Sunset and Sunrise in Bryce Canyon National Park

We hurried out of Zion National Park to get to Bryce Canyon National Park before dark.  We wanted to get camp set up, cook dinner, and then take the park's star gazing tour.  Because of the elevation and remoteness of the park, it is supposed to be one of the best places to see stars in North America.  Unfortunately, clouds rolled in that evening and there were no stars to be seen.  But we had plenty to deal with just getting camp set up and getting dinner ready!

Campsite at Bryce Canyon National Park

Sunset from the campsite

We got up at dawn the next morning to watch the sunrise from the rim of Bryce Canyon

Hoodoos:  Bryce Canyon is filled with strangely shaped pinnacles called hoodoos.

Looking down the canyon rim

I guess we were too late in the season to ski along the canyon rim

Zion: Angels Landing

After a day exploring the Narrows, my friend Braden and I camped outside of Zion National Park along a creek.  We woke up at dawn the next morning to get a fairly early start hiking Angels Landing, a rock formation in the middle of the canyon that offers spectacular 360-degree views of the rest of the park.

Morning light in the canyon

Getting started: Angels Landing looms in the distance

Virgin River winding through Zion Canyon at sunrise

Virgin River

Cactus in bloom

 

Zion Canyon

Sandstone cliffs along the trail

Looking back down Refrigerator Canyon

Traffic Jam: we didn't get started as early as we had hoped!

The trail gets pretty steep, so there is a chain built into the rock.

Getting close to the top

Looking down on the Virgin River

Virgin River from above

Braden navigating one of the final pitches (bottom left)

Lunch with all the other hikers at the top

Panoramic view from the top

Working our way down

Back to the canyon floor

We cooled off on the Virgin River before finishing our trek