HOODOO? WE DO!
(From Part IV
of “Fluffhead”, by Trey Anastasio)
Today’s trip
report is brought to you by the color pink.
The
ducks woke me early the next morning.
That’s the trouble with camping by a lake. There’s always something out there making noise first thing in
the morning. After a breakfast of eggs,
bacon, and cheese on a bagel, I packed up, and continued my journey up route
12. The outrageous desert scenery continued,
and once again I made poor time as I was frequently compelled to stop the car
for a better look. I passed through the
town of Cannonville, and the many attractions of Cottonwood Wash Road, from
Kodachrome Basin State Park, to Grosvenor Arch, to the Paria River and dozens
of slot canyons, beckoned.
Unfortunately, this was a short trip, and I had only time to see so
much. I continued on, climbing towards
the high country and Bryce National Park.
A
short access road leads to the park. At
the gate, I purchased an annual parks pass, which provides free access to all
of the national parks for one year. It
was $50, but since I would be visiting Zion and Bryce ($20 each) on this trip,
it seemed like a wise investment.
I
stopped at the visitor’s center, and asked the ranger for hiking
suggestions. Unlike most of my trips, I
really hadn’t had the chance to research this one thoroughly. One of the trails I had planned to hike was
closed for repair (one half of the Navajo Loop). Another trail I had originally planned on, the Fairyland Canyon
loop, looked less exciting than I had originally expected. Ultimately, I decided to combine the Queen’s
Garden and Peek-a-boo areas into a double loop that would take me through some
of the parks best scenery.
Before
beginning my hike, I headed to the north campground to look for a site. The campground was rather spartan, but
reasonably priced at only $10. I drove
through the tent area, and immediately spotted a vacant site in a desirable
location. National Park campgrounds are
usually situated in the middle of ordinary forest, but this particular campsite
(#60) was located just below the rim of the canyon. A short walk of about 50’ led to the edge. From there, I could see for an eternity, out
over the redrock hoodoos of Bryce to the Escalante desert far in the distance.
I
set up camp and began my hike right from my campsite. By starting there, I added almost a mile to the hike, but saved
myself the trouble of driving to the trailhead. I walked up the hill above camp, and joined the Rim Trail,
following it south towards Sunrise Point.
At the overlook, I joined dozens of tourists that had wandered out from
the parking lot for a glimpse of Bryce’s famed hoodoos. The view to the east was the same as from
the ridge above my campsite, but to the south was a nice view of the Bryce
Amphitheatre. Hundreds of pink, red,
brown, and white formations clung to the cliffs. The view was great, but it would get even better.
I
picked up the Queen’s Garden Trail at the overlook, and headed down into the
hoodoos. The view of the formations
from above was nice, but the scenery was much more impressive down among the
pinnacles. The trail wandered among
them, and where going around or over the ridges wasn’t an option, it tunneled
through man-made arches. The trail was
extremely crowded, as the Queen’s Garden is one of the parks most famous areas,
and the trail leading through it provides a short, easy hike. I did find a nice little overlook a short
distance off the beaten path, where I enjoyed a quiet lunch.
After
lunch, I left the Queen’s Garden behind by hiking the Peek-a-boo loop. Peek-a-boo is a little longer and a bit more
difficult, so it gets much less visitation.
Surprisingly, the scenery along that loop is far superior to the Queen’s
Garden. I enjoyed wandering through the
hoodoos even more in the Peak-a-boo area, without having to dodge a constant
swarm of people.
I
did see a few other hikers. One group
was an official hiking club from Greensboro, NC. It was a funny coincidence to meet people from North Carolina
more than halfway across the country. I
hiked with them for a time as we discussed our plans for our trips. They were spending most of their time in
Zion, which is where I planned to head after leaving Bryce. We promised to keep an eye out for each
other there, before parting ways at an access trail on the far side of the
Peek-a-boo loop.
From
that junction, the best scenery unfolded before me. A line of cliffs known as the Wall of Windows was broken only by
a pair of natural arches high above.
More red and pink rocks loomed before me as I turned each corner. All too soon the Peek-a-boo loop ended, and
I was back among the crowds on the Navajo Loop. I headed up the open portion of the Navajo Loop through Wall
Street. At Wall Street, the trail
passes through a narrow crack in the cliffs.
Although Wall Street is an appropriate name, the Great Wall of China
would be better. The cliffs are
certainly formidable, and the trail was full of Chinese tourists. You could probably visit the Great Wall of
China outside of Beijing and see fewer Chinese people than I did here.
At
the top, I rejoined the Rim Trail and hustled back towards camp, completing my
8-mile hike. It was already getting on
towards evening, and I still wanted to drive the park’s scenic road before the
end of the day. The weather forecast
called for rain on Monday, so today would probably be my only chance to see the
rest of the park.
I
drove down the road, and stopped at Sunset, Paria, Bryce, and Inspiration
viewpoints. Did you know, that due to a
little known federal statue, all National Parks are required by law to name at
least one of their overlooks “Sunrise”, “Sunset”, “Grandview”, “Lookout”,
“Inspiration”, “Desperation”, “Suicide”, or “Take Picture Here”? Seriously though, I enjoyed Sunset, Bryce,
and Inspiration the most. The overlooks
farther south, such as Rainbow, were a longer drive and the views were less
enthralling. That evening, I considered
visiting Sunrise Point for sunset, just to be contrary. Ultimately though, I just wandered up to the
ridge above my campsite, and watched as the sun dropped behind me. As it went down, the redrocks in the
Amphitheatre glowed an even brighter pink and red.
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