Las Vegas Trip - Day 5

A Cold Start

When we woke the fifth morning, we took a quick look at the thermometer, and decided that we'd get a slightly slower start to the morning :o)


We had spent a lot of time (and money) preparing for this trip.  And today, all of the preparation paid off.  

We had purchased warm jackets for the boys, insulated waterproof boots for all of us, warm hats and waterproof gloves. We all packed long johns and sweaters.  

After bundling up, we found the cold weather to be totally doable.  

In fact, with some exertion, we found ourselves to be not just comfortable, but warm.



Queen's Garden and Navajo Trail

One of our best purchases were our foot traction devices (commonly called crampons).  These were like snow tires for our feet. On icy trails, these foot gear made all of the difference.

So, before too long, and despite the cold, I just couldn't wait any longer.  We put on all of our cold weather gear and headed to the Visitor's Center to get some information.  

Much of the park was closed, both because of the winter conditions, but also because of the government shut down. While we were disappointed to miss the Ranger programs, we enjoyed the lack of crowds.

The ranger recommended two hikes for us.  First, he suggested we head down

the Queen's Garden trail from Sunrise Point and return to Sunset point via the Navajo trail.  This 2.6 mile hike was the only open hike that actually descended into the canyon. After rising back up to Sunset point, he recommended we take the .7 trip to Inspiration Point (1.4 mile round trip).  And then walk the half mile back to our car.  All in all, this was around a five mile hike.

Dave said it best:  "Bryce Canyon is one of the most visually captivating places I have ever seen, and the snow just made it better. We hiked 5+ miles in 15-20F temperatures and enjoyed every minute of it. "

The hike down into the canyon was amazing. 

The views were incredible.  

We felt like superheroes :o)

After descending down into the Canyon via Queen's Loop, we then started back up via the Navajo Loop.

The trail had some fun "doorways" carved into the trail.

Near the top of the trail, we walked past Thor's Hammer.

The steep trails were icy, but with our crampons on, we walked easily and comfortably up them :o)

Inspiration Point
But by far, the walk to Inspiration point was the most breath taking.

Inspiration Point is the "Iconic" view of the park. It is perched high above the rows of hoodoos. 

A small path to a lookout point along the way to Inspiration trail.

Inspiration Point is easily accessible in the summer via car - there is a parking

lot and a quarter mile hike up to the point.  But this winter, the roads were not plowed, and the parking lot was closed.  The only was to access this view was by hiking the 1.4 mile round trip from the Sunset point Parking lot.  With the extreme cold, and the icy conditions, only a few brave souls took this path. Which meant we had the view almost completely to ourselves. 

It was awesome!!!

Mossy Cave trail

It was early afternoon by the time we finished hiking the Queen's Loop / Inspiration Point / Rim trail combination. We were all hungry, so we went into town to grab a quick lunch.  

When we had visited the ranger's station, they had recommended on other trail for the winter visit:  Mossy Cave.  

Kyle was just about done in, but after hearing the description (and refueling with lunch) he decided to give it a go with us.

While Mossy Cave does not have the amazing vista of Bryce Canyon, it was (for the boys) a much more interactive experience.  

On the way to the cave, there was a small frozen stream, which the boys spent time sliding on.  

There was a frozen waterfall... 

...that they could climb behind!

And then there was Mossy Cave - during the summer, most likely filled with moss and waterfalls, but during the winter it is a spectacle of ice! 

Probably the most awesome part of the cave was that quiet sound of the water gurgling behind all of the ice.

We then took a quick detour to find a geocache.  Unfortunately, with limited cell access, and six inches of snow on the group, we were unable to find it. We did, however, come across this great scene of wild turkeys in front of the Park sign!

Red Rock Canyon
We were all tired, but the car was warm and comfortable, and the lighting was perfect.  So we decided to take a quick drive back to the entrance of the park to get another look at the Red Rock Canyons there.

Evening Stars
The night sky was amazing, but the temperatures were crazy! We braved the -2 degree night briefly to try and look for the comet, but unfortunately never found it.

The previous night we had had a... less than delicious... meal in town at "Restaurant" (jokingly named by us, as they had a huge "Restaurant" sign out sign, but no actual Name sign.)  We decided to try a different restaurant.  After finding it was closed "until Tomorrow", we grabbed a quick sandwich from Subway to end our night.