Bryce Canyon made me feel like a little kid again. Back then my imagination was unstoppable. For a long time I had an imaginary dog, the great dane. Later on I had a black horse. His name was Arrow and he could run as fast as cars. I always imagined I ride Arrow next to the car my parents were driving. Arrow never got tired and he was always happy to have another little 100 km/h run.
I also remember watching the clouds and looking for familiar shapes. I didn’t have to look long. I immediately noticed dinosaurs, bears and witches on their brooms up in the sky.
When I grew up my imagination got a lot simpler. I forgot about my dog and my horse Arrow. The clouds are just clouds.
But in Bryce Canyon I felt like I’m 7 years old again.
Amazing rock formations created by rain water and its freezing and unfreezing will get your imagination working no matter how adult you are.
To warm your brain up, the places’ names often suggest what you should see.
You can find many other amazing places in the state. Check this Utah national parks road trip for more inspiration 🙂
Rock formations of Bryce Canyon
So here we have an amphitheater
The Tower Bridge (the little one on the left 🙂 )
Queen Victoria (on the left too 🙂 )
But I had the best fun looking for shapes where nobody told me to see them. Just like 20 years ago I saw dinosaurs in the sky, in Bryce Canyon I instantly saw an army of soldiers (or the Chinese Terracotta Army)
Ancient cities
Terrifying hands with long, ugly fingers
At some point even a piece of wood looked like a gecko.
And in some hoodoos I’ve seen shapes I let you interpret on your own….
The trail we walked is called Fairyland Loop. Maybe that’s why I felt like a kid again 🙂 Fairyland Loop is 8 miles long (13km) and the elevation is 2300 feet (700 m). It’s marked as a strenuous hike for 4-5 hours.
I am surprised with this classification. I didn’t feel at least half of this elevation because it’s done in short uphill-downhill parts. It’s a perfect trail to feel the magic of Bryce Canyon.
Not only will you go down the canyon to admire breathtaking hoodoos and the transition of sand colors from orange through yellow to white but also you will walk along the canyon’s rim to watch it from top. Just like in Antelope Canyon, I couldn’t believe this place is real and created by nature.
We spent two days in Bryce and it is a perfect amount of time for this place. On the first day we hiked the Rim Trail with amazing viewpoints. Just like with the viewpoints in the Grand Canyon, it’s hardly possible to pick the best one. We also went down to see Queen Victoria at the end of short Queen’s Gardens Trail. If you don’t want to walk too much you can take a shuttle bus along the Rim Trail from one viewpoint to another.
On the second day we hiked the Fairyland Loop. We chose this trail very spontaneously after learning that Pekaboo Loop we planned is closed. I definitely don’t regret ending up in this magic fairy land 🙂
In Bryce Canyon I felt like I’m 7 years old again. I felt the same kind of magic like in Pena Palace in Sintra, Potrugal. Like my imaginary great dane appeared next to me again. Like I rode my black horse Arrow towards an ancient city followed by an army of Chinese soldiers.
And will you let this place wake up your imagination? Let’s plan your trip to the USA!
Check also these amazing trails in Zion National Park – Angels Landing and The Narrows. And if you liked this post, please use the buttons below and share it on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or pin it on Pinterest! Thanks! 🙂
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[…] me, it will make your heart beat faster… It makes your imagination work almost as hard as rock formations in Bryce Canyon. Only what you’re imagining there are fantastic figures and shapes. Here all you see is yourself, […]
[…] From there we’ll head east towards Flagstaff and then the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Bryce and Zion. Our trip will last a month. After that time Adam goes back to Poland and I’m […]