Top of the Canyon Service, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

The Trip

Rising from the surrounding desert of southwestern Utah, the high, steep ridge of Bryce Canyon features amphitheaters draped in hoodoos and rock formations that appear to be sculpted from the side of the mountain. Freestanding and postured in serried ranks, these formations seem fantastic to our modern eye. To the 19th-century rancher, Ebenezer Bryce, who pioneered the area and gave his name to the park, it was "a helluva place to lose a cow!"

Bryce Canyon is bursting with color. The magnificent hoodoos are surrounded by a rainbow of siltstone, and time is cued visually, as the golds and ocher of daybreak slip into the mauve and lavender of twilight. Scenic overlooks provide spectacular views, allowing you to see for 200 miles on a good day. Looking south and east, the view extends across the Colorado Plateau toward Capitol Reef, Glen Canyon, Grand Canyon, and the Escalante-Grand Staircase.

The Project

The exact projects have not yet been determined as the Park Service selects projects each year where volunteer labor is a benefit to the park. The Park Service will provide us with all supplies and equipment, including the use of their maintenance shops. The work will be suitable for beginners and experienced participants alike. Although no experience is necessary, common sense, humor, and a good attitude are necessary.

Not only will you get to work hand-in-hand with very talented park rangers and trail crew members, but you will get to experience the personal satisfaction of performing work where it is badly needed. However, it is not "all work and no play" as we will have time after our workday and a day off mid-week to hike the many trails in the park.

We will meet at the visitor center for Bryce Canyon National Park. After brief introductions, we will caravan to our campsite for the week. Because this is a base camp service trip, once we have settled into camp, we will not move for the entire week. Parking is available at the site, and the only vehicles assigned parking are the commissary vehicles. Our first meal together will be dinner Sunday evening.

Each workday we'll put in a full morning and most of an afternoon on our various assignments. Lunch, packed after breakfast by each participant, will be eaten in the field, which is wherever we happen to be at noon. At the end of the workday, participants not assigned to the day's cook crew are at leisure to hike the numerous trails nearby. We will have one day off to hike, explore the visitor center or just relax. We will offer hikes at different levels of difficulty in Bryce Canyon National Park.

Getting There

Commercial air, bus, and train transportation are available to Las Vegas or Salt Lake City. Bryce Canyon, Utah is approximately a four-hour drive from Las Vegas or a four-hour drive from Salt Lake City. It is recommended that participants either rent a car and/or carpool from Las Vegas or Salt Lake City, as most people will fly into one of these locations. Carpooling is not only cost-effective, but it will also make campsite parking easier.

As soon as a complete list of participants is available, the leader will forward copies to all members to facilitate carpooling, but the responsibility to arrange transportation is ultimately the participant's. Airfare and other transportation costs are not included in the trip price. Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

The park will have a designated campsite for the group. Restrooms with flush toilets are available, and showers can be purchased at the camp store for a small fee. The campsite is above 8,000 feet.

Our first meal will be dinner on day one and our last meal will be breakfast on the last day. Trip members, under staff direction, will prepare all meals. Mealtimes and daily kitchen patrol (KP) crew assignments will be determined at our first meeting. We will try to accommodate any special dietary requirements on advance notice. We definitely can accommodate vegetarians.

This will be base camp camping. You will be able to drive up close to your tent site. There is potable water at our campsite. There should be plenty of water for cleaning, bathing, etc. Our campsite will have two flush toilets located close to camp.

Trip Difficulty

We plan to work four days and have one non-work day. In addition, our after-work afternoon hours will be unstructured, except for those taking their turns on the cook crew. We plan to schedule some evening activities.

This will be a moderately strenuous trip. You should be in good shape and prepared for lots of work and fun. Altitude is a concern for those not accustomed to the mountains or high desert environment. The physical demands of exertion at altitude mean you should work at your own pace, bring lots of water, and rest when necessary. No one will be pushed past his or her limits.

If you haven’t seen your doctor in the past five years, plan on a visit to get his or her signature on the medical information form. Minor medical conditions are no impediment to having a full, enjoyable experience. Also do not forget, all participants must have a current tetanus shot (within the past seven years).

Equipment and Clothing

The National Park Service will provide our work tools. The group kitchen equipment will be provided, including pots, cooking utensils, and stoves. You will need to provide your own plate, bowl, drinking cup and utensils as well as a couple of containers to pack your lunch in to take to the field each day.

Weather at high altitudes is unpredictable. Nighttime temperatures can drop below freezing and snow or frost in the morning is possible. A warm sleeping bag and tent are required. Bring at least three one-liter containers for carrying water, your own supply of moleskin and Band-Aids, sunscreen, and lip balm and other personal medications. Bring clothes and boots that are warm and comfortable as well as broken in. Bring at least two pair of work gloves that have been broken in as well.

While we hope for warm, clear days, rain can sweep in and gear should be appropriate for three-season conditions. Plan to dress in layers for the workday as well as the hiking days. Be prepared for the unusual, but if you bring the usual, sensible camping items you will be fine. To repeat: A good pair of heavy duty or leather work gloves is essential for this trip; like hiking boots, gloves serve best when broken-in in advance.

References

The visitor center at Bryce Canyon has a wide assortment of hiking and topographic maps. For those interested in southern Utah or the Southwest, the Automobile Club of Southern California's "Guide to Indian Country" is particularly good. It is available from many of the national parks and Forest Service ranger stations throughout the Southwest.

Books:

• Roberts, David, In Search of the Old Ones.
• Stegner, Wallace, Beyond the Hundredth Meridian.
• Abbey, Edward, Desert Solitaire.
• Steen, Harold, (ed.), Origins of the National Forest.

Videos:

• "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," Ken Burns.

Websites:

• Bryce Canyon National Park Homepage: http://www.nps.gov/brca/
• Dixie National Forest Homepage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/dixie/home/
• Zion National Park Homepage: https://www.nps.gov/zion/index.htm/

Conservation

The various projects that we are involved in allow the group to participate in conservation of the natural landscape.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.