Okay, first off, day four in Zion National Park was mostly spent in Bryce Canyon National Park. After three days of hiking, we really needed a day of rest. Our muscles aren’t used to this exhaustion. It is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Springdale which was a nice reprieve. After a brief breakfast at Thunderbird Lodge in Mt. Caramel; we finished the drive to the Visitor Center at Bryce. We decided that, even though it was our day off, we would stretch our legs on a brief hike. Unfortunately, the briefness ended after about 1/2 a mile. We hiked the Fairyland Loop in Bryce Canyon and this was one of the hardest hikes we did all week. It is a beautiful hike that starts on the rim, climbs to a brief summit and then goes into the canyon below. You get an amazing opportunity to see hoodoos up close and personal, as well as from a bird’s eye view. What made it difficult was the fact that it wasn’t a hike down followed by a hike up; it was numerous ups and downs, which is even tougher than doing it all at once. On our way back to Zion, we stopped at Ruby’s for dinner just outside of Bryce. A salad bar and dinner buffet never tasted so good!
Summary:
- People seen on trail(s): 10
- Miles hiked: 8
- Elevation change: 2309ft
- See the pictures!
John Telford 