Travel diaries: week five
Bryce Canyon.
I’ve visited Bryce before but only driven through the park. Riley however, had never seen the coral formations against the pine tree forests until this week, and said this is one of his favorite stops so far! I have to agree.
We hiked the fairyland loop, the queens garden, part of the navaho loop and the rim trail. Outside of the park, (this is listed as a hike in Bryce sometimes) we hiked the mossy cave trail (a well marked pull off from the highway in tropic, Utah). This is a very easy, one mile round trip hike, that we highly recommend!
We prioritized sunsets and sunrises because the lighting at those times is magical.
Our campsite was on BLM land just before the Bryce park entrance. We were surrounded by pine trees, had a fire pit, total privacy, and ended up staying three nights instead of one because it was so enjoyable. We had a quick 5 min drive to the visitor center, and popular overlooks. This was one of the easiest, most accessible parks and campsites we’ve ever stayed at.
Our favorite wine to enjoy around the campfire is from Scout and cellar, a company that sources from organic vineyards, and doesn’t include any additives in their wine. I don’t think we could ever go back to the other stuff. You can grab some here if you want to taste the difference. We usually have a few bottles stashed in the Jeep for days like these <3
Zion National Park
We drove over near Zion and parked at dispersed camping about 15 miles outside of the park. We can’t get over the public land options. This one was nothing special but we feel so lucky to be able to pull over, in safe locations and sleep for free. We also stayed at the Zion river RV resort for one night to catch up on laundry, watch Young Living’s virtual convention, and spent an afternoon by the pool. The price is steep there, but that’s a very nice option with amenities, about a 15 minute drive from the South park entrance.
Figuring out Zion was a bit of a challenge. Their parking options were slim down the scenic drive (it closes when parking is full and only opens up a few times throughout the day). The shuttle service was not available either, and several hikes were closed temporarily. We made the most of our time there and were able to hike the emerald pools, the river walk, the narrows, canyon overlook, and the West rim trail. Here’s how we made that happen with limited time and options:
We grabbed lunch in Springdale until the scenic drive opened, then did a short hike and made sure to drive the length of the park, stopping when we wanted photos or to experience the area
We arrived at 4:30 am one morning and were 106th in line for parking. We got a spot in the Grotto parking area and hiked the West rim trail while the temperature was nice and cool.
Once things started heating up, we made sure the parking was open up by the narrows hike, and found a spot up there. We were able to spend a few hours hiking the beautiful river up into the slot canyon. This was our favorite part!
We saved canyon overlook for our last morning, and caught it during the sunrise. This wasn't crowded at all and was very peaceful/easy.
Our time in Utah is sadly, coming an end. We have a few more stops to make and then will be moving on. This state has so much to explore that in the past few weeks, we’ve hardly even scratched the surface.