On our 2012 trip to Bryce Canyon National Park, Dan and I stayed in a cabin. This time, the cabins were not open for the season, but we were able to book rooms in the main lodge. Honestly, I was a little relieved. Although the cabins are cute, staying in the woods was creepy. I'm used to city noises, not nature. 

The lodge books up fast and we were only able to get a suite for our one night stay. The lodge has three suites, all named for locals important to the history of the area. We were in the John Wesley Powell suite.

It was very comfortable and located on the second floor of the main lodge, which made it convenient for both dining and walking out to the canyon. The rooms at the Bryce Canyon Lodge do not have television or wifi, however they did provide us with a CD player and several new age discs for our entertainment. It was nap inducing.

I thought that the carpeted bench was a tad odd.

The main lobby was filled with rustic decor, like log lighting fixtures with fake candles. This was the one area where wifi is available, making the lobby an extremely popular place.

We splashed out and ate dinner in the restaurant at the lodge, which was very good and pricy. It's really the only meal option, so it also gets very crowded and they do not take reservations. I ordered the special, which was crab cakes. Yum. They were rich and creamy, definitely a departure from my diet!

In efforts to get to the canyon to catch the sunset, we postponed dessert. We also mixed things up and went to the empty sunrise vantage point, which proved to be plenty spectacular for the sunset. 

Numb from the cold, we ran back to the restaurant for part two of our meal, dessert and coffee. 

The next morning was reserved for a hike through Bryce before the drive back to Vegas. I bundled up and went to breakfast, fully intending on joining Dan and Niklas on the hike. After a bowl of oatmeal, I walked outside and it was so cold, that I felt like I was being stabbed by a million icicles. I turned around and ran back to our suite, where I turned cranked the heater to full blast and read my book. 

Dan took some absolutely breathtaking pictures from their hike. If you've never been to Bryce, it's other-worldly and a must-do. It's truly one of the most magical and unusual places that I've ever visited. Here are some my favorites from their hike. Also, as usual, Dan gets credit for any picture that I've posted that looks amazing. The less spectacular food photography is all me. 

We had another wonderful visit to Bryce Canyon National Park and I learned my lesson about packing appropriately for cooler climates. Not everywhere is sunny Los Angeles! Imagine that?