Bryce Canyon
Contents
BRYCE CANYON: A NOT-SO-HIDDEN GEM
Utah sucks. Mormons are weird. There’s nothing to do. There’s no nightlife, according to the 2017 Golden State Warriors. Etc. Etc. Etc. Etc. Etc. To that I say: Whatever. I hate the winter, so yeah, for me Utah sucks for 5 months a year. Outside of that though, Utah bloody rules, and Bryce Canyon is one of the many many reasons why.
THE NATIONAL PARKS PASS IS WORTH IT IF YOU DO 2+ PARKS
First off, since the Grand Canyon already cost $35, the National Parks pass made sense for us…we just didn’t know it yet. I paid the $35 to get into Bryce Canyon National Park…so, by my crude math, it seems we had spent $60 $70 dollars. I didn’t think anything of it, so we went into the park. But, on our way out, I saw that the yearlong pass was $75. Alas, thought I, I missed my chance since I didn’t do it on the way in. Plus, I’d done the Grand Canyon the day before. BUT WAIT!
Luckily, I’d saved my Grand Canyon receipt, and since we’d just done Bryce, I had that receipt too. So I asked the guy at the window if I could just pay the extra $5 and get the yearly pass and he said…YES! So yeah, if you’re gonna do both Grand Canyon and Bryce, pay the extra $5 and have access for a year. If you’re not gonna do more than those, do the pass and give it to someone else, they don’t make you sign it on the spot or anything.
5 HOUR DRIVE FROM GRAND CANYON TO BRYCE
I was actually surprised how long the drive was between these places, but considering it was only 3.5 hours from Bryce to home, it made sense for us to catch it along the way. And I am bloody glad we did! The drive isn’t anything too special, but Bryce absolutely is, including the little town around it.
I can’t remember if I’d ever seen Bryce in my life. I think I had as a kid with scouts, as we did lots of cool hikes and camps (I hate camping) like Goblin Valley and The Narrows. Still, seeing Bryce for the first time (at least, the first time I remember) is pretty dope.
STAYING RIGHT INSIDE THE PARK = YES
Since I learned my lesson by staying outside the Grand Canyon and having to drive forever to get in, this time I sucked it up and paid a bit extra to stay close to Bryce, and it was totally worth it. It meant we got to go in, stay as long as we wanted, go home and sleep, and go in again the next morning before heading home. So perfect.
BRYCE VIEW LODGE
Not going to devote much space here except the Bryce View Lodge was decent and had access to a nice pool at Ruby’s that we enjoyed for about 5 seconds, until the multitude of little kids screaming in an enclosed and echo-filled area drove us crazy. The breakfast at the lodge was decent, it was in their cool farmhouse, which was nice. Otherwise, strictly utilitarian.
I THINK BRYCE IS MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN GRAND…SO SUE ME
Just seeing Bryce is freakin amazing. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. Just looking from Sunset Point, which is a view area,, seeing all the crazy colors and the endless jagged peaks and stuff was just rad. So rad. Caitlin was still sick and pregnant and miserably happy, but we were both amazed at the first few. Just seeing that alone would have made the drive worth it, and I am not even kidding.
QUEEN’S GARDEN TRAIL
Not sure if I’ve mentioned it yet, but Caitlin was nearly bursting with her pregnancy, and the entire pregnancy sucked. So yeah, stopping to puke along the way and feeling nauseated and miserable is not awesome, and that meant every trail and hike we decided on doing had to be doable for her. Queen’s Garden is really cool. It’s super easy, just a road down into a forest of red rock formations. There are so many cool places for photos and it’s this mixture of beauty and a bit of eeriness (in my opinion) to just be surrounded by these crazy tall formations. It’s like being in a big city where the skyscrapers block the sun and stuff, but instead of buildings it’s massive rocks. So cool.
It’s pretty steep both up and down, so Caitlin and I took it very slow, but she was a champion—as usual—and did amazing. It was fun to stand at the bottom and just bask in the coolness of the area and soak in the view. It’s one of those ultra-unique places on the planet, and it’s cool to be there and appreciating it.
NAVAJO LOOP TRAIL
Because we were so close to the entrance, we were able to come and go to the park at will. We went and got food at the Bryce Canyon Pines, which was a better option than rubbish like Subway or the Canyon Diner, which people recommended but looked gross. The restaurant was decent, but we were stoked to get back to the park which is why I’m not mentioning the restaurant any more than this sentence.
So yeah, the Navajo Loop trail is another super famous one. It’s got some steep switchbacks and is something like 2 miles, so we didn’t do all of it on account of Caitlin being about to pop. But it’s still fun and gorgeous and awesome and cool and good and we loved just meandering around. We had to get home at a decent hour (actually can’t remember why, but probably lame work or some stupid adult thing) so we weren’t out super late or anything. But we ended up going to Sunset Point once in the afternoon when we arrived and again the next morning before we left. Hence, stay inside the park. Have I hammered home that point yet? Just listen to me please. Thanks. Bye.
