While visiting Bryce Canyon we felt like doing something a bit different and out of our comfort zone. So why not do something we have never done before, horseback riding!

There is one official operator that does horseback rides into the amphitheatre of Bryce Canyon. At Canyonrides you can go on rides between April and October but there are only so many horses and so many rides per day, so we were lucky to get 4 places even though we booked 8 months in advance.

We booked the 1,5-2 hours ride, and as novices we were glad we did not go for the longer 3 hours ride, 2 hours were more than enough for us city slickers.

When you arrive at the corral you check in and get assigned a horse, or a mule. Tanja and mom got horses, and the boys got mules. The mules look funny with their large ears and had strong wills of their own. Tanja got the horse named “Sanka” named after a brand of decaf instant coffee, on the reason that it was kinda slow, it also sounds like the Norwegian work “sinke” that means a very slow person or animal. Senka lived up to his name, and all through the ride you could hear the cowboy up front shout “KEEP UP SANKA!” as Tanja and the horse were more interested in the scenery and eating shrubbery (not Tanja) than keeping up with the group.

The ride itself was slightly daunting since the trail was narrow with a sheer drop on one side and rock face at the other, combined with muddy ground due to heavy rains the days before we came, it was no easy feat for the city slickers. We reckon that we got a trial by fire at our first ever ride on the back of horses and mules.

The slight terror that some of us felt was muted by the awesome beauty that unfolded as we rode deeper and deeper into the amphitheatre of Bryce Canyon. The hoodoos towered above us and ancient Bristlecone pines stood majestically along the trail, the oldest still living tree is 4765 years old! It lives in a secret location in California, so they are fascinating things.

The landscape at the bottom of the amphitheatre is stunning, looking up at Bryce Pint and the other lookouts along the rim, you get a sense of the scale and depth of the place.

Both Tanja and Sanka made it back to the top and the corral. It was a once in a lifetime experience for us all, such an amazing place, totally otherworldly and like nowhere else on earth.