Today we are going to do one of the longer hikes at Bryce National Park. We left it till the end to make sure we are acclimated to the low oxygen of 8500 ft elevation. We parked at Sunset Point and quickly found the Fairyland Trail. This trail descends and circles the base of Boat Mesa. Most of the first section of the trail is rather open and looks like the Painted Desert with a few Ponderosa Pines thrown in for accent. Since this is a longer, more strenuous hike we have the trail virtually to ourselves. We make a small detour to photograph the geologic feature called Tower Bridge.
After circling to the north side of Boat Mesa we traverse Fairyland Canyon. It is beautiful and contains lots of Hoodoos. We are so glad we didn’t leave Bryce without doing this hike, even though we now pass several hikers that began the trail in the opposite direction.
We climb out of the Canyon at Fairyland Point. Unfortunately the hike is not finished. We still have 2.5 miles of Rim Trail to return to our car. It is up and down and at this point seems like the longest two miles ever. We survive because the view is great and the afternoon clouds rolled in.
On the way back to our motel, we make a short detour to follow the course of the Tropic Ditch canal that early Mormon settlers dug to water the Tropic Valley. I was surprised to find a Park Storyboard outside our motel room relating its history. The ditch there was dry. I learned that a pipeline has replaced the section under the commercial zone. Just east of town we find the pipe exit with an old farmer adjusting the sluice gate. He makes it clear he doesn’t want to be seen doing it. Water in the West is a contentious issue and he might have been diverting water for his benefit.
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