The Fairyland trail wound its way up to a highpoint between Fairyland Canyon and the next canyon to the south, Campbell Canyon. Here, at this divide between the two canyons, the Fairyland Trail describes a delightful course along rounded ridgecrests, allowing you to see the astounding scenery in all directions. This 'mid-level' view -- neither down in the bottom of drainages nor at the rim's edge -- provides probably the best views of any along the entire route. Fortunately for us, the sun made a strong reappearance at this point, casting a wonderful late-afternoon glow onto the landscape. With dark clouds now providing a backdrop to the colorful scenery, the photographic opportunities were un-matched. We stopped for a lunch break on a windy little ridge and I took many, many shots.
Ewart Experiences the Land
Mid-afternoon lunch break
From the scenic ridgecrest, the Fairyland Trail winds generally westwards down into the bottom of Campbell Canyon. The scenery remains spectacular, with the trail skirting beneath many amazing and towering formations. Where the trail intersects the bottom of Campbell Canyon, there is a short side trail that leads to Tower Bridge, a city-gate-like opening between two hoodoos.
Beautiful Light in Fairyland
Winding down into Campbell Canyon
Hiking in Campbell Canyon
courtesy JInnes
Crescent Castle and Boat Mesa
Side Trail to Tower Bridge
The reaching of Tower Bridge marked the low point of our hike, right at about 7,200 feet. From here, the trail climbs fairly constantly all the way back to the rim, 700 feet above.
It was past 6:30pm now, and we had less than two hours before sunset. Given the short distance and easy trail, it was not a difficult task to achieve the rim before sunset. However, the stupendous views offered by the late-day light in combination with incomparable scenery is what made that task difficult. There were many excellent vistas of the Sinking Ship, the Aquarius Plateau, the Chinese Wall, the Mormon Temple, and innumerable other un-named-but-still-amazing formations.
Starting back up to the rim
Ascending through rounded slopes
Amazing Light at Bryce Canyon