Day 3 – Bryce Canyon National Park, UT to Zion National Park, UT

Miles driven today: 108 Cumulative miles: 1158 Woke up a little after 6:00am to break down camp and go see the canyon at sunrise. We didn’t quite make sunrise, but got to Bryce Point just as the sun came out from behind the clouds. We spent quite a while there taking photos before heading to Inspiration Point for more of the same. Decided to stop by the Visitor Center for our standard souvenir (a book) and also picked up a US National Parks Passport to record our visits. By 10:00am, we were at Sunset Point to begin our hike. We made some oatmeal in the car using our 12volt hot water heater (thanks Mom!) before setting out. We decided to do half the Navajo Loop Trail (the Thor’s Hammer side) into the Queen’s Garden Trail, up to Sunrise Point, where we took the Rim Trail back to our car at Sunset Point. In all, it was a 2.8-mile hike, descending about 550 feet into the canyon and back out again. It took us about an hour and 45 minutes for the entire hike. When we got back to the car, we decided to set up the tripod for a picture of the two of us (we are notorious for not getting photos of us together on trips). We finished up and got back in the car just as it started to sprinkle. I figure out timing was on today between finishing our hike before the rain and catching the sun just as it came out from the clouds this morning. Our plan for the next few hours was to take the scenic drive out to Rainbow Point and stop at the other viewpoints along the way. As we drove, the rain worsened. It kept getting heavier and heavier until visibility was down to about 20 feet – and then the hail came. It was so load on the car that Daniel and I had to shout just to talk. When it was all said and done, there was about a half inch of pea-sized hail on the road and the ground appeared snow-covered. We made it the 8 or so miles to Rainbow Point (where, oddly enough, it was completely dry) and then toodled our way back up the road (the main road in the park ends at Rainbow Point, so you have to leave the same way you came in. We left Bryce Canyon at about 1:45pm and got on the road to Zion National Park. It rained off and on for most of the 80-mile drive, but cleared up just as we arrived at the entrance to Zion. We came in from the East Entrance. I recommend coming in this way as you start near the upper part of the canyon/ formations and slowly zig zag your way down to the canyon floor. It makes for a more dramatic impression of Zion. So, we worked our way through the park, past Checkerboard Mesa and other formations, and finally to the mouth of the Zion – Mt. Carmel Tunnel. The tunnel is 1.1 miles long and passes through the canyon wall, emerging on the other side about 800 feet above the floor of the canyon. That in itself is pretty cool, but to know that this feat of engineering was completed back in 1930 is even more impressive. It had just begun to sprinkle as we entered the tunnel. A few minutes later, when we emerged, the sprinkles had turned into a downpour. This continued for about the next hour or so without letting up. We opted to sit in our car at the Visitor Center for about 20 minutes until it finally did let up a little. Went to check in and set up camp at Watchman Campground near the Visitor Center. We went to our assigned spot and found that we also had our own lake at our campsite too. At least that showed us the low spot and where not to put our tent. After we got set up, we headed back to the Visitor Center for a quick look around before boarding the Zion Canyon Shuttle (due to the congestion caused by 2.4 million visitors per year, the free shuttle system was implemented and cars are no longer permitted up the canyon). We rode the shuttle to the final stop at the Temple of Sinawava so we could hear the entire audio tour and decide which hikes to do tomorrow. At this stop, we took a short walk back to the river and took photos for about a half hour before it started to rain again. Got back on the shuttle for the ride towards camp. On the way back down the canyon, we saw wild turkeys and several mule deer. Back at the campground, we started making dinner when a buck decided to graze through our campsite. We watched him for a good 10 minutes before he moved on. Finished dinner, cleaned up, and went to bed around 9:30pm so we could get an early start hiking the next day. (Side note: we learned that the only showers were outside the park in the town of Springville and closed at 8pm – I’ll have 3 1/2 days of camp funk before we make it to a shower. Ug!) Wildlife seen: mule deer, wild turkeys, bats Miles hiked: ~2.8