Sunrise at… well, Sunrise Point.
Gettin’ the worm.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to spend an entire day at Bryce, so we decided to take a quick hike in the morning and hit the road south.
I got up early and walked from the campground over to Sunrise Point to watch the sunrise. Actually, every point at Bryce is a sunrise point, because they all face east.
Nancy on the Navajo Loop with The Sentinel in the background.
We took a short hike on Navajo Loop at Sunset Point. Part of it was closed due to washouts, so we couldn’t complete the loop or see Wall Street.
Thor’s Hammer and the Three Something-or-Others.
The Navajo Loop is the most popular hike at Bryce. It takes you past some of the most delicate features of the park.
More wiggles.
I remember this trail from when I was six years old. I don’t remember how far we hiked, but it was so hot that my mom took a knife and converted her long pants into cutoffs on the trail.
So long, Bryce!
Once again, I wish we had more time to stay in one spot and do more exploring. However, we wanted to reach Grand Canyon before dark. Fortunately, I found a shortcut.
Hello, road from hell! The start of the road through Escalante National Monument.
The map showed a road heading south from Bryce through the Escalante National Monument down toward Grand Canyon. I didn’t realize it was a dirt road prone to washouts, and that it had washed out only a few days previous.
No one could tell us if it was passable, or where it had washed out. Turning around meant a long, half-day drive going back almost to Zion, so we decided to go for it.
Descending into Cottonwood Canyon.
The road was so rough that it took us three hours to drive 44 miles. Occasionally we passed gullies that had washed out recently and been filled back in by a grader. I think it would’ve been just as fast to go the long way around.
It was startling to be in an area where roads rendered unusable not by snow, but by rain.
Almost to the highway.
The sign at the southern end of the road said “Impassable When Wet.” No kidding!
We hustled down the road and made it to the Grand Canyon just before dark. Long drive, and a long day tomorrow…
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