We first hit Bryce Canyon on the recommendation of Cazzie's friend, Vanessa. We thought all the RV parks were shut for the winter, so booked ourselves into a hotel very near the park. Even though this was a lovely hotel with a great meat buffet, we hit problems the next morning in the RV. The temperature had dropped to -7 degrees which meant when we got to the van, there was an icicle hanging from the kitchen sink tap! Not good as this could have meant all the pipes were frozen and frozen pipes = burst pipes. We were frantic with worry and desperately trying to warm the van up, praying that the pipes were OK so we wouldn't be faced with a bust van and a huge repair bill. I found out from reception that the park 1/2 mile away was still open, so we checked into there. Luckily we were OK with the pipes and could now begin our day in the canyon.
We paid our $25 dollars entrance fee and, as always, went to the visitors centre to find out the best things to do. The very helpful lady told us to do "the best 3 mile hike in the world". How could we say no?
We still didn't know what to expect and I'll be honest, it just looked like a load of trees and a few red mountains. Upon arriving at the beginning of our hike, we were greeted by this sight.
It was incredible. The canyon had been carved out over millions of years by the wind, the rain and the constant freeze/thaw cycle. The sandstone and limestone just crumbles away. The tall structures you are left with are called "Hoodoos" and they went on for miles. What made it even more impressive was the greenery that was present too. Unreal. Anyway, we started our hike which took us right down to the bottom of the canyon.
We continued our hike which took us in a big loop. The rest of the park wasn't anything that different, but all the highlights can be seen here, including a really good sunset.
Next stop was Zion, a 1 hour drive from Bryce. This had different rock formations and colours. It wasn't as impressive as Bryce, but still worth spending 1/2 day there.
We managed another hike upto one of the natural springs, but I think it would have been more impressive in the spring time. All the Zion pics are here.
We drove out of Zion Park and into a place called Virgin. This was the location of our best RV park to date. A 5* place with great showers, a pool, spa and games room - but it's the showers that count - it was like having your own en suite bathroom!
The next day we were Vegas bound, but we had spotted en route a place called Valley of Fire, so we decided to give it a go. The rocks here were supposed to look as if they were on fire as the sun hit them. There were different rocks and formations again that make this park unique from the others and the highlights are here.
Cazzie seemed to really love this place!
Overall, these 3 parks were brilliant and so unique. I'm so glad we decided to visit them all. It would have been so easy to miss them out as they aren't the "famous" ones.
After Valley of Fire, we headed to Vegas.......
Stuoobs
xxx
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