Reverse Engineering Bryce Canyon: A Backwards Approach to Hoodoos

Red Canyon

Before we could officially breach the gates of Bryce Canyon, we hit Red Canyon, which is conveniently located a few miles prior as a sort of orange-tinted appetizer. Leesa made an aggressive tactical maneuver into the parking lot for a quick stop at the Visitor Center to examine the gift shop perimeter.

Once we reached Bryce Canyon, we decided to utilize the official National Park Service app to download their audio tour. This is where we encountered our first major test of administrative logic: the first segment of the tour audio is anchored at the very end of the main 18-mile driving route. Naturally, this meant we had to drive past every single overlook in absolute silence, arrive at the dead end of the park, and then play the entire tour completely backward on our way out.

On the bright side, traffic was surprisingly light. We knew this because we kept pulling into the viewpoints at the exact same intervals as a rotating cast of the exact same tourists, giving our day trip a distinct Groundhog Day vibe.

Rainbow Point

Our grand tour ironically kicked off at the actual termination point of the park road. Named Rainbow Point, this overlook sits exceptionally high up in the atmosphere. I bravely broke the vehicular air seal and got out of the car to see exactly what there was to look down upon. It turns out you are positioned directly above a massive, sprawling valley of orange rock spikes. It was honestly amazing.

Black Birch Canyon

Our backward migration continued seamlessly to the next overlook, where we paused briefly to confirm that it did, in fact, contain more impressive rocks.

Ponderosa Canyon

We pulled in here to observe a giant canyon that is supposedly famous for trees, though the towering geological formations still steal the show.

Agua Canyon

Another successful stop on our reverse pilgrimage to appreciate the park’s signature neon-orange earth.

Roadside Viewpoint

Because you can never have too many pull-offs to examine the exact same valley from a marginally different angle.

Natural Bridge (Leesa’s Perspective)

When I first stepped out of the car at Natural Bridge, I was greeted by a whole lot of nothing. There wasn’t any dramatic mountain mist or mysterious low-hanging clouds sabotaging the view—the topography is just designed to hide the goods from the parking lot. I couldn’t see over the edge at all from the vehicle. However, as I walked further up the paved trail, leaving Rob behind to guard the passenger seat, the ground dropped away and the canyon literally unfolded directly in front of me. Suddenly, you are staring right at this massive stone arch framed perfectly by green pine trees. It was honestly a really emotional, beautiful sight, and it totally rewarded me for actually making the trek to the edge.

Farview Point

We stopped, we stared, we confirmed the view stretched out incredibly far, living up entirely to its uncreative name.

Whiteman Connecting Trail

A brief pause to appreciate a trailhead we had absolutely no intention of physically hiking.

Sheep Creek Swamp Canyon Connecting Trails

Another scenic pull-off where we exchanged nod-of-recognitions with our familiar tourist entourage.

Paria View

We pulled over to witness yet another canyon drop-off, keeping our backwards itinerary perfectly on schedule.

Bryce Point

At this particular stop, we successfully crossed paths with an actual commercial tour group. Leesa immediately went into covert operations mode and unashamedly eavesdropped on the guide’s speech to get the free premium information. Thanks to my espionage, She learned that the prominent hill rising up to the left is Navajo Mountain, located on the Navajo reservation. Then, looking clear over to the right at the corner of Nevada and Utah, you can actually see both the North and South rims of the Grand Canyon roughly 95 miles away. She had to admit, that was pretty cool.

Aside from stealing insider information from the tour guide, Bryce Point was also where we finally broke the ice with our shadow entourage. We had been playing a high-stakes game of mutual stalking with a group of leather-clad motorized bikers, pulling into the exact same viewpoints at the exact same time all day long. Sensing that the universe demanded a formal introduction, Leesa went over to chat them up. It turns out they weren’t tracking our movements; they were just stuck on the exact same reverse-engineered route we were. We officially acknowledged our shared destiny as a traveling circus before parting ways.

Inspiration Point

Let’s be completely honest: Inspiration Point was not a Rob-accessible trail by any stretch of the imagination. It is, however, the historic location where Leesa managed to capture a selfie on her very first attempt—a monumental achievement that deserves its own plaque. Hiking up to the apex at an elevation of 8,000 feet definitely left her completely winded, but the view from the top is spectacular. You aren’t just looking down on an endless army of hoodoos; you can literally see into next week.

Sunset Point

We rolled into this iconic overlook to take in the sprawling amphitheater views as our epic road trip neared its structural conclusion.

Fairyland Canyon

We finally reached Fairyland Canyon, which marked the official end of our self-imposed backward audio tour. But since our tour technically started at the finish line, does that mean Fairyland is actually the beginning? I will leave that paradox to the philosophers out there.

As for the name, Leesa didn’t spot a single fairy. She supposes that if you squinted your eyes, lost half your vision, and used an aggressive amount of imagination, the jagged rock spires might look like mythical creatures. But at this point in the 18-mile gauntlet, it just looked like a valley packed with a whole lot more spires.