Bryce Canyon is one of my favorite National Parks due to its distinctive beauty. We were staying at a hotel near Zion National Park and decided to take a day and drive to Bryce since they are fairly close together. Bryce is more remote than Zion and, hence, less visited. This means you are able to drive your own vehicle to the different scenic outlooks instead of parking and taking a shuttle bus.

Although they are in the same area in Utah, the two parks are completely different. Bryce is famous for the largest collection of hoodoos anywhere. Instead of the red rocks seen in Zion, the rock formations are a bright golden orange. Erosion has carved the sandstone into towers of rock that, to me, resemble the drip castles children make from sand — on a much larger scale, of course. The spires have taken unusual shapes, sometimes leaving large rocks that appear to be balanced on top of smaller ones.

The roads are at the top of the canyon and you look down over the vast scenic vista. Different outlooks provide views from different vantage points and provide a different perspective of the canyon in each place. I wanted to see them all, so we drove to the very end of the canyon views road making all the stops.

For those who want to venture into the canyon and see the hoodoos from the bottom up, there are steep hiking trails. I never cease to be amazed by the casual observers who venture off into a hot dessert environment in flip-flops, without water or protection from the sun. I decided that the steep, dusty paths were not what an old woman needed to do, and did my viewing from the top. The adventurous may enjoy outdoor sports activities. Sight seeing itself is adventure enough for me.