DAY SIX
What to do?
Start early in the morning. Drive one hour from Devils Canyon Campground to Natural Bridges National Monument. After a 2-hour visit, drive the long and winding road to Bryce Canyon National Park. It will take about 5-1/2 hours in an RV.
In a state that has its fair share of famous national parks, little-known Natural Bridges National Monument gets overlooked. That’s okay, because now you know! Of all the trails that my family has hiked in Utah (and there have been a lot!), the trail to Sipapu Bridge in Natural Bridges National Monument is one of our favorites. A little over a mile roundtrip with an elevation change of 500 feet, this trail has three wooden ladders, stairs, switchbacks, and short steep sections of slickrock. Best of all, you’ll likely never pass a single soul.
KidTripster Tip: Keep an eye on little ones as some parts of the trail are steep with drop-offs, but it’s completely doable, as my 4-year-old easily hiked this trail.
And what a payoff! Sipapu is the largest and most spectacular of the three bridges at the monument, and it’s the second largest natural bridge in the world behind Rainbow Bridge in Glen Canyon. The opening nearly could house the dome of the United States Capitol! Its name means “the place of emergence,” an entryway by which the Hopi believe their ancestors came into this world. It’s considered middle-aged as far as bridges go, older than Kachina Bridge but younger than Owachomo, both of which can bee seen in this park. Formed thousands of years ago by a river – not wind (like arches) – Sipapu will someday collapse and erode as part of the endless cycle of change. Best to get here while you can.
KidTripster Tip: Once you make it to the bridge, sit in the shade of the Gambel oak grove and have a snack while admiring the bridge’s beauty.
After your hike, drive the park’s loop to see the other two bridges, Kachina and Owachomo, from their viewpoints.
Where to stay?
Located just a half mile from the entrance of Bryce Canyon National Park, Ruby’s Inn is the only horse in a one-horse town. It offers lodge rooms, campsites for tents and RVS, and even tepees. There’s also a laundromat and a small, often crowded pool.
Is Ruby’s our favorite place to stay? No, but it’s the most convenient campground for visiting Bryce.
Where to eat?
Ruby’s Inn has three dining option: the Cowboy’s Buffet and Steak Room, Ebenezer’s Barn and Grill, and Canyon Diner. With hungry boys, we opted for the filling Cowboy’s Buffet. Note that all the options suffer from resort pricing.
DAY SEVEN
What to do?
The names of the viewpoints at Bryce Canyon National Park – Fairyland, Sunset, and Rainbow – are nearly as colorful as the oddly-shaped hoodoos themselves. Hoodoos are totem pole-shaped rock formations, different from spires which taper uniformly. Photographs don’t do this park justice. Your family will need to see it in person!
There are countless trails to explore at Bryce Canyon. However, many of them are long and strenuous. Especially for a young family, a better option is riding the park shuttle around the park. Get off at the various viewpoints and take in the spectacular vistas. Some of the viewpoints have short trails under a mile that are well-suited for young children.
However, there is one family-friendly trail that I highly recommend. The Mossy Cave Trail leads to a waterfall, which on a hot, summer day is like the Holy Grail. My sons played, kicked, and splashed in the water for nearly an hour – moments of pure joy! And the rocks! The slickrock here is a beautiful shade of pink, and the pebbles in the water are hues of pink, yellow, and coral, reminiscent of Miami Beach. It’s truly a spectacular spot.
KidTripster Tip: Check at the visitor center to see if there’s a ranger-guided tour to this spot on the day that you visit. If not, go anyway.
Where to stay?
Return to Ruby’s Inn and head to the pool.
KidTripster Tip: We attended our first rodeo just across the street from the campground. Maybe it was because we were watching amateurs or maybe it was the painstakingly-long delays between riders, but we learned very quickly that we’re not rodeo people. The finer points of watching a boy flip a calf on its back and tie its feet together were just lost on us. We actually left early, mumbling that it was two hours of our life that we’d never get back.
