6 Insta-Worthy Joshua Tree Campsites for Fall Camping

1. There are endless outdoor opportunities.

Bryce Canyon country offers all kinds of opportunities for outdoor adventure: hiking, camping, canyoneering, ATV touring, horseback riding, and more.

Hit some stunning viewpoints and experience the wild rock formations through a hike in Bryce Canyon (Queen’s Garden and Mossy Cave are two great beginner-friendly options), go off the beaten path and catch some serious scenery with with Grand Staircase ATV Tours, or dare to go deep into the region’s slot canyons, guided by the playful experts at Excursions of Escalante.

If you’re not one for hiking, nearby Scenic Byway 12 offers a 122-mile stretch worth of views to soak up without ever having to get out of your car (though, if you ask me, being immersed in it is so much better).

No matter your appetite for adventure, there’s always something to get up to!

2. The natural beauty will leave you stunned.

Being in Bryce Canyon literally feels like you’re on another planet. As a native Texan-turned-Colorado girl, I was constantly gawking at the towering hoodoos, striated sandstone surfaces, and intense blue skies that I simply don’t see at home.

Every feature there is so vast, reminding you just how small of a piece you are in the world’s grand puzzle. I felt humbled in the most satisfying way possible.

My late August visit landed in the middle of southern Utah’s monsoon season, so I also got to witness rich bands of fog and torrential mid-day downpours – both equally as beautiful as the clear weather. Rainbows almost always rolled in after each rainfall, capturing every onlooker’s attention and encouraging an undeniable sense of calm.

3. The area has a really rich history.

Bryce Canyon has seen many indigenous cultures throughout history, from Fremont, Anasazi, Pueblo, and Paiute. Tribes relied heavily on the region’s bounties as early as 1200 A.D., using native plants and animals to survive and thrive. It’s important to acknowledge that Bryce Canyon country’s indigenous roots are still undeniably present today.

The area’s founding is most commonly accredited to Ebenezer Bryce, a Mormon pioneer for whom Bryce Canyon was nicknamed around 1874. It officially became a national park in 1928.

Zooming out by 75 million years or so, dinosaurs roamed the surrounding Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Sixteen new species of dinosaurs have been discovered in the area since 1999 in addition to hundreds of animal and plant fossils mapped in Bryce Canyon itself.

Whether you seek out the canyon’s history for yourself or gather fun facts from the locals, you’ll surely learn a lot on your travels here!

4. There are plenty of places to stay, whatever your vibe is.

From glamping to camping, there’s a nice range of options when it comes to finding accommodations in Bryce Canyon country. My top recommendations?

Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon sits about 15 miles southeast (~20 minute drive) from Bryce Canyon in Cannonville, Utah. Nestled in a mellow canyon, Clear Sky’s unique windowed domes (suitable for couples or groups up to 8 people) offer unparalleled views of the stars while supplying modern comforts like air conditioning, showers, and wifi.

There’s even an on-site restaurant and bar with such friendly staff members that really make the stay memorable. Coming back to your fully outfitted dome after a day-long adventure will be extremely satisfying!

Ofland Escalante is located in Escalante, Utah, about 46.5 miles (~1 hour drive) from Bryce Canyon. This polished accommodation surely taps into the heart of glamping, but still feels quite grounded in the surrounding nature. Ofland is fitted with a pool, a hot tub, a food truck, a lobby stocked with grab-and-go snacks and drinks, and a playful drive-in movie theater.

There’s also an epic outdoor lodge to enjoy – sit around the fire pit while you sip a local brew, play a few hands of Uno, or cozy up with a book. You can book a deluxe or tiny cabin, a decked-out Airstream trailer, or set up at your very own campsite here. There are also custom-designed accessible cabins that boast extra floor space and ADA compliant details for a super cozy stay!

If you’re looking to camp in Bryce Canyon National Park, you can certainly pitch your tent inside the park’s North and Sunset campgrounds. The Sunset campground is closed in the winter, and both locations are first come, first served, so it can be a little chaotic to land even a single-night stay.

To avoid the frantic search for a campground inside the park, you can opt for locations outside of it, like Red Canyon Campground in Dixie National Forest (about 6 miles from Bryce Canyon) or campgrounds in Kodakchrome State Park (about 15 miles from Bryce Canyon), which still provide wonderful scenery and a comfortable place to lay your head.

5. The food is scrumptious.

Fear not, outdoorsy foodies. Bryce Canyon country has quite a few spots to get your grub on between adventures! Sink your teeth into a hefty BBQ sandwich at i.d.k. Barbecue (Tropic, UT) or grab an insanely tasty slice at family-owned The Pizza Place (Tropic).

Down a local beer alongside your very American dinner at 4th West Pub (Escalante, UT) or sip on some ethically-sourced caffeine with your choice of Southwestern fare from Kiva Koffeehouse’s rotating menu (Escalante).

The food is grand, but the drinks are worth mentioning, too. Despite Utah’s unusual liquor laws, there are numerous breweries and distilleries creating delectable beers, IPAs, ciders, gins, whiskies, and more. Uinta, Kiitos, and Wasatch are the big names when it comes to breweries, but Utah’s distilleries are more concentrated near Salt Lake City, so you’ll find the source of stronger spirits there.

