We managed to sleep in a little for the fifth day of our Grand Canyon etc. trip. We started the day with e-bike rentals and then hiked the Mossy Cave Trail.
E-Biking Bryce Canyon National Park
We rented e-bikes from Bryce Canyon EZ Riders. We had scoped out the bike options on Friday, so we just needed to pick up and go.
The rental place is just north of Bryce Canyon City next to the Bryce Canyon Airport, so we needed to ride back through the city to then get to the park. There’s a great separated multi-use path that runs from Red Canyon, past the airport, and to the park, so we were able to get into the park quite easily. Oddly, the path has a break for a short section in the city. With our e-bike gang of 13, though, we were able to to take a land and navigate that section with ease.
The path resumes at the park shuttle station and winds through woods, going by the major park stopping points before ending at Inspiration Point.
We took the path to the road to Fairyland Point, which is not on the path, but is a less busy road. Then we got back on the path and took it all the way to Inspiration Point. We had skipped both of these during our scenic drive, because we had planned to hit them on the bikes. We rode back to the park general store and picnicked for lunch, and then rode back to the rental place.
The e-biking was an absolute blast. We covered over 20 miles in a little under 2 hours of active time. There’s no way our whole group could have done that on a regular bike, and those that could would’ve been exhausted. Everyone had fun, and everyone was ready for more adventures.
Hiking the Mossy Cave Trail
After the intense days starting the trip, I think we have all been ready for some lighter afternoons. We had an easy afternoon yesterday, and hiking the short Mossy Cave Trail gave us another restful afternoon.
The trail is a 0.8 mile out-and-back with views of a mossy cave that ices over in the winter and a waterfall. The cave was underwhelming this time of year, but maybe moss is that much more unusual here than it is at home. The waterfall and river were interesting. I’d guess the waterfall is about 10 feet tall and gushes with milky tan water. The cloudy water continues along the trail. Notably, this creek is the only water we’ve seen in this park.
The rest of the afternoon was spent doing laundry, kids swimming, and a bit of cards. My, daughter, wife, and I took one of the park shuttles to the visitors center to pick up a reward for spotting three medallions during our time here. Some of the informational boards have a survey marker medallion that you can take a rubbing or selfie of. Find three and you can get a prize. The prize for us was stickers that say “Bryce Canyon National Park / I Hiked the Hoodoos!”