Bryce Canyon National Park
On March 16th, 2019, Skip and I took off onto our first adventure to be the beginning of our love of exploring together. We packed our jeep, dropped off Bandit, and headed to Bryce Canyon National Park in Panguitch, Utah. I was 12 weeks pregnant, and for the first time since before I was pregnant, I wasn't nauseous nor miserable. In other words, this was a much-needed vacation.
March, Bryce Canyon was snow-packed in, which resulted in gates shut and locked, not allowing us to hike to the bottom. But we were able to hike the Peek-A-Boo loop at the top. Seeing the hoodoos "Rocks shaped like spires" covered in snow was beautiful. It was as if we were looking at miles and miles of French fries dipped in vanilla ice cream. Being pregnant at the time, I thought it was appropriate. In all seriousness, it was captivating, seeing the snow reflecting off of the blue sky and beaming onto the red and orange sand-colored mountains of hoodoos. It was exactly how you would imagine when looking in a magazine.
We are excited to visit again in the future when it is warm. Hiking is our go-to activity, and missing out on hiking to the bottom was a bummer. There are also backpacking trips, horseback riding, and if you are visiting in the middle of the winter, you can snowshoe in, which would have been awesome to do. Click HERE to plan your next adventure.Here is a link to actives. Click HERE to follow hikes and regulations within the park.
Some of the plants you may enjoy when exploring the park are, Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Rocky Mountain Juniper, Blue Spruce, and Douglas Fir.
There wasn't any boon-dock camping "camping in none designated camp spots when it came to camping," which is what we prefer. We were fortunate to find a first-come, first-serve at the only campground open year-round, "North Campground." Click HERE to reserve you next campsite.
Some interesting facts about Bryce Canyon National Park:
Bryce Canyon originated its name from the pioneer Ebenezer Bryce, who came to the valley with his family in 1875.
In 1915, J.W Humphery, a U.S Forest Service Supervisor, was transferred to Panguitch, Utah, and he is why the park became a National Park.
On June 8th, 1923, the park "Utah National Park" was administered by the U.S Forest Service.
On June 7th, 1928, the "Utah National Park" was changed to "Bryce Canyon National Park."
In 1931 the park increased by 35,835 acres.
The park is famous for its "Hoodoos," formed from erosional force from frost-wedging and the dissolving of rainwater and its colors.
Overall, this was a beautiful experience and even though we did not get to explore all we wanted too, it was well worth sleeping in the snow.
