Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park is a fantastical place of multicolored hoo-doos. It's like no place else we've ever seen. And it's surprisingly chilly.

Day 1 Zion National Park to Bryce Canyon National Park

Our last delicious breakfast in Zion was omelets with a yogurt parfait. Everyone at the B&B was leaving that day. We bought gas and ice before hitting the road. We saw beautiful scenery and storm damage on the way out of the park.

window in the tunnel
A window in road tunnel.

Crews were shoveling mud and rocks out of the road. We saw the area where we were when the storm hit.

We drove through several little four-corners areas and a lot of beautiful scenery.

We stopped at Bryce Canyon Pines for lunch, then decided to drive straight to Bryce Canyon and drive the scenic road to the viewpoints. We passed the Red Canyon Visitor Center on the way to Bryce and it looked so interesting we decided we needed to stop later and explore while in the area.

On our way out we stopped at the visitor’s center to ask about hiking. We were advised not to if it was raining or damp because of slipperiness. 

We checked into our cute little cottage in Panguitch, met our hosts, and went to Tandoori Taqueria at their recommendation.

We did 2.73 miles today. Not bad for mostly driving.

Day 2 Queen’s Garden Hike and Red Canyon

Our cottage came with all the ingredients for breakfast. Great idea! Rain was forecasted for the morning so we waited a while before heading out to hike. We opted to hike in our Tevas due to the mud factor, and in long sleeves, because it was 50-60°. We went back and forth to the general store for restrooms, water, etc., then started out on the Queen’s Garden hike. We rain into a couple from the B&B in Zion as we were leaving the trail, which was surprisingly not muddy. We drove to Sunset Point and hiked down Navajo Loop a short way, and saw a crazy Asian girl in white high heels. 

We drove by the lodge at Bryce Canyon, then headed back toward Panguitch. We stopped at the Red Canyon Visitor Center. They had a nice little hike around the visitor center. We hit a liquor store in town for Wasatch Devastator Double Bock and Squatters Hop Rising Double IPA. We had a couple of beers on our patio then went to Cowboy’s Smokehouse for dinner. Or tried to. After no service for 15 minutes or so we left in disgust. Fastest TripAdvisor review ever. We walked off our anger — and some beer — then drove to C-Stop for pizza, which was very good. And had good service!

Essentials​

This section contains affiliate links. If you click on a link we may receive a commission at no cost to you. 

Lodging

Grandma’s Cottage is a queen studio decorated just like grandma would have. We wished we had more than two nights to spend there, it was so charming. There’s seating indoors and a small courtyard outside. It’s in a former garage next to the hosts’ home; we never felt we lacked privacy. Breakfast is provided in the form of all the ingredients (bagels, cream cheese, butter, yogurt, fruit, juice) plus great fresh ground coffee!

We had wanted to be closer to Bryce Canyon National Park, but having stayed here I would stay here again. It’s not that long a drive to the park, over scenic roads without a lot of traffic. And Panguitch has a certain sleepy charm. Bruce and Lou were lovely hosts, with on-point recommendations on local places to eat.

Dining

There aren’t a lot of dining options around. If Tandoori Taqueria is open in Panguitch they had an interesting fusion of Indian and Mexican. 

Cowboy's Smokehouse Cafe
Read More
Couldn't tell you about the food. Couldn't even get a glass of water. Were handed menus and silverware and pointed to a table. After 10-15 minutes without being acknowledged, and two tables arriving after us being served, we left. Response from the house? A disinterested "sorry." There are places in town with more interesting food and an interest in customer service. I would suggest trying them. I don't give one-star reviews lightly.
C Stop Pizza
Read More
We had dinner here after failing to be served at the first place we tried for dinner. It was recommended by our hosts; she even had a pizza named after her. The pizza was good, service was friendly and prompt. It doesn't look like much on the outside, and the inside while clean and comfortable is pretty basic. So if you want ambiance, takeout or delivery might be a better option.
Previous
Next

Transportation

We had a rental car. You will need your own wheels. Bryce is in the middle of nowhere and things are pretty spread out.