UTAZ Day 6: Bryce Canyon NP

On Day 6 we woke up late, got in one last swim at the Cable Mountain Lodge pool (and by "we" I mean, James and the kids; I sat on the balcony of our room, sipping my tea and admiring the red cliffs around me), packed up, and headed back towards Escalante to reclaim our Yurt that had been accidentally denied to us three days prior. But first, we had a stop at Bryce Canyon National Park along the way!

A friend of mine posted a picture of him and his wife at Bryce Canyon 7ish years ago and that picture is what kicked off the whole idea of a southern Utah National Park roadtrip for me, so this stop was much anticipated and it did not disappoint!

We stopped at the Visitors Center (always!) and then drove to Sunset point to start our 3.5 hike from Sunset Point to the Rim Trail to Sunrise Point to Queen's Garden to Navajo Loop to Wallstreet, which takes you right back to Sunset Point where you started.

Bryce Canyon (which is not actually a canyon, but rather a collection of more than a dozen amphitheaters) is famous for its hoodoo formations and gorgeous orange colors.

The hoodoos reminded me of the sand drip castles you make at the beach and they were so large and varied.

The loop we took cut all the way through the canyon-that's-not-a-canyon, through stone doorways, and alongside giant stone wonders of all shapes and sizes.

We were pretty wiped out from our Zion hikes, but the 3.5 mile loop was the perfect distance to get into the hoodoos and admire what Bryce Canyon is famous for without sending my family into a revolt against my travel plans.

The colors were so beautiful and the formations so bizarre, we really enjoyed it.

Towards the end you can pick between the Two Bridges trail or Wallstreet trail to get back to Sunset Point. We opted for Wallstreet which is more strenuous but takes you right between some giant hoodoo formations and offers really great views.

My hamstrings were mad, but my heart was happy with the choice.

We stopped in the little town of Bryce (which is still bigger than the even smaller town of Escalante) for some pizza and then pressed on to our much-anticipated yurt home for the next 3 nights.

And it was worth the wait!

We booked the Cottonwood Yurt with Escalante Yurts and it had 2 bedrooms with queen beds (one of which went untouched because when given the option, my children will ALWAYS sleep together) plus a loft with three twin beds, a full kitchen, bathroom, living room, deck, fire pit, swings, and lots of room for the kids to climb and explore at their leisure.

It was glamping at its finest and we were here for it.

The kids immediately declared the loft an adult-free space and instituted a password system James and I could never quite crack.

The deck and land around the yurt was so great to let them run and play and explore.

The yurt also included a daily homemade breakfast that the owners deliver to your fridge/kitchen the day before to eat at your leisure and the excitement of opening the door each day to discover the next morning's breakfast was HUGE and we had to take turns opening the door after our hikes.

We went to sleep in my comfiest bed of the trip, so excited to have now seen all 5 of the famous Utah Mighty 5 Parks and ready for more adventures (and breakfast!) in the morning!