Bryce Canyon NP to Escalante - STR-2021-19

 Thursday, 15 July

We woke up to 44 degrees, a marked change to nighttime temperatures for the last 10 days or so.  Before first light, we heard a number of people driving off to start their day.  We lingered a bit until temperatures got up into the low 50s.

After reviewing the various hiking trails (Bryce Canyon NP has over 60 miles of hiking trails), we settled on doing the Queen’s Garden/Navajo combination, one of the same hikes Adventures of AplusK did (https://youtu.be/JZfJfB8tjx4).  

Difficulty: Moderate.         Total Distance: 2.9 miles

Elevation change: 600 feet.        Average time: 2-3 hours

“Perhaps the park's most popular and iconic trail, the Queen's / Navajo Combination Loop can begin at either Sunrise or Sunset Point but is recommended in a clockwise direction; this is done by descending on the Queen's Garden Trail and ascending the Navajo Loop Trail (Two Bridges side recommended for year-round use and iconic views of Thor's Hammer; Wall Street side is only open in summer).”

For more detailed info on this combination:  (www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/qgnavajocombo.htm)

We started the hike from the campground which added an extra 1.5 miles to the descent at Sunrise Point.  As the descent and ascent were very steep with switchbacks, Kris decided she would hike to the General Store and the Lodge, leaving Darrell to do the hike into the amphitheater by himself.

As the Navajo trail is a loop, hiking up the trail from the amphitheater meant having to choose one leg or the other.  Or part of one leg to the Twin Bridges:

Twin Bridges

Then turn back and hike up the leg with Wall Street:

Overall, the hike was 4.6 miles (including to/from the campsite), with an elevation gain of 835 feet.

Screenshot of recorded path

After a short period of recovery, we drove to Rainbow Point where we compared the scene to our first visit in 2017

Rainbow Point - 26 February 2017

Rainbow Point - 15 July 2021

Yovimpa Point - 26 February 2017

Yovimpa Point - 15 July 2021

As we returned back to the campground, we stopped at Natural Bridge, and compared that scene to 2017.

Natural Bridge  - 26 February 2017

Natural Bridge  - 15 July 2021

Once back at the campground, we settled into our site for tonight, a different site than last night.  After checking the weather, we got the eBikes out and rode to Inspiration Point, down to the Visitor Center, then to Bryce Canyon City and back.  

We also rode through the North Campground and were surprised at the number of vacant sites.  In all fairness, the North Campground is not as convenient as Sunset Campground, the sites are not paved, and more than half were too steep for a RV to get level.

Overall a 11.8 mile ride with a 774 foot elevation gain.  And as we rolled to a stop back at Sprinty, it started raining.  Perfect timing, again.

 

Friday, 16 July

Having enjoyed Bryce Canyon yesterday, we headed back to Red Canyon for some hikes and a bike ride.

Our first trail of the day was the Pink Ledges Trail.  During our stop at the visitor center two days ago, we got the “Interpretive Guide to the Pink Ledges Trail.”  

The trail is rated “easy to moderate” and is only about 0.5 miles.  The hike passes under and among some red cliffs and hoodoos - it’s like walking in the amphitheater of Bryce Canyon, without having to go down into, and back up, the amphitheater.  

In the brochure, and in the video at the visitor center, it said that the bark of the Ponderosa Pine smells like butter scotch. Or vanilla.  We think butterscotch.

Butterscotch or Vanilla?

After the Pink Ledges Trail, we resupplied with water and set off for the Castle Bridge Trail.  This loop trail actually starts 0.5 miles from the Golden Wall trailhead and boasts spectacular scenery and unique red rock formations.  A total of 2.8 miles from the visitor center.

After the Castle Bridge hike, we set off on the ebikes to ride the Red Canyon part of the bike trail that runs from Red Canyon to Inspiration Point in Bryce Canyon, NP.  As the bike trail follows along UT 12, we saw that once you left Red Canyon, the trail was just a trail - the scenic part was the 5 miles in Red Canyon.  Heading east, it climbed over 650 feet in elevation which made for a nice coast down back to the visitor center.

Another trail that looked interesting was the Arches Trail located about 3.7 miles from the visitor center, with 2 miles on a gravel road.  The gravel road was in nice shape and the Arches Trail made the drive worth it.  The Arches Trail is a 0.7 mile loop with some steep sections and has over 15 small arches.  Not sure we saw 15 - but it was a nice hike.

Some of the best adventures are down a dirt road

By now, the afternoon thunderstorms had moved in, so we headed for our campsite for the night at Kodachrome Basin State Park, south of Cannonville, UT

Kodachrome Basin is a spectacle of towering sandstone chimneys changing in color and shadow with the days mood - from red tinge spires against a blue sky, to soft evening light settling over the desert.  This color and contrast prompted the National Geographic Society in 1949, with consent from Kodak Film Corp., to name the park Kodachrome.

While a gorgeous setting, its remoteness meant no cell signal.  At least the campground showers were super nice.

Saturday, 17 July

Lacking internet meant Darrell was without his tools to plan upcoming adventures.  Fortunately, his previous homework had identified three trails in Kodachrome Basin State Park to hike.  We picked on the Angel’s Palace Trail described as “Rising 150 feet above the basin floor, this 1.5-mile (2.4 km) trail affords magnificent views of Kodachrome Basin, Bryce Canyon and the surrounding area. It is an excellent trail for photographers.”

The trailhead was a short distance from the Basin Campground.  We started the hike before the sun was high enough to shine into the bottom, which made for a more picturesque hike.  And cooler.

We decided not to hike the Panorama Trail and Grand Parade Trail, instead we hiked the Mossy Cave trail located in the northeast corner of Bryce Canyon NP.

We arrived about 9:30 am, and the regular parking area was completely full, and the RV/overflow parking area was over half full. 

The Mossy Cave was more of a rock overhand with water dripping through the ceiling.

Mossy Cave

The waterfall commanded the attention of most of the hikers - almost 10:1 skipped the cave and just went to the waterfall.

Many people also waded up the stream bed as if they were doing The Narrows in Zion NP.

We turned east with the intention that we were not going to spend a second night at Kodachrome Basin State Park as our general direction was northeast, we did not want to backtrack, and the lack of cell signal impacted planning next week.  So we decided to forward track.

In Escalante, we stopped for groceries, diesel, and gave Sprinty a rinse.  Not really a bath.  Just knocked the top 10 layers (of 20-25 layers) of 2 months of dirt off.

We continued east/northeast on UT 12 admiring the amazing scenery.  

While we drove UT 12 in February 2017, neither of us remember the scenery - perhaps because all our memories of UT 12 that day were overshadowed by the little unexpected encounter with snow.  

As we planned to hike Lower Calf Creek Falls tomorrow, we thought it might be convenient to spend the night at Calf Creek Campground, located at the trailhead.  When we arrived, we saw how popular the hike was, and as it had no cell service, we decided to find a place with cell service.

So we backtracked towards Escalante, checking out a couple of BLM sites until we found a free BLM campsite with easy access and cell service at Hwy 12/Hole in the Rock - Grand Staircase-Escalante NM Campground.  It is primitive camping with the only “service” being a garbage dumpster.  But preferable to driving the hour back to Kodachrome Basin State Park even though we had a paid for site.

With internet and cell service, we used the afternoon to make reservations for the next five nights.  And we are well positioned for tomorrow’s adventure - only 12 miles away.