The distinct and other-worldly-looking hoodoos and rock spires of Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park create an amazing maze of beauty for travelers to view and explore. It isn’t actually a canyon at all, but more specifically a large amphitheater carved into the Pink Cliffs, and each visitor can choose how to explore it. Whether you drive the scenic drive and utilize the overlooks, or hike deep into the rock formations below, it is guaranteed that the colors and formations of this park will remain a unique memory.
Our family spent two nights in Bryce Canyon National Park in June during our Summer of 2019 RV Road Trip. During our stay, we had a blast exploring this amazing, unique place, that’s not really a “canyon” after all, but actually an amphitheater. Driving into Bryce Canyon from Zion National Park, we secured our campsite at the North Campground, right near the Visitor Center inside the park. We were sweating it a bit, as this campground is only first-come, first-served, but we were thankfully able to score one of the last sites available. This was one of only a few destinations on our 2019 Road Trip where I planned to “wing it” on the lodging front, and I think that Justin especially loved the adrenaline that came with trying to secure our site.
Our family spent two days in Bryce Canyon exploring the park. Day 1 included riding our bikes from our campsite to the Bryce Canyon Lodge, where we began the Rim Trail Hike from Sunset Point to Sunrise Point, and finally to Upper Inspiration Point. GORGEOUS views. We biked back to our campsite, with a stop for ice cream on the way.
Day 2 highlights included a stop at the Visitor Center (located a short walk or ride from the North Campground), working on the kids’ Junior Ranger requirements, and hiking into the Canyon itself, specifically on the Navajo Loop (the kids got a kick out of the hoodoo named “Thor’s Hammer”) and Queen’s Garden Trail. It was the toughest hike on our trip up to that point, and the kids really surprised us with their endurance (excluding Quinn). We biked back to the Visitor Center after a long day, and watched a movie outside (our first of the trip, and some earned downtime for the kids). Before bedtime, we did some stargazing, as Bryce is known as one of the darkest places in the US, and used a great app on our phone called “Star Walk” to help us identify the stars and constellations.
Just so you understand that hiking with kids is NOT all fun and games, here’s a winner of a video of us trying to get the Gagnon Kids excited about hiking to Inspiration Point. We made the hike, and I think we were all glad we did, but this adventure wasn’t without complaining…
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