Sight-seeing, road-tripping and picture-taking were the main ideas behind last
\nweek’s vacation, but I did get a few hikes in. Until this summer, foot, knee
\nand back troubles had kept Melissa, my wife, off the trails, but she was determined
\nto dip a toe in the dirt on this trip. Fortunately, we chose some of the most
\nstunning locales anywhere on the planet, so there was plenty to see on trails
\nthat were a breeze by my standards. A quick look at the trails we trod: <\/p>\n
Zion Canyon<\/b><\/p>\n
The hard trails get you up high on the canyon walls, which is all well and Bryce Canyon <\/b><\/p>\n If you have just one day in Southern Utah, Bryce is the place to go. The hoodoos Grand Canyon North Rim <\/b><\/p>\n I know, it’s in Arizona, but it’s closer by road to Bryce and Zion than the Sight-seeing, road-tripping and picture-taking were the main ideas behind last week’s vacation, but I did get a few hikes in. Until this summer, foot, knee and back troubles had kept Melissa, my wife, off the trails, but she was determined…<\/p>\n
\ngood from an elevating-your-heart rate standpoint, but the easy trails offer
\naccess to some of the amazing water features of the canyon — and I’m not talking
\nabout the Virgin River, which carved much of the canyon. The porous sandstone
\nnear the canyon allows water to seep deep into the rock, where it escapes via
\nsmall cracks in the canyon walls. These create tiny streamlets, waterfalls and
\nreflecting pools, along with impressive tiger-striping of the canyon walls.
\nWe saw these in abundance on the Riverside Trail,<\/b> a mostly flat (and
\npaved) two-mile loop, and the Lower Emerald Pools Trail,<\/b> a 1.2-mile loop.
\nAnd don’t miss the steep quarter-mile walk to Weeping Rock.<\/b> All this can be seen up-close rather than with a pair of binoculars. More on
\nZion trails here<\/a>. <\/p>\n
\nare so out-there strange and wonderful that the must be seen up close to be
\nbelieved. Save all the other sights for a later trip; they’ll still be there.
\nThe great thing about Bryce is that it’s reasonably easy to take in the whole
\ncanyon’s amazing grandeur and<\/i> see the rock formations up close. The Rim
\nTrail<\/b> provides an excellent, mostly flat overview of the canyon (Bryce Point
\nis an excellent place to check it out); you can just hike as far as you want
\nand turn back. Melissa made up her mind that she could handle the Queen’s
\nGarden Trail<\/b>, which goes down among the hoodoos for little over a mile,
\nthen turns back for a 320-foot climb. Beginners will endure some major huffing
\nand puffing on the way back (the trail’s at about 9,000 feet) but anyone with
\na reasonably active lifestyle should be fit enough to handle it. More on Bryce
\ntrails here<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n
\nSouth Rim, so it’s really a Southern Utah (plus about 60 miles) destination.
\nIf you’re traveling with a rookie hiker, the North Rim is a good place to first
\nto get used to the idea of standing next to a thousand-foot drop-off. Melissa
\nhas serious fear-of-heights issues that induced a few white-knuckle moments
\nat the North Rim, but she gutted them out and was able to handle Bryce and Zion
\nmuch more easily. The first place to go at the North Rim is Bright Angel
\nPoint.<\/b> It’s just a quarter mile from the Lodge, all paved, but it is rather
\nsteep and imposing to first-timers. There are no handrails along the way, though
\nthere are rocks to lean against for support. Another place to see is Cape
\nRoyal<\/b>, the only point on the North Rim where the Colorado River is visible.
\nThe trails at Cape Royal are easy, flat and not very long, and the overlooks
\nare stunning, perhaps better than the view from Bright Angel. You have to drive
\ndown more than 20 miles of twisty mountain roads to reach the point, but it’s
\nwell worth the effort. More on North Rim hikes here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"