Bryce Canyon Scenic Road
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Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah is known for its giant amphitheater of hoodoos, spires, and colorful cliffs that shift throughout the day with changing light and shadows.
Bryce Canyon National Park Sign
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We arrived after driving over from Cedar Breaks and set up just outside the park on public land along FR 1173. That afternoon we headed into Bryce, first stopping at the visitor center to get some information before wandering over to the historic Bryce Canyon Lodge area.
Near the lodge sits an old gas station preserved from the park’s early days. Out front was a vintage green car that immediately caught Danny’s attention. He has a soft spot for those old classics, so we spent a few minutes checking it out before moving on.
Sunrise Point gave us our first look into Bryce Amphitheater, where the canyon drops away into a maze of orange hoodoos rising from the valley floor. A short distance away at Sunset Point we found one of the park’s most recognizable formations, Thor’s Hammer, standing tall among the surrounding spires.
From there we followed the scenic drive south, making a handful of quick stops at the various overlooks along the rim. Each one offered slightly different angles into the canyon, with new clusters of hoodoos and ridges appearing around every bend.
Farther along the drive we stopped at Natural Bridge Overlook, where erosion has carved a massive arch through the red rock wall beside the road.
Near the end of the road at Yovimpa Point, the view opened out toward distant plateaus beyond Bryce Canyon. A turkey vulture sat quietly along the rim looking out across the landscape. I’ve seen plenty of vultures on this trip, but something about that lone bird perched on the rim overlooking the canyon resonated. As the evening light began to fade we headed back toward camp. Deer grazed along the roadside on the drive out.
That night Danny tried his hand at astrophotography and managed to capture the beautiful night sky and the Milky Way stretching overhead.
Near the lodge sits an old gas station preserved from the park’s early days. Out front was a vintage green car that immediately caught Danny’s attention. He has a soft spot for those old classics, so we spent a few minutes checking it out before moving on.
Sunrise Point gave us our first look into Bryce Amphitheater, where the canyon drops away into a maze of orange hoodoos rising from the valley floor. A short distance away at Sunset Point we found one of the park’s most recognizable formations, Thor’s Hammer, standing tall among the surrounding spires.
From there we followed the scenic drive south, making a handful of quick stops at the various overlooks along the rim. Each one offered slightly different angles into the canyon, with new clusters of hoodoos and ridges appearing around every bend.
Farther along the drive we stopped at Natural Bridge Overlook, where erosion has carved a massive arch through the red rock wall beside the road.
Near the end of the road at Yovimpa Point, the view opened out toward distant plateaus beyond Bryce Canyon. A turkey vulture sat quietly along the rim looking out across the landscape. I’ve seen plenty of vultures on this trip, but something about that lone bird perched on the rim overlooking the canyon resonated. As the evening light began to fade we headed back toward camp. Deer grazed along the roadside on the drive out.
That night Danny tried his hand at astrophotography and managed to capture the beautiful night sky and the Milky Way stretching overhead.