My wife and I were planning a spring trip to Bryce Canyon Utah. I posted on the Bellanca Super Viking list that I was going thinking one or two other planes might tag along. Within a week our little trip turned into a Bellanca Super Viking fly-in with planes coming from seven states and Canada. One plane coming all the way from Wasilla Alaska. We had a great time! Kudos to the airport managers. Both were a huge help in planning the event. I called six months in advance and the information they gave me really helped in choosing our activities. We arrived at Bryce Canyon early watching inbound BL17's on Flight Aware. The airport manager stayed well past quitting time to assist in arriving planes, passing out tie down ropes and taking fuel orders. Rental Cars ~ Ruby's Inn owns the Hertz concession. DO NOT book on line. Strongly suggest you call Ruby's directly and book your car as they are not on the Hertz network. Tell Bryce unicom you have a car reserved 10 minutes out and it will be there a few minutes after landing. Where to stay ~ Over night at Ruby's Inn because it has something for everyone. You could plan a weeks activity though Ruby's Inn and do everything there is to do. Ruby's has an airport shuttle, just pick up the Ruby's phone in the terminal. Hiking ~ Take your pick! There are several trails in and around the National Parks. We hiked to the bottom of Bryce Canyon and did the Peekaboo loop. The view from the bottom of Bryce Canyon is spectacular! Suggest you stop at the visitor center just inside the park entrance for guidance on which hike to do. ATV Rental ~ Several vendors rent ATV's and the group found Ruby's as good as any. I didn't do this activity but those who did really enjoyed it. Horseback riding ~ The group did two rides on different days. An expert ride for those who know horses and a nose to tail ride for a larger group two days later. My wife called several places and picked Mecham Outfitters near Tropic for both rides. Mecham Outfitters trailer the horses and riders into the back country to a trail head. Mountain Bike Rentals ~ Ruby's Inn has them. Same place as you get your rental car. Bus Tours ~ Yea, that's for old people. But they depart from Ruby's Planning good dinners proved hard. Bryce is no Santa Fe (our last fly-in) The airport manager gave me a lot of help. Here are three places we found very good. Bryce Canyon Pines Restaurant ~ The place was kind of noisy but the food is very good. Just outside of town and about 4 miles west of the airport. The Pines is know for their home made soup and pies. The Wild West Retreat ~ One day the group met up in Escalante for dinner at the Wild West Retreat. Well worth the drive, the only thing better than the food was the hospitality. Shannon and Jenifer Steed do dinners for 12 or more people and it had to be the best evening of the fly-in. (pictures bellow) The Bryce Canyon Lodge ~ Just inside the park entrance the Bryce Canyon Lodge is a good place for dinner. With a bottle of wine dinner for two was just $70. For a multi night fly-in this location is as good as it gets. We met up for breakfast at Ruby's each morning. Split up into different activities during the day then all meet up for dinner each night at a pre-planed location.
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