After a chilly nights sleep we began our journey East to Cedar Breaks National Monument. We were extremely grateful that we didn’t sleep anywhere near the monument because as we made our way up we had to drive very carefully as to not slip on the snowy and icy road.
The canyon, topped with a light snow, was magnificent. A quick walk on the icy path and a snowball or two later, we decided not to continue exploring this area, which happened to be over 10,000 feet above sea level. Instead we drove back down the mountain towards Bryce Canyon National Park.
Once we reached a small canyon right outside of Bryce, Red Canyon, it was as if the snowy morning was just an illusion. Not a white flurry touched the ground and the air smelt warmer.
Red Canyon is very close to Dixie National Forest visitor center and after visiting with the forest ranger, Jason and I decided to set up camp at one of the free primitive campsites in the forest.
Dixie National Forest is a huge forest that hugs Bryce Canyon.
Our campsite was only about 10 miles away from the entrance to Bryce.
Setting up camp didn’t take long and soon enough we were walking around the rim of the most unique canyon. Knowing that we weren’t going to be spending more than two days in the park, we decided to leave the hiking for the morning after a good nights rest.
We ended up driving around and stopping at every vista point in the park. After dinner we left the park to call it a night.
We ended up driving around and stopping at every vista point in the park. After dinner we left the park to call it a night.
After our campfire died down, the frost began to set in. It was the coldest night we had experienced so far on our trip, 23 degrees! The little guy is not insulated at all and after Jason’s mustache began to grow icicles (not even exaggerating) we ran to the car, pumped the heat up and slept for the next three hours until the sun came up.
After hardly getting any sleep the night before, Jason decided that hiking was out of the question. I on the other hand pressed on through the exhaustion and hiked through the canyon from sunrise to sunset point, approximately six miles. Although strenuous at times, the hike was extremely peaceful and absolutely gorgeous. I took hundreds of photos and by the time I ran out of space on my memory card, I was conveniently done and heading back to a sleeping Jason.
After freshening up and having a delicious lunch we headed off to a much warmer Capitol Reef.
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