gitchy owchie mama. Heal well

Centralparkgirl

I'm loving your TR.

You are very lucky that you didn't break anything in that nasty fall - like your teeth, neck,etc.!

iamq

Yes cpg, I was very fortunate not to have broken anything or had my gorgeous mug mucked up. My forearms took the brunt of the fall.

On the advice of the ranger at the information center we decided to take the paved .5 mile walk out to Bright Angel Point for the views. The pathway literally skirts the edge of the rim as it leaves the Lodge and this is where I got my first real good look at the Grand Canyon. Since the drop off here is more gradual than the South Rim and is dominated by side canyons that reach out into the Valley you can't really see the bottom and I guess the effect might be a bit less dramatic as far as shear drop off goes than on the South Rim, but as I said in the beginning, my eyes felt like they were being tugged out of my head towards the other side of the canyon. Just below the lodge, before you get to Bright Angel Pont there are two lookouts built on rocks that just out into the Canyon. Wow. We spent some time standing there gripping the railing and gazing and taking pictures of course. The wind starting picking up to the point where people were starting to leave the lookouts. Then it really starting whipping! M retreated with the rest of the folks, but I stayed and clutched onto the railing, leaned into the wind and just let the wind blow! What an exhilirating ride!

I have not mentioned it yet, but M has a bit of a heights and ledges and drop off fear, and I can't get enough of looking down thousands of feet, so while I was standing at the very edge not getting enough, he was always a few step (yards) back the edge. He stayed within his comfort zone and I tried not to do anything stupid. We continued to walk down to Bright Angel Point and when we got there the views were of course amazing. What else can one say? It is unlike anything. The wind was still whipping up a storm, so we both retreated to a sheltered area and admired the view.

Dayle

I'm so glad you did hike down into Bryce. I'm afraid most people miss this magical experience of hoodoos up close and very personal!

susncrg

Just came across this report and am really enjoying it. One question on Bryce accommodations. Would it be better to get a cabin or to stay in the main lodge? Did you see those rooms at all (assuming there are rooms in the lodge).

Thanks for any guidance on this, as the last time I was there, many moons ago, all that was available was a cheap motel down the road made of doublewides.