Bryce Canyon National Park

Whenever you plan to make a trip through the American West, Bryce Canyon National Park will must be on your list of favorite destinations to visit.

Located in south western Utah, Bryce Canyon National Park is just a small National Park but big on scenery. It is one of the most beautiful and underrated scenic areas in the American West. Bryce Canyon National Park often wins reviews as a favorite for it's unique geology.

So what's unique about Bryce Canyon National Park?

Everywhere you look at Bryce Canyon area there are scenic colorful spire-shaped hoodoos. Do you know what hoodoos are? The National Park Bryce Canyon Service and Wikipedia describe hoodoos this way, "It is a tall thin steeple of rock that comes out from the bottom of an waterless drainage area or badlands."

Hard rock atop protects softer stone below from rainwater and erosion. What you end up with is steeples or pinnacles of rock. But hoodoos you can find in a variety of sizes, shapes and thicknesses. It's the shape and size and color of the hoodoos that make visitors to Bryce Canyon National Park feeling like they're going to a fairy land.

It's best to start your tour with your car. A good place for starting is at Rainbow Point in the south of the park, also recommended by the National Park Service. From there you are able to overlook the whole park. Take the walkway to Yovimpa Point Overlook and you will get impressed of the different colors that make the Bryce Canyon so unique, the Pink Cliffs, White Cliffs, Grey Cliffs, Chocolate Cliffs and Vermillion Cliffs. You can sit down and soak in this stunning view daylong if you want, but to really experience the magic, you need to hike or ride horses into the canyon.

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If you're going to hike whole day, you need to be prepared. Wear good hiking boots or shoes and carry a lot of water. This means one quart (1 liter) per person for every 2 to 3 hours you plan to hiking up. If you are in doubt, you should take more than you think you'll need. There are some parts of the park that are at an elevation of over 9,000 feet (2774 meters). Hiking up at this altitude will take a lot out of you if you're not used to it.

It's a good idea to hike the Rim Trail. If you like to hike the whole trail it's a round trip of about 11 miles (17.7 km ), however you can always just do part of the trail. It is considered comfortable to moderate as it is paved and fairly level. You will get great overlooks down onto the hoodoos from this trail.

The hikes that go down into the canyon are considered exhausting. These hikes are loop trails and range from five miles (eight km) to 8 and a half miles (14.2 km). The Peek-A-Boo Loops and Fairyland get you into the outstanding heart of the canyon and give you a view to those hoodoos from below. Take a horse or mule ride into the canyon if you'd rather not hike. The Peek-A-Boo Loop is shared by the horse tours and horses have the right of way. There are two hour and four hour rides available on that Peek-A-Boo trail.

It's easy to get to Bryce Canyon National Park by driving from either Salt Lake City, Utah or Las Vegas, Nevada. Both places are about 270 miles (435 km) away from the park. It will make a great vacation driving a loop from Las Vegas through the best National Parks Utah and Western USA has to offer, such as Zion National park, Capitol Reef National Park and last not least the Grand Canyon.

The Bryce Canyon National Park is open year-around. But the Bryce Canyon Lodge is only open from April thru October. This lodging is located in the park on the rim. Start planning your trip and load up your camera. No matter you are driving to some of the western National Parks or just considering to travel to Bryce Canyon National Park. It will have you snapping away. The many hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park are so attractive that they make everybody a good lens man.