Maps are Overrated-Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

There have been many, many good things that have happened in 2020 (surprise!) One of them is the fact we have been able to explore more of the United States. I have been so focused on international travel, I had forgotten how many truly beautiful places there are in the US. Our national parks for instance. Good lord, they are some of the most stunning places in the world. And don’t worry, we have been doing it safely with masks, avoiding crowds as much as humanly possible and either camping or staying in remote places.

On a recent Lake Powell and North Rim Grand Canyon tour, we were able to experience Bryce Canyon in all it’s glory.

It was pretty packed when we got there….and took a while to find a parking spot near the Fairyland trailhead. This particular hike is about an 8 mile loop and is supposed to be less crowded then the Navajo or Peek-a-Boo trails. Naturally, this was the top pick for our Bryce adventure.

So, we took a look at the stationary park map near the General Store and started on our trek to the main trailhead. 20 minutes later (and A LOT of “are we close to the trailhead yet?” comments from Sean), we stopped for a bio break. I happened to pull out the paper map from the visitor center and realized we were going the wrong way. OOPS – had to improvise quickly or I’d be in trouble. Let me just say, this is one of the easiest national parks to navigate and somehow I managed to take us down the wrong path.

The first time you see Bryce Canyon, your eyes nearly pop out of your head at its gorgeousness. As you continue along the rim, the scenery doesn’t change all that much and you start to wonder what all the hoopla is about and take it all for granted (at least I did). THEN, you start to descend into the middle of these crazy hoodoos and instantly, you fall in love (at least I did).

We ended up walking along a chunk of the Rim Trail to the Bryce Overlook, down to the Peek-a-Boo Loop and up Wallstreet (part of the Navajo Loop). It was about an 8 mile diversion and was exactly what I was trying to avoid!!

However….

Words cannot express how much stinkin’ fun this mishap was for us. I am grateful to have poor map reading skills as it afforded all of these beautiful views. It was an incredible feeling to be right in the middle of it all.

The weather that day was lovely – a nice breeze kept us fairly comfortable. I can imagine this place would be crazy hot in the middle of the summer.

Some day, I will go back and hike the Fairyland Loop, I do hear it is amazing….maybe in winter? We’ll see. In the meantime, enjoy our experience through my lens. (You’re welcome :-))

“In wilderness is the preservation of the world.” – Henry David Thoreau

…i choose this…

Pam