Bryce Canyon National Park and Kodachrome Basin State Park
16-18 May, 2018
Sunrise from Sunrise Point.
Geologically, Bryce Canyon National Park is not a canyon, but an amphitheater. From the high points, you can see that the ridge is nearly circular. The hoodoos go down both sides of it. There is just no end of hoodoos there. More about those when I describe our Figure 8 hike.
- Sunrise Point, Bristlecone Pine Loop and Kodachrome Basin State Park
- The famous Figure 8 into the hoodoos--Queen's Garden, Navajo Trail, and Peek-a-Boo Loop, and Inspiration Point
Bryce is cold! Our water didn't turn to ice, but overnight temperatures were very close to freezing, even in May, at 2,440 m/8,000 ft. While we had intended to camp five nights in Bryce, using it as a base not only for itself but also for our ventures into nearby Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. But after three nights at that elevation, even Eric was so cold that we decided to go to the Travelodge in Kanab.
We had breakfast at the Best Western Plus in La Verkin, Utah, the morning before we were entering Bryce. It was impossible to avoid the TV's playing Fox News, and they mentioned that there was a warning not to drink the water in Bryce. Yay, I thought! In addition to half a dozen bottles of water and two three-liter Camelbak bladders, we had purchased two water cubes for the trip, one 15-liter and one 20. We were set! The crowds would avoid the place! Alas, it turned out just to be Fox's typical fearmongering. "Don't go into the outdoors! It's dangerous!" When we arrived, the ranger told us that the water was fine, and tour buses were coming in along with Mather.
Aside from the near-freezing temperatures, Sunset Campground was the nicest we camped in. We had a good-sized site, far enough from the other campers.
But best of all, the campground had heated bathrooms and this wonderful heated sink room! Look at this! Enough room for two, with a shelf behind for your coat so you don't have to get your sleeves wet. And hot water! The bottom of the camp sink at Watchman Campground in Zion had a thick coat of grease, because it only had cold water, and that doesn't break grease down. Apparently I was the only one who knew you were supposed to wash your dishes in water you heated up in camp and then bring them to the camp sink to rinse them.
The really frustrating thing about Sunset Campground was the very limited hours of the showers--8:00-18:30. We had to plan our whole day around taking a shower the first day, and then just didn't get to take one the second day in order to get the entire Figure 8 in.
Distance driven: 2,519 km/1,565 mi
Distance hiked: 12.7 km/7.9 mi
Geocaches found: 4
On to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.