Cannonville/Bryce Canyon KOA
Cannonville, UT
September 9, 2016
We decided to deal with the crowds and visit Bryce one last time to do the short, cardio-workout known as Navajo Loop. We arrived early in the morning and did the loop counter clockwise.
The hike starts at Sunset Point, but we parked at Sunrise point to enjoy the sunrise as we walked along the rim.
The descent (540 ft) is a series of short, tight switchbacks that go straight down to the canyon floor. It was cool looking up as we went down...
My favorite highlight of the trail is Wall Street...a section of narrows at the base of the canyon.
If my info is correct, the Douglas Firs that live in these narrows are 400+ years old.
When the trail opened up, shades of reds, oranges, and greens fanned out in all directions...
...and oh how beautiful the shades of blue were !
It wasn't long until we came to Two Bridges.
And last, the climb back to the rim where we passed Thor's Hammer.
It was a very nice morning. I just can't say enough about the weather we have enjoyed the past couple of weeks. Definitely a great time to visit.
So until next time, I am going to try to get this crick out of my neck...
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| ...always looking up ! |
HAPPY TRAILS !
Cannonville/Bryce Canyon KOA
Cannonville, UT
August 31, 2016
Our first hike in Bryce Canyon NP was a 3.4 mile in/out hike along Fairyland Trail to Tower Bridge. We were at the trailhead early. The air was crisp, the morning sun lit up the hoodoos, and on the descent to Tower Bridge, we had the trail almost to ourselves...we passed one other couple. Perfect !
There is no other place quite like Bryce Canyon NP. Hoodoos of red, pink and white rock fill the landscape. From the rim, which varies from 8,000 to 9,000 feet, mazes of these hoodoos can be seen in all directions.
The trail to Tower Bridge begins at Sunrise Point. The 950 foot descent to the bridge makes this a moderate trail. It's been awhile since we hiked (in Gunnison). Our legs felt like cooked spaghetti noodles on the descent and then like they weighed 200 pounds each on the climb out of the canyon. Its always a good feeling to get that first hike under our belts when its been awhile.
One of the highlights of this trail are the Bristlecone Pines. These trees can live for thousands of years...in fact, the oldest living bristlecone is 4,000+ years old.
These wonders are a member of the group of pines known as foxtail pines because of the shape of the branches and the way the needles stay attached all the way up the limb.
Tower Bridge is a rock formation with Keyhole Window on one end and the bridge between two towers on the other.
The best place to get a good picture is down by the creek bed looking up.
While we were there we spotted a pair of Stella Jays.
When we were here in May 2013, we didn't hike any of the Fairyland Trail. The weather was very iffy that May with lots of severe thunderstorms, cold winds and even some snow and hail. Joe and I both agree September is much better with cool nights and pleasant, breezy days.
Fairyland indeed...turned out to be a great first hike here.
Until next time...happy trails !
P.S. You can read about our first hike at Bryce Canyon in May 2013. It's the featured post top right hand column.
HAPPY TRAILS !
