Kanab to Panguitch

Kanab, UT

Our stay in Kanab was relatively uneventful. We decided to not enter the lottery for permits to The Wave, in part due to the inclement weather occurring that day. It turned out to be a good thing as Dan was a bit under the weather and hiking was not a good idea.

Panguitch and Red Canyon National Forest

We did attempt some short hikes while Dan was less than 100%. The first hike was a short one with just over 1 mile round trip to see some dinosaur tracks. Even this extremely short hike was very taxing for Dan, so the other short hikes we had lined up for the day were cancelled and we returned to the RV to rest and get well. We extended our stay in Kanab an extra day to help Dan get fully recovered and to make sure we secured reservations at the RV park we chose in Panguitch. It turns out reservations at Paradise RV Park in Panguitch are a farce.

When we arrived at Paradise RV Park in Panguitch, there was a big sign along the road that said “Open” but there was no sign of life at the office. A sign on the door said they were on the honor system and you were to pick an available site in the back row and deposit your pay via a slot in the door. They provided a small form to fill out and envelopes to put said form and your payment (cash or check) into before sliding it through the slot. There were only 3 other rigs in the back row when we arrived so we had no problem but I wonder how our supposed reservation would have come into play had the place filled up. The place is very peaceful and we enjoyed a relaxing Friday afternoon after getting all set up.

On Saturday we drove down to Route 12 to check out some hikes in Red Canyon. Red Canyon is a national forest that you drive through on your way to Bryce Canyon National Park. We stopped at the visitors center to get some information and learned about some interesting hikes in the area. We took the volunteer’s advice and hiked the short trails around the visitor center. Upon returning to our truck, we decided to continue on to the visitors center in Bryce Canyon and check out how much snow was in the park. This was the Saturday before Easter and was also a National Parks Fee Free day so needless to say it turned out to be a bit crowded in Bryce. There is still a bit of snow in the park and a large number of trails remain closed.

On our way back to our RV, we decided to squeeze in one more hike in Red Canyon. The volunteer at the visitors center had mentioned a hike called Arches Trail that was located a couple miles down a dirt road off the north side of Route 12. We found the trailhead and experienced a wonderful hike through red rock formations.

We had a relaxing Easter Sunday, maintaining a family tradition of watching Ben-Hur during the day and having cheesecake for desert in the evening. Since we enjoyed our hikes in Red Canyon so much, we thought one more wouldn’t hurt so on Monday morning we hiked the Golden Wall Trail, a 5.5 mile loop across the street from the visitors center. This hike was very nice with short sections of strenuous climbing and lots of easy sections with fabulous views throughout. With the obvious crowds in Bryce Canyon, these trails in Red Canyon National Forest are a welcome alternative. During our 3 hour+ hike on the Golden Wall trail, we saw only two other hikers. The rest of the time we were alone. I’m sure the time of year has something to do with that but I would wager that even in the busiest times of the year, these trails are far less crowded than the ones inside the national park.

A Sunrise-Kodachrome-Sunrise Sandwich

As some of you know, as retirement was approaching and we were preparing to venture into the full-time RVing lifestyle, Dan claimed that we would get up early to venture out for sunrise photography. This was threatened to be a daily routine. Well, after 6 and a half months on the road, he finally came through on his promise. Amy was sooo excited! We got to set an alarm for 5:00 AM! It was a cold 30º morning in Bryce and the promising sunrise pictures were less than ideal when the fog (or is it really clouds when you’re more than 6,000 feet above sea level?) decided to roll in. During a hot breakfast at the Red Canyon Lodge, Dan told Amy that if the pictures didn’t come out due to the fog we would just come back again the next day. Once again, Amy was sooo excited!

During breakfast, Dan exchanged text messages with our new friends, John and Tina. It turns out they were boon docking just outside of Bryce and suggested we stop in and check out their location on our way to Kodachrome Basin State Park. We had a nice short visit with them as we waited for the temperatures to rise a bit more before we ventured forth for our day in Kodachrome Basin. When we arrived at the historically named park, we just had to find some SWAG to purchase to both commemorate our visit as well as our lengthy careers with the company that provided the moniker. After settling for something from their slim pickings, we ventured off for a long hike.

We chose the Panorama Trail Long Loop for its potential to give us the best views of what the park has to offer. The trail a relatively flat 7 mile loop that follows the base of the cliffs that makes the basin. There are several highlights to the trail, including the Cool Cave, that gets its name from the respite it provides hikers during the hotter months of the year. We stopped here to have a snack and rest for a bit. I doubt if we were here during the peak season that we would have been enjoying this location by ourselves like we were at this time. Another off shoot of the trail is the short hike to Panorama Point, an elevated location that offers a 360º view. The hike took over 3.5 hours and we were pretty tired when we returned to our truck. We drove back to our RV to get some much needed rest because, you know, we had to get up at 5:00 AM again the next morning!

Sunrise, round 2, was much more successful than round 1. Dan struggled with whether to return to Inspiration Point, the location of sunrise round 1, or to try a different location. He decided to return to the same location because he knew what he was going to get and it was the kind of shot he was looking for, early morning sun lighting the field of hoodoos in Bryce’s famous amphitheater. The marque shot from round 2 is this posting’s featured image and another photography bucket list item crossed off Dan’s list.

Biking in Bryce

On our last full day here in Panguitch, we drove into Bryce once again only this time we had our bikes with us. There is a paved bike trail that runs through most of the Red Canyon and into Bryce. We picked up the trail at the shuttle parking lot which gave us a 5.2 mile ride in (up hill) and a 5.2 mile ride back (down hill!). The turn around point was at Inspiration Point where our sunrise pictures were taken. We took time here to explore this area more and made the long trek up a steep hill to the high observation point.

We were guilted into doing this by a jogger that we saw several times on our ride. The first time was when we met him running down as we were riding up. We stopped to take photos at the sign and while we were finishing up he came running back up. When we got to Inspiration Point, we walked around some but did not go way up the hill and while we were getting ready to leave he came jogging by heading back down! Having recognized us he stopped and chatted, asking if we went to the top and telling us how awesome the view was. Well if some guy can go up there after what had to be at least 7 miles of running then we certainly could do it.

The ride back to the parking lot was a lot of fun. It was almost all down hill on a paved curvy path that weaved in among the tall pines. When there was about 2 miles left we crossed the road for the last time so Dan decided he was done peddling and coasted all the way to the back of the truck. His speed ranged from 16 mph down to 7 mph on the short flat part. It was a great way to end our stay in the Bryce Canyon National Park area.