The orange and white hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park are world famous and thousands of people visit Utah every year just to get a glimpse of the magnificent rock formations. However, this part of the state is filled with other interesting sites, excellent Bryce Canyon restaurants, and thrilling adventures as well; all of which warrant more than a day’s stay in Bryce Canyon. To give you an idea of what we are talking about here, here are four reasons that will convince you to spend more than just a day in the Bryce Canyon National Park area.
The Hikes
It doesn’t matter whether you are an expert hiker who can walk for kilometers through the harshest of terrains, or just a casual hiker looking to take his/her family for a beautiful but short trek, the area around Bryce Canyon has multiple trails for everyone. Some of the popular trails worth considering near the Canyon are the Calf Creek Falls Hike, the Kodachrome Basin Hike, the Peek-A-Boo Loop Trail and, of course, the Navajo Trail.
The Drives
Not only can you walk and camp to explore the area, but did you know that Southwestern Utah also has some gorgeous byways and backways for travelers to drive through? The ones that should make it onto the list are plenty, but the Byway 143 and Highway 89 are definitely among the best routes to take to see the most natural and scenic views in the area. Alternately, you can drive on Byway 12, which is a 120-mile drive across the various landmarks in the region.
The Museums
If stopping and hand-feeding deer at the Bryce Wildlife Adventure Museum, while riding through the park on a rented ATV sounds like the kind of thing you want to do, then you are definitely in the right place! After you are done with that, there is the Anasazi State Park Museum, where half a dozen rooms are designed to recreate the Coombs Site Ruins of the Anasazi. While it isn’t exactly a museum, Ebenezer’s Barn& Grill is a Bryce Canyon Restaurant where you must book your tickets in advance to catch their famous Cowboy Dinner Show. Aside from the delightful shot of cultural music, the steak dinners and barbecues are also pretty famous here.
The Night Sky
Even if you are coming from a rural background, you will be pleasantly surprised to see just how mysteriously beautiful Bryce Canyon looks once the sun goes down and the stars come out. However, if you happen to be from the city, the night sky in Bryce Canyon will absolutely blow you over. Try to pick a full moon night if you can for your night adventures in the area and bring a good camera with you to get some downright stunning shots.
Unless you have been here before, a visit to the Bryce Canyon will be unlike anything you have experienced before, even if you are outdoorsy. The thing is that the vast, rocky lands and open, wide skies of Southwestern Utah offer a different experience that is impossible to find anywhere else in America.
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