On May 25th, we arrived at Bryce Canyon around 2pm. It was a sunny day with a slight breeze. We drove straight to Bryce Point but could not find parking. We parked at Paria View and took the shuttle to Bryce Point. Bryce Point captures the essence of the park with its vast area of majestic, one-of-a-kind hoodoos and grottos. We began our hike along Rim Trail to Inspiration Point and Sunset Point. Then, we hiked down towards Queens Garden where we spotted Thor's hammer and the two bridges before we turned around and climbed back to the top. It was passed 6pm and the shuttle has stopped running to Paria View. Nevertheless, we got a ride from other visitors back to our rental car.
In short, I highly recommend visiting this park. It is very different from other national parks I've been to during this trip and would go back again to explore other parts of the park.
Total time in the park: 4 hours
On May 26th, we arrived at Zion Canyon after 10am. It was a sunny day. We parked in Springdale and took the free town shuttle to the park. We rode the park shuttle and got off at Temple of Sinawava located at the end of its route. We hiked along Riverside Walk to the end and turned around. We caught the shuttle and stopped at Weeping Rock to see the famous water trickling down a massive smooth rock. We rode the shuttle to The Grotto and began our next hike towards Walters Wiggles that leads up to Angels Landing. We turned back halfway up and made our way to the Upper, Middle and Lower Emerald Pools via the Kayenta trail. We caught the shuttle from Zion Lodge back to our parked car.
In summary, I highly recommend visiting this park and would return to explore other parts of the park.
Total time in the park: 9 hours
Modified on May 29, 2013