Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon: 2 - 18 May 2019

On 2 May we hit the road for ½ day on the road stopping at Columbia, Missouri. Found a park (Cottonwood RV Park) a few miles off the road.  Had called ahead to get reservation since we were arriving after hours.  Typical overnight RV park good for a nights sleep.  Left Missouri and drove across the entire state of Kansas…barely turned the steering wheel for 435 miles.  Stayed at a very small RV park just off the highway just after crossing the Colorado border in Stratton (Marshall Ash Village).  The gas station managed the 10 spots that looked like they had not been used in years but appearances are not everything.  The park was quiet and everything worked great and the manager was a great person to talk with.  There was even little restaurant across the street that had great food.   The town actually had only 1 flashing stop light and 2 streets. 

Next stop was Grand Junction, CO about 400 miles into northern Colorado.  This drive may have been the hardest travel trailer pull that we have done yet.  Interstate 70 goes through Denver where it started a steady incline that took us up over the Rockies.  At the top we were at 10,600 feet and in a snowline with Vail and Breckenridge ski resorts right off the highway.  

Even in the F250 we were only hitting speeds around 30 miles per hour going up hill for miles.  I’ll never complain of the small hills around KY again when we are travelling.  The MoondanceRV park was right off the highway and very easy to get into for the nights stay.  We called ahead and got a reservation.   


Grand Junction, CO is a very picturesque town.   In the morning we were doing our normal pack-up when another 1^st happened in our travels.  Jennifer usually packs up the inside while I do the outside.  The slow leak in my truck tire had me away finding air.  Jennifer chose to try to speed up the process and started breaking down the outside in my absence.  When I got back I noticed a very wet spot right below the black tank valve and the hose was still attached.  There was a strong smell of urine in the air and Jennifer was nowhere to be found.  Entering the camper I found her drying off after a 2^nd morning shower.  She said “It may be our urine but that did not make it any less gross”.   Come to find out she pulled the black tank valve and while it was draining, tried to adjust the angle of the hose and it came off…giving her a nasty dousing from head to toe.  Of course I had plenty of not so family friendly jokes that went on for quite a while…priceless.  

Arrived at the Bryce/Cannonville KOA campground at 1500.  

We had been studying the weather for days before we left and knew that rain was coming later in the week.  Rain and slot canyons do not mix…they said that every year someone drowns while hiking in the area.  We immediately set up and asked where the closest slot canyon was located.  We only drove that long  to experience slot canyon hiking and we were not going to be denied because of rain.  About 15 miles down the road was WillisCreek slot canyon.  A very narrow slot canyon about 300 yards long with a small creek that trickles through it.  The road in was dirt and one should definitely consider using a 4 wheel drive

We did some asking around the next day and found out that there were 2 very popular slot canyons were in the area.  Peek-a-boo and Spooky trails are very narrow slot canyons that can be explored in a few hours.  The hardest part was getting to the trail head.  Once you leave Hwy 12 just past Escalante, UT you are on a graded dirt road.  It was 26 miles to the Dry Fork turn off.   The problem was the road was extremely wash boarded and in a truck with heavy duty suspension rattled our teeth out.  

After a mile I had slowed to 10 miles per hour trying to “ease” our way to keep from shaking the truck apart.  It took us 2 hours to get there.  I was so disappointed in having a off road vehicle and getting passed by all kinds of 2 wheel drive cars that seemed to absorb the bumps much better.  On the way out I experimented with getting up to 35 miles per hour…and to our surprise the truck skipped across the bumps like driving over rumble strips on the side of the highway.  The problem being the handling was a bit “loose”.  45 min to get out…go figure.  We did explore one of the trails (Peek-a-boo) and it was amazing.  The slot was so tight that we were squeezing around tight spots…you have to really see it believe it.  We only went about 1/3 of the way due to time.  We decided right then we were coming back to finish.

7 May was cloudy and cool with off and on showers so we decided to do some housekeeping.  Went to Bryce Canyon Village and found the sole auto repair shop and finally got around to fixing that slow leaking tire on the truck.  Come to find out it was a previous plug that had been slowly leaking since we started the trip.  Did some exploring of the famous Ruby's Inn.  Very nice place with a grocery and restaurant.  Horseback riding and ATV riding tours available at this location.  The inn itself is historical in the beginning of Bryce Canyon's tourist industry.  

Drove to Bryce Canyon National Park.  It was 20 miles from the campground on Hwy 12.  Entry to the park is 35.00 per carload. The 35.00 comes with a receipt that is good for 7 days for reentry into the park.  We went ahead got the annual national pass for 80.00.  The pass allows free entry into any national park for 1 year from date of purchase.  There is only 1 way in and 1 way out of the park.  They recommend driving the 18 miles to the end of the road and on the way back all the pull offs are on the right side of the road.  At the end of the road the elevation is just over 8,000 feet.  The day we went in the weather at our KOA campsite was a cool 45 degrees.  By the time we got to the end of the park road we were in snow with a temperature 32.  There is quite a bit of hiking available and the information center at the park entry is a wealth of information about the Bryce, Zion, and Grand Canyon parks.  

Thursday we drove a few miles east of Escalante, UT (45 min) to the Lower Calf Creek Falls recreation area.  We had read that there was a great hike to a water falls that leaves from this area.  There is a small parking lot for day use.  There is a fee of 5.00 per car that you put in an envelop and deposit in a security box.  The hike followed the Calf river upstream for 6 miles round trip through a canyon.  The water falls was absolutely beautiful, 128 feet tall.  The hike was easy and well worth it.

