Today is the 28th day of this trip. It’s been a fantastic adventure thus far, but there is still a lot to see and do. Today I get to check off two parks that have been on my list since high school – Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks. And while JD has been to Bryce, Capital Reef will be new to both of us!
After spending the evening camping in a remote area in the Dixie National Forest, we only had a short drive to get to Bryce Canyon. We were entering the park by 10AM and a bit behind schedule, but still early enough to avoid the heat of the day.
The drive into Bryce is via Red Canyon along Route 12. If you ever find yourself in this part of Utah, drive Route 12! You pick it up at the intersection of Route 89 and 12 just outside Panguitch. By the end of the day, we will have followed Route 12 all the way to Torrey before turning off onto 24 to head into Capital Reef… but more on that later.
Bryce Canyon is known for its crimson-colored hoodoos. These are tall rock formations that take the form of spires and fins. There are excellent hiking trails in the amphitheater and along the rim trail. Given that Capitol Reef was still on the day’s agenda, we would be sticking to the rim trail. I will definitely be back to hike down into the amphitheater and explore the park’s further reaches.
We have made numerous acquaintances thus far. We befriended an adventurer from Hawaii who hiked with us through Cathedral Wash. We shared stories from the road with a pair of cross-country bikers from West Virginia at a gas station outside the North Rim and got to know a shop owner outside Zion NP. We recently met two lovely ladies in Bryce while hiking along the rim trail. They were park jumping like us and from our home state of Pennsylvania, hailing from just outside Pittsburgh. We compared stories and routes, and after a pleasant conversation and wishing each other well on our respective journeys, we were on our way.
The views from along the rim trail were amazing!
After a few glorious hours hiking along the rim, it was time to move on to Capitol Reef. This is a very remote park and would take most of the afternoon to drive there. Upon returning to the Jeep, we were surprised to find that we had been “Ducked.” This is a Jeep thing that has happened to me a few times. We now had a new companion to join our adventure.
CapitOl reef
Leaving Bryce, we took a right back onto highway 12 – the long route, but one we had heard many great things about. The road would take us through Tropic, Cannonville, Henrieville, Escalante, Boulder, Grover, and finally Torrey before hanging another right onto Route 24 Into Capitol Reef.
While Google Maps told us to expect 2:45 minutes driving time, I think it took us closer to 4 hours with all the stops, photos, and oohing and aahing, and new friends we met along the way.
Capitol Reef was the first mystery park of the trip, but not the last. That honor would be bestowed upon Black Canyon of the Gunnison, the topic of a future post. Capitol Reef is home of the oldest stone in the region – some of which dates back over 270 million year.
Without any expectations, we entered the park and hit one of the scenic drives. Like the Canyon Lands, which we visited on the last trip through this region, Capitol Reef is one of the few national parks that has dispersed camping within the park’s boundaries. Unfortunately, all the dispersed sites were closed due to predicted thunderstorms and the ensuing flash floods that often accompany these storms. Instead, we opted to explore one of the slot canyons and camp somewhere else.
We met up with some fellow explorers and sisters, Jenna and Kaline, from the Spokane area, upon entering the canyon. As we were all hiking in the same direction, we joined forces and explored the canyon. As with most slot canyons, this one started routine enough but quickly began to impress.
As we neared the end of our allotted time on the trail, we wished our companions well and turned back towards the Jeep. Wouldn’t you know it, we came across another set of travelers, Tammy and Angelo, from Fishtown – a neighborhood in our very own hometown of Philly! What a small world! We spent the next hour or so hiking back out of the canyon with our newest “friends,” eventually saying our goodbyes when we reached the parking lot. After passing out patches, we were again on our way…to where we did not know.
More from the road soon.
Cheers-
Matt & JD
Brandywine Overland 