It took just one look from the Fairyland Canyon overlook into Bryce Canyon to whisk away any of the lingering regrets we had about missing out on Glacier National Park. It was Wednesday, June 19th, and Beth and I were in Bryce Canyon at the trailhead to the Fairyland Loop Trail, an 8 mile circuit through a hoodoo filled canyon of unbelievable beauty. Bryce is famous for its hoodoos, which are tall, thin spires of rock formed by erosion. Most of the hoodoos in Bryce consist of red, but some are golden, orange, white and even pink rock. They are stunning. Standing hundreds of feet tall, they rise majestically from the canyon floor to form a remarkable amphitheatre in all directions. The colors have to be seen, they can’t be adequately described.
We weren’t supposed to be here today. But instead of shivering in the cold, snow and rain in Glacier, we chased the sun and warmth south to Utah and found ourselves once again gazing at the beauty of Bryce Canyon. It took us less than an hour to reach it from our campground. We arrived around 8:30 and went right to the visitor center to get our passport stamped and to get the maps and brochure needed to make the most of our day.
This was my third and Beth’s second visit to Bryce, and it was just as amazing as the previous times we were here. We decided to hike the Fairyland Loop Trail because I remember it being a great hike when my son Matt, his friend Patrick Scordato and I completed it during a two week backpacking trip to Utah 7 years ago. It was just as great the second time.
The trail is not for the faint of heart. 8 miles in length, it descends into the canyon before ascending 1900 vertical feet back to the trail head. The park brochure says the time needed to complete the trail is 4 to 5 hours. With our lunches and water packed away in our cooler backpack, we began the descent at 9:15. The temperature was great, the mid 60s to start, climbing to the mid 80s by the time we finished the trail, 6 hours and 15 minutes later. It took us longer than expected because we stopped to talk to fellow hikers along the way, enjoyed snack and water breaks and took our time taking plenty of pictures. This was not a race, but a chance to enjoy some unique and awesome scenery, and we sure did.
We were enveloped on every side by hoodoos. It was hard to keep our eyes on the trail as we were constantly looking up. I made the comment that we needed to have our heads on a swivel so we could get a 360 degree view without straining our necks. The trip down the canyon was an easy walk, although we knew that meant the trip back up would be a challenge. We didn’t let the thought of the uphill climb affect us though.
There were not many people on the trail at the beginning. We were passed by 4 or 5 people over the first half and we encountered about the same number going in the opposite direction, as they had started at another trailhead. We met a mother, father, and daughter from England about halfway through. The mother was very nice to offer us some Starburst candy to replenish our dwindling sugar supply. In my younger days, I would have taken the whole bag from her, but since my mouth now consisted of mostly fillings and crowns, I passed on the chewy candy so as not to leave Bryce with fewer teeth than I entered it with. Beth passed too as she is not a fan of chewy candy. We spent a good 10 minutes talking with the family and filling them in on our travels. They also shared with us their plans for the time they had in the United States. Apparently, the mom and dad let their teenage daughter plan most of the trip, and it seemed that it was going well for them.
As we parted, they mentioned that we were about to face the climb back to the top of the canyon. We thanked them for the heads up and plodded on to the summit push. Even though the trail was tough, especially as we were gaining elevation and the temperature was heating up, the incredible views helped make the ascent much easier. Also, with each hike we take, our bodies are getting stronger, making each successive hike easier.
We reached a point that began a 1.5 mile portion of the trail that was very steep, ending at the summit. Little by little and step by step, we proceeded upward, stopping at several points for water. After about an hour of hiking up, we reached the top, no worse for the wear. We could see the general store and restrooms at the top, just a few hundred yards from the trail. It brought back good memories of my trip with Matt and Patrick, as we had stopped at the same store on our visit in 2017. We filled our water bottles and got back on the trail to finish the remaining 2.5 miles of the trail.
On this final stretch, we passed most of the people who had been traveling in the opposite direction as us, as they were returning to their starting point as well. We saw the English family we had passed earlier once more and wished them safe travels as they continued on their tour of the United States. We arrived back to the trailhead parking lot at 3:30, six hours and fifteen minutes from the time we began. We did it. It was a rewarding feeling standing there looking down into the canyon we had just conquered. You could see the trail from this vantage point winding its way up and down and around the hoodoos. It was a great feeling having completed a great hike.
There was a picnic pavilion in the parking lot so we unloaded our trusty Coleman two burner camp stove, a package of hot dogs and snacks and had ourselves a hearty lunch right there. I commented to Beth that the last time I sat at this pavilion it was with Matt and Patrick and it was sleeting and snowing. The conditions were much better this time around.
After lunch, we drove over to another part of the park to hike a bit of the Rim Trail and the Queen’s Garden Trail, which both offered more wonderful views of the red hoodoos towering all around. We chose not to descend the entire 500 vertical feet of the Queen’s Garden Trail, since we had already been down to the canyon floor on our earlier hike, and really didn’t want to face the climb back up. Besides, we had done this trail 20 years ago with the kids and Beth’s Mom Carolyn.
Having spent almost 8 hours in the park, we decided to head back to the campground for supper. We were so pleased with our day and for the opportunity we had to spend it in perhaps our favorite National Park. The weather at Glacier gave us lemons, but thank God, we were able to make lemonade out of them at Bryce Canyon.
Tomorrow is a return to Zion. It should be another good day. Oh, by the way, our camping neighbor told us they got a foot of snow in Glacier!