Other adventures around Bryce Canyon

The Colorado Plateau is a roughly circular geological area that included significant parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah, the center being about where those four states meet at the four corners.  It is an area where the bones of the earth are exposed and the tremendous forces that have mosder our earth are more visible than most other places.  Having driven across just a part of it, I can testify that it is also vast, thinly inhabited, incredibly varied, unforgivingly harsh and jaw-droppingly beautiful. While staying at Kodachrome Basin we got to explore just a few of the surrounding examples of this beauty.

Red Canyon
This area is north of Bryce and similar in many ways, but like most of the Southwest it is unique. Most people fly by Red Canyon on the road to Bryce while they try to fit 5 national parks into a 7-day trip.  We spent a morning hiking a few of its trails and liked it a lot.

Willis Creek
Slot canyons are common throughout the plateau and some of them are quite technically difficult and require climbing gear to even enter.  Willis Creek is an easy and beautiful hike through a slot canyon that was so fun, even Tucker liked it! On the way we ran into a real life Utah cattle drive.  A family moving some livestock from down by Lake Powell up to the Bryce area.

Grosvenor Arch
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is a huge, mostly roadless, area of the plateau. We just dipped out toe in the vast waters of this place.  We drove down the beautiful--but very bumpy--gravel road Cottonwood Canyon Road for just a small part of its 40 miles to see Grosvenor Arch and another nice slot canyon called Cottonwood Narrows.