Bryce

Passing by our hotel in Hatch, we travelled another half hour to reach Bryce Canyon. The scenery shift between Zion and Bryce, despite their proximity, was fascinating. We left behind the sandstone and far more greenery became evident, in wide open plains with multi-coloured cliffs on the horizon (we would later learn each layer within the cliffs was named after the predominant colour, my favourite being 'vermillion'!).

Entering Bryce NP, the surroundings were not dissimilar to Kejimkujik in Canada - a well-travelled road cut through towering trees and wildlife. The visitors centre have us some sense of what lay ahead but nothing could really prepare you for the view as you crested the plateau at Sunrise Point to see the land fall away into a vast amphitheatre of hoodoos. These sandstone towers, created by the erosion of the softer layers within the rock, made for an unbelievable view to which, again, photos do not justice. They appear almost ordered and sculptured in places, and with the sun reflecting the reds and whites within each tower, the whole moment was awe-inspiring.

We drove further around the amphitheatre, to Bryce Point, for a different view. From here we could see the 'wall of windows' - holes formed in the rock by erosions that would later become hoodoos as the process continued. The view here was even more extensive. Bryce was the uppermost point of the 'Grand Staircase' which covers a vast area including Zion and Grand Canyon, all of which are noted for the step-like increase of cliffs, each layer changing colour. Now well last 7pm, we headed for our hotel in Hatch.Read more