Utah: Zion and Bryce National Parks 2022
We absolutely loved Zion and Bryce National Park’s breathtaking views, amazing diversity of geography and incredible trail hikes. We visited in March 2022, and fortunately, we had great weather, cool but sunny, and were able to visit both parks with relatively short drives between them. We stayed at Zion Mountain Ranch just outside the park area.
Zion has an incredible geography with a variety of zones that provide for unusual plant life and animal diversity. There are numerous plant species and 289 species of birds, 75 mammals, and 32 reptiles inhabit the park. The lowest part of the park is 3,666 ft and the highest is 8,726 ft. Human habitation started about 8,000 years ago with small family groups of Native Americans. The original name was Mukuntuweap, meaning “straight canyon”. Mormons came to the area in 1858 and ultimately the park was named “Zion”, as a term used by the Mormons which means the “Kingdom of Heaven”.
The geology of Zion is located along the edge of an area called the Colorado Plateau. Zion was a relatively flat basin near sea level 240 million years ago, and as sand, gravel and mud eroded from surrounding mountains, they were deposited in layers. This process of sedimentation continued until over 10,000 feet of material accumulate. In the area from Zion to the Rocky Mountains, forces deep within the earth pushed the surface of Zion’s elevation from near sea level to as high as 10,000 feet above sea level. This process continues through to today, with earthquakes uplifting the land and the carving action of the rivers.
Bryce Canyon National Park is a collection of giant natural amphitheaters along the side of Paunsaugunt Plateau. It is so unique and has geological structures called “hoodoos”, formed by frost weathering and stream erosion of the river and lakebed sedimentary rocks. The red, orange, and white colors of the hoodoos mix to provide amazing views. The Bryce canyon area was settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1850’s and was named after Ebenezer Bryce. We were lucky to visit Bryce Canyon after a snow fall!
During our 4-day visit, we hiked each day and thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of views and weather. Some of the trails we hiked were; Zion Canyon: Canyon Overlook Trail, Angels Landing, Watchman Trail, Riverside Walk. Bryce Canyon: Navajo Loop, Queens Garden Trail, Peekaboo Loop Trail. We also took a half day excursion on UTV’s to hike and rappel the beautiful “slot canyons” located in the Mount Carmel area.
View of the Grand Canyon from the plane
Zion National Park
Zion Mountain Ranch
Bryce Canyon National Park - Drive through visit
Elkheart slot canyons and rappelling
Day hike on Peek a Boo trail in Bryce Canyon National Park
