Bryce Canyon Gone Wild – Tempests, Rainbows & Wildlife

September 2016 – Bryce Canyon National Park is enchanting, and during our stay we were mesmerized by the beauty at Inspiration Point at sunrise, along the Rim Trail at the peak of midday, and descending into the Canyon along the Fairyland Trail in the early hours of the morning. We had lovely sunny weather for these excursions, but suddenly the skies went dark and storms threatened.

Storm Bryce Canyon National Park Inspiration Point Utah

An afternoon thunderstorm rolls into Bryce Canyon National Park

Watching a storm develop in Bryce Canyon National Park is a thrill, and they are regular afternoon occurrences in late summer.

Storm at Bryce Canyon National Park Inspiration Point Utah

A storm brews over the red rocks.

We had some all day rains, and on one of these days we drove down towards the south end of the Park. On the way, we stopped at Agua Canyon.

Colors at Agua Canyon Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Looking down into the depths of Agua Canyon.

This is a beautiful part of Bryce Canyon in any weather, but as we climbed the trail that rises above Agua Canyon on its north side, we were blown away by how the colors of the soaking wet red rocks came alive.

Agua Canyon Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Brilliant colors of wet rock pinnacles at Agua Canyon

With no shadows to define each vivid red and white pinnacle, the shapes blended together in fantastic patterns.

Agua Canyon Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

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A woman stepped out on a precipice to take a photo, and her tiny blue figure looked like a mere speck against this vibrant backdrop.

Agua Canyon Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

A woman is engulfed by the radiant red rock landscape.

We hiked higher and higher above Agua Canyon, smitten with the beauty of this canyon in these wet and miserable conditions. What luck to have discovered this spot on just such a day.

Photography at Agua Canyon Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

They always say, “Bad weather makes for great photography,” and how true that was on this rainy day!

At the far south end of the park at Rainbow Point, lots of tourists were huddled under a shade ramada, bundled up to the hilt. The usually stunning vistas were invisible because of the mist and fog, but we found a spot where the fog lifted just enough to peer through.

Fog and mist Rainbow Point Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

The mist clears for a moment at Rainbow Point.

Out on the ranch lands around the edges of Bryce Canyon National Park, we saw some incredible storm clouds brooding in the sky.

Storm clouds in Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

A storm sweeps across the plateau near Bryce Canyon.

Suddenly a bolt of lightning split the heavens above us.

Lightning strikes Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

The gods let loose their fury!

We hopped in the truck to go do some errands in nearby Panguitch, and in no time we heard the unmistakable sound of hail pelting the truck’s roof. This was crazy! We were barely into the first week of September!

Hail at Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

We’re in a hailstorm!

The hail piled up and made a wonderful contrast to the wildflowers that were blooming by the curb.

Hail on roads Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

The roads between the wildflowers turned white with hail pellets!

The hail was pea sized, but it made an incredible racket as it struck our truck’s roof. When we got back to the trailer, we were relieved that nothing had broken or been dented on our RV roof!!

Hail on the ground

Yup, that is definitely hail!

Wild thunderstorms and hailstorms brushed across the landscape more than once during our stay in Bryce Canyon, and at Inspiration Point one afternoon, we met a very soggy pair of hikers who had been hiking on the Peek-a-boo Trail for the last hour while we enjoyed the storm from the comfort of inside our heated truck!

Hikers in hail storm Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Soaked to the bone!

Getting caught in an afternoon storm turned out to be pretty common in Bryce Canyon at this time of year. During our visit we became accustomed to the gathering clouds and eventual torrents that took place every afternoon, but they caught lots of hikers and visitors by surprise.

The show must go on, however, and a wet group of tourists on a guided tour passed us as we arrived at Sunset Point, and each was adorned in rain poncho of a different color.

Photography tour in hail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

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The gods took pity on all of us drenched visitors, however, and one afternoon as we drove along the wet scenic drive through the park we could see the sun shining beyond the black clouds.

We whipped our heads around looking for the rainbow that had to be shimmering somewhere, and saw it was hanging over the canyon. We flew out to Fairyland Point, the closest part of the rim we could reach, and there was the rainbow, in all its glory, spanning the canyon.

Rainbow Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

A rainbow sails over Fairyland Canyon

We watched in awe as it hovered over the canyon, and then grew brighter and dimmer at each of its ends, intensifying first on one side and then on the other.

Rainbow Fairyland Point Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

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Rainbow Fairyland Point Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

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The wild weather we were experiencing at Bryce Canyon National Park was an adrenaline rush, especially as we dashed around from place to place trying to catch the drama in the peak of action.

Back on our computers Mark had fun playing with some of his photos in Photoshop Elements. Suddenly a simple image of a tree against the red rocks was mirrored as if in a pond.

Mirrors Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

A little wild magic applied later!

We were loving witnessing “Bryce Canyon Gone Wild,” and we soon saw lots more evidence of this National Park‘s untamed heart as creatures of all kinds wandered in and out of our cameras’ viewfinders.

One morning we took our gaze off the stunning red rocks at Sunset Point and noticed a young buck with fuzzy soft antlers peeking over the bushes.

Young buck deer Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

A young buck appears behind the bushes.

How funny, a week later, to catch a mature buck with a beautiful rack standing in the bushes in almost the exact same pose a few miles away at Rainbow Point!

Buck deer Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

A week later and many miles away another older buck strikes the same pose!

At Piracy Point we noticed a little chipmunk munching away on a pine cone. He was making quite a mess and had bits of his breakfast on his whiskers and fur.

Chipmunk Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

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One morning we saw a sweet little face peeking out at us from the front tire of our truck. This little guy was the size of a chipmunk, but he was some other kind of critter.

We looked him up online, and discovered he was a little stoat. We hoped he’d stick around, but we never saw him again after that morning.

Stoat on a truck tire in Utah

A stoat peeks out at us from the front tire of our truck!

On another afternoon, we spotted a beautiful pronghorn antelope in the grass.

Pronghorn antelope Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

A pronghorn antelope pauses in the grass.

He was part of a small group of pronghorns, and a few minutes later two more ran across the road.

Pronghorn Antelope Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

A pair of pronghorn dash across the road.

As happens to us on every visit to Bryce Canyon National Park, we were utterly bewitched by everything we saw, from the turbulent weather to the animals that call the place home. It is pure magic!

RV camping in Utah

Fast moving clouds at sunset.

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2 thoughts on “Bryce Canyon Gone Wild – Tempests, Rainbows & Wildlife

    • We keep ours on a bike rack (which is described in detail in this post: Kuat NV Bike Rack Review), and they are uncovered when we travel so nothing flaps on them and damages them. If we stay somewhere a long time, we put them under the fifth wheel so they are easy to get at and are protected from the elements. Usually, if they are on the rack when rain is predicted, we cover them with a tarp. In our last post before this one (How to Heat an RV in Cold Weather) you can see them on the rack in the snow. We had been too busy taking photos to remember to cover them before the deluge. They do take a beating, but Mark used to own a bike shop, so he is a very competent bike mechanic and has all the tools too.

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