We had a late start to our day so we chose to skip the Parowan Gap Petroglyphs and head straight to Bryce Canyon National Park. As you drive to Bryce Canyon National Park, you will enjoy views of Dixie National Forest. We took the National Scenic Byway 12 (UT-12). This road has been designated a National Scenic Byway and an All-American Road by the Federal Highway Administration because it has one-of-a-kind features that qualify it as a destination unto itself.
Mossy Cave & Tropic Ditch Falls
Mossy Cave
Our first stop was the Mossy Cave. There is limited parking at the trailhead so get there early in the morning. This place gets busy between 10am to 6pm. Although we arrived before 10am we still waited a while for a spot to open up. Parking is not allowed along SR 12 so if you cannot find parking, you can try again another time.
Tip #1: Get there early (before 10am) to get parking.
Tip #2: Mossy Cave is a fee area. Bring your National Park Pass or proof of admission before you arrive at the trailhead.
The Mossy Cave hike is an easy 0.4 mile walk from the trailhead with little elevation change (~300 ft). We gave ourselves an hour in this area, which was plenty of time to see the cave and enjoy the waterfall.
Source: Google Maps
The Mossy Cave is filled with moss in the summer, but is filled with icicles in the winter! When we went, the icicles were long gone. The small cave was fenced off and was not impressive with just the moss. I enjoyed the hike to Mossy Cave more than the cave itself! I would come back in the colder months to see the icicles.
Take a selfie with the Hike the Hoodoos benchmark or take a pencil rubbing. If you visit three of these benchmarks, you will get a free I Hiked the Hoodoos sticker at the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center. You can also buy an official I Hiked the Hoodoos official collectors pin at the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center.
Tropic Ditch Falls
The Tropic Ditch Falls was a short hike from Mossy Cave. Pioneers in 1890s dug an irrigation ditch which allows water to flow seasonally through Water Canyon (from Tropic Reservoir east of the park to communities in the Paria Valley).
This was my favorite part of the hike and the best waterfall I saw on this trip.
Hiking Navajo Loop & Queens Garden Trail
Most people hike Sunrise Point to Sunset point, but we decided to start from Sunset point so we could avoid hiking up the switchbacks.
We parked at the Sunset Point parking lot, and hiked down the switchbacks of Navajo Loop trail. We took a photo at Navajo Loop Hike the Hoodoos benchmark. Then went back to the fork and followed the signs to Queens Garden Trail. Then we took a photo at the Queens Garden Hike the Hoodoos benchmark. The trail through the pine forest was easy and enjoyable. We even saw a couple of cute chipmunks.
We continued on Queens Garden Trail which gradually ascended to Sunrise Point. The hike up was a challenge for my mother and I. We were not used to the elevation change (~8,000 feet) and the heat. We made it though! Our
After all that hiking, we wanted to give our feet a break. We took an ATV tour with Bryce Wildlife Adventure, 1945 West Scenic Highway 12, Bryce, UT 84764. Jeff at Bryce Wildlife Adventure is AMAZING!!! I had underestimated my ability to hike within the two hours we had given ourselves, and Jeff had called me to make sure that we were okay when we did not show up for our reserved time. We were touched by his concern, and when we spoke to him, we were just hoping to get on the ATV for the remainder of our reserved time to give ourselves a break and enjoy the view. However, Jeff was so kind and generous that he decided to stay late (delaying his own plans) to make sure that we had enough time to see this beautiful bristle cone forest and other scenic spots along the way! He also pointed out the areas where we would see a prairie dog colony that my daughter was so excited to see! We were blown away by his kindness and the beautiful scenery. It was one of the best part of our trips, and we are already looking forward to going back again! We had packed plenty of food and were not hungry enough to eat out. However, when we return we want to try out Ruby’s Inn Cowboy’s Buffet & Steak Room and Cowboy’s Smokehouse Cafe. We have heard good things about both places. Our Dark Rangers Telescope Tour did not start until 9pm so we killed some time by driving through the park and stopping by scenic locations. Living in the city we rarely get an opportunity to enjoy the stars because of the light pollution so we booked a private Dark Ranger Telescope Tour to take advantage of the dark sky in Bryce Canyon. It was a full moon the night of our tour so it was not the best time to see a lot of stars, but we did have an amazing view of Venus and the full moon. The clouds rolled in so our ranger ended up showing us an informative astrology presentation. We took refuge from the cold and drank some hot beverages while viewing the multimedia show. I enjoyed the show just as much as I did watching the stars. I also loved that we are able to ask him questions. Tip: Try and plan your tour during a new moon to get the most out of the dark sky. Bring winter jackets and gloves! Avoid going during monsoon season (July-August). ATV Bristle Cone Forest
Dinner
Dark Rangers Telescope Tours
Trip Itinerary
Day 1: Las Vegas
Day 2: Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, Joshua Tree Forest, Grand Canyon West
Day 3: Kayaking to Emerald Cave and Raiders Stadium Tour
Day 4: Bryce Canyon
Day 5: Zion Emerald Pools
Day 6: Zion Horseback Riding
Day 7: Hiking Zion National Park Narrows
