Started: North Rim Grand Canyon NP, AZ
Ended: Bryce Canyon NP, UT
Total Distance: Hiking: 3.3 miles (Zion) 1.6 (Bryce), Driving: 209 miles
The campsite at the North Rim made us both feel like we were at summer camp. There was a general store, to the left tents, to the right cabins. We got moving around 8am, packed up the tent and hit the road. We drove to Zion National Park. In my research I learned Zion is the third most visited National Park and in the past ten years has tripled the number of visitors. I need to do some more digging but that might be the fastest growing park. When we arrived it was clear why so many people across the world make Zion a vacation destination. There were more foreign speaking families on our bus than English speaking. We drove through the park before realizing to access the majority of the park you have to take to shuttle bus system. They block off half the park from cars from November to March because of the shear number of visitors. We parked outside the park and hiked in, the first time we have entered a park on foot! We boarded this shuttle and headed to “The Grotto”. The 103 degree heat was brutal but the hike was worth it, we ended at at small pool of water, it was very picturesque. We hiked out and headed to Bryce Canyon, when we arrived it was almost 20 degrees cooler! We will be at Bryce Canyon for two nights, so we decided to walk and get the lay of the land. We when hiked to the canyon, and were both in shock. The landscape is completely different than Grand Canyon or Zion. There is a maze made out of rock that you look down on, the walls are bumpy spires. You really must see a picture to understand, but even then it doesn't do the view justice.
We hiked back to our campsite, ate dinner (chili, cheese, and avocado), and turned in for the night.