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Let the Sea Set You Free....

10/29/2016

The Amazing Desert Southwest: Bryce Canyon

10/19/2016

We recently made a wonderful one-week road trip through the Desert Southwest exploring some amazing landscapes including Bryce Canyon National Park. Hoodoos and the Bryce Amphitheater are the stars of this relatively small, hands-on park. Here are some observations and tips from our time there.

Location: Bryce UT

Amphitheater Dimensions: 12 miles (19 km) long, 3 miles (5 km) wide and 800 feet (240 m) deep*

Key Features:

Hoodoos (rock pinnacles) - the largest group in the world
Bryce Amphitheater - a giant bowl filled with dramatic hoodoos whose colors and mood change with every subtle variance of light and shade

From Bryce Point (south end of amphitheater)

From Peekaboo Loop Trail

Viewing: Bryce Amphitheater is the main attraction and is relatively small and very easily accessible in a short amount of time.

5 Overlooks - You can drive to each of these overlooks along the top if the amphitheater with very short walks required from the parking areas
Hiking
- Rim Trail runs all the way around the rim of the amphitheater between the 5 overlooks (538-ft elevation increase north to south)
- Navajo Loop (1.3 mi / 2.2 km round trip) - To appreciate its grandeur and dramatics, take this hike down into the amphitheater to be among the hoodoos and evergreens and experience Bryce from the ground up
- There are numerous other hikes that can take up to a day if you like
Horseback Rides

Navajo Loop Trail - Switchbacks to/from the amphitheater floor

Lodging:

Several options are right outside the park in or near Bryce UT
We stayed at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort just outside the east entrance of Zion National Park and made the easy drive up to Bryce (76 miles/1.5 hours)
Kanab UT is the largest town on the east side of Zion and is a great base for visiting Bryce Canyon, Zion, Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon and other fantastic sites in the area
St George UT

Getting There

Bryce Canyon National Park is located in southwestern Utah. Drive times:

Las Vegas Strip: 4 hours
Salt Lake City UT: 4 hours
Springdale UT/Zion west entrance: 1:55
St. George UT: 2:20

The Amazing Desert Southwest: Canyon de Chelly

10/11/2016

Spider Rock is an 800-ft spire seen at the last overlook on the South Rim Drive of Canyon de Chelly, Chinle AZ

We recently made a wonderful one-week road trip through the Desert Southwest exploring some amazing landscapes including Canyon de Chelly ('shay') National Monument. This was a prominent subject of famed photographer Ansel Adams and he certainly didn't let us down! Here are some observations and tips from our time there.

Location: Chinle AZ

Max Depth: 1,000 feet (304 meters)

Key Features:

Cliff dwellings, many of which are hundreds of feet above the canyon floor
Dramatic 600-700 ft sheer rock cliffs
800-ft tall Spider Rock spire

Timing Consideration/Tip: Visit the most dramatic points first rather than hitting each one in order. This way you see the best before running out of time or becoming hungry or fatigued. Here are the most dramatic points which tend to be the furthest from the entrance.

North Rim Drive: Massacre Cave and Mummy Cave
- Deepest sections of the canyon
- Up-close viewing of dwellings
- Overlooks are on overhanging ledges
South Rim Drive:
- Spider Rock (end of the drive) is an 800-ft rock tower shooting up from the canyon floor
- White House Overlook
  - This section of the canyon provides diverse views including White House Ruins and other cliff dwellings
  - White House Trail (the only trail you may hike without a guide) starts here

Overall Timing: 6-8 hours, including a meal, or you may break it up as you like.

North Rim Drive: 2 hours
South Rim Drive: 2 hours
White House Trail Hike: 2 hours

Viewing:

2 Scenic Drives & 10 Overlooks - FREE
- General Note: The canyons are shallowest (least dramatic) near the Visitor Center and reach their greatest depths and drama the further east you go along each drive.
- North Rim Drive
  - 3 overlooks
  - 34 miles roundtrip on Indian Route/IR-64, a two-lane highway with speed limits posted 45-55 MPH at the time we visited. This is a through road so traffic moves as it is more than tourists.
- South Rim Drive
  - 7 overlooks
  - 37 miles roundtrip on IR-7, a two-lane road that is only paved to the last (Spider Rock) overlook so traffic it mostly tourists taking their time and therefor much slower than getting to the North Rim Drive sites.
Hike White House Trail - FREE
- Distance: 2.5 miles roundtrip to the canyon floor and White House Ruins
- Elevation Change: 600-ft steep descent/ascent down to and up from the canyon floor.
- Duration: 2 hours roundtrip
- Access Note: This is the only authorized self hike. All other hikes into the canyon must accompanied by a park ranger or Navajo guide.
Guided Tours by vehicle, horse or hike are available - FEE REQUIRED

