We left the campground this morning and headed to Bryce Canyon national Park. We got there pretty early, so we just drove all the way to rainbow point to avoid the rush of people. The drive is pretty, and probably 9000 feet or so, but it wasn’t quite as lush as the north rim we thought. At Rainbow Point we got out and took in the beautiful views, walked the dogs and then Sean took a hike for about and hour and was about 2 1/2 miles. The trails, Bristlecone and Below the Rim provided some great views and photos.
We continued back, stopped at the numerous vistas, and then hit the Visitors Center. And that’s where the people were. LOL. We bought a few trinkets, Kathy got her book stamped, and we headed back on the road after several hours visit.
The next part of the drive in Utah’s Highway 12 is breathtaking. It began the day at Red Canyon, continued across Pine forests, and then dropped down into cedar and juniper sections. Then the road narrowed and the sandstone valleys opened up. There were beautiful canyons, formations, and twisty slow roads across sone sketchy ridges. The road continued up into the Dixie Forest up to 9500 feet in the first and aspens.
We took a little side road and stopped for lunch. There was a spring listed on the map, so we investigated and saw a buried cistern that collects the water. There was a cool stream running behind the lunch site and Maggie was all in for a splash. She continued by rolling in the sand and ended up a filthy mess. Such a dirty girl.
We stopped right outside the NP for the night in the National Forest for some boon docking. Today was 8 hours of driving and 168 total miles.
Here’s a link to today’s photos: