We got another early start to get a jump on the crowds at Bryce Canyon National Park. We hiked the Queen’s Garden/Navajo Loop combo trail, and drove Lonely Planet’s Scenic Drive.

Queen’s Garden/Navajo Loop combo trail

The Queen’s Garden/Navajo Loop combo starts with the Queen’s Garden trail then connects with the Navajo Loop. The Rim Trail is then used to close the combo loop. The terrain in Bryce Canyon National Park is other-worldly.

I think Queen’s Garden is named for a particular hoodoo that looks kind of like a statue of Queen Victoria. The trail goes into the canyon and winds through the rock formations ending at a view point of the Queen Victoria hoodoo.

A connector trail leads to the middle of the Navajo Loop. We took the far side of the loop back out of the canyon, and it was incredible. It goes through close walls before steep switchbacks ascend to the canyon rim.

Lonely Planet’s Scenic Drive

The Lonely Planet guidebook has a scenic drive for the park. It goes to the very end of the main park road, which dead-ends at Rainbow Point. Then you drive back up the road stopping at all the viewpoints along the way. We stopped at all of them through Bryce Point. The rest we either saw on our hike today or plan to see on our bike ride tomorrow.

The viewpoints were all gorgeous, but at a fast clip like the scenic drive I start to get rock fatigue. My favorites were Natural Bridge and Bryce Point. Bryce Point has an overlook with nearly 360 degree views into the amphitheater.

After dinner I went for a run into the park where Megan picked me up, and we drove further into the park to watch the sunset. It was pretty but not overwhelming gorgeous. No prettier than a sunset back home.