Quote: When we arrived at Bryce Canyon National Park, we parked at Ruby's Inn and went inside to freshen up. I noticed a ticket booth on the Chuckwagon Dinner Ride I had read about in a brochure I had previously picked up. The ride was in a covered wagon and included dinner and a show so we bought tickets since they sell out quickly. Since it didn't start until 7pm, we took the shuttle into the park, but had to be back by 6:30 for the ride. There were three covered wagons pulled by two draft horses and we found our names on a piece of paper taped to the back of one the wagons. As we headed out onto the forest of the park, we were told stories about Indian burial grounds by a member of the Dansie family that puts on the show. We were entertained by Indians pretending to attack us, etc. The ride led to a dinner tent where we were fed barbequed chicken, potatoes, etc. Afterwards, we were treated to a western hoedown. Members of the family sang and played music. The grounds around the dinner area were decorated in a mock western burial site. The Dansie family members picked people out of the audience to participate in the some of the dances. My daughter wanted to dance in one so I got up and joined in one of the dances. It was an enjoyable evening. However, it was 9pm or so before we got back to Ruby's Inn to our car and had a 2.5- or 3-hour drive back to St. George.
From journals Vacation in Utah

Quote: Upon entering Bryce Canyon we saw signs that stated we could park at Ruby's Inn and board the shuttle into the park. The shuttle stops at the visitor center and five different view points in the park. It runs every 15 minutes and you can get on and off at your leisure (the last shuttle run is posted at each view point). Be sure to pick up a park map that list the hiking trails you can take from the view points how strenuous they are, the length and approx. time each trail takes.

At one viewpoint, I saw a trail that wound in a "S" pattern that narrowed between two big rock formations. I couldn't resist. Since I was with my parents (in their 70's) and kids (7 and 10), I hiked it alone. I was just going to go the the narrow section, but the views were so breathtaking I kept going. After a while, I was trying to decide whether to turn back but someone along the trail showed me a sign that gave the distance back the way I had come and on around to the trail end. Since I was at the halfway point, I decided to continue on. As fun as going down was coming back up -- a little more difficult though. However, the rock formations were so beautiful that I was stopping every few minutes to take pictures anyway. I used a whole roll of film and even had to change my video tape. You get a whole different perspective from the bottom than from the view points on the canyon. When I neared the end of the trail, my kids spotted me and ran down to meet me. I must have been gone more that a hour.

We got back on the shuttle and since my parents and kids were getting tired we only stopped at one more view point. There was a gift shop at this stop that we walked to and I bought some T-shirts. Afterwards, we reboarded the shuttle for the trip back to Ruby's Inn.

From journals Vacation in Utah

Quote: Bryce Canyon defies words, it is truly the most spectacular natural wonder I have ever seen. That includes the Grand Canyon, which although vast and spectacular is not nearly as beautiful and visually stunning as Bryce.

You can either use your own car or use the shuttles which cover most of the major sites. There are lots of trails in the park ranging from moderate to very strenuous. Make sure you look at the information given to you on entering the park as these give you a good idea of which ones you want to tackle. Having already spent the previous few days walking round both the Grand Canyon and Zion Canyon, we wanted to take things a little easier here. We chose to walk part of the Rim Trail which runs along the edge of the canyon and affords spectacular views from almost every point and is not too strenuous. We started our walk at Sunset Point.

Sunset is high above the main Bryce Amphitheatre, the views here are breathtakingly spectacular. It is one of those places where you just have to stand and stare. You dare not blink in case the magic goes away. The Amphitheatre is made up of what they call hoodoos. These are the rock formations which were created millions of years ago when water flowed through, carving spectacular shapes from the sandstone rock. The colours are amazing ranging from the deepest red to white. The heart of the Amphitheatre is completely made up of hoodoos of all sizes making a fantastic landscape.

As you make your way along the Rim Trail towards Inspiration Point and onto Bryce Point you just have to look to your left to see the landscape unfolding before your eyes. Each view is more spectacular than the one before. You cannot fail to be stunned at what you see it is amazing.

After walking the Rim Trail, which looks over the canyon, we decided to walk a trail which took us in amongst the hoodoos on the ground. We chose the trail from Sunrise Point which then turns into the Queen’s Garden. Here you can walk amongst the hoodoos and see them close up. The trail is quite hard, especially in the heat, but it is worth the effort.

I feel as though I am rambling, but believe me if you have been here, you know what I am saying. If you haven’t been here you really should. They say that you should see the Grand Canyon before you die, but I would say if you are at the Grand Canyon, take a detour and visit Bryce, I promise you will not be disappointed.

I have posted some photos below, but unfortunately as they have had to be shrunk down, you cannot appreciate the vastness and beauty to it’s full advantage, but I hope you get a taste.

From journals Beautiful Bryce Canyon

Quote: There is only one word to describe Bryce Canyon National Park – HOODOOS! The park is filled with not only canyons and mesas, but an astounding collection of fins, spires, and pinnacles known as hoodoos. The hoodoos are red, orange, pink, salmon, white, and yellow – a rainbow of color that is made more intense by the startling blue of the sky. When first seeing the colors, I thought that they couldn’t be real. They must be fake, someone used dye on all the rock. But these natural wonders of erosion are real, and waiting to be seen. Just head on over to Highway 12, pay the much-needed Entrance fee to support the maintenance of the park, and head into hoodooland. Prepare to be amazed.

We first traveled around to various viewpoints at Bryce Canyon. We did this as long as we could, until we couldn’t wait any longer – we had to get down into that canyon! We grabbed a map, randomly picked a trail (I don’t even know the name, but you will easily be able to find a great hoodoo area to hike in by looking down from a viewpoint), and started hiking. We descended from the mesa onto a winding trail that wove in and around the orange hoodoos. The amazing thing to me, was that as we approached the bottom of the canyon, we found huge ponderosa pines growing among the rock formations. How strange to find such big ponderosas in the desert – an amazing sight to see, for sure. When we reached the bottom, we checked the map to make a loop hike. We found a way to do it, and headed along the bottom of the canyon for a while. It was definitely greener on the valley bottom. It was wide and flat, and shaded by the rock and trees. So we had our lunch on the bottom in the cool shade. Then the hard part, heading back up. Of course, it was easier to take our minds off of our stuggling lungs and legs since we headed directly into the hoodoos again. On this stretch of trail, we also saw little windows or arches in the rock. When we got to the top, I was sorry our hike was over. I wanted to head back down, but it was time to head out and find a campsite for the night. I will sleep dreaming of hoodoos.

From journals Utah Roadtrip