Zion and Bryce in January

See the National Park website link above for more information .

View of wonderful rugged peaks.

We hiked to all three of the pools. Nice view from the second pool, and a pleasant nice hike overall. Quiet. Enjoy.

Because it was January, we stayed well away from the cold water. But this was a pleasant walk nonetheless, and shouldn't be missed. If it's summer, we would borrow a walking stick and head on up into The Narrows.

Riverside Walk departs from the Temple of Sinawava. The Temple of Sinawava Trail is apparently another name for Riverside Walk.

Be sure to read the signs describing the Weeping Rock, and why (and how) it "weeps" - very interesting.

We had wondered what those arched-shaped holes in the side of the mountain that we had seen the previous day were - and discovered when driving through the tunnel that they are ventilation windows. We were struck by the difference in landscape and terrain from one side of the tunnel to the other.

The tunnel, of course, leads to/from the Highway. Beautiful scenery.

This was an awesome view, with an interesting, twistiy trail to the overlook. Park just after exiting the tunnel - the trailhead is very close to the tunnel exit. If the parking area just after the tunnel is full there is another parking area just up the hill. Enjoy the view!

Our first stop on a drive out to Rainbow Point. Because snow was forecasted, there was some risk that this section of the road would close overnight, so we fortunately decided to do this portion of the park first. It was a good choice, as it snowed throughout the afternoon, and the road did close.

One of seven natural arches in Bryce Canyon National Park.

Another gorgeous overlook. No hikes today, other than to the overlooks, as it was 19 degrees and windy windy windy.

A begging raven added to the photography opportunities here as the sun began to set.

The end of the road, it was getting dark and snow was falling, so our visit here was short. But it is worth the drive.

Sunset Point was the trailhead for Navaho Trail. It is also a spectacular overlook in it's own right.

The above link to the "Virtual Tour" on the NPS website give nice visuals of the park and the locations of various highlights.

This was a fantastic trail - down amidst the hoodoos, with the wonderful winter light - just breathtaking. Many wonderful photo opportunities. It had snowed the day before, so there was snow in some areas, but the trail was clear - just a bit of ice here and there. We took a leisurely pace, with plenty of time for photos, and spent just over 1.5 hours completing the full loop of this trail.

It was still very cold, so we used those inexpensive self-activating handwarmers - one for each hand. What a difference they made! They are definitely recommended for hiking in cold temperatures.

A formation on the top segment of Navao Trail.

A drive back to LAS (wow there's a lot of smog hanging over LV - so visible when approaching from the north) and an uneventful flight home..... and now, time to plan for the next adventure.