Two menopausal women hiking in Bryce Canyon underestimate the impact altitude and heat will have on their capacity to hike one of the trails.
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Road trip across America’s southwest
Everyone can relate to a story where someone failed to take notice of safety guidelines beforehand. This is one of those stories.
Two years ago (August / September 2024) I was on a road trip across America’s southwest. I was with my friend Robyn who lives in Savannah, Georgia. I flew from Australia. She picked me up at the Savannah airport and from there we hit the road, driving until late in the evening – American time. Goodness knows what time my body clock was on. All Aussies know that feeling after a few brutally long flights!
We were pressed for time to reach a certain destination. And THAT seemed to be a theme on this road trip.
Our final destination was Monument Valley, a remote spot on the Utah-Arizona border. John Wayne movies are to blame. They inspired me to want to visit that part of America. After one night in a cabin at The View Hotel, we would turn around and make the long drive back to Georgia. There were so many adventures I could write about from that road trip.
But this story is about Bryce National Park.
Zion National Park
So I’ll fast forward to day eight of the road trip. Our stopover was in Utah’s Zion National Park. We were staying at Zion Mountain Ranch Our schedule only allowed one afternoon to check out Zion National Park and a full day at Bryce National Park.
At Zion we chose a short walk, the Overlook Trail. After parking the car (not easy see*), we found the trail entrance and wandered for 1.6 kms (one mile) round trip (1 hour return.)
On the trail we passed shady sections with trees, crossed a boardwalk, and walked beneath a grotto before climbing towards the lookout overlooking Zion Canyon. It’s a fine view for minimal effort. You can see Bridge Mountain, the West Temple, The Altar of Sacrifice (red iron-oxide stains look like blood dripping down its white sandstone face, gruesome but true). The Streaked Wall, and the Sentinel.
The other trails require you to park at the Visitor’s centre, then catch shuttle buses to the trail entrance. With time tight, we decided to skip the shuttle buses and drive the scenic loop after our one hour hike.
This is one place you do not want to hurry through. It felt like I was on a Press Trip. A taste of this and that, with long, full days.
Zion was a sweeet, teasing taster. Tomorrow is Bryce Canyon National Park.
*A tip about Zion National Park: Parking is limited, and the narrow road makes turning near impossible if you spot a vacant park on the other side. So be prepared to drive through the tunnel and back again to find a car park space.
Where the bison roam
I chose to book a cabin at Zion mountain Ranch as it was close to both Zion and Bryce National Park. Originally I booked a Meadow cabin, across the road from the restaurant and reception. We grabbed the key and went to inspect. Neither of us were impressed. The cabin looked run down, dirty and too close to the main road.
We returned to reception, expressed our disappointment and they offered us a Preserve Cabin, which looked more like what we wanted.
Our cabin was next to a fenced paddock. When we checked in bison were grazing in a nearby paddock, 10 meters from our front porch (behind the fencing.) When I did a Google search, it says Bison are native to Africa and Asia so these beasties are called American Bison. I’ve seen the movie, Dances with Wolves, starring Kevin Costner and that is where I learnt about bison (remember that iconic hunting scene where the riders were chasing a large herd of bison on horseback?) Confusingly they refer to the animals in that scene as buffalo. Bison (or buffalo) are probably comparable to kangaroos in Australia. The kind of wildlife overseas tourists get excited about seeing. I was excited watching these large beasts placidly grazing.
Hoodoo Time
Mid-morning the following day, we drove to Bryce National Park. We thought we’d try hiking the Queens Garden trail descending to the canyon ampitheatre at the Queen Victoria Rock Formation. The Trail is rated a moderate hike 2.9 km (1.8 mile) round trip and is recommended for first time visitors. Elevation: 137 meters (450 feet) We parked at the summit and walked around the rim to reach the trail entrance.
We saw the signs reminding hikers to take enough water on the trails. And on our trail maps there were plenty of suggestions to pack enough water.
This is a desert environment with no bathrooms and in high-elevation territory. Be sure to bring water !
