Bryce Canyon NP: Navajo Loop Trail

Winding through Red Canyon on Utah’s Highway 12 gave a preview of what we were about to experience in one of the World’s most unique parks. As we drive through these

vermilion colored cliffs we catch glimpses of arches and balanced rocks boasting their pink and orange tones. We enter into Bryce Canyon National Park and anticipation builds as my four kids, my wife, and I approach the trail head for Navajo Loop Trail. At first glance down into the canyon, tracing with my eyes the path that we will soon be exploring, I realize this place is like none I’ve ever seen.

An otherworldly view causes me to reminisce back to reading works from Isaac Asimov or CS Lewis’s Malacandra. Certainly, the surface of Mars cannot appear too much different than this. And I wouldn’t find myself surprised a bit if a character from a Tolkien novel popped out along the path with a riddle whose meaning must be discovered to gain access to the wonders of what lies beyond. “We are people of legend, evil people, people conquered by the great Coyote! Who are we?” And I would answer, “Well Hoodoos of course!” And then continue on. The Navajo Loop Trail begins at Sunset Point. From here we descend on thirty-six steep switchbacks cut right into the rock and taking us into the shadows of the hoodoos. In what seems to be an arid environment where nothing could easily grow we are surprised to

quickly come upon a lone Ponderosa Pine at the bottom of the canyon. The green needles

contrasted perfectly in the foreground with the limestone, siltstone, and dolomite cliffs as the backdrop. This great tree was upwards of two hundred feet tall and was an indicator of just how far down we had come. Following the trail for three miles through this fairyland left us constantly in a sense of awe and wonder. What will come next around the corner? A view of Thors Hammer? A cave to explore? A cliff to climb? It wasn’t long before we had the opportunity to take a spur trail into Queens Garden and enter the court of Queen Victoria, probably the most famous hoodoo spire in the park.

The middle of our hike brought changes in sound and scenery, as well as temperature. The cool of the morning faded, and the trail now took us to places without shadow to rest in. The clip-clop of a guided horse tour could be heard across the canyon. This took us back in time and added a kind of pioneering feel to our day. We were exploring this canyon just like the first settlers to the area had hundreds of years before and just like the Paiute had maybe a thousand years before that.

A barren river wound through our path intercepting the trail here and there and reminded us of just how dry this place could be and how thankful we were for our Nalgene bottles. As the end of the trail neared we now ascended with the sunshine to Sunrise Point. It was on this ascent that the canyon started to win, wearing our family out and draining our water supply. The return for this investment was great with unsurpassed views around every bend. Carefully cut arches and caves allowed us access through the cliff walls and gave off the atmosphere of wandering ruins of ancient Israel. The entire canyon was in view as we trekked toward the finish line and grabbed those last few selfies. One could not help but ponder the Paiutes view that this beautiful scene came from the Legend People failing to care for this precious and fragile place. Facing the consequences for drinking all the water and eating all the nuts and food the canyon had to offer the god Coyote turned them into stone, or so the story goes. Nearing the finish line we are certain however that all the beauty we have seen couldn’t have possibly come from something evil but from someone good.

Bryce Canyon National Park is much too beautifully designed and is surely one of the better parts of creation. The Navajo Loop Trail is worth every step taken, and worth every penny spent to experience this mystical place. It is at the top of my list for favorite places hiked and created family memories to last a lifetime!

Tony's Top Five Tips for hiking the Navajo Loop Trail:

1. Start early to beat the heat! The trail is easily done in 2-3 hours. We started at 8 am, temp 55 degrees F. We ended at 11 am, temp 85 degrees F. (September)

2. Bring plenty of water! The trail is rugged and hot, and you need water.

3. Altitude always messes with me a bit! At around 8,000 ft. I found it very helpful to take some Altitude Advantage from Wilderness Athlete! There are plenty of supplements for the altitude you can also purchase on Amazon. Take in the morning before you hike!

https://wildernessathlete.com/products/altitude-advantage

4. Take your time! Let your kids climb some rocks, squeeze through some holes and explore extra places. You might just want to join them too!

5. Have a picnic lunch packed to eat right when you are done with the hike. You'll be hungry!