Family vacation in Bryce Canyon

My family has been to Bryce Canyon a couple of times and both times we never spent more than a day there. Now let me qualify why. Bryce Canyon is a beautiful national park and we highly recommend you take your family there to visit on your next family vacation getaway, however it is a small park and other than the sites which can all be seen from your car, it isn't necessary to spend much longer than a day here. Why do I say that? Well, Bryce Canyon is only about an hour and a half to 2 hours drive from Zion National Park and then only a couple more hours from the Grand Canyon. So our reasoning is that if you are going to take the time on your family vacation to see parks, spend it wisely at places like Zion or the Grand Canyon, where there is much more to do and see.

Bryce sits east of the intersection of Hwy 89 and Hwy 12 and is in between Zion, Grand Canyon, and Capital Reef. It became a park in 1924, and was named after a Mormon pioneer named Ebenezer Bryce. The most fantastic thing about this park is how the colorful limestone has dissolved into weird shapes that are named hoodoos. These hoodoos have been formed over the years by erosion. Pelting rain and freezing ice have compacted and expanded the rocks into what they are today.

One thing that we noticed when we visited this park was that the air quality is a lot better, something that we found later is boasted about in the park. Apparently, due to it's small size and location, the park is not affected by either air pollution or light pollution, which in turn makes this park one of the best parks to visit if you like to stargaze in the evenings. The other difference between this park and the other major parks around it is the elevation. We noticed it was cooler here than in Zion, therefore, we suggest you bring along a pullover just in case the weather isn't co-operating. You also may want to bring along raingear in case it decides to dump on you.

This park has many short hikes that you can enjoy. We noticed that at all the turnouts, there were little 1-3 mile hikes that could be taken along the ridges. In our minds, this accomplished the task of saying we had "experienced" Bryce Canyon, especially after we had taken a few photos.

Upon arrival in Bryce Canyon, you will need to pay $20 per vehicle to gain entrance, however, if you came from one of the other parks, you should have just gone ahead and bought a Golden Eagle pass and saved yourself the trouble of paying for each park individually. Afterall, if you are visiting Bryce, you probably will visit Capital Reef, Grand Canyon, or Zion, so save yourself the money. Besides, the National Park system benefits greatly from the pass, so do a good thing and buy one!

If you plan to stay in Bryce Canyon overnight, you have several options. The lodge has 114 rooms, which includes cabins, suites and motel rooms. It also has a gift shop and restaurant. You could also stay at one of the 2 campgrounds called North or Sunset. The North campground is open year round and has 110 sites (55 tent, and 55 RV) along with a dump station (if you are RVing), laundry, groceries, and showers. You need a reservation to stay here. The Sunset Campground is open from May to Oct and has 100 sites (50 tent, 50 RV) and has none of the amenities of the North site, however these amenities are only a mile away. This site is first come first serve. Both sites cost $10 a night and are limited to 6 people or 3 tents or 2 vehicles. Your last option for staying in Bryce Canyon would be to obtain a backcountry permit at the visitor's center and for only $5 you can enjoy the prestine wilderness.

Okay, I lied, there is another option for you. Outside Bryce Canyon is national wilderness/forest area. You don't need a permit to camp on this land. When I was in college, I camped here for several days with a couple friends. It is free to camp in and you get a taste of the wilderness, minus the people. You can camp here and shower at Ruby's Inn. Which brings me to my last recommendation: For the best buffet you will ever experience, we highly recommend you stop at Ruby's Inn and buffet just outside Bryce Canyon. It will cost a little money for a lunch buffet ($15 for adults and $7.50 for children), but you can eat to your heart's content and the food will be some of the best you ever tasted. You can check them out at rubysinn.com

Whatever, you decide to do on your family vacation to Bryce Canyon, we suggest you spend a little time doing some of the hikes. Whether you spend a few nights here or not, that is up to you, however, make the trip, you won't forget it and perhaps one of your children may be inspired to become a geologist after visiting this beautiful park.