SLOW SALLY & CREW

Utah is world famous for its “Mighty Five” National Parks: Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, and Zion. Our crew often skips over National Parks for more dog-friendly destinations, but with so many spectacular parks clustered in the southern half of one little state, each surrounded by cheap or free camping on public lands, we couldn’t resist visiting at least a few. Besides, what kind of travel bloggers would we be if we spent a month in Utah without stepping foot in a National Park? We felt duty-bound to discover what all the fuss was about.

During our time exploring Utah, we popped into 3 of the Mighty Five parks: Bryce Canyon; Capitol Reef; and Canyonlands. The landscapes were unlike anything we’ve ever seen – more akin to what we would expect to find on Mars than here on planet Earth. We were so in awe of these places that we’ve put together a 3-part mini-series about our experience. 1 part per park. In each part, we share our answers to the same 9 prompts, and bombard you with photos that WILL make you want to jump in your car, van or RV and head to Utah!

Before jumping into Part 1, keep in mind that all our decisions about each National Park adventure were based on visiting with Walter, our adventure mutt. If we were travelling without a dog, our experiences would be entirely different, and we would have opted to spend lots of time in the backcountry.

Follow along and join us now for Part 1!

Bryce Canyon National Park

1: Why Did We Choose Bryce Canyon?

We chose Bryce Canyon for a lot of reasons. Top among them is that when we talk to other travellers about Utah’s National Parks, many of them tell us that Bryce is one of their favourites. Some of the other reasons that lured us were the cool, high-elevation temperatures, the greatest concentration of hoodoos in the entire world, and more practically speaking, the fact that it was right along our planned route.

2: What Did We Like Best?

The Park Rangers have a name for the moment a visitor approaches the rim and is in complete awe as they capture their first glimpse of the amphitheatre. It’s called the “Bryce Moment” (yes, very original). We loved almost everything about Bryce but the views from the 1-mile Rim Trail that connects Sunrise and Sunset Point were what we liked best. The beauty of the scenery is beyond what words can describe.

The hoodoos dot the landscape like a million little monochromatic sand spires shaded every colour of orange. In the morning light, the hoodoos glowed so intensely that they looked neon and translucent, as if they were about to liquify. They appear to be growing from the ground like sand trees, but in fact, they are slowly eroding out of the landscape, as snow, ice and water break down the softer rocks around them.

3: What Did We Like Least?

I can’t think of a single thing not to like about Bryce. We enjoy having destinations mostly “to ourselves” and this most certainly was not the case in Bryce Canyon. The Visitor’s Centre and parking lots were congested, even on weekdays when we visited in May. However, we’ve learned that congestion is the price we must pay to experience the best US National Parks. The only other disappointment: the Mossy Cave. More about that later.

4: We Were Surprised By…

… discovering lush pine forests in a dry, high-elevation desert and snow blanketing some of the slopes around the hoodoos. I never would have guessed we’d find snow in mid-May. The snow-covered hoodoos created some of the most dramatic scenes in the park and I’d love to return in winter when there’s a thick layer of snow on everything. The downside to this surprise was below-freezing temperatures at night, which forced us to leave our favourite National Forest campsite and descend to the nearby town of Tropic at a lower elevation, lest we be willing to risk freezing our van’s exterior water lines overnight.

5: Which Trails Did We Hike?

Rim Trail (Sunrise Point to Sunset Point – 1 mile)

The easy 1-mile Rim Trail is the most used path in the park and offers stunning views over the Bryce Amphitheatre. We shared it with tens if not hundreds of other people on a partly cloudy Wednesday morning but no matter, the views were worth it! In our enthusiasm for the scenery, we took well over a hundred photos of hoodoos from different viewpoints along the trail. As I look back on them, they are mostly indistinguishable from one another. The Rim Trail is dog-friendly, an absolute rarity in the US National Park system. Discovering that dogs are allowed on the trail was like a gift and we can’t thank the Park enough for making it so.

Queen’s Garden* (2 miles)

The Queen’s Garden Trail starts at the rim of the canyon and descends through the hoodoos and tall pines (see photo above). It’s the most highly recommended trail and it’s busy! Even early in the morning. Despite the crowds, I loved it. My favourite views and photos were from the tippy top of the trail. The ant-sized people swarming along the trail created an interesting image. As I descended into the canyon, I passed beside, along, and through the hoodoos, admiring their textures and colours as well as some of the wildlife living amongst them. Apparently one of the hoodoos looks like Queen Victoria from the right angle… the effect was lost on me.

Mossy Cave* (0.8 miles)

I hiked the trail curious to admire the famous mossy cave, but it was the river, waterfall and hoodoo views that captured me and beckoned photos. I’m sure the mossy cave is spectacular in winter with its long floor-to-ceiling icicles, or in summer, with its lush, green, hanging moss, but in mid-May, it was just a dirty-looking little cave.

6: Where Did We Camp?

We camped in two different dispersed camping areas in the nearby Dixie National Forest. Many of the sites are private and nestled amongst the tall pines. There are no services but camping is free and we managed to get a weak cell signal. It was perfect!

7: Walter’s Dog-Friendly Park Rating: 3.3/5 stars

Walter here – reporting for my canine followers. Bryce Canyon was one of the more dog-friendly National Parks I’ve visited with my humans. I got to claim territory and meet lots of dog-loving humans along the Rim Trail. I was also allowed to exit the spaceship at each look-off on the scenic drive… not sure why we kept exiting the van, but I enjoyed the cool, fresh air. The thoughtful National Parks people also built a long bike path through the park that I can walk or bike on. Haven’t tried biking yet, but as an adventure mutt, I’m sure I could do it!… one of these days.

• Campground – 4/5 stars (didn’t stay there but apparently, I could if I wanted to)
• Trails – 2.5/5 stars (not too shabby for a National Park)
• Lookoffs – 3.5/5 stars

8: Would We Go Back?

No. Not because we didn’t love it (we did), but because after spending 2 days in the park, we visited all the “must-see” spots, saw a wide variety of landscapes, and left with a good sense of the place. We would consider returning in future without Walter in tow, which would allow us to explore the longer hikes and backcountry.

9: Our Tips & Recommendations

• Do the scenic drive. The look-offs are stunning and offer broad views over the parks’ many landscapes and features.
• Visit during weekdays to avoid crowded hiking trails, and get out first thing in the morning or in the evening. Some of the more strenuous hikes are less busy.
• There are guided horse rides through the park. It looked like so much fun and the prices were very reasonable (1.5 to 3-hour rides ranging in price from $75-100). Had there been availability, we would have signed up and stayed an extra day.
• If you are visiting between October and May, be prepared for freezing temperatures overnight.
• The nearby Red Canyon is also stunning, with fewer crowds and dog-friendly trails. Read all about it here.

Stay Tuned

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this series, where we’ll share with you the domes, orchards, and a sketchy backcountry driving adventure in Capitol Reef National Park.