I had packed a few water bottles in the car, but for some reason I decided two water bottles would be too heavy to walk with. I only packed one smaller water bottle in my day pack: Rookie error Number 1
Descending from Sunrise Point into the canyon was easy. The scenery around each switchback was breathtaking. Those hoodoos – tall, thin spires of rock – are an incredible sight from above, but up close are something else.
Deciding to explore further
We felt great going down, in fact we were enjoying the trail and scenery so much, at the Queen Victoria hoodoo, I suggested we extend the hike to include another section, the Peekaboo Loop. This would double the time we were in the Canyon. The trail is often used for hiking and also horseback riding and features a river. Elevation: 1754 ft (535m)
We read the information sheet.
Ranked as easy-moderate, this extremely photogenic hike gives incredible views of the whole canyon. Tacked onto the end of the Sunset Point to Sunrise Point hike, this is a “choose your own adventure” kind of hike in that it can be as short or long as you’d like.
Rookie error Number 2
We had no idea how many switchbacks there would be. Those switchbacks going up made my heart thump heavily in my chest. And the elevation plays havoc on the lungs as you ascend. Because of my lack of fitness and zero altitude training, this final climb was SLOW and STEADY. I did not enjoy it for one second – apart from the incredible scenery. And then I looked over at Robyn.
She was feeling fatigued from lack of food.
Rookie Error Number 3
We did no carb load prep for the hike. We should have eaten a substantial breakfast. But we didn’t! And we did not pack enough snacks. I had two apples and two cookies, Robyn had nothing. Prior preparation is what makes a successful hiking trip. Not good!
Robyn does not have a sweet tooth like I do. At a rest stop she was so hungry she reluctantly bit into my second cookie. Ten minutes later her insulin spiked and she was feeling dizzy and faint.
On one of our (many) rest stops we met Jim, a young guy who was a Marine. He told us he was planning on doing every trail in the park over eight hours. Of course he was! I didn’t doubt this fit young man was capable. Bryce Canyon is filled with trails, like the Under-the-Rim Trail 37 km (23 miles) and Rigg Springs Loop, 14km (8.8 miles) that meander through forested areas below the plateau. And for the keen hikers there are backcountry campsites along these trails, allowing for multiday treks through Bryce.
We farewelled Jim and kept trudging, pausing often to catch our breath. Whose crazy idea was this to take on a longer hike?! We were unfit. The elevation was wreaking havoc – leaving us breathless. We’d take around 10 steps, then stop to catch our breath.
At one of the many rest spots we watched a group experiencing Bryce Canyon on horseback. A much easier way to travel. The riders smiled and waved for photos. (Of course.)
A few hours later Jim caught us resting (again). Robyn was laying down, under the scant shade of a Ponderosa tree. She was pale. He stopped to check if we were ok. Grateful for some distraction we were happy to chat. He had completed at least three of the trails with a few more hours ahead of him.
Jim was interested in Robyn’s role at SCAD. She is a Professor in Interactive Design and Game Development. He was explaining his interest in gaming and considering a career change when he leaves the Marines. Despite her feeling like crap, Robyn managed to pass on some tips. Jim had to continue ticking off his trails. We had to continue our ascent.
That final climb was TOUGH. Take 10 steps. Then pause to let my thumping heart slow a little.
When we finally reached the rim, it was fist pumps and weak high fives. It had taken us three times as long to make it back as it did to descend to the base level! Never again.
A free shuttle bus travels around the rim and returns to your car park. We waited patiently. There was NO WAY we were going to walk any further.
Back at the cabin
Sitting on the swing chair on the porch of our cabin, red wine in hand, watching the sunset over Zion – we were exhausted. And elated to be back at the ranch. We were counting our lucky stars we made it out of Bryce without heatstroke.
Lesson learnt – take time to prepare for summer hiking adventures in Utah. Your body will thank you for it.
This road trip, or any accommodation was not hosted. We travelled on our own coin! All opinions expressed belong to those of the writer.
I enjoyed reading this adverture you and Robyn had and the photos were great. I laughed a lot. I hope you consider publishing it.
Thanks Rhondda – I’m glad you enjoyed the story. It felt good re-living it, but at the time, we wondered if we were going to make it out of Bryce Canyon!