Bryce Canyon NP, UT

Bryce Canyon is the home of hoodoos, pinnacles of rock, often oddly shaped, left standing after millions of years of erosion. The Paiutes have a legend that people who lived here in the old days were turned to stone for their evil ways by the powerful Coyote. The cliffs, windows and arches in the deep ampitheaters are all colored in shades of red, brown, orange, yellow, and white which change with the rising and setting sun. With elevations rising from 6,620 feet to 9,115 feet, Bryce is cooler than the other Utah parks. John Wesley Powell conducted the first thorough survey of the region in the 1870s. Mormon pioneer Ebenezer Bryce moved to the area and raised cattle shorthly thereafter.

Sunset Campground was a suitable spot in Bryce Canyon where we spent two days enjoying the weather and hiking the trails. Our first morning we drove up to the end of the road to Rainbow Point where we hiked the one mile Bristlecone Loop trail looking at Bristlecone Pines along the way. We spent the rest of the morning working our way back down the drive stopping at the many pulloffs to view various configurations of sandstone.
The most popular trail in the park perhaps, the Navajo Trail, is closed due to a landside of boulders of giant proportions. At dusk we descended the trail down 1/4 mile to the point where you could go no further. I call it a steep and strenuous hike coming back up but the park labels it moderate. Sleeping was optimum in the cool temperatures with gentle breezes blowing through Hernando's bedroom.
On the second day we took the 1.5 mile hike along the rim from Bryce Point to Inspiration Point. We caught the show at the visitor's center where I checked the bird book and learned I had indeed seen a Western Tanager. The red head, yellow body, and black wings made him a most colorful creature.
We also took the Moss Cave hike, .8 mile round trip, that is outside the park. It led to a mossy cave and a waterfall on the stream that flows down the mountainside and provides water for the town of Tropic. At one time the Mormons built a 10 mile ditch to direct the water to their settlement. More photos.

Thirteen miles down the highway we arrived at Red Canyon, a campground in the Dixie National Forest. It is a most peaceful place even though it is right along the road. We ended the day with hot dogs and s'mores cooked outside.

Before leaving the area we biked a short way up the trail alongside the road and hiked among the vivid red cliffs near the visitor's center. We were only 73 miles from Zion National Park but we knew it would be summertime once we went down the big hill.