Mossy Cave | Bryce Canyon National Park | Utah

 

The day after I posted my blog about Bryce Canyon, I did this hike and thought it was worth sharing.  This area is not inside the main part of the park, but you can find it by driving further down Route 12 until you see a large parking area on the right.  It's a short hike, and the last part is a little steep, but not bad.

 

There are hoodoos here also, as well as a little stream running through the hike.  At one point, there is a small bridge to cross over the stream, as shown below.

This is what the cave looked like, although you cannot go into it.  It definitely is mossy. 

If you look closely at the next photo, you'll see water dripping from the ceiling.  Look in the center, bottom half of the photo.

 

The next few photos are taken on the way back. 

Unfortunately. the trail to the waterfall was closed.

 

 

Bryce Canyon National Park | Utah

Bryce Canyon is a special  and amazingly beautiful place.  While I was in the area I took multiple trips to the park to be able to see most of it.  There are some areas that can only be seen by strenuous hiking.

The tree above has an amazing network of roots that enables it to live in this harsh patch of sand.

This is a closeup of part of a Bristlecone tree.  You can see the pine cones on it and if you look at the very end of that branch, it looks like another pine cone.  During the tour we had a very informative bus driver and he told us that it is actually a pollinator.  I think this is the first time I've seen a Bristlecone and it's very unique.

The photo above shows the tops of some of the hoodoos that are throughout the canyon area.    The hoodoos are  caused by erosion and ice and wind.  In the following pictures you'll see multiple examples of them.



 

This last photo shows an arch, also caused by erosion.

Red Canyon | Utah

If you're headed to Bryce Canyon National Park from the west, you will pass through the Red Canyon.  Before you get to the Red Canyon, you're driving through nice green meadows with patches of trees.  Then, all of a sudden, you're driving through red rock formations similar to the one above.

The campground is right off the road in the middle of all these rock formations and hills.  From my campsite I could see a panorama of beautiful red rocks.  There were hiking trails from which you could see amazing views.  The campsite itself was great - $9 with a Senior Pass.  Showers are available, as well as rest rooms and water.  Another great National Forest Service park.

There are other very steep hikes you could take that bring you into the middle of these formations that are called hoodoos.

As I was exploring this area I saw a sign about some tunnels.  When they made the road they drilled right through some of these rock formations.  There were two of those quite close together.  Luckily they are tall enough for large RVs to fit through.

This area is very stunning and as you keep going, the red rock formations disappear and you get meadows again.  Until you get to Bryce Canyon which is quite close, but I haven't been into the park yet.