Red Canyon and Bryce Canyon National Park

We had a great time at Zion NP and especially liked the Kolob Canyon section of the park.  That is really quite a statement.  Walking the Narrows was amazing but I think Kolob Canyons is a must see section that many never visit.  Since I forgot to put in photos of hiking the Narrows, I will add them to this part.

So back on the road again we entered the Dixie National Forest.  We saw the ancient RV in a small town, Hatch.  From there we headed east and came to Red Canyon.  Here the rock is a deep red and we saw the first hoodoos, verticle sandstone formations.  If you get a chance stop there and hike one of the many trails.

We continued on to Bryce canyon NP and stopped at one of the first turnoffs.  It was Sunrise Point.  You can walk along the rim from one lookout to another to another for what seems like miles.  The formations are incredible.  Bryce Canyon is so different from Zion NP.  At Zion you are on the bottom looking up at the formations but at Bryce you are at the top looking down.  Everyone seems to be walking around and being fairly quiet as if in awe of the view. The last time I was in the west at Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon I felt that the area was very spiritual.  It kind of spoke to me and drew me to it.  That is one of the reasons I jumped at the chance to visit Utah.  I immediately got the same feeling soon after arriving at Zion and it was amplified at Bryce.

Each persdon takes away something different from a visit like this.  It is hard to really describe the magnificence of the views so I will let the photos speak for themselves.  The next section will be about hiking down into Bryce Canyon and sunrise there.  Remember a few of the pics are from hiking the Narrows at Zion NP.

Michael Kaynard is a local photographer who lives in West Ashley.  You can see his photos at http://kaynardphotography.webs.com.  He can be reached at mkaynard@gmail.com or 843-412-2299.