- Detour to Cedar Breaks National Monument
- Continue to popular Zion Canyon in Utah
The morning heat in the tent wakes us up again, shortly after 8 a.m. We leave the Kodachrome Basin and drive back through Bryce Canyon. In Bryce Canyon we make a short stop and march to Mossy Cave and a small waterfall. Indeed, the brook has water! We keep going and soon turn towards Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Cedar Breaks is similar to the much better known Bryce Canyon, but everything is a bit more alpine here. The amphitheater has fewer hoods and the terrain is more sloping, but the colors of the rock are just as intense. We make a short detour to Panguitch Lake, where we take a lunch break. On the way back we do a circular hike in Cedar Breaks NM to the wonderfully clear Alpine Pond. At almost 3200 meters above sea level it is pleasantly fresh, probably the last time for a few days. The attractive route down through Cedar Canyon is our next leg. In Cedar City, which has long been the largest city, we turn onto the interstate in the direction of Las Vegas. We'll leave this soon and drive towards the east entrance of the popular Zion Canyon National Park. As previously feared, there will be no more campsites within the park in the afternoon. Just outside in the tourist town of Springdale we find a place for the first night on an RV parking space. In the Visitors Center we inform ourselves about the park and the hiking possibilities. We decide to start tomorrow morning and try the hike to Angels Landing. The last ascent in particular should be tough, as the rock faces drop off steeply away from the steep path. After shopping for tomorrow, we eat delicious meatloaf and mashed potatoes at Wildcat Willys Ranch & Grill. Now take a shower, write a diary and sleep early.
