8.12.22 Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Are you into National Parks? Maybe that’s a no. I’m not a fan of all the crowds but boy can those parks be stunning! Even if you don’t like big parks, crowds and visitor centers Bryce Canyon in Utah is worth a gander!
Me and Minnie Rambles, my RV, hit Bryce Canyon mid August for some beautiful hiking and camping!
Day 1 : Bike Riding in Bryce Canyon, A Much Better Option
It’s Friday. Not the best day to hit a popular National Park like Bryce Canyon. Yet I got tired of waiting until Monday while camped outside the park somewhere in a national forest. So my impatient self heading into Bryce (I’ve been here a few times, we’re on a first name basis.)
After a not so friendly (ok, rude) interaction with the attendant at the front gate (I’ll spare the details, let’s just say she was around my age and we both acted like we were 2 women going through midlife hormones) I parked the RV, aka Minnie Rambles, near the visitor center.
Excitedly I opened the map! I was hoping to drive to some cool spots in the park for the views yet was quickly notified in writing that the park has no RV parking in the most popular spots so…
I rode my bike! It’s a much better option since parking can be limited but that is not the case for bicycles.
The Rim Trail is paved and follows the most popular stops in the park which include Sunrise Point, Sunset Point and Inspiration Point. Honestly, all these points are inspirational so I think they should have called them all the same name. Can that even be done?
Parking my bike at each stop along the way I not only got a pretty good workout, I also saw some pretty awesome views! Damn! This is one pretty park!
I wanted to hike yet I also wanted to see as much as I could. It was still early. Geez decisions, decisions.
This is when I got the brilliant idea to see if, just by chance, I could snag a campsite in the park. I didn’t get my hopes up but Sunset campground had first come, first serve spots and they were available!! $30 later I had a spot in the park.
Then it started to rain.
No more biking or hiking for now. I settled in.
Day 2 : The Big Descent
Being the excited person I tend to be in nature, I woke up super early. Made coffee, had breakfast and planned which trail I’d hike.
Queens Garden and Navajo Loop trails for the win! I’d hike down into the canyon and back up again.
I hopped on my bike to the trailhead, locked her up and headed down.
You’d think a trail that has a pretty hardy descent and accent at the end wouldn’t be crowded. Nope! All the other tourists were in full force that morning. Oh ya! It was Saturday, silly me.
The hardest sections of this hike back up so I will highly recommend this hike to most people. If in doubt take your time back up like 50% of us did. Yes, you read that right, I typed “us”. I took my time heading back up. I’m not the hiker I was the year before on the Colorado Trail.
Got back to camp with plenty of time to check out and move on to my next adventure.
Where will the weather and roads take me and Minnie Rambles next?
To see more about my trip to Bryce Canyon check out my Instagram post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CjEPaKUPtNC/
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I’m Allie. At 48 I set out solo to live in my RV. That journey is on hold but my passions for hiking and living well in my 50s still live on! Join me below for more inspiration and adventures. We’re older but even stronger!
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