More Must-Knows

• Best time to visit: For the best (and warmest) weather, the summer months of June through August are ideal to visit Bryce Canyon, though the park tends to see more crowds during that time. Spring and fall (April-May and September-October) may be chillier in terms of temperature, but you’ll likely catch spring blooms or fall foliage, depending on when you decide to visit. Plus, the crowds die down in these shoulder seasons. The winter months are colder than cold and bring on unpredictable weather, though the show lays out good grounds for skiing and snowshoeing, if that’s your jam.
• How to get there: If you’re aiming to fly to get to Bryce Canyon country, your best bet is to route to either Salt Lake City or Las Vegas. From either location, the drive to Bryce Canyon is about 4 hours, offering exceptional sights as you go.
• Cost for the park: You can enter Bryce Canyon with a standard pass, annual pass, or America the Beautiful pass. A standard park pass costs $20-$35, an annual park pass costs $70, and an America the Beautiful pass costs $80. You can learn more about what pass is right for your visit here!
• Trip essentials: Having sturdy hiking boots, high-quality socks (I love my Smartwoolpairs), SPF, warm layers for chilly nights, and a hydration pack (this insulated one from Brümate is so worth it) on-hand proved to be the most helpful items I packed for my adventure to Bryce Canyon. Prepare to pack comfy clothes and toiletries, plus snacks and camping items if you plan to pitch a tent.

For more information about Bryce Canyon Country, visit brycecanyoncountry.com.

This adult-only treehouse is about two hours from Toronto and offers a luxurious boutique environment. The interior is decorated in an elegant style while the outdoor area is playful with hammock chairs on the porch and a slide. An outdoor pool completes this ultimate relaxation retreat. (Photo via Lynne Knowlton)

Cabanas Cuatro Cuatros

So let’s start from the beginning. Paris Geller (played by Liza Weil) joined the GG crew in Season 1, right as Rory Gilmore (the show’s sort-of protagonist) walked into Chilton Academy, a private school where Paris was attending, for her first day. A far cry from Rory’s relatively timid and soft-spoken personality, Paris tore up the screen with her high-strung personality and immediate rivalry with Rory (Rory did not feel the same), who Paris viewed as the only candidate who could possibly challenge her spot at the top of the class standing. As the year progresses, the two become friends, which of course Paris still highly questioned.

The rest of their high school experience is plagued with repeated ups and downs, from Paris’s parents’ highly publicized divorce to their joint student government campaign and, most notably, Paris’s C-SPAN meltdown, courtesy of a Harvard rejection fueled by what she can only assume to be wide-spread knowledge that she lost her virginity. Despite losing the Valedictorian slot to Rory (which Paris comes to terms with after finding out Salutatorians tend to be more successful), Paris walks across the graduation stage and accepts her diploma from the school’s headmaster, to which she iconically quips, “no hard feelings.”

Fast forward to Paris’s first year at Yale, a school she knew Rory was attending but had no intention of ever seeing again. Not to the surprise of Paris’s life coach, the two frenemies were placed together as suitemates, a pairing that ultimately served as a catalyst for lifelong friendship. Throughout college, Paris pursues pre-med and pre-law degrees, joins the Yale Daily News alongside Rory, dates an elderly professor (he passes away, leaving Paris to grieve), moves on with the editor of the Yale Daily News, Doyle McMaster, and potentially saves Rory from abandoning Yale forever by admitting to Lorelai that Rory is the only person who ever listened to her, challenged her and motivated her.

Paris then proceeds to become the editor of the Yale Daily News, a position in which her power-hungry tendencies took full-force, resulting in a forcible resignation, kick Rory out of their shared apartment, let Rory move back into their shared apartment (now with Doyle), be accepted to a slew of prestigious medical and law schools. She ultimately chose to attend med school and break up with Doyle, to which he refused, and tells Rory that they’re on their own but she can still do great things (Of course this doesn’t last, the two are meant to be best friends.)

Somehow this doesn't even scratch the surface of the character of Paris. As you can tell, Paris is a fiercely loyal, protective woman who fights for herself to no end. She (literally) doesn’t care what other people think (so long as they’re not within her immediate circle) and never stops pursuing her dreams, no matter how many times she probably should have. She is the epitome of feminism in modern television — perhaps taken to an extreme — and serves as a necessary counterweight to Rory’s floundering sense of self.

So long as she keeps her need for perfectionism in check, Paris has one of those few personality types whose wild ambition and outspokenness is directly beneficial to her success, a success that she, and only she, can define. Sure, she has an exaggerated sense of self-importance, but when balanced by Rory’s soft-but-straightforward approach, Paris can quickly reset, reevaluate and move forward.

That's the thing with Paris — she’s always moving forward. She doesn't get into Harvard? Tough. She takes a few days to wallow before considering her other options: Yale, Columbia and Princeton. She doesn’t know whether to choose med school or law school, so she takes stock of her bearings, reflects on her past dreams, and makes a clear, concise decision that she moves forward with.

Her brutally honest nature (both internally and externally) is exactly why Paris works. She’s generous when needed, comfortable with giving tough (and oftentimes tougher) love, is able to express vulnerability with the people she loves, doesn’t allow outside influences to affect her path and never let’s someone (especially a man) tell her she’s less than (*cough, cough*—Rory). For an early 2000s show, she showed women that there is power in education. There’s power in stepping away from a caretaker role. There’s power in expressing your opinion, no matter your age.

There’s no doubt in my mind that she’s inspired countless women over the years — after all, she’s inspired me! Even though she’s had her controversial moments, she’s always been a cheering voice for women, even if it’s behind her resting grimace. For these reasons, and so many more, I am hereby deeming Paris Geller the best of Gilmore Girls — the heroine, perhaps, and a feminist icon to all.