So…what did we miss? Hit us on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube and tell us how we’re the worst travelers ever and missed the best parts of Vegas, the Grand Canyon, or Bryce Canyon or drop us a line at [email protected].
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GEAR
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I kinda repeat this section on every blog post, but seriously, this is all stuff we have and use, nothing filler. Below are some of the items we took:
FIRST OFF THESE FIRST 2 ITEMS ARE THINGS WE DID NOT TAKE BUT SHOULD HAVE!
Beach Umbrella: I guess I somehow forgot how barren of shade some Oahu beaches are, and surprisingly I didn’t see any place to rent umbrellas. I was hoping one of our places would supply them but alas, not to be. If I could do it again I would either take one out there or buy one there and just sell it/give it away the last day.
Beach Chair: See above. This would have made all our lounging even that much more perfect.
BELOW IS STUFF WE LEGITIMATELY ACTUALLY TOOK AND TAKE EVERYWHERE
My Amazing Reef Sandals: Due to an unforeseen tragedy shortly before the Hawaii trip, my original Reef sandals met their untimely end, so I had to very quickly choose a new pair. These rule, trust me.
Caitlin’s Stupid Awesome Space Saver Day Pack Thing: I told her she had way too much junk when she bought this, but I digress: You win, Caitlin, and if you only read this blog you’d see me say this. Oh well. This bag was SUPER cheap, amazing to take on day trips, and folds up into practically nothing. Seriously, just do it now.
Amazon Prime: C’mon, it’s 2019. Get free 2-day shipping (which was necessary since we always found something we needed at the last minute) and lots of good music and TV/movies which make road trips more enjoyable. Try it free and you won’t be disappointed. Plus, pretty much everything below will ship to you free in 2 days in the USA.
AUKEY Powerbank External Portable Charger: This thing has saved us many times. It’s nice to have around the house, but it’s nicer to have during a long flight or a 12 hour day at Machu Picchu. It has 2 USB inputs and charges our iPhones really fast. It’s a bit bulky, but we get 2-3 charges from it each time. SO worth having.
Anker External Portable Charger: Yes, we take 2 portable chargers on our trip. This one isn’t as long-lasting, but it’s much smaller and lighter. It’s a bit annoying charging 2 every night, but really worth it to have charged phones the entire day.
My Pants: Ever since my days braving the brutal Wellington rain in a suit, I HATE having wet pants. These Columbia pants were perfect to put on over my jeans if I needed, which I only did a couple times. Never got even a drop under them. Well worth it.
My Bag: As I said above, we travel LIGHT. Especially with cheap airlines like Ryanair, where things are expensive, having a versatile bag is a must. This bag is not incredibly nice, but it has a lifetime warranty and it can cinch down to unbelievably small sizes. It’s made it through 4 continents with no problems yet.
Ponchos: Another must for pretty much whenever. Just get something waterproof that won’t blow off immediately.
Towels: These ones are awesome because they fold up small and dry incredibly quick. We got an off brand, our friend Loinz has an original Packtowl which he raves about. Your call.
Space Saver Bags: These have proved invaluable on our travels. It’s amazing how small clothing can shrink down to in one of these! Highly recommended.
Outlet Plugs: Of course, when traveling overseas you need a plug
adapter. We’ve had these exact ones for at least 5 years. We’ve taken them to 6 continents and they’re still going strong. And, they’re super cheap and have everything you need all in one, so you don’t have to bring a bunch of different parts. Highly recommended.
Aux Cable: You probably already have a million of these. Most cars we’ve rented have a USB that connected directly to the music, so we could charge our phones and blast tunes at the same time. The longer cable is nice so if someone is in the backseat they can still charge and control the music or navigate or browse Instagram or whatever)
MacBook Air: OK this is probably pushing it for necessities, but I do have to work on the road and it’s perfect to take with us. Small, lightweight, powerful, and mine has a pink cover for good measure.
PLACES WE STAYED
The Bryce View Lodge was decent and had access to a nice pool at Ruby’s and decent breakfast.
MISCELLANEOUS
Caitlin and I are on T-Mobile, which is awesome because we can text and use data for free. This meant navigation was all free (didn’t have to rent a GPS) and we could find attractions on the go, as well as me managing the business from afar without searching for Wi-Fi. So good!
If you don’t have TSA Global Entry, I highly recommend it. Not only do you get through TSA lines quickly and without removing shoes, belts, and liquids, but you also get to come back through customs much faster. It probably saved us at least 1-2 hours this trip. Once again, the credit card saves our lives.
One of the best travel tips I’ve ever had is to save clothes you’re going to throw away or donate and wear them on trips. Along the way, toss or donate them. Not only does it feel amazing having an empty pack on the way home, but on a strict airline like Ryanair, you’ll avoid heavy baggage fees. I ditched everything I took except what I wore home and it was awesome…except when Caitlin put her clothes into my bag without me knowing.
