Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival begins today

Bryce Canyon National Park boasts one of the darkest night skies in North America, meaning it is one of the best places in the country for stargazing. Taking advantage of its incredibly dark sky, Bryce Canyon will host its eighth annual Astronomy Festival, starting today (Wed. June 25) and running until Saturday (June 28). The festival includes lectures, workshops and stargazing through over 50 large telescopes. The keynote speaker will be astronaut Story Musgrave, who will make a presentation tonight at 8:30 p.m. at Panguitch’s Triple C Arena. Most other events will take place in the park, including Bryce Canyon Lodge’s auditorium, the visitor center’s theater and the North Campground’s amphitheater. For more information, read this recent Salt Lake Tribune article and check out the festival’s schedule of events .

Bryce Canyon Trail Spotlight: Riggs Spring Loop

The Riggs Loop Trail, which begins at Yovimpa Point at the south end of Bryce Canyon National Park, is not well known but it is worth the trip. The trail meanders through fir, spruce and bristlecone forests. Stands of quaking aspens and red cliffs greet hikers on the eastern portion of the trail. The path’s western section is steeper and winds through denser forests. The western portion is prettiest in the morning, when the sun causes the rock formations’ to light up with color. A shaded spring near the middle of the route provides a welcoming respite, an ideal place to stop for lunch. Hikers should treat the water from the spring before drinking it. Hikers can complete the trail in one day but many choose to camp overnight to enjoy the peace, solitude and beauty. Overnight hikers must obtain a backcountry permit at the park visitor center.

The trail is approximately 8.8 miles round trip, features an elevation change of 1,635 feet and takes about six hours to hike in one day. For more information on the trail, visit Riggs Spring Loop Trail description on the Bryce Canyon National Park website or David Day’s detailed description from his book about Utah backcountry trails.

Bryce Canyon Trail Spotlight: Mossy Cave

Only a four-mile drive east of the intersection of UT 12 and UT 63 will take you to the Mossy Cave Trail, a pleasant stroll located away from the main tourist area of Bryce Canyon National Park. The trailhead is on the right side of the road immediately after crossing a bridge. The trail leads through Water Canyon, paralleling an irrigation ditch dug by Mormon pioneers in the late 19th century and still in use today. The left fork of the trail leads to Mossy Cave, a spectacular rock overhang fed by an underground spring is at the end of the trail. At the end of the right fork, you will find a small waterfall. The 0.9-mile (round trip), level trail is ideal for small children and allows visitors the opportunity to view hoodoos up close without steep descents or climbs. For more information, visit the Mossy Cave Trail description on the Bryce Canyon National Park website.

Hikers feel like they are on another planet while exploring Bryce Canyon

A contributing writer for a community newspaper in New Jersey recently wrote an article about her experience hiking in Bryce Canyon National Park, saying she felt as if she were in a story by Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes. She said she felt like she was on Mars in one section of the popular Navajo Loop Trail. She described some of Bryce Canyon’s hoodoos as “giant rocky snow people wearing flat hats.” That is the beauty of hiking the park’s trails. You let your imagination run wild deciding what you think the park’s formations resemble, whether it is a dog, a tool, or a ship. Another recent article touted Bryce Canyon as one of the best national parks in North America, saying that it is “renowned as the most colorful of national parks.” Now that it is summer, it is the perfect time to hike park trails and discover the “rocky snow people” yourself.