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.
