Off the beaten path - running the "Under the Rim Trail"

#brycecanyon #undertherimtrail #ultrarunning

In a world where we are used to being able to travel wherever we want whenever we want, the current state of things is definitely something that none of us are used to. A lot of us miss our ability to get out on the trail with our friends and running family and take part in the things we love. However, now is the time to stay home and stay safe, and to take those thousands of photos that we all have and reflect on the great experiences we have been fortunate to participate in. Let's all try to put together some great trail run experiences for eachother to look forward to and add to our bucket lists when the world becomes safe again. Please feel free to email your stories and trail adventures to kgazzolaDVM@gmail.com to be posted on the blog site!

Today's adventure to add to your bucket list, from us at The Life Outdoors Project, is the "Under the Rim Trail" in Bryce Canyon National Park. Most people are aware of the most famous part of Bryce, the Amphitheater...but there is so much more if you are up for a challenge. This trail shows you the parts of the park that you won't see if you stay in the main area and the bonus is that there are hardly any people. This is a great way to see the incredible diverse landscape of Bryce!

The Under the Rim trail is a roughly 23 mile point to point with about 6500 feet or so of elevation gain that goes from Bryce Point to Rainbow Point. This can be run in either direction but depending on which way you choose you may have more of a climb at the end. We decided to start at Rainbow Point which is at 9100 feet and then end at Bryce Point which sits at roughly 8300 feet. You drop down quite a bit to the floor below at 6800 feet but we wanted a less brutal climb out. Hikers and runner should be aware that this route is not well traveled and therefore you should have adequate maps, a compass, plenty of water and a way to signal for help other than with your cell phone as there is no cell service. It is important to check with the Park Service before deciding on this route that the trail is open and passable. The first time we wanted to attempt this we had to cancel this plan as there was still a few feet of snow at the highest elevation that would have made running this trail not possible without extra gear.

With all of that being said, the successful traverse of this point to point was completed in May and it was perfect weather. Cold to start, pretty darn warm in the middle and comfortable for the climb out!

Rainbow Point at sunrise

The adventure started at sunrise from Rainbow Point and then we made a dramatic descent through a forested area to an amazing vista and the warming sun.

The run then leaves the red sandstone on a continued and gradual descent to the forest floor where it is important to keep looking up to see the hidden hoodoos and dramatic cliffs that surround you.

The main mid portion of the run is done down at the valley floor and due to some areas being badly burned, this is the place where it may get really hot. There is no escape from the sun so be sure to have sun block and adequate water and electrolytes. There was a small time spent in the pain cave at this point as the sun became relentless.

The halfway point is roughly the area around the "Whiteman Connecting Trail", and this leads you back to the main road that travels through Bryce however the shuttle service does not travel to this area so you have to make other arrangements. Alternatively this could be a way to make this a 13 mile run instead of 23.

From this sign there are about 11 miles or so left with a roughly 1500 foot climb out to reach Bryce Point. The climb out offers amazing views and some of the more classic scenery of Bryce. We had the extra luxury of an approaching thunderstorm that gave us some very dramatic skies, and a small kick in the butt to pick up the pace.

Alright so for stats - this run was definitely ranked as moderate with the climb out requiring the most effort. Strava says 22.7miles with about 5200 feet of elevation gain and the run was about 5 hours and 50 minutes moving time. It was probably a bit longer and we took plenty of breaks for pictures and food. Would I do it again? Hell yes.

Now it's your turn, let's see your trail stories!

Here are a few more pictures for you to enjoy!