4-27-16

"And the girl loved the tree… very much. And the tree was happy."

#thegivingtree #brycecanyon #utah

Wall of Windows. Bryce Canyon National Park.

We left Zion National Park after The Subway hike (4/21) & drove a couple hours to Bryce Canyon. Bryce is different from Zion & more like a miniature Grand Canyon. The beauty is down below the rim. Gorgeous!

We spent the night of 4/21 in Tropic, Utah & on 4/22 we set out to hike the trails of Bryce Canyon. PS: If you ever find yourself in Tropic, Utah…eat at Stone Hearth Grille @ Stone Canyon Lodge. It's a bit pricey but we splurged & had the best birthday dinner @ sunset on their outdoor patio. Lovely!! 

Thanks to our friend, Shelly for the route suggestions. We went down Queens Garden Trail...

…to the Peek-a-Boo Loop...

…and up Navajo Trail. We hiked about 8 miles total.

The hiking in Bryce is not as challenging as Zion but it's some of the prettiest scenery. I think the Peek-a Boo loop is ranked the most beautiful 3 mile hike in the country. I believe it!

Bryce has amazing spires & makes for a fun game of seeking out rocks that look like animals or people. :-)

Bryce isn't as crowded as Zion so very few people on the trails. Overall it's a smaller National Park.

We loved hitting all the main hiking trails but Bryce Canyon is a place you get just as amazing views from the rim (or by only walking a short bit down the trails). Nice for those physically unable to hike.

Thor's Hammer is the tall spire and Kissing Rocks are to the right of Thor's Hammer. See them?

Perfect temps all week!

Panoramic pic of the Wall of Windows. Do you see 2 windows?

 One last pic of Bryce & then we hit the road. Bob & I got back to Phoenix by 10pm. We made a stop at Coral Pink Sand Dunes where we were sand blasted (don't go there on a windy day) & another stop in Kanab for ice cream (highly recommend The 3 Bears Creamery). 

That concludes our Zion-Bryce week. Fun that we were there for the 100th anniversary of National Parks. Very thankful for National Parks…they are amazing places to visit.

#getoutside :-)