Trail Notes: Alex and I came from Zion to Arches - probably not a surprising move for most touring Utah.  Things were chilly in Zion, but they were down right freezing in Bryce...so we decided to stay at Ruby's inn instead of camping out in the teens.  And frankly the shower itself made it worth it.

We decided on our scouting traveling day to do Peekaboo loop as our Bryce hike, and I have to admit it was an epic hike - just fantastic. .  So we started off early in the morning while things were still freezing..including my parking brake and drove to  the Sunrise Point trailhead and began our trip.  The decent is quite mild for the first bit, and even if it wasn't you would be stopping often enough to take pictures.  The views are just magnificent.

As you decend further over the next hour or so things become more pinion and it becomes easier to envision old man Bryce's cows getting lost in the canyons.  That aside the trails are well maked so there isn't much chance of you getting lost along the way.  However, given the elevation - you would do yourself right by taking things easy if you are not accustomed to the elevation.

The big choice with this hike is whether to do it as a figure eight or to hike it as a circle.  We decided given the light that Peekaboo Loop would best be had by taking the left junction thus making our trip into a big oval.  Shortly after the junction things get much better as you become more isolated in the hoodoos and get more and more pristine views.  About 40 minutes from the junction you come to high spot upon which you get a full 360 degree view of all the Bryce Ampitheater.  Just spectacular.  We took a break here for a while before continuing on.

So the the curious thing beyond this, at leas to my way of thinking about it was that there was actually wather in the creeks - but it was frozen solid and about a foot thick. So continuing on takes you by a horse camp and then then on the return taking the outer loop offers more panoramas of the inside loop.  Very nice, and it was here we opted to take lunch on a lonely hoodoo.

On the return we past the junction of the figure eight, and chose a route Wall Street which is a narrow canyon with several pine trees growing up though slot canyons.  The light in wall street needs to be witness to be believed.  It feels just magical, almost cave like.  It is also here as the canyon closes up that the most memorable pictures of trees in growing up thought the tiny canyon is expereienced.  Infact the Bryce Canyon Park map with the picture of a tree growing up though a tight canyon is from here.

As you work your way up Wall Street you will find a series of switchbacks up the canyon which were masterfully constructed crossing the whole Canyon and even going through a fin on one occassion.  Shortly thereafter you will find youself on the rim at Sunset point....which it was when we got there.

Lastly we hiked across the rim back to Sunrise Point to pickup our car and return to Ruby's for another night before heading off to Arches. A day well spent.