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| Hiking | 2.34 Miles |
223 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.34 Miles | 1 Hour 2 Mns | | 2.34 mph |
| 223 ft AEG | 2 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Written 1-1-2023, as usual, better late than never. Tracy, Ambika and I were on our way to Layton UT for a SLC and area Photoscape with Arizona Highways. Stopping at Bryce Canyon is a no-brainer when you're this close if driving Highway 89 north. The previous day, on our way from Pine, we stopped at the Vermillion Cliffs to witness a Condor Release along with throngs of others. Sadly, the birds were very far away and hard to see (even with Ambika's long lens), so our picture taking was limited. We had lunch at Jacob's Lake, gathered some cookies  and stopped at the Forest Service VC and then Moqui Cave before heading to our final destination this day, Hatch Station. We also stopped at LeFevre Lookout to check out the Grand Staircase of Escalante, always an incredible view. I stopped here on my way from Montana on August 6th.
The next morning we headed to Bryce with the idea of checking out the Rim which we did, initially from Sunset Point. There were lots of people, although not too terrible that I couldn't get the movies and pictures I wanted. It was a bluebird day. Next we headed over to Fairyland Point where I wanted to do a little hike. Tracy was still recovering from some foot surgery so she and Ambika headed the other way for a little bit. We agreed to a meet up time and I took off south toward Sunrise Point. And yep, what a pretty hike this would be. It's hard to keep from not looking into the canyon  even though the other side has some nice fir trees. There were good long views looking east and lots of fascinating hoodoos that caught my attention. I would be practicing some zooming for sure. I probably ran into six other hikers. Next summer when I come through, I intend to spend the day here so I can do a legit hike; just not sure if it will be coming or going.
We made the best of our extra time before having to continue our journey to Mt Pleasant UT so we headed over to Paria, Bryce and Inspiration Points for a quick look-see and some photographs. We initially couldn't get into Bryce Point as it was full, thus we went to Paria and then back to Bryce. This is my first time seeing the Amphitheatre so that was pretty cool. You can also see a couple trails (Navajo which I did and Peek A Boo). The light was too bright for great quality pictures but that didn't stop me. We could see way north too, all the way to the Aquarius Plateau/Powell Point. We would be driving near that area in a few hours.
It would be very cool to do the Rim hike and you can use the shuttle if you didn't want to hike all the way back. Something to remember for my older years as currently, I think I'd like to hike down into Bryce like I did the summer of 2021. We stopped at the Lodge hoping to get lunch but it was a buffet and a little pricey so we went to Ruby's in town where we had a very nice lunch before continuing our drive north.
We started driving on UT 63 north to Johns Valley Road and through Black Canyon where we stopped at Osiris to check out the Old Mill and Creamery, quite the structure. We neared Otter Creek Recreation area where we turned north on UT 62 that eventually merges into UT 24. Are you keeping this all straight  ? Sheesh. We drive by the Sand Ledges area before heading north again past Sigurd and Rocky Ford Reservoir, a very colorful geological area. We do a dosey doe once we merge with US Highway 89 and wondered for a while where the heck we were going  as it certainly wasn't in a straight line.
At Gunnison we do a jig right (east) going through Manti, Ephraim and Spring City. I see signs for these on I-15 so it was nice to see the towns in person. We did have a discussion on what constituted a town and I think I said it had to have a grocery store to be classified a town in my book. Otherwise, it was just a name on the map. We arrived at Mt Pleasant to stay at a receptionless Horseshoe Mountain Lodge that was decorated accordingly. Ambika and Tracy headed back to Spring City to meet up with Joe who was their guide when they oared the Colorado River a few years back. We would head back there in the AM for the girls to do some shopping in his pottery shop before driving to Layton.
I posted more pictures than I intended but this way I have a record and research to go with it so I can plan better for my next trip and maybe you can too. The videos all contain lots of interpretive information and many more pictures than I posted here.
Drive to Layton: Highway 89A - Condor Release, LeFevre Lookout, Moqui Cave, Bryce Canyon [ youtube video ]
Bryce Canyon Rim Part 1 - Fairyland Point hike [ youtube video ]
Bryce Canyon Rim Part 2 - Paria Overlook and Bryce Point [ youtube video ]
Bryce Canyon Rim Part 3 - Inspiration Point [ youtube video ]
Drive from Bryce Canyon to Layton, UT via back roads [ youtube video ] |
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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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