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Since we knew we had limited time to explore Bryce, we had booked in advance the two hour AM horse-back ride into the canyon.
None of us were experienced riders and were feeling some trepidation…how do I get up in the saddle, how do I steer, what if I drive my horse off the cliff?? We needn’t have worried. The horses (and some mules) know the route and the staff helped us the whole way. My horse was Peanut and he was sweet and surefooted.
It was a little scary when we first came over the ridge and looked down into the canyon. But the scenery was so beautiful and the horses so calm, that our fears quickly evaporated.
The guide kept us entertained with information about the canyon and cheesy cowboy humor.
You can’t bring a backpack or anything except a small camera (which I recommend you hang around your neck ) but they have a small shed for people to leave their belongings.
We had lunch in the lodge dining room after taking the morning trail ride into the canyon. The place is pretty laid back and casual…no one seemed to mind that we were dusty from riding horses..but with the classic elegance of a historic park lodge.
I had the elk chili (just the right amount of heat, very tasty) and we also had the chicken noodle soup (fresh, nice big pieces of chicken) and the bison burger.
Waitress was cheerful, service was efficient and we were on our way to our next adventure in good time.
Sunset Point
The view from the point is stunning, but my husband didn’t get to see it because he let us out to go see it and then circled the lot for a long time, hoping in vain for a parking spot to open up.
My daughter and I walked along the rim trail and took some photos. There is a trail down into the canyon there too. You’d need to get there early in the morning to beat the crowds, I guess. We were there too early in the season for the shuttle bus…it wasn’t running yet. That would be a much less stressful way to get around the park.
A short hike out onto an observation platform and you can pretty much see 360 degree views of the whole park.
It’s difficult to find parking in the small lot at the trailhead and rangers were ticketing improperly parked vehicles, so we did have to wait a bit before a spot opened up. But it wasn’t as bad as the lot at Sunset Point, and we did eventually get a spot so we could all enjoy the awesome scenery.
Location: Bryce Canyon National Park, UT-63, Bryce, UT 84764
Designation: National Park
Date NPS designation declared: 2/25/1928
Date of my visit: 4/12/2017
