We have been meaning to visit Bryce Canyon FOREVER and finally got to this last weekend! We spent a few days down there with Bryce Canyon Country and had the BEST time.
Utah has so many incredible landscapes, and none of them can top Bryce Canyon. It is such a unique place. The red rock formations are so neat and the hike we went on through them is probably one of my favorite hikes we’ve ever done! The trail we were on was called the Peek-a-Boo loop. I highly recommend it! It’s not very difficult, I did it 34 weeks pregnant with no trouble at all. It gets you right in among the formations and has some spectacular views.
I have been wanting to do Bryce Canyon for a long time, because my family history is in this area. My maiden name is Bryce, the canyon was named after my great-great-great grandfather Ebenezer Bryce, who helped settle the area. We came once as a family when I was little, but I can appreciate the beauty and history of this area so much more now so it was amazing to come back.
The first night we stayed at Stone Canyon Inn. We had the coolest bungalow and it felt like there was no one for miles. We had dinner at the Stone Hearth Grille at the hotel which was incredible. We both got steak and it was so good!
In the morning, we woke up and drove to Bryce Canyon Pines for breakfast, then headed to the canyon. We hiked the Peek-a-Boo trail and went to the Bryce Point lookout. We took our time and took lots of pictures because this landscape is unbelievable!
After our hike, we drove to Escalante for lunch. Taylor and I love roadtrips and driving together in general. It’s such a good time to just hang out and talk, or listen to an audio book. We had lunch at Escalante Outfitters, which was amazing. I got an arugula apple walnut salad that was one of the best I’ve ever had. The pizza was unreal as well! This is a must-stop if you are in the area. Taylor and I will definitely go here for lunch or dinner whenever we are around because it was amazing!
We drove out to the Devil’s Garden after lunch. This drive took us a little while because it was on a dirt road and we took it really slow. Our Toyota Camry isn’t exactly known for it’s off-roading abilities, but the road was well maintained and it was fine. We went a little slower than we even would have normally because Taylor was so nervous about jostling the baby too much. I assured him the baby was just fine because I wasn’t feeling bumped around at all, but Taylor is always so extra sensitive about keeping baby safe and happy and I love it! He’s so so sweet and loves our boy so much.
After exploring the Devil’s Garden for a little while, we headed back to our room at Canyon Country Lodge and relaxed for a few hours before dinner. We wanted to take this weekend pretty slow, and this itinerary was honestly perfect! We had plenty of time to relax, but also got to explore a lot and see some beautiful places.
The next morning we drove to Boulder, Utah. This drive is STUNNING. Along the way we stopped at Kiva Koffeehouse for breakfast, and I have to say this is probably one of my top 3 favorite breakfast experiences of my entire life. Kiva Koffee is set in the middle of the most rugged landscape of the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument, and there is nothing around for MILES. You would never ever guess it was there! And the food was so. good. It is a little out of the way, but if you are in this area and exploring Bryce Canyon, GO HERE. You won’t regret it!!
We finished up our day visiting the Trading Outpost and the Anasazi museum in Boulder. We had lunch at a food truck called Magnolias – we both got street tacos and they were awesome! The vibe was really cool because they had a live band set up next to the truck. It’s a great local hang out spot, and it was fun to sit there and enjoy the food and music before we started out journey home.
We LOVED this trip. Taylor and I were both saying on the way home that it was probably one of the best weekend trips we’ve ever taken. I don’t know why it took us so long to get around to it! Bryce Canyon should definitely be added to your bucketlist if it isn’t on there already. Thank you Bryce Canyon Country for having us!