Red Canyon, Utah

We drove our RV through these two tunnels! Our Garmin is set to reroute us if there are bridges on our route lower than 13 feet 8 inches, but when it reroutes us, it doesn’t tell us why. We saw no low bridges on our trucker’s atlas, so we ignored Garmin’s route since it was about 75 miles longer. The second tunnel is 13 feet 6 inches, which we can make with no problem. Still, it really made me nervous, especially with Garmin screaming at us to turn around. Cal, unfazed, straddled the lane divider and easily cruised right on through the center.

Our stay in the Bryce area was our coldest. Early morning temperatures dipped down into the upper 20’s and took its time warming back up for the day. High winds added to the chill. We looked at the forecast for the week and decided to save Bryce National Park for later on when it would be warmer and explore all the other natural places around us first.

The tunnel that struck such fear in me was in Red Canyon. There were mixed emotions going on here: besides the tunnel, we were suddenly in the middle of the most amazing landscape: hoodoos and rock spires of brilliant red sandstone set against the green pines. It wasn’t too far from where we were staying, so a visit (without the RV) was the first thing Cal wanted to do the next day.

The nice folks at the visitors center were so helpful in mapping out a trail for us. It was 2.2 miles long and covered the Pink Ledges, the Hoodoo, and the Birdseye Trails.

Hoodoos: columns, pinnacles or pillars of rock that have variable thickness and a totem pole shaped appearance.

Forest Service, Red Canyon

We first saw hoodoos way back in Big Bend NP, Texas, but nothing like we saw here or would see in Bryce NP. Besides the formations, there was that awesome red rock:

The bright red rock throughout the canyon comes from tiny iron particles embedded in limestone.

Red Canyon made me feel like I was ten years old again. There were plenty of nooks and crannies to explore. I climbed up to this point only to discover there was more to discover behind the rocks!

This park was a great initiation for all the things there were to see and do here, and it was a favorite. I’m not sure I’d want to go back through that tunnel with the RV, though!

Next time – more to explore near Bryce