Awesome....and Terrifying

Is it possible for a scenic drive to be both awesome and terrifying at the same time?  If you’re driving through Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, oh yes it is!  Thankfully, Mike was doing the driving, as those “hogbacks” (stretches of road where there’s a complete million-foot drop-off on either side…and no guard rails) would have done me in!  And while they say that getting there is half the fun, when the other half involves Bryce Canyon, well, there’s just little comparison.  Like so many of our national parks, there’s just no way to put into words the enormity of what you’re seeing.  As we drove up to Bryce Canyon Lodge, the scenery was pretty, but the rim of the canyon was hidden, and I kind of thought, “OK, what’s the big deal?”  Then, we checked into our Western Cabin (again, which I had to book over a YEAR in advance), literally 50 steps from the rim, and I got that national park smack-in-the-face where you just can’t believe what you’re seeing.  WOW.  Even the kids just sat on a bench awestruck.  (And speaking of kids, parents, you had better be on high alert, as there are NO guard rails anywhere.  Let me just say, there’s no bouncing back from that fall!)  We spent our first evening eating dinner at the lodge and hiking “Wall Street”, that only my pictures can begin to explain.

We spent the next two days hiking the other-worldly trails (get there early to avoid the hoards of international tourists!), taking in the scenic vistas, and we even rented bikes from one of the concessions in town (I mean THE ONE concession, Ruby’s Inn, who seems to own just about everything in town).   We took the shuttle bus up to Inspiration Point, and rode (downhill) 5 miles on the multi-use trail back to town.  And aside from my youngest wiping out HARD on the first big turn, it was a highlight for all of us!

I love too how places like these really almost force you to disconnect- there is spotty (at best!) cell service, no TV, and no wifi except for in the main lodge, so evenings were spent old-school: Jenga (National Park edition, of course), Left-Right-Center, Spot-It, and Carcassonne (our favorite game!)

Traveler tip: if Bryce Canyon is on your itinerary, make sure you’re not just passing through.  Give it the time it deserves- ideally 2 nights and at least a full day and a half to really experience all there is to see and do.   I promise you will not be disappointed!

Other-worldly beauty of grand staircase escalante NM

When your cabin is literally 50 steps from the rim of bryce canyon, you have no excuse to miss the sunrise!  

Hiking to the bottom of the canyon via the perilous "Wall StreeT"