Day 18 - Riverside Lodge near Bryce Canyon
After our few days in unplanned luxury, we we now heading back into the world of camping. Based on Yelp reviews and other posts that raved about the managers, Bill and his wife Barb, at the Riverside Ranch, we had booked a three night stay there. It was just 20 minutes from Bryce Canyon, and about 40 minutes outside Zion, so it seemed it would be a good location for visiting both parks.
The property has a lodge, RV campsites and a regular campground, but after some discussion with Bill (the owner, Bill), we agreed we would rent a 50-amp RV spot so we could plug in the car. The drive to Hatch was exciting as we went through a monster rainstorm, and just missed what appeared to be a substantial hailstorm. This might make setting up camp more interesting.
Luckily, the rain subsided by the time we were ready to unpack. We checked in with Bill and we figured out logistics for parking and for cooking dinner. The view from our campsite was pretty, but what you can't see is the highway just behind us where coal trucks barrel along at 70 MPH. It turns out they do this ALL NIGHT. More on that later.
We are getting pretty good with camp and bunk setup - it took us about 45 minutes, racing against the threatening rain.
We had planned to cook out with steaks, beans, and grilled vegetables, but our site did not have a fire pit or grill. It also turned out that there was a burn ban in place locally because of high fire danger (sorry kiddos - no smores tonight). However, they did have a gas grill we could use.
The one thing we had forgotten in our camp kit was a can opener, so Bill went old school with his multi-tool to open our beans.
The facility does have a nice game room, so while Bill grilled, the kids and I played foosball, pingpong, and the kids got to catch up on Bunk'd (god, I hate that show) on the huge flatscreen. Dinner was simple and tasty and we headed back to our tent to escape the mosquitos.
Had we been in an RV, with AC running, the road noise might have been tolerable. But we were as close as we could be to the highway, so sleep was hard to come by that night.
We had to be up early the next morning as we had a 2 hour trail ride scheduled in Bryce Canyon, so I rallied my bleary-eyed bunch and we were driving by 7am. We had breakfast in the Bryce Canyon Lodge, which is also where you check in for the horseback ride. A short walk from the lodge, and we were at the stables.
This ride would be twice as long as our first attempt, and it turned out to be a fantastic way to experience the canyon. The guides also allowed much more space between the horses, so you had a little more control, which was nice.
We wound our way down the canyon. There are a few fairly steep turns at the beginning, and the horses all seem to prefer walking right along the outer edge of the trail, which can get your heart rate up. I had to assume the horses did not want to plummet to their death any more than the humans, so I trusted my horse Patricia would stay on course.
The rock formations, caused by millions of years of erosion, are both eerie and magical. Our guide explained that the Paiute tribe called the formations 'Hoodoos', and believed that they were people who had been turned to stone for bad deeds. The spires, holes, and carvings are specular. They look different as the light changes, and I could look at them for hours.
Our ride took us down to the valley floor, which felt more like Tahoe, with pine trees and mesquite shrubs dotting the landscape. The kids did great on their horses - Mackay's horse, Red River, was especially responsive and kept trotting to keep up with Owen, which made her giggle.
I highly recommend Canyon Trail Rides - the guides and horses were wonderful. It was a perfect introduction to Bryce, and we will definitely be back.
The property has a lodge, RV campsites and a regular campground, but after some discussion with Bill (the owner, Bill), we agreed we would rent a 50-amp RV spot so we could plug in the car. The drive to Hatch was exciting as we went through a monster rainstorm, and just missed what appeared to be a substantial hailstorm. This might make setting up camp more interesting.
 |
| Incoming rain during our drive to Hatch, Utah |
Luckily, the rain subsided by the time we were ready to unpack. We checked in with Bill and we figured out logistics for parking and for cooking dinner. The view from our campsite was pretty, but what you can't see is the highway just behind us where coal trucks barrel along at 70 MPH. It turns out they do this ALL NIGHT. More on that later.
 |
| The view toward the bluffs from Riverside Lodge |
We are getting pretty good with camp and bunk setup - it took us about 45 minutes, racing against the threatening rain.
 |
| Our tent with four bunks, and room for our four duffel bags |
We had planned to cook out with steaks, beans, and grilled vegetables, but our site did not have a fire pit or grill. It also turned out that there was a burn ban in place locally because of high fire danger (sorry kiddos - no smores tonight). However, they did have a gas grill we could use.
The one thing we had forgotten in our camp kit was a can opener, so Bill went old school with his multi-tool to open our beans.
The facility does have a nice game room, so while Bill grilled, the kids and I played foosball, pingpong, and the kids got to catch up on Bunk'd (god, I hate that show) on the huge flatscreen. Dinner was simple and tasty and we headed back to our tent to escape the mosquitos.
 |
| One of these things is not like the others |
Had we been in an RV, with AC running, the road noise might have been tolerable. But we were as close as we could be to the highway, so sleep was hard to come by that night.
We had to be up early the next morning as we had a 2 hour trail ride scheduled in Bryce Canyon, so I rallied my bleary-eyed bunch and we were driving by 7am. We had breakfast in the Bryce Canyon Lodge, which is also where you check in for the horseback ride. A short walk from the lodge, and we were at the stables.
 |
| Bill on Patch |
This ride would be twice as long as our first attempt, and it turned out to be a fantastic way to experience the canyon. The guides also allowed much more space between the horses, so you had a little more control, which was nice.
 |
| Horseback was an incredible way to experience Bryce! |
We wound our way down the canyon. There are a few fairly steep turns at the beginning, and the horses all seem to prefer walking right along the outer edge of the trail, which can get your heart rate up. I had to assume the horses did not want to plummet to their death any more than the humans, so I trusted my horse Patricia would stay on course.
The rock formations, caused by millions of years of erosion, are both eerie and magical. Our guide explained that the Paiute tribe called the formations 'Hoodoos', and believed that they were people who had been turned to stone for bad deeds. The spires, holes, and carvings are specular. They look different as the light changes, and I could look at them for hours.
Our ride took us down to the valley floor, which felt more like Tahoe, with pine trees and mesquite shrubs dotting the landscape. The kids did great on their horses - Mackay's horse, Red River, was especially responsive and kept trotting to keep up with Owen, which made her giggle.
I highly recommend Canyon Trail Rides - the guides and horses were wonderful. It was a perfect introduction to Bryce, and we will definitely be back.
 |
| The drive from Park City, UT to Hatch |
