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Paunsaugunt
ATV Adventure - Proctor Canyon / Badger Creek
Trail
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Bristlecone Pines Trees like this can be
found along the trail & only grow at
high elevations & live for thousands
of years |
We took the trail back up through Proctor Canyon to the Badger Creek Trail Loop and followed it along the western edge that offered great outlooks and awe-inspiring scenery at the several view points along the trail. As we kept heading up the trail, it was lined with Bristlecone pines that are thousands of years old and are only found in the higher elevations. Even though our trip was in May, there were still snow drifts along some of the higher elevation trails, and we were told that just a few weeks ago before the big melt many of the trails would have still be impassible from snow drifts.
As we went along, we got into some more technical trails that took us up to aspen groves that drooped over the trails. When we finally got to the Straight Canyon Loop, we started running out of gas because we ended up going a lot farther than we had originally planned so we never made it to the Straight Canyon Overlook, but we were treated to a great overlook of the Grand Staircase Esclante National Monument region in the valley below the red canyon wall.
From there, we backed tracked to the Badger Creek
Trail and took the Kanab Creek Trail to the East
Fork Rd to save some fuel and make up some time
on our way back to Ruby’s. The dirt
road provided a quick way out and back to the
Tropic Reservoir trails, where we circled around
for the last half of the three hour ATV tour loop
offered by Ruby’s Inn ATV Tour.
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Osprey are native to Bryce, Utah and can be seen along the trail |
Short Horned Lizards also known as Horned toads layman's terms can also be found |
On our ride we were very impressed with the abundance of wildlife. We saw a pair of Osprey nesting above the reservoir, and several elk crossed our path, as well as prong horn antelope and even the endangered Utah Prairie Dogs.
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For
wildlife lovers, Bryce Canyon is home to
many wild animals including, Mule Deer,
Elk, Pronghorn, Bears, and more. We were
lucky enough to see several Elk & Pronghorn |
“The scenery was breathtaking. There was a lot of wildlife and amazing views from the trails that made it a great experience,” said Shawn Hess, who was more than impressed with the journey.
We made it back to the Ruby’s ATV Tour staging area just before sunset
after departing at about 11am, so it was definitely
a full day of riding that proved to be fun and
a great adventure. After we refueled, we noticed
we still had enough daylight to take the one hour
trail. While on the short ride, we were treated
to a beautiful sunset and beautiful waterfall
over the Bryce Canyon rim. Daylight began to fade
fast at that point so we started back for a good
night’s rest before heading back to Las
Vegas in the morning.
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We had a great time with Ruby's Inn ATV
& SxS Rentals & their guided tour
took us to some breath taking overlooks
of Bryce Canyon & Paunsaugunt
Plateau |
The trails system is fairly easy for the most part, but there are a few trails that are clearly marked as ATV only and are too narrow for a Side-by-Side, but there are plenty of trails that are available for both machines that give spectacular views and an incredible ride.
Bryce Canyon is a great destination and offers some incredible views and scenery that you can only see by ATV or UTV, as some of the trails are miles and miles off of any highways. It is a great get away and we would highly recommend this area for family trips due to the easy trails and wonderful accommodations.
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