Population 243
This Southern Utah town, which is located along Scenic Byway 12, connects Capitol Reef National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. It’s home to the Anasazi State Park Museum (www.stateparks.utah/parks/anasazi) , which offers an intimate look at the Anasazi people who once inhabited the area. The highlight of the museum is the Coombs excavation site out back — where 97 rooms, 10 pit structures and hundreds of thousands of artifacts were unearthed. There’s a level walkway through the excavation site, with interpretive panels about the former residents along the way. While you’re in town, stop in and have a bite at the Burr Trail Grill — which features level access — and don’t forget to save room for a piece of their mouth-watering home made pie. Last but not least, save some time for a scenic drive on the Burr Trail, which begins next to the Burr Trail Grill and winds through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
Named for Ebenezer Bryce, a Scottish immigrant who settled in the Paria Valley in 1875, Bryce Canyon National Park is known for the spire-like hoodoos that seem to magically rise from the canyon floor. Created by a combination of freezing, thawing and erosion, these unusual limestone formations were sculpted over millions of years. Today, this Utah national park is often described as a cave without a ceiling; as the hoodoos bear a striking resemblance to stalagmites found on cavern floors.
Insider Tips
Free wheelchair-accessible shuttle bus transportation through the park amphitheater is available from April through the end of September. Although cars are allowed along this route, parking is at a premium during the busy summer season, so taking the shuttle bus is the easiest way to see the park.
Don’t miss the Bryce Canyon Shared Use Path – the longest accessible trail in the park. This paved trail begins outside of the park at the shuttle staging area at Ruby’s in Bryce Canyon City, and travels 2.4 miles to the park entrance, then continues another 2.6 miles to Inspiration Point. It also connects with the shuttle system at the visitor center, general store, lodge, Sunset Point, Sunset Campground and Inspiration Point, so you can do as much of the trail as you like, then hop on the accessible shuttle to return to your car.
The historic Lodge at Bryce Canyon, which dates back to 1925, offers four wheelchair accessible rooms – two with roll-in showers and two with tub/shower combinations. This rustic property was the brainchild of Gilbert Stanley Underwood who also designed Old Faithful Lodge at Yellowstone, the Ahwahnee at Yosemite, and Jackson Lake Lodge at Grand Teton National Park.
Population 243