Lodging:

Holiday Inn Canyon de Chelly
Thunderbird Lodge
Best Western Canyon de Chelly Inn

Getting There

Canyon de Chelly National Monument is located immediately east of Chinle AZ. Drive times:

Albuquerque NM Sunport (ABQ): 3:45
Grand Canyon Village/South Rim: 3:50
Grand Canyon North Rim: 5 hours
Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (PHX): 4:50

The Amazing Desert Southwest: Monument Valley

10/7/2016

View from John Ford's Point, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, AZ

We recently made a wonderful one-week road trip through the Desert Southwest exploring some amazing landscapes including Monument Valley. It is certainly worth the drive to experience this stunning place. Here are some observations and tips from our time there.

Location: Along US Hwy 163 on the Utah-Arizona border near Four Corners.

Height: Some monuments (buttes) top out at 1,000 feet above the desert floor.

Viewing:

You can easily experience the grandeur of Monument Valley simply by driving US Hwy 163 north from Kayenta AZ or southwest from Mexican Hat UT.
For the up close and personal experience, we visited the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park.

A view of The Mittens from the Visitor Center overlook

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park:

Link to park info including fees, hours ($20 per car when we visited), and scenic drive map
The Visitor Center is terrific!
- Panoramic views from overlook, gift shop, restaurant and restaurant's outside tables
- Restaurant with nice variety of menu options and great food at reasonable prices
- Historical information
- Large gift shop
- Hotel

Scenic Drive - Included with your admission when you drive your own vehicle
- Distance: 17-mile loop through the valley floor
- Duration: 1.5 to 2 hours
- Surface: Mostly dirt road which is dusty and rough in many spots
Time Recommendations
- 1 Hour: You can experience a lot just from the Visitor Center
- Scenic Drive: Only drive as far as John Ford's Point (#4 of 11 on the drive). This is a most-spectacular vantage point where the famous film director loved to shoot his western scenes. In our opinion, the sites beyond this point of the self-drive while grand paled in comparison and could easily be skipped in the interest of time and fatigue.
Guided Vehicle Tours - While we did not take this option, here is what we found and observed:
- All are narrated by local guides and appear to be popular based on the majority of them were full
- Two Options - The standard 17-mile scenic drive or add on a special drive to see unique formations in areas which are restricted to private vehicles
- Details and rates are available in person at the guided tours office across the parking lot from the Visitor Center (The lowest rate I saw was $65/person for the standard 17-mile drive)
- Comfort Consideration: Most of the tours we saw were open-air in the backs of pickup trucks on seats or benches with a canopy cover. When considering it just keep in mind that it's up to 2 hours of somewhat rough and very dusty roads in an open-air vehicle.

Getting There

Monument Valley runs along US Hwy 163 near the Arizona/Utah state line. Drive times:

Albuquerque NM Sunport (ABQ): 5:25
Canyon de Chelly/Chinle AZ: 1:45
Grand Canyon Village/South Rim: 3:10
Grand Canyon North Rim: 4:20
Las Vegas NV McCarran Airport (LAS): 6:30
Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (PHX): 5 hours
Zion Nat'l Park/Springdale UT: 4:20

TRAVEL
NEWS

Let the Sea Set You Free....

The Amazing Desert Southwest: Bryce Canyon

The Amazing Desert Southwest: Canyon de Chelly

The Amazing Desert Southwest: Monument Valley

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The Hill Guys®: Matt and Brandon Hill
brandonmatt@hillguystravel.com
Call or text: (918) 771-9050 or (505) 466-6203
Toll-Free: (844) 876-0400 (calls only)
Monday - Friday, 8am-5pm Central / Closed weekends

TRAVEL​NEWS

Let the Sea Set You Free....

The Amazing Desert Southwest: Bryce Canyon

The Amazing Desert Southwest: Canyon de Chelly

The Amazing Desert Southwest: Monument Valley

Archives

Categories

The Hill Guys®: Matt and Brandon Hillbrandonmatt@hillguystravel.comCall or text: ​(918) 771-9050 or (505) 466-6203Toll-Free: (844) 876-0400 (calls only)Monday - Friday, 8am-5pm Central / Closed weekends

TRAVEL
NEWS

The Hill Guys®: Matt and Brandon Hill
brandonmatt@hillguystravel.com
Call or text: (918) 771-9050 or (505) 466-6203
Toll-Free: (844) 876-0400 (calls only)
Monday - Friday, 8am-5pm Central / Closed weekends