The plan for day 3 was to get an early start on the sights in Bryce Canyon, including a short hike. Then off to Torrey, UT for the night. Torrey is just outside Capitol Reef, so that would allow an early start on tomorrows route.
https://goo.gl/maps/yyuJKz1fXahwv2B1A
The drive to Torrey goes along Utah 12 through the town of Escalante. There is a shorter route along Utah 22 to 62 and maps will likely prefer that route. But Utah 12 is the better choice. Many of the scenic points are marked on the google route above as well as Kiva Coffee, a great place for a quick bite to eat along the way.
Bryce Canyon
After a hearty breakfast buffet at Ruby’s Inn we headed to Bryce early again to avoid crowds and traffic. Once again we felt like we had the park to ourselves for the first hour. Most of the time was spent driving out to the various viewpoints in the park, and we had one short hike planned, about 1.5 miles long on the Navajo Loop Trail. This is the most popular trail in the park, and for good reason. We decided to stop at a few of the popular scenic spots first, then get started on the hike before driving out to the further out points in Bryce. We started out on a very lightly populated trail, and by the time we finished the loop the crowds were starting to come to the trailhead and the parking lot was full.
Utah 12
After leaving Bryce we headed for Torrey. The 2.5 hour drive was beautiful and took us almost 4 hours with stops and breaks. We stopped at the iconic Kiva Koffeehouse for some good coffee, snacks and views. And arrived in Torrey with enough time to relax in the hotel swimming pool before dinner. That night we stayed at the Broken Spur Inn in one of their awesome conestoga wagons.
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