Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon is a series of natural amphitheaters below which stands an array of white and orange limestone columns and walls sculptured by erosion. The erosion has been accomplished mainly by rain, snow, and frost prying off cliff fragments rather than by stream erosion. Nearby streams actually flow away from the canyon. The high rim country of the park is part forest dominated by fