Trillcation: Utah To Colorado 2020 Day 2

Tuesday, August 25 (MDT): 

6: 00 AM – Depart Rest Area

7: 00 AM – Arrive at Bryce Canyon Lodge

8:15 AM – Check in to Bryce Canyon Trail Rides

9:00-11:00 AM – 1 ½ – 2 hour Ride to the Floor of Bryce Canyon National Park

11:30 AM – Early check in at Best Western Plus Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel

12:00 PM – Lunch at Canyon Diner/ Purchased Supplies at Ruby Inn’s General Store

2:00-5:00 PM – Eat and Nap

5:30 PM – Arrive at Sunset Point for Two Bridges/Wall Street Hike

6:30 PM – Arrive at Inspiration Point for [Packed] Picnic/Sunset

I think for every National Park, I always Google, “Things to Do at ____” and I stumbled upon a horseback ride. Neither one of us have ever been on a horse and we never confirmed beforehand if Zach was actually allergic to horses, although a lot of signs pointed to yes according to the handful of interactions he has had with horses. We figured we would know for certain in the most epic way possible and at least we would be with a guide and others.

I settled on Bryce Canyon Trail Rides because sometimes I go based on a business’ name and/or website compared to competitors. They offer a 1 ½-2 hour ride or a 3 hour ride. The 3 hour ride takes you to the famous Amphitheater but since Zach could be allergic to horses, we opted for the shorter ride ($65/person, tip your guide, and they offer a professional photo at the end of the ride for $10/apiece).

We originally chose a 2 PM ride time because we thought we might be tired from the wildcard overnight situation, but upon further contemplation, I asked to switch to the 9 AM ride. That way, we would know for sure what we didn’t get to see, ask the guide what they recommended we see, and optimize our short time there. It was a good strategy if I do say so myself.

The ride starts at Sunrise Point and I’m really glad we went horseback riding and I’m really glad we chose the 9 AM time slot because there were only 4 other riders besides us and apparently that is unheard of. It went 2 hours exactly, and it turns out that Zach is in fact allergic to horses AND dust, but after some allergy medicine he was fine. He got a mule so we’re thinking he only got half of an allergic because it was only half horse.

Let’s talk about the ride itself. First they start out by asking about experience on a horse, match you with a horse or mule, and choose the order of the horses based on horse relations. They’re the experts and I trusted them completely. They mentioned that it was not a Disneyland ride and you would have to steer the horse and keep pace. It all sounds a lot more intimidating than it actually is. They warn you about the horse trying to stop and eat grass, and you cannot allow that to happen. You cannot take anything but a phone OR a camera. No bags, no water, nothing else. And if you need to remove a jacket, be sure to let your guide know. To be honest, as a first time rider, I was very grateful for them being overly cautious and almost scaring us into being conscientious. But at the end of the day, the horses know what they’re doing and you just have to trust them and make sure they can feel that energy from you. I cannot describe the joy I found in the whole experience. I feel like it made me more confident as a human being, and the ride itself is just breathtaking and totally entertaining for so many reasons. Highly, highly recommended. 

With Zach breaking out a bit in hives, we decided to go to the Best Western Plus and see if they would allow us to check in early. They did and I am forever grateful! We had to go from a king size bed to two queens, but we sleep on a queen at home, so whatever. We got to our room, showered first and foremost, and then decided on food. Just a reminder that we were traveling during a pandemic, so there were few adjustments we were always happy to make and just work with what was available. A lot of places were understandably closed. Good thing Bryce Canyon is pretty small so our hotel is right by the park and right by all of the establishments which allowed us to drive around until something stuck. We got takeout from Canyon Diner and knowing our options were limited, went to the general store to grab sandwich supplies and snacks. We took it back to the hotel, ate in the bed we weren’t planning on sleeping in and fell asleep for a couple of hours.

We woke up around 5 PM (check sunset time on the weather app to determine how much time you need to do the things you want to do before the sun sets) and started preparing for a sunset picnic and hitting up the spots that were recommended to us: part of the Navajo Loop Trail and Inspiration Point to view the Amphitheater. It’s always good to ask a local or frequenter of the park where to go with limited time because I’m sure it’s all good per se, but if you want the hype spots only, then there’s no time to be wandering around aimlessly.

Also, once you receive the maps for each National Park and see how long it actually takes to do the hikes to the spot you had in mind, that changes your plans too. My advice is to not get too attached to the destinations you set your mind on before the trip based on what you think you’re supposed to see. For the whole trip, I only had one hike planned. And by planned, I just knew I wanted the hike to be on my birthday (August 29) and more than 5 miles.

Anyways, it was our last and only evening in Bryce Canyon but the park is pretty small, so we didn’t mind pausing for a much needed nap. I packed sandwiches and snacks, and we headed to Navajo/Peekaboo Loop Trail where we left the food in the car to walk down into Wall Street. If you have the time, I would recommend doing the whole loop (3-4 hours). It took us about an hour to explore Wall Street and Two Bridges area. Then we drove to Inspiration Point, got out our Pilot Travel Center blanket (best find of the trip) and our food, and set up on a random, but permissible area* overlooking the Amphitheater. That was one of our favorite moments by far. After our picnic, we walked up to the highest visible point at Inspiration Point for the sunset to take in the views, and then we were done. 

*It is incredibly important to be respectful of the land. Take out what you bring in, do not litter, and like I have to tell Zach over and over again, “Stop touching shit for no reason”.

I would like to add that Zach and I are sometimes jaded and unimpressed by things we’ve already kind of seen, so we’ll skip over some things that you may find to be more valuable of your time. Like in Iceland, we just drove past (we saw it from the road) one of the most popular waterfalls because we had already stopped at two previously and was just over it at that point. Also, we’re both city dwellers and this nature/outdoors ish is still new to us, so if we miss “something important” at a National Park, it doesn’t make any difference to us. We pretty much enjoy what we see and revel in the fact that we saw anything at all. We also tend to avoid crowds or highly trafficked areas, so bear with us on how we choose our sights please and thank you!

The way I plan any trip is to make concrete plans with exact timelines, but if we veer from the plan, it’s perfectly acceptable. I say, better to have plans and not accomplish them, then be completely unprepared with nothing to do when you’re ready to do something. Does that make sense?

We went to bed pretty early that night because we were still pretty exhausted from the night before and this was the time to get back on our “regular” sleep schedule. Zach is a huge fan of “free” breakfast at a hotel and while there was no buffet during a pandemic, you still get what they normally serve, but it’s served to you versus you getting it on your own. I wanted to hit the road earlier but I guess it makes sense to get in on that free breakfast that starts at 6:30 AM and get our money’s worth. I also saved just enough sandwich fixings to pack a lunch for our arrival in Arches. I used to be in food service and am very well aware of the temperature danger zone, but we picked pretty much non perishable stuff (i.e, very processed deli meat and lots of chips) and cooled it with our refrigerated beers from the night before. We also live on the edge food wise, so ain’t no thang.

The weather was absolutely perfect at Bryce Canyon. Warm, not hot, during the day and very cool as soon as the sun set. The hotel was very nice and everyone there is so accommodating. Bryce Canyon National Park itself was a super hit for us, and I cannot rave about it enough. Do the horseback ride! 3 hours if you and/or your travel partner(s) are not allergic to horses, or ask for a mule. Tony the Mule was a very good boy, and Stingray (my horse) had a lot of personality.