Day 14 (Mon May 23, 2011): Bryce Canyon National Park

To accommodate the extra day at Zion, I clipped a day off Bryce Canyon. In retrospect, it was a great idea. Not so much because of the loss of time at Bryce Canyon, but to be able to hike Angel's Landing was well worth it.

I'm at Sunset Campground, and the plan for the day is to see some overlooks along the Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive (essentially Utah State Route 63) and go on a hike.

Now, if there's a scenic drive that you're going to drive all the way to the end and then basically do a U-turn, how do you approach that? Do you stop along the way to see the scenic points and then at the end drive all the way back? At first I thought I'd just stop along the very "best" overlooks. I ended up stopping at most of them.

This is around halfway down the Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive, and it's Farview Point. Wispy and cloudy this morning.

Snowing in Bryce Canyon. In May!

This is at the south end of Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive. Beautiful vistas and lots of hoodoos to be seen. Yovimpa Point is a short walk from here, but since I was pressed for time I didn't go.

Near the end of the video I mentioned that I might not get to hike. I was wrong.

Another view from Rainbow Point. I've moved to the north from the previous video, although I'm still at Rainbow Point (the southernmost overlook).

Good view of some hoodoos.

Ponderosa Point. Giddyup?

Crow at 0:30.

Interesting hoodoo formations.

More hoodoos.

It's a bridge, and it's natural. Go figure!

Bryce Point was one of the most beautiful places in the entire park, and the next four videos are dedicated to it. You can see the amphitheater region with all the various hoodoos and some really awesome, scenic hiking trails (in later videos). What an amazing landscape, don't you think? I start walking at 0:40.

Sometimes I wish I had better video stabilization! I'm walking north to the walkway at Bryce Point that juts out into the canyon. Perhaps the most scenic place in the park.

An almost-360 degree pan of the north part of Bryce Point.

Hiking trails and hoodoos in the amphitheater.

Another very scenic overlook. At the end of the video I film Upper Inspiration Point. I said I wasn't going to walk up there, but carpe diem, right?

Some walking to Upper Inspiration Point. Again, very scenic. (Apologies for the sucking wind.)

The remainder of this day's videos are from the combined Queens Garden-Navajo Loop Hike. Parking and starting at Sunrise Point, I hiked (A) 1.7 miles down via the Queens Garden Trail, then hiked (B) 0.7 miles up via the southern part of the Navajo Loop Trail to arrive at Sunset Point, then hiked (C) 0.5 miles along the Rim Trail to Sunrise Point.

Hello, hoodoo. This video shows an overview of a lot of the canyon features near the Queens Garden Trail.

I wonder: is a red baseball cap a naturally-occurring feature of Bryce Canyon?

A bit windy in the Garden.

Great video to give you a feel of what it's like to hike along the Queens Garden Trail in the heart of Bryce Canyon.

Some hiking through a rock opening and looking at hoodoos that look vaguely like chess pieces.

I think that's a small slot canyon that I'm looking at.

I fit through, just barely. (Kidding.)

Looking up towards Sunset Point

I never felt in danger, but apparently this is a common area for rock slides and potential injury due to that. As I mention, plenty of rocks strewn around, though.

At the beginning of the video is where I was coming from previously, and then you see the zigzag switchbacks heading up towards Sunset Point. Switchbacks are always a bear, and here's why: they're there to make it easier to ascend up a steep incline. Fine, but they're STILL usually steep because you're trying to ascend an incline! So you get lots of hiking up steep grades. Better than going straight up, I guess.

Fewer switchbacks left until Sunset Point.

Nearing the top, looking down on the poor souls who aren't as high as me!