Woke up to a beautiful morning at the Oak Grove Campground just outside of St. George in Utah. We had breakfast, packed up the car, and headed to Zion National Park. The weather was perfect and the scenery couldn’t be beat as we switch-backed up narrow winding roads to tunnels carved through the mountain. We didn’t beat the crowds though, as lots of people poured into the park right alongside us!
While planning this itinerary we opted to spend more time in Bryce Canyon National Park over Zion, so we only got a quick glimpse during our morning drive. What we did see driving through was amazingly beautiful, and I look forward to spending more time in Zion someday! Another thing we considered knowing that we would be passing through several National Parks on this drive was to purchase an annual America the Beautiful park pass. It’s seriously the best, and has paid for itself in just a couple of park visits! Highly recommended if you’re ever planning to visit multiple National Parks.
By late morning, we exited Zion on the east side and continued toward Bryce Canyon National Park, about another 2 hours. We reached the entrance to Bryce and arrived at the North Campground by 1:30PM. It was great to get settled early and have the rest of the day to explore! We set up camp, had a late lunch, and unloaded our bikes to explore the park. The best part about Bryce Canyon National Park is how accessible it is. I loved the paved walking and biking trails! It was easy to get around to many of the popular viewpoints in the north end of the park on our bikes.
The landscape here is incredible. Bryce has quickly risen to one of my favorite National Parks! We really enjoyed observing the dramatic differences and ever changing colors in the landscape during sunset and sunrise.
The temperature started to drop rapidly as we pedaled our way back to camp. We got a fire going to warm up and shared a meal. Soon the stars became visible and the arc of the Milky Way glowed directly overhead. It was a beautiful clear and calm night.
The next morning we got up early to catch the sunrise views. It was cold, somewhere in the mid to upper 30s. We quickly layered up and brewed some coffee! As we departed camp and walked toward the overlook, we joined several others who were also making the early pre-dawn pilgrimage to the sunrise viewpoint. Several other campers already claimed a spot on the ridge with their thermoses full of hot drinks and gazes fixed on the horizon waiting for the spectacular moment. Though no one really said much at this hour, the excitement was tangible.
We walked up the steadily inclined trail to the lookout point and decided to go a bit farther to avoid the larger crowd that had gathered. The sky grew brighter and brighter and the Hoodoos down below were slowly emerging out of darkness.
The sunrise views were amazing! We lingered a while longer soaking up the scenery, taking lots of pictures, and enjoying the warmth of the sun. Eventually we headed back to camp to make more coffee and have some breakfast, and by 9:30AM we were packed up and on the road again. I would love to go back someday and stay longer to explore the various hiking trails among the Hoodoos. In the meantime our journey continues, and next up is Moab and Arches National Park!