Out West Trip: Day 22 (Hurricane, UT to Bryce Canyon, UT)

Today’s Highlights: Hiking towards The Narrows in Zion. Finding vacancy at Bryce Canyon. Sunset viewing of the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon. Paying for frigid showers.

zion np - 12 jun 2011

We woke later than I had hoped, but we had quick breakfasts and packed up fast. The drive back to Zion was easy, and we got there early enough to find plenty of parking. We filled our water bottles with Zion spring water and spotted a fox running across the parking lot. We rode the shuttle up the furthest point and hiked up as far as we were allowed to go. When the river is lower, the hike continues on. Chloe had to pee the whole way, but liked seeing the somewhat tame fat squirrels begging for food. After the hike, we rode the shuttle to the lodge where we had lunch in the cafe before taking a short hike up to the Emerald Pools. After the hike, we returned to the car, filled the water bottles and got in the car to drive through the mile long tunnel and then on towards Bryce. When we arrived at Bryce, we saw that there was camping available, so we found a spot and canceled our reservation at Otter State Park. This saved us a few gallons of gas, more time in the can and also let us explore Bryce today instead of tomorrow!

zion np - 12 jun 2011

Once we had claimed and paid for the site, we went to the general store for some supplies and then to visitor’s center for our bumper sticker and NP stamp. We then drove the road out to the end and stopped at the scenic views on the way back. The final stop, Bryce Point, was amazing!

bryce canyon np - 12 jun 2011

We stopped at the store to take showers; the hot water was broken, so our showers were very, very cold! Back at the campsite, we set up and made dinner. The veggies had gone bad, but Camille had dumped them into the macaroni before realizing it, so none of us ate much of the dinner. After dinner, Rob and the girls tried to pop popcorn on the fire. We all watched an episode of Doctor Who before going to sleep.

Trip Stats:
Roadside Attractions: None. (Total: 20)
States: Utah. (Total: 11 – GA, AL, MS, LA, TX, NM, AZ, UT, CO, CA, NV)
State Plates Spotted: CT (Total: 49 – still missing WV and RI)
Miles: 166 (Total: 5394)
Gallons of gas bought: None. (Total: 313.8)
Poptops Spotted: None. (Total: 26)
National Park Stamps: Bryce Canyon (Total: 9)
Miles walked: 4 (Total: 54)
Dollars saved with NP pass: 25 (Total: 155)
Continental Divide Crossings: None. (Total: 3)
Time Zone Changes: None. (Total: 9 – EDT, CDT, MST, MDT, CDT, MDT, MST, PDT, MST, PDT, MST, MDT)
Security checkpoints: 0 (Total: Border. Petrified Forest. Agriculture. Dam Security.)