Bryce Canyon National Park

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We spent two nights in Bryce Canyon National Park (6/20-6/22), and had a blast exploring this amazing, unique place, that's not really a "canyon" after all, but an amphitheater.  After our drive from Zion, we secured our campsite at the North Campground, right near the Visitor Center right inside the park.  We were sweating it a bit, as it's only first-come, first-served, and we got one of the last sites available.  This is one of only a few places where I decided we should "wing it" and Justin especially loved the adrenaline that came with trying to secure our site.  LOL.  We spent two days 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 visit to the Visitor Center, working on 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 our toughest hike yet on our trip, 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 very 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 to help us identify the stars.

 Bike ride to Bryce Canyon Lodge.  Bryce has a great multi-use path that we had a blast using during our visit.
 Our first glimpses of the Amphitheater on the Rim Trail...







 Upper Inspiration Point
 Games at the campsite
 Working on Junior Ranger books...
 Bacon and pancake breakfast outside

 Visitor Center

 Swearing in as Junior Rangers
 Hayden and the Pronghorn

 Afternoon Hike - Navajo Loop and Queen's Garden Trail.  Here is a photo of Thor's Hammer, a favorite of our kids.  Quinn loved to point it out from any vantage point...









 Movie and dinner outdoors

We are off to Canyonlands National Park today, with a stop at Capitol Reef National Park on the way!

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