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Staying with us here in Tropic places you in the middle of some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country. The main nearby attractions are Bryce Canyon National Park, Kodachrome State Park, Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument, and Scenic Byway 12.

Bryce Canyon National Park is a wondrous area full of majestic rock formations created by nature’s great erosive power. It is best known for its amphitheaters full of human-like rock spires that make one think that they were meeting places for the Anasazi, Paiute, and Fremont Indians that lived in the region during ancient times. In addition to these spires, the area is full of other rock formations like arches, bridges, and fins. Green ponderosa pines provide contrast to the reddish hues of the rocks as well as stand tall on the rims of the amphitheaters. To add further flavor to this area, an early settler Ebenezer Bryce – the man who Bryce Canyon is named after – once said, “It’s a hell of a place to lose a cow.”

Like its nearby neighbor – Bryce Canyon National Park – Kodachrome State Park is also home to whimsical rock formations that will captivate visitors of all stages. Tall rock spires are peppered throughout the park. However, these spires are in many cases different in appearance and color from those in the national park. These spires are petrified ancient geysers; they existed in this ancient lakebed. Over time layers of sediment settled on top of the geysers, and later they blasted their way through the sediment. Harder sediment filled in where the geysers broke through, and as time progressed the softer sediment eroded night. The spires are the evidence of this interesting geologic history. Of note, the area was named by the National Geographic Society because it is so photogenic.

The Grandstaircase – Escalante National Monument comprises most of the area in the region. Geologically, this area is quite varied as it is on the slope from the Colorado Plateau to the Grand Canyon. As the land descends it creates a series of cliffs, involving Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park, that resemble a staircase. The national monument is also named after Father Silvestre Velez de Escalante, a Spaniard who led an expedition throughout the area in the 1770s. Also, there are remnants – old structures and other artifacts – of the Anasazi, Paiute, and Fremont Indians strewn throughout the area.

Scenic Byway 12, which Bryce Pioneer Village is on, traverses this beautiful area. It has garnered the title of “Scenic Byway” because it is known for its unparalleled surroundings. In fact, the magazine Car and Driver considers it one of the top ten most scenic drives in the countries. Some of the landmarks in the monument are Powell Pointe, Devil’s Garden, Hogsback, and Boulder Mountain.

Rest assured that most of these landmarks are well under a couple hours’ drive of Bryce Pioneer Village Motel. However, the close proximity of landmarks does not mean that one can easily visit them all in one day; to sufficiently explore and appreciate this area, several day trips are required. Also services (gas, food, water, etc.) are located in each of the small towns along Scenic Highway 12 for your convenience.