Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

I never realized that Bryce was at a high elevation, so I was shocked to get out of the truck from Vegas wearing shorts and a tank top in 30 degree weather...in the dark at 10pm...with snow on the ground! We had passed a sign warning of a low clearance tunnel. We didn't know for sure our height, so armed with flashlights, we got out, Daddy climbed to the top of the RV and dropped a tape measure down. 13 feet, good, we continued on our way.

The next morning we went for a hike thru Red Canyon. It still had quite a bit of snow on it, so we enjoyed our first ever snowball fight while Asa (our dog) rolled around in the snow. 

Later we drove the whole length of the park, stopping for short hikes to see the magnificent views of the hoodoos. We saw deer and more antelope than we could count and as a bonus we saw a bird chase and catch a butterfly mid-air! I've never seen that before.

Look very closely at the photo below and you'll see a group of people to the top far left for perspective!

The next day we hiked the Queens Garden/ Navajo loop/ Rim trail combo, a 3 mile hike from the canyon rim to the floor and back up to the rim. Yes, it was strenuous, especially since the kids demanded preferred to be carried. There were about 20 switchbacks just to climb up the steepest part of the rim! Despite the effort involved, it was incredible! I learned about this trail in a book of best trails in Utah. It called this one "Dr. Seuss-like", and it was. The trail weaved down and around the hoodoos and other odd rock structures throughout the canyon. It was a magical place and I can't wait to come back and hike it again someday when the kids are older. 

As you can see, this place is incredible! I took a ton of photos and had a hard time narrowing down which to post here!