On our way from Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument to Bryce Canyon National Park we drive by another hidden gem: Kodachrome Basin State Park.
We are still in Utah, and including the detour to the state park our whole drive only takes 1.5 hours.
The scenery is dominated by monolithic stone spires called sedimentary pipes. They accentuate multi-hued sandstone layers revealing 180 million years of geologic time. The color and beauty found here prompted a 1948 National Geographic Society expedition to name the area Kodachrome after the popular color film.
Back to the sedimentary pipes: Geologists are uncertain of the exact origin of the pipes. The most recent theory suggests that pipes were formed from water-saturated pockets buried under other layers of sediments over a period of several million years. Pressure from the underlying sediments forced the wet slurry upwards. The rising slurry scoured pathways through the overlying rock, eventually cementing into hard rock. Erosion stripped away the softer rock, revealing the landscape we see today.
There are several hikes to choose from, we decide for the Panorama Trail. Winni can come with us – and is enjoying the sandy trail and the cool morning temperatures.
Our hike gets us by the Indian Cave. The small rock overhang was thought to have been inhabited by Native Americans. Handprints are carved into the rock. A mystery – scientists don’t think they are old enough to accredit them to the former native inhabitants – but where do they come from?
Beautiful flowers line our way through rocks and sand.
We extend our hike by a little loop going to the “Secret Passage” – great decision!
We climb up to the panoramic viewpoint, and we get rewarded with more stunning views.
After our hike, we drive up to the end of the park road for some more scenic views.
Warning: The following content is suitable for mature audiences only 😂🤣😂
After this highlight we continue our journey to Bryce Canyon National Park. We check into the campground and drive to the park’s visitor center. We already know that there is a bus shuttle in place and RVs longer than 23 feet (Thumpah is 24 feet long) aren’t allowed at the parking lots around the park’s main area between 8 AM and 8 PM. We get some recommendations from the rangers – Inspiration point is much less crowded for sunset and-rise, and offers equally good vistas.
After grabbing dinner outside of the park, we return back to the recommended viewpoint for the 8:20 PM sunset.
Our expectations are high after the magic moment a week ago at Arches National Park. Sunset is pretty, but by the time we arrive (earliest time we are allowed to park) the hoodoos in the amphitheater are already in the shade. We appreciate the calmness in front of the beautiful scenery. I have been here twice, Dave has never seen Bryce Canyon, so this is a special moment.
We enjoy the magic of nature. Isn’t it amazing, that there is this little area that developed such a density of hoodoos? Why here, and why nowhere else? This is so totally different from Kodachrome Basin, which is only 20 miles (32 km) away. Again this is a function of
1) Deposition of Rocks
2) Uplift of the Land
3) Weathering and Erosion
It takes the multiple types of rocks that make up Bryce Canyon. When you look at the Hoodoos you notice some layers that jut out, and some that indent inwards. This is a result of the rocks having varying amounts of calcium carbonate cementation and that controls how easily dissolvable (or how resistant) that rock layer is.
Our favorite “Exploring the National Parks” podcast gave us a good indication of hikes to choose from in the park. We decide for the “Figure 8” hike, which combines the Queens Garden and Navajo Trail with the Peekaboo Loop. It’s a 4.9 mile (7.9 km) loop with a lot of ups and downs.
We take the first bus into the park. It’s a cool morning, we dress in layers and leave Winni in the RV without worrying about the camper heating up.
The first part of the hike leads us through Wall Street. In what feels like hundreds of narrow serpentines the trail goes down between majestic red walls. We are glad we are doing this part downhill.
We leave the walls behind us and wander through pine trees on the Tropic Trail.
Shortly after we leave this trail to start the Peekaboo Loop. We gain a fair amount of the height we lost at Wall Street back, and get rewarded with amazing views.
The trail winds up and down through hoodoos and pines, and there is a new beautiful view around every corner.
After some rest and a tuna sandwich we feel reinvigorated and continue our way.
Another major uphill part is still awaiting us. The beauty of Queen’s Garden distracts us from our legs becoming heavy. Once we hit this part of the trail we are in the major tourist area again, and it is getting crowded.
On the last part of our hike we enjoy beautiful views over towards the Fairyland part of the park.
3.5 hours after leaving the shuttle bus we are back to the bus station. Back at the campground Winni is happy to see us and ready to take a walk. 😊🐾
The next morning we have a quick breakfast and drive back into the park to experience sunrise. The light is beautiful, and we enjoy seeing yesterday’s hike from a birdseye perspective.
No hiking today. We get back into the camper and explore the remaining parts of the National Park that don’t surround the amphitheater. Winni enjoys being with us, and peacefully rests between the two of us.
We could have spent more time here – so much more to explore. We’ll leave that to another time.
Thumpah RV Roadtrip 
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