T-Travel Photography
Zdenko Takac & Iveta Takacova
Landscape, Travel & Fine Art Photography
Mt St Helens & Willamette NP
Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon is one of the most spectacular places on Earth, there is no doubt about it. The red, orange, yellow, tan, and every other color rock formations called hoodoos were believed to be a people tricked by Coyote into becoming rock by the indigenous people of the area. The trails wind down and through these rock sculptures carved out by wind and water over millions of years. Every turn reveals a different perspective of this unique landscape. When we visited this park for the first time, we stopped at the first Viewpoint and walked a few metres from the car to the rim. Our jaws just dropped to the floor. We've never seen anything like this before and even today, we are still in awe when looking down at the amphiteatres. Despite its name, it is not a canyon but a collection of giant natural amphiteatres.
The rim at Bryce Canyon varies from 2,400 to 2,700m so the nights can get quite cool even in the summer. Bryce is quite a bit more remote than the other national parks, therefore it receives less visitors than the Grand Canyon or Zion National Park. The park is open all year and is located near the junction of Scenic Byway 12 and U-63. With only one entrance to the park at Bryce Canyon City, you can drive 30km to the end of the park stopping at different points of interest.
The fee for one private vehicle with its occupants is $25 valid for 7 days but you can also use your annual pass for $80 which is valid for all government national parks in USA. There are free shuttle busses that run through the park on a regular basis. They go from Ruby's Inn through the Visitor's Centre all the way to Rainbow Point, stopping at different Viewpoints along the way. Please keep in mind that shuttle that goes all the way to the Rainbow Point only runs twice a day, while shuttle busses to Bryce Point run every 20 minutes.
There are about 80km of hiking trails which lead down among the hoodoos from overlooks on the main park road. You can chose from short walks or whole day hikes.
The most visited viewpoints are: Sunrise, Sunset, Inspiration and Bryce Points. There are 14 viewpoints along Bryce Canyon's 30km scenic drive and it's up to you to pick your favourite. Keep in mind that all viewpoints are on the left hand side of the road as you drive towards Rainbows Point so it is much easier to stop there on your way back.
All hoodoos in Bryce canyon have fantastic shapes created by erosion. You get spoilt for photography choices. The best time for photography is during the golden hours but beware that shadows are also longer and it takes a while for the rising sun to reach the bottom of the canyon.
Be very careful when taking photos from the edge of the rim as there are no barriers anywhere except at the main viewpoints. The drops can be very high.