Coming back through Escalante we saw a sign that advertised shuttle rides to some of the local trail heads.  We stopped and found that they offer a shuttle to Peek-a-Boo/Spooky trails for 72.00 per person round trip.  The slot canyons are amazing so if you had a vehicle that you did not want to punish with the 26 drive down the Hole in the Rock road the shuttle would be a great alternative.  In Tropic, UT (8 miles west of KOA) has the nearest places to eat.  Its a very small town with a few local restaurants and small inns.  The IDK BBQ and the Pizza Place were the best that we found.  There is also a decent size grocery store there as well.

Next 2 days it rained with cool temps that kept us indoors.  Some people didn't mind the rainy days...

Going to eat that evening my check engine light came on.  Not good when you are in the middle of nowhere and half-way across the country.  I also noticed that the exhaust pipe had separated from the resonator prior to going into the muffler.  I was hoping the leak and engine light were related.  The exhaust issue must have been a victim of the 26 mile dirt road.  

Sunday we checked out and headed to Grand Canyon.  That drive is about 5 hours south on Hwy 89.  Beautiful drive even pulling a travel trailer.  Good thing about this trip is it was mostly down hill going from the high elevation in Bryce Canyon.  Did find a O'Rielly's auto parts store that checked the light and diagnosed it as O2 sensor issue related to the leaking exhaust.  Very remote drive to the South Rim but well worth it.  We checked in to the Grand Canyon Trailer Village RV Park by mid afternoon.  A very basic RV park but with it being located just outside the park entrance makes it great.  

The camp staff was less than hospitable.  I guess if you are the only RV park around the park you can get away with it. We did not get a site with septic so we had to use the dump station on the way out (Jen did not want any part of that dump station!).  They did have showers for $2.00 for 8 minutes.  The Grand Canyon Village has all kinds of restaurants and groceries but you are going to pay for the proximity to the park entrance. For instance a medium pizza from pizza hut was $22.00 and a Wendy's single combo meal was $14.00.  Again you are an hour from the nearest town so it is what it is.  I would imagine the hotel rooms there are quite high.  We paid 65.00 per night for the RV spot.  Next day we explored the South Rim and was able to obtain our backcountry permit for our last hike to the bottom of the Canyon the next day.  Normally the best way to ensure you have a successfully hike is make a reservation well in advance.  Backcountry permits can be requested online

Tuesday we got up, packed our bags, said bye to Oreo and headed to the Hermit Rest about 25 min away for the last Grand Canyon Hoorah! I have hiked this trail 5 times and this makes twice for Jen We wanted to do it one last time and decided if we could walk up and get a permit then it was meant to be! Temps for the next 2 days were in the middle 60's so Oreo did not have to worry about temps.  We left her all kinds of food and water and hid some treats throughout the travel trailer.  We parked at Hermit Rest and was on the Hermit Trail at 0630.  Daylight starts at 0530 since they are not on DST.  The 8 mile hike down takes about 9 hours and is tough on your knees and feet.  We set up our small tent at Hermit Creek and hopped in the cool waters of the creek for a nice bath.  There are about 12 designated campsites and there was only a couple occupied.  There is a place to hang your backpack so the mice cannot get into it while you sleep.  There is a composting latrine that reminded me of latrines at Ft. Benning at the rifle range where a gas mask was almost a must.  We relaxed, ate dinner and got some well needed sleep.  The moon was nearly full and you have to see it to believe it.  Pictures just do not show the silver light that is so bright it casts shadows all night.  It was amazing.  Temps at the bottom are usually in in the mid 80s' during the month of May.  July/August it can get over 100.  We hiked the 1.5 miles down Hermit Creek to the Colorado River the next day with just a canteen of water and snacks.  If you have some water shoes with a good sole you can walk down the creek the whole way.  If not you have to skirt the edges.  Be aware there are snakes at the bottom.  I have hiked this same trail 4 previous times and never saw one.  This time we saw 6 so of course Jennifer said I lied to her and she will never forget it.  The 2 rattlers were the ones that made me nervous and had us checking tent zipper door often, but they let us know when we got close to them.  Spent the rest of the afternoon in a cool area by the creek to an area just down from the campsite and got some more sleep and lunch.  

This is the best internet picture I could find that shows what it is like at night

 

At 2030 the moon was out and we had packed up and started the dreaded walk out.  We do this to avoid walking in the hot sun uphill for the nearly 12 hours it takes to hike out.  There are several areas in which you encounter some serious elevation gains. 3 hours of hiking we made it out of the inner gorge after we topped Cathedral Stairs.  Hiking at night with a full moon we did not even need a head lamp.  But I strongly recommend you still use one any time you walk in the canyon at night.  The key to hiking out is keeping a very slow constant pace, drinking plenty of water and snacking through the entire hike.  The last 2 miles are the hardest as you climb out of the rim up many switchbacks that seem to never end. Jennifer renamed the trail from "Hermit Trail" to "Purgatory Trail".   Straight to Wendy's for the best burger, fries and soda we ever had.  Oreo seemed glad to have us back. 

At daybreak we packed up and headed south through Williams, AZ and picked up I-40 for the 24 hour drive back home.  A couple of us implemented a sleep plan 😊.  

As it is typical for Oklahoma in the Spring, we ended up having to outrun a severe thunderstorm near Tulsa.  Luckily we got in front it by about 30 miles as there was a tornado warning associated with it.  In Amarillo, TX we passed a windfarm that had industrial size wind turbines that spread out as far as the eye could see.  An amazing sight if you have never seen one in person.

  

 A trip like this has so much to offer, way more than I can go over here.  We hit the highlights on this 18 day trip and are planning a return trip in the car in the near future so we can be a bit more spontaneous as we drive out and back.  If you are interested in hiking into the grand canyon please get in touch with us and we can give you some really good tips to make your trip more enjoyable than our earlier attempts.  

Next stop is still in planning, may head right back to Bryce Canyon/Colorado Springs