Sunrise at Sunset—a perfectly poetic way to wrap up our time in Bryce Canyon National Park. A magical moment that will easily rank high among our National Park experiences.
August 27–28, 2023
A little after sunrise, we begin the drive up the Mount Carmel Highway from Zion National Park to Bryce Canyon. The Utah sun is shining clear and bright. A good promise for the day ahead. Roughly two hours later, we pull into Bryce Canyon National Park and immediately head to Sunrise Point for our first glimpse of the infamous hoodoo city, Bryce Amphitheater. Unlike anything we’ve seen. A great symphony of orange-pink rock reaches for the sky. My only thought is imagine what this could look like at sunrise! We wander down Queens Garden Trail but not too far knowing we have a horseback ride soon. The deceptively easy descent into the hoodoos lulls us into thinking we can go further until we try climbing back out, huffing and puffing all the way up.
Back on the rim, we make our way to the Horse Corral to check in for the horseback ride. I hop atop Red, a rather stubborn and lazy mule, and get in line for our trek into the canyon. The three hour tour takes us through spires and tunnels glazed in orange rock along Peekaboo Loop Trail. Thankful for our guide, it’s easy to see how one wrong turn could get you lost in a maze of rock. Each turn opens to another set of corners. But with the tour easily becoming the highlight of the trip, getting lost almost sounds like a fun idea.
The rest of the afternoon consists of a hike down Navajo Loop Trail before a drive to Bryce Point for sunset. We carefully climb down the countless switchbacks past the iconic Thor’s Hammer into the canyon as the rocks close in around us in the iconic Wall Street portion of the trail. As the path levels out, we pass pine trees standing here and there in defiance of the rocky landscape. How they took root in such a crumbly, arid scene is a mystery. The trail begins to double back towards the rim which means every step grows heavy as we now ascend the other half of the loop. Nearing the end of the hike, we gain 513 feet in a little over half a mile.
Because Bryce Amphitheater faces east, we were told it is best to arrive early for sunset. It is still more than an hour until dusk and sure enough the canyon is already quickly losing light as we pull up to Bryce Point. The rim casts a rising shadow on the hoodoos. Everything is still and eerily quiet, confirming the nickname the “Silent City”.
With only one night in the park, we dare not waste a minute. The sun may be down, but the show is just about to begin. With only a short night’s sleep, we return to Sunset Point to catch the stars. The moon has already set meaning the Milky Way is visible. We scramble to capture as many open-shutter photos of this brilliant night scene as we can before pre-dawn light begins to creep over the horizon.
Soon the stars fade and just when we thought this park could not be any more beautiful, a crack of sunlight pierces the canyon in candy colors of red, orange, and pink. The light play is incredible, bouncing off every surface illuminating the hoodoos at every turn. Sunrise at Sunset—a perfectly poetic way to wrap up our time in Bryce Canyon National Park. A magical moment that will easily rank high among our National Park experiences.
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