Bryce was one of my favorite parks due to the sheer outlandish beauty of the hoodoos.  The colors were so bold and vibrant that if you were to see them in a painting you would think the artist had gone overboard.  There are short walks to the rim of the canyon where you can look out over a wide expanse of the hoodoos, and such vistas inspire me.  But what is even better about Bryce is that there are several trails that wind right through the 'forest' of hoodoos and you get unique views with every turn.  There are hidden canyons, towering spires, occasional tunnels, and little alcoves everywhere you walk. 

Another neat aspect to these colorful formations is that they really catch the colors of sunsets and sunrises if you make the effort to be there at those special times.  And the lack of light pollution in this park make it perfect for stargazing, so much so that the park has special "night rangers" that put on excellent astronomy talks and will even let you use their telescopes.

And finally, if you are blessed to visit this area on the fall, try to make it there at the start of October.  Perhaps the greatest surprise for us was the amazing display of fall Aspens that we were fortunate enough to witness on the way to and in certain portions of the park.

I loved walking through the Hoodoos. I remember it was like walking in a giant maze. It was especially fun because you were able to look at the Hoodoo maze from above before you entered. Then while you were in the Hoodoos, you would try and guess where you are in the maze.

There were many different cool rock formations. There were, in a few places, trees growing in crevices, reaching up toward the sky. We took pictures next to certain signs. Then later, we showed the pictures to the rangers for some cool pins!

By Abby McAllister

​Although Zion National Park offers stunningly deep canyons, famous peaks and terrific hiking, canyoning and climbing, my favorite moment came one evening after dark.  It is probably my favorite because it was totally unexpected.  I like to be surprised.  I like a moment when my breath is taken away by unexpexted beauty.  When that happens, it feels like a special gift.  When it occurs in nature it feels like I am blessed beyond measure to be in the right place at the right time to take in a sight that will never be repeated in exactly the same way.  In Zion I had one of those once-in-a-lifetime gift experiences when we came out of the lodge after the evening ranger program.  It was late, the baby had fallen asleep on my lap and I was just expecting to head to the car, get all the kids buckled in and head back to the campground.  As we exited the lodge and walked across the big lawn towards our car we happened to look up.  Directly across from the lodge the full moon’s glowing light was reflecting off the sheer cliff walls that make up the peaks of (insert mountain names).  They seemed to be the face of the moon dropped in our laps.  They rose dramatically into the black night sky that is only found so far from cities.  We all stood mesmerized on the lawn that dark fall night and just drank it in.  Somehow the dark of the night and the light of the moon had transformed the peaks that seemed so rooted, so grounded each day, into something ethereal.  I don’t know how long we stood there but I remember I never wanted to leave.  We tried to capture the majesty with our camera but all attempts failed.  Sometimes you just have to be there.  I guess that is why we go to national parks, why we take our kids.  Photos in books and online, videos and movies-none of those can compare to being there.  

By Kaden McAllister, 14