HOME IS WHERE THE TRUCK IS: Bryce Canyon NP ~ Day 7

Welcome Back!

My first photo/view of Bryce Canyon.

Wednesday 9.13.23

This is it!! The day I have been waiting for! There were two things I was super excited for on this trip and Bryce Canyon NP was the first of them. I woke up super excited this morning and could not wait to get moving! We were about 25 miles from the park, and we set out just before sunrise.

We arrived at the park and there were about 15-17 cars in line, but the park ranger directed us through since we had an America the Beautiful Park pass. We stopped at the visitor center for a map, and so I could get my patch and post card (like I get at every place we go to) and then we set off.

We first pulled into the Sunrise viewpoint but missed the turn for the parking, so we went on to Sunset Point instead. We could not see the canyon from the parking lot so I decided that I would cover my eyes and have Mark lead me to the railing so I could get an unfettered reaction of my first view of the canyon. WOW! I am so glad I did that. When I opened my eyes, I literally lost my breath. I immediately started crying and could not stop. I think a good five or six minutes went by before I was able to speak or stop crying. Bryce was absolutely the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. There are no words that I will ever be able to come up with that could ever express how I was feeling standing there. The canyon (which is not actually a canyon, but a series of amphitheaters filled with hoodoos) stretched out as far as I could see and was just magical. I had seen photos of it for years. My parents went here probably 30 years ago and loved it. I had researched the heck out of it, watched countless videos but nothing prepared me for how it looked in real life. I also know that no matter how good my photos are, they will never be as stunning as the park is in person. So that means, YOU HAVE TO GO!!!

We decided to take the hike that is right at the viewpoint there, that is the Navajo Loop trail. Woooooweeeee. That was a tough one! I don't know who makes these hikes with the downhills first, and the uphill at the end, but they need to be slapped. Or at least have a stern talking to.

Ugh. Switchbacks.

After we recovered from the Navajo Loop trail, we checked out a bunch of overlooks, a few more trails and the Natural Bridge, which is not even a natural bridge, but is actually an arch.

We spent a full day in the park, and I could have spent DAYS there just taking it all in. This place was definitely one of the most stunning places I have ever seen. I spent half the day in tears because I was so overwhelmed with and could not put my feelings into words. I cannot express enough how much I feel everyone needs to come west not just to see Bryce, but also Canyonlands, Arches, Goblin Valley and everywhere else that we have been to. Utah is just so incredibly unreal and like nothing else I have seen.

Next up...Kodachrome Basin State Park and

Thanks for reading.

Love to all.

More Photos of Bryce Canyon NP