Snow-Capped Hoodoos - Eerie but Extraordinary !

"We would like to cancel our hotel reservation for tomorrow", my husband called in from Las Vegas to the hotel we had reserved near Bryce Canyon National Park. "Sure, I can do that", came the reply. How glad I am that the conversation did not end there! The hotel clerk continued to ask, "Are you cancelling because of bad weather? If so, I should tell you it is really beautiful around here. The roads are kept clear of snow and it should be safe to drive.". That suggestion made us go ahead with our plan to visit two spectacular national parks: Bryce Canyon and Zion, located in Utah. Back in those days, when companies used to shutdown for winter break, we had a whole week of vacation and had driven to Vegas, a ten hour drive from Silicon Valley.

Las Vegas Strip

Spending the whole vacation in Vegas had not sounded very appealing. A break from the glitter and crowds of Vegas was indeed a welcome change. It turned out to be an awesome trip through the breath-taking landscape of Southern Utah. The rock formations that studded this landscape came in all forms and sizes, and in a multitude of shades of red. After all, we were in Red Rock Country!

In Red Rock Country

What do you get if you add some white to this? A treat for your eyes! It may be one thing to see these places in summer but it was totally out of the world to see it in winter. Out of the two parks, Bryce Canyon with its snow-capped hoodoos was a winter wonderland.

Queens Garden Trail

Spot an elephant ?

The white snow on top of the red spires added to the splendor. These spires of rocks, referred to as hoodoos, are continuing to evolve through erosion. It was fun to walk among them and spot familiar shapes like an elephant, castle and many more. The fresh powdery snow from the previous day made for a pleasant walk through Queens Garden Trail.

A magnificient castle

 As amazing it was to walk among these hoodos, it was more so to watch them from a higher view point. It felt like we were witnessing a giant congregation of eerie white-headed beings.

A close view of hoodos

A panoramic view in Bryce Canyon National Park

The landmark that was referred to as the Wall of Windows resembled the walls of some ancient palaces in India. This and few other areas had lighter shade of rocks.

Wall of Windows

Driving through roads flanked by white fields of snow under sunny blue skies among red rock formations, it was absolutely beautiful all around. Just like the hotel clerk had said!

Zion National Park

Our luck with the weather was not so great the next day. It was dark and gloomy when we visited Zion. This park had huge monolithic rocks and numerous narrow trails that wound through them. On one such trail, it felt as if we were walking through a tiny crack in a mountain. The icicles formed on some of the overhanging rocks were a beautiful sight. However, the trail was too icy and slippery which made us turn around after a short distance. We continued to drive around on the park roads which were tinted red to blend in with the reddish rocky landscape. With landmarks such as Checkerboard Mesa, a mountain with cross-hatched patterns, this park was like a giant canvas of rocks. Due to rough weather conditions, we could only explore a tiny bit of this stunning park. Thinking we should visit Zion again in summer, we drove back to Vegas.

In Bryce Canyon National Park

After an interesting week, enjoying both the man-made richness of Vegas and the natural beauty of Red Rock Country, we returned back to high-tech Silicon Valley. An end of a wonderful trip! And, what was the highlight?  Celebrating our anniversary among the snow-capped hoodoos - eerie but extraordinary !