BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Utah – When you hike for a couple of hours in a national park, you only cover a few miles. When you drive, you cover a lot of ground, but you miss the details of the landscape and even the sounds and smells of the place.
Horseback tours are an ideal compromise, and Bryce Canyon is a park that’s perfectly suited to them. The horses do all the work navigating steep terrain, making their way down to the canyon floor and back up again to the rim, while you take in the views.
As city-dwellers, my family and I were a little bit nervous after we signed up for our rides. As if to affirm our urban East Coast identities, we all wore our Yankees baseball caps – a stark contrast with the guides in their cowboy hats.
But Canyon Trail Rides, the company that runs the horseback tours, is used to dealing with city-slickers like us who can’t even get on a horse without being told exactly where to put their feet. Even the company ads note that “most people who ride the trails of Bryce with us have never been on horseback before.”
The cowboys assured us that the horses would be gentle and easy to lead. We got a few simple lessons on how to hold the reins, stop, and get going again, and then we headed out with a dozen other riders.
Our lead guide, J.B. Kessler, cracked jokes in between pointing out landmarks and describing the history of the place.
“I’ll be sending each and every one of you home with a souvenir,” he announced cheerfully at one point. “Every time you sit down, you’ll remember this trip.”
We weren’t sure what he was talking about until later, when we realized the meaning of the term saddle-sore. But while we were riding, our saddles felt comfy and the rocking motion of the horses was pleasant.
As we made our way along the trail, Kessler paused at various spots so we could enjoy the scenery and even take pictures. Bryce was made a national park because of its unique geology, and we were among 1.5 million people who come here each year to see the famous rock formations.
Eons of wind erosion, frost and rainwater have sculpted Bryce’s soft limestone into slot canyons, steps, fins and spires called hoodoos. They range from breathtakingly beautiful to downright weird. Contrasting with the orange stone throughout the park are deep green forests of ponderosa pines, pinon or juniper trees, and spruce and fir trees, depending on the elevation.
Because there are no cities nearby, there’s very little light pollution here, and Bryce is said to have one of the darkest night skies overhead in the Lower 48. Park rangers hold stargazing sessions periodically, but if there are none scheduled during your visit, go on your own. The park is open 24 hours a day.
A good place in the park to try stargazing is Fairyland Canyon. But you might want to drive there first during daylight hours, so you’ll know where you’re going when the sun goes down. Signage is minimal – and of course there are no lights to guide your way, unless the moon is out.
Just don’t be spooked by the dark silhouettes around the parking lot – they’re only trees.
If you go …
Bryce Canyon National Park: Bryce, Utah; www.nps.gov/brca/ or 435-834-5322; about 270 miles from Salt Lake City, 260 miles from Las Vegas and 285 miles from Flagstaff, Ariz.; entrance fee: $20.
Canyon Trail Rides: www.canyonrides.com/pkbrycecanyon.html or 435-679-8665. Rides are offered through mid- to late October, depending on the weather. Riders may not weigh more than 220 pounds. Children must be at least 7 years old for the two-hour, $40 ride, and at least 10 years old for the four-hour, $65 ride.
Accommodations: Ruby’s Inn, 1000 South Highway 63, Bryce, Utah; www.rubysinn.com or 866-866-6616. The inn, a Best Western, is a short drive from the park, amid a complex of buildings that includes a general store, restaurant, gift shops and a coin-operated laundry. The inn is open year-round. Rates range between $105 and $135 through Sept. 30, then drop to as low as $83 Oct. 1 to 15 and $69 Oct. 16 to 31.
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