We have been trying to get to Bryce Canyon National Park for awhile now. We finally made it, and I’m happy to say, it didn’t disappoint. Unfortunately, our visit was limited to one day.  

Bear, our hiking manager, selected a nice 3 mile loop through the area known as the Amphitheater. The hike starts at the highly visited Sunrise Point, descends into the Queens Garden, and exits through the Navajo Loop to Sunset Point. 

 We had planned to exit through the loop that goes to a feature called Wall Street. That area, sadly, was closed due to rockslide.  

Despite that tiny hitch, the hike was amazing. The starting view is spectacular, both Sunrise and Sunset points overlook the amphitheater, an expanse of multicolored hoodoos and thin rock walls called “fins.” The hoodoos are formed from the fins and the landscape is constantly changing. 

As you descend through the layers of limestone, you end up on a sparsely vegetated valley with smooth rolling hills. It was a pretty wild view. After a nice meandering walk, which includes a few tunnels, it’s back up through the hoodoos.  

On the way up, Bear and Bunny dusted Goose and me. We ended up hiking next to a mother daughter team. The daughter sounded American, and probably in her 20s, and her mother spoke a different language. As she climbed I could her her talking to her daughter. Goose, though a strong hiker moaned the whole way, “I’m tired… my legs hurt… I’m exhausted… I can’t do this”. The daughter laughs, gestures to her mother and says, “She’s saying the same exact thing!” We got through it, and it was worth every step!

Although, I’m happy we finally made it here, I wish we had more time to enjoy this amazing place. I could have easily spent a week here.? Ah well, always good to leave wanting more.