Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon

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I think, if I had to choose, I would say Bryce Canyon was my favorite of all the parks we have seen. The landscape is totally different, and formed through different geological processes than Arches and Canyon lands. Most impressive are the pillars of rock, left by erosion, known as Hoodoos, which give the landscape its unique and colorful appearance. Erosion is at work in all the parks, but the effects are most dramatic here where a heavy rainfall or frost can re-carve the hoodoos overnight.

In the afternoon we moved on to Zion National Park, spending a cold night in the park camp site. You enter Zion through a mile long tunnel carved through the rock in around the 1920’s, itself an impressive sight. The landscape here is carved by water, and the area is considered a canyon oasis in the surrounding desert (Zion meaning place of sanctuary). Most of the view points and trail heads here are accessible only by shuttle bus, in an attempt to reduce congestion and pollution (although the park itself is not that busy). We took an easy hike along the river for a mile or so, again encountering mule deer which, though wild, seemed to have no fear of people.

Bryce, Zion and the Grand Canyon together form what is known as the Grand Staircase. The youngest formations seen in Zion are the oldest formations in Bryce Canyon, and the oldest exposed formations in Zion are the youngest in the Grand Canyon (or something like that!) To be honest I’m finding it difficult to take in all the geological/scientific stuff - we have seen so much over the past couple of months that we are both heading for information overload!

On 26th September we arrived at the South rim of the Grand Canyon, again staying in the park campsite. Unfortunately we arrived just after the on-site grocery store had closed (5PM)- a bit surprising since there were a lot of people still in the park taking in the sunset views. So dinner that evening was a bit sparse. It was also surprising that there were no accommodation facilities within 40 miles of the park entrance. The following morning we drove the 28 miles approx. through the park and transferred to the campsite at the other end , which was altogether a different story. The camp sites themselves were still basic, but there were facilities nearby (including showers, for $1.75 for 5 minutes!), a restaurant, general store and access to the shuttle bus service (similar to that which runs in Zion). We spent the rest of the day touring the various viewpoints via the shuttle, returning to one in the evening to get some sunset shots. Unfortunately the day was quite hazy, and the pictures do not do justice to the magnificence that is the Grand Canyon. That said, I have to say that the Grand Canyon for me was a bit of a disappointment - impressive as it is, after a while the various views seem to merge into one. Maybe I was expecting to see more varied features to the landscape, having seen arches, canyons, bridges and hoodoos at the other parks. And the famous skywalk that extends right into the canyon is not actually here - it’s about 250 miles away! There are fewer hiking options than the other parks too - it’s basically down into the canyon and back up, so all treks are considered strenuous. There are mule rides too, which would have been fun, but you have to book in advance so that was not an option for us during this visit.

What was more impressive, however, was the wildlife - at night we heard coyotes howling and during the day Elk wandered freely through the campsites. We also spotted a tarantula at one of the view point parking sites - very cool! Also, since we “hit” the parks we have spotted several groups of riders at the various sites. In particular we caught up with three guys riding very old Harley Davidsons - from the 1940’s/1950’s. One of them owns the bikes and runs a bike museum - every now and then he takes a few of the bikes out on “off road” excursions with some mates, just because he can!

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Photos

Entering Zion
the hole in the rock is an air vent in the mile long tunnel into Zion

Comments

[Keith]

Tom and Faith at the Grand Canyon
A really remarkable journey is coming to the end,but what an experiance for you both,you will remember it for the rest of your lives.Best photo of you both to date. Many thanks Faith for keeping us up to date with all your bloggs,I am sure all who have followed your journey would like to pass on there thanks,so come on folks 3 cheers for Joey and Louie, post a comment here.

[Teri T]

Reading your entries is the next best thing to being there?! Except for the cold nights.