Bryce Canyon Country: American Wonderland

Feel like some good ‘ol adventure? Why not explore Bryce Canyon Country, one of Mother Nature’s amazing creations and one of the most photographed places in the United States. With 70 million year old sandstone cliffs forming eye catching formations such as the Thor’s Hammer, Sinking Ship and other monstrous hoodoos, the Bryce Canyon, popularly called as the wonderland of the Southwest offers a plethora of adventure avenues that appeals to visitors of all age groups and types.

Tons of Adrenaline Packed Adventure



Be it canyoneering, cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, multi-day horse-back riding like in the days of the Wild Wild West, off-roading, mountain biking, backpacking or plain simple hiking, you are bound to be captivated by the gorgeous scenery of the red-orange-pink amphitheatres of Bryce Canyon.



And in addition to these fairy tale rock formations, you can enjoy hundreds of plunging waterfalls and indulge in some star gazing as the night skies here are possibly some of the darkest skies in the United States.
The best part about Bryce Canyon country is that it offers endless exploration opportunities and hence the list of activities that you can indulge in is infinite.

Family Adventure



Adventure in Bryce Canyon Country is not limited to adventure junkies. Rather, it is a huge favorite with families too. From panoramic helicopter tours to fun-filled ATV rides, from comfortable jeep tours to fishing trips, from traditional backcountry camping and hiking to horseback riding and from rodeo photo sessions to scenic road tours, the young and old alike irrespective of fitness levels find their adrenaline rush.

There is more to Bryce Canyon

If you are the ones who like to take their time on their holiday, you will be happy to know that there is more to Bryce Canyon country than the stunning Bryce Canyon National Park.



1) Grand Staircase – Escalante National National Monument - This pristine wilderness between the Bryce and the Grand Canyon is a virtually empty playground of hanging plateaus and slender gorges for you to explore. You can find knowledgeable guides and great outfitters at the nearby towns of Escalante and Boulder, which act as ideal basecamps to explore the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

2) Dixie National Forest: Located near to Bryce Canyon, Dixie national forest is famed for its 20 mile long connected and well-groomed ski trails that will sure up the action quotient on your adventure holiday this winter.



3) Scenic Byways 12 and 143: In addition to being one of the most scenic roads in this region, this belt of the canyon offers great off-beat trails for the adventure enthusiast. And with the towns of Boulder and Escalante not far away, you need not worry about supplies, warm showers and guides. Even the Capitol Reef National Park is located close by and offers more variety.





If you are a slow traveller and backpacker like me who craves for lots of adventure, make your way slowly from Zion Canyon to Bryce Canyon and eventually to the Grand Canyon while you explore, enjoy and soak in all the adventure this rich wonderland has to offer. Even if you don’t attempt all of this, I would recommend that you definitely spend serious time in Bryce Canyon Country as this region is such that you run out of adjectives to describe it. You have to experience it to believe it!

Disclosure: This post and the video and photos has been brought to you by Bryce Canyon Country.

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The Brilliance of Bryce

The USA is home to no fewer than 59 national parks, stretching from Alaska to Florida and from California to Virginia, as well as taking in the Pacific island chains of American Samoa and Hawaii, so there's undoubtedly plenty of choice for those planning singles adventure holidays.

While each has its selling points - Yosemite's towering granite mountains; the snow-capped peaks of Denali; the spectacular lookouts of Zion - none of the 59 is quite like the geological marvel that is Bryce Canyon in Utah.

The prime reason folks make the trip to this remote part of western USA is to gawp at Bryce's magical forests of stone - huge swathes of red rock that have been shaped into thousands of gnarled pillars called 'hoodoos'.

It's hard to believe the scene in front of you - a sea of jagged rock fingers standing sentinel under an endless sky, with not a hint of human interference as far as the eye can see.

This must have been how the first astronauts on the moon felt, you ponder, as you survey the lunar-like landscape and take the photographs that will confirm that it wasn't all a dream.

Amid the interminable vista sit fantastically named landmarks. Thor's Hammer, a ten-storey-high club-shaped rock fit for the Norse god to wield and the park's tallest hoodoo;  the Wall of Windows, a precipitous cliff shaped by Mother Nature into the form of a mighty Gothic cathedral; and Natural Bridge, a giant archway so massive that a highway could pass beneath it.

Although these forms were carved out by natural processes over many millions of years, visitors need only stay for the sunset to watch the landscape change before their very eyes, as the sedimentary layers morph from bright red and orange into deep purple.

Even as the sun disappears, the wonderment is only just beginning, for once the last vestiges of yellow light have slipped beyond the horizon, the bright white of 10,000 stars turns your attention from the terra firma to the heavens.

For many, this is the first time they've seen the majority of these stars, obscured as they are from most locations by the nuisance of light pollution. The sparkling ribbon of the Milky Way forms an arch just as spectacular as Natural Bridge - the heavens mirroring the Earth like the reflections in a great lake.

Other rare sights in the national park include the three wildlife species which live in Bryce that are listed under the Endangered Species Act - the Utah Prairie Dog, the California condor and the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher. Alongside these threatened creatures are 100 other species of birds, dozens of mammals and more than 1,000 plant varieties, all of which are thriving in the lofty park's three distinct climatic zones.

Some of the most majestic of these include the elusive mountain lion - North America's largest cat. Naturally wary of humans, you'll be extremely lucky to spot one of them in the vast expanses of the park, but you may well come across their huge paw tracks.

From hoodoos to galaxies and from rare cats to rare dogs, Bryce Canyon has much to tantalize and tease the visitor. It's a unique place, where you'll create unforgettable memories and if you visit only one of the USA's 59 national parks, make it this.

"Interested to come to the US? Getting a visa is not easy, especially if you are based in some parts of Europe, as there are good options to get a 'ESTA' online".

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