Leaving the Red Canyon Area, we rolled down our windows and breathed in the fresh forested air. The air filled our lungs and our excitement could hardly be contained. If the Red Canyon area landscape was this amazing, how amazing was Bryce Canyon National Park going to be? Spoiler alert! Bryce Canyon was incredible and did not disappoint.
A nice surprise…We had always heard that Panguitch was the nearest town to Bryce Canyon National Park, but on our drive into the park we found that there is actually a small clean town located just outside the park entrance that is named Bryce Canyon City. This cute town had with a few places to stay, a couple of gas stations, and at least one or two places to get food.
Just on the edge of the town sits the park entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park. The Fall timing of our trip allowed us quick access into the park without having to wait in a long line. If you have ever visited the Grand Canyon, visiting Bryce Canyon will leave you with a similar first time visit surprise. You won’t see the spectacular views of the park that you came to see until you’re in the park and right upon them. It is only after parking your car and taking a short walk that you will experience your several WOW! moments. I must say that the beauty of the park is spectacular and instantly became one of our favorite National Parks.
The first stop that we made, once we were in the park, was to the visitor’s center in order to gather the information that we needed for the day. A quick warning – be careful of where you park so that you are not ticketed. At the time that we visited, you could park in the visitor parking only if you were going to the visitor’s center. All others were required to park in the overflow lot across the road.
In talking with the park rangers, we found them to be incredibly nice and helpful. All of the rangers that we spoke with loved dogs. They happily helped us know where dogs could go in the park, and what we needed to do to have our dog become a B.A.R.K. Ranger. We also found out important information that we did not see on the National Park website prior to making the trip. We found out that at the time of our visit, the prairie dogs and squirrels were testing positive for Bubonic Plague. Bubonic plague is an infection spread mostly to humans by infected fleas that travel on rodents. Thankfully we always choose to have our dogs wear flea and tick medicine, but regardless, we decided that it was best not to take any chances and didn’t let our dog romp in the nearby field of prairie dogs.
Once we left the visitor’s center, we chose to park in the lot near the Bryce Canyon Lodge. This lot gave us quick access to bathrooms, food, and the places that we wanted to hike/walk. It is a short walk from the parking lot to the Sunrise and Sunset Points.
Safety tips to remember: You are above and below 8,000 feet when you are visiting the park. This means that you could be significantly subjected to less oxygen than you’re used to breathing. In addition, being exposed to the elements can lead to dehydration, overheating, over-exertion, and sunburns to name a few. Please keep your dog in mind the entire time. They too can quickly experience all of these safety issues as well. Dogs do not sweat and overheating is a real life-threatening issue. Lightening and storms are a year-round danger at the park as well. If you hear thunder, lightening is close enough for you to seek shelter right way. Lastly, keep your dog on a leash, falls are a real danger at the park.
Our day trip to Bryce was wonderful. We will definitely be returning in the future. If you take a trip to Bryce Canyon National Park, I hope that your day is as wonderful as ours. Please note that it could be different so take precautions and plan ahead before going. There could be dangers that you encounter that we didn’t on that day.
Have fun and keep traveling!
( Note: National Parks have strict guidelines for bringing dogs/pets to their parks. Always check their website and if you still have questions, give them a call before making the long journey. We did research before going. Pets are only allowed on the paved areas in the park. This means that you are Not allowed take your dog on almost all of the trails in the park. I’ve included a couple of official National Park links to help you plan for your specific trip. The links: Pets at Bryce Canyon National Park , Bryce Canyon Pets-Map) )
