This story has been a couple months in coming.  Back in July, we took the opportunity to go check out a portion of Bryce Canyon National Park freely open to all visitors.  It was not the canyon proper which we got to see that day but there were some beautiful red rock formations which were very photogenic.  This time, we took a trip and went to see the portion of the park for which it is famous.

Bryce Canyon National Park is part of a large complex of desert scenery comprising itself, Zion’s National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, and many other local sites.  I was surprised to learn that they were all part of the same landscape but it’s amazing what you can learn when you take a peek into the museum portion of the gift shop.

After that quick stop, we made our way to one of Bryce Canyon’s scenic overlooks called Sunrise Point.  It was the closest overlook and seemed like a good place to start.  Finding parking became very interesting on a busy day in the middle or tourist season with good weather.

Once we crested the hill of a short hike, we were taken back completely with the view which stretched out before us.  We paused long enough to take it in and then I got to work pulling out my camera.  This view called for a me to take picture immediately.  I had plans for a panorama.

After checking out the view from above, we decided to take a hike down to see the “Queen’s Garden” which was almost a mile away.  Little did we realize just how steep that almost mile hike really was.  It was really taxing on the both of us.

On the way down and back to the “Queen’s Garden,” we did stop to take some pictures of some of the interesting rock formations which you can see.  We also learned that the entire view of those formations changes drastically if you just walk a few steps.  By doing so, we were able to find better and more interesting views on our hike.  Here are a couple of scenes from our hike which should show you just how beautiful this place really is.

After our hike, we decided to check out the next scenic vista on the map, namely Sunset Point.  You’ll find this overlook up the canyon a ways from Sunrise Point and orientated in a different direction.  You can see more of the canyon from this point.  The famous hoodoos are much more visible from this angle and even better from Inspiration Point even further along.

It was getting dark and we were tired.  We decided to not bother with sunset that day and started back down the road to see some of the tamest deer we’ve ever seen.  They knew that they had nothing to fear so they would be walking and eating right next to the road.  If you decide to visit this park, keep an eye out for deer during dawn and dusk.

I had the strangest feeling as we were leaving.  It suggested that we were going to be missing out if we left at that time.  Following that hunch, we returned to Sunset Point just in time for sunset.  I got in place with my camera for that precious golden hour light.  The canyon became something magical.  The beautiful photograph above, and which we opened with, was the delightful result.

If you would like buy fine art prints of this beautiful photograph titled “Sunset at Bryce” from Bryce Canyon, then just follow this link to our online store and you can buy a copy today.