Midweek Adventures: Mossy Cave and Waterfall, Bryce Canyon Viewpoints

When we are looking at all the activities in the area, we start listing ideas as weekend or midweek. The weekend activities are determined by the longer length of the activity, and the distance to the location, or activities that should be combined. The midweek activities need to be something that can be done in the time we have after Keith gets done working. We also look for things that Lexi can do with us. This helps us plan our time in the area.

Mossy cave and waterfall

Mossy Cave and waterfall are located on the north end of Bryce Canyon National Park. The parking area is located outside the park on Highway 12 about four miles east of the intersection of Highway 12 and Highway 63. You’ll find the pull-off on the right side of the road immediately after crossing a small bridge. Round trip it’s almost a mile. The scenery is beautiful and a good option for a quick stop or if you have trouble with the longer hikes.

Mossy Cave isn’t a cave. It is more of a grotto that features moss from the constant dripping of water in the area. I think it would be neat to see in the winter with icicles. The waterfall didn’t have any falling water while we were there. There was a small pool at the bottom of the “falls.” We viewed the falls from above and didn’t get any good pictures of them. We did find a few small pools of water above the falls that were pretty.

Bryce Canyon viewpoints

At this point in the trip. we had been in Panguitch and exploring the area for over a week and we still hadn’t driven to the park! We had been to the park a few times and had done some hiking so we had seen several of the viewpoints from various locations, but we still wanted the experience of driving to the park to visit each point. Midweek and the evening was the perfect time for us to do this.

After entering the park, drive the 18 miles to Rainbow Point. Start here and make your way back towards the entrance. All of the lookout points will be on your right, making it easy to pull off the road. As I said, we did this in the evening (end of October) and it was nearly empty. It worked out well for us and we felt like we were the only ones there. We didn’t take many pictures since the sun was setting and the amphitheater was in the shadows. It was nice to just enjoy the moment!

Sunset over Bryce Canyon

The sun began to set and the sky seemed very unusual and beautiful. There appeared to be layers of pale pink and blue that lined the horizon. It lasted about 20 minutes and then the sun sank. We wondered if this is typical and what causes this effect. It has been quite cool and windy so as the sun set it got chilly.

Keith and I decided we were ready for dinner and we’d come back to finish the viewpoints. We really wanted to enjoy the landscape and take in each viewpoint. We had seen some of the areas by hiking last weekend and wanted yet another day in the park. Your perspective can really change depending on the time of day and how the sun is hitting the canyon, the number of people around, etc. We wanted to save more of Bryce Canyon for another amazing experience later the next week!

Dinner plans

Several times we heard The Pines restaurant is a must-do. We had driven by several times and the sign for pie had been catching our attention. Keith and I planned to eat out that night, something that we don’t do often. This seemed like the perfect night because it was midweek, we weren’t dirty from hiking and we had been craving pie for days now! We arrived at a room full of people and had an hour's wait. It was already 7 pm and we didn’t want to wait so we decided to find another option. Spoiler alert: We did make it to The Pines later in the trip and it was fantastic!

On this night we ended up choosing The Original Kenny Ray’s (unfortunately, Kenny Ray's is now permanently closed) in Panguitch. This super cute diner is quiet and relaxing. We sat by the window and it was fun to see a few locals in town and lots of travelers passing through. Keith was very happy with his burger and fries and my chicken sandwich with fries was excellent. As soon as we walked in, we noticed the pie menu. After dinner, we were full, but decided WE MUST HAVE PIE! I had the berry al-la-mode and Keith had an apple. Both were amazing! I later found out that it’s the same or nearly the same as the pie at The Pines. We loved our desserts at Kenny Ray’s and knew we would be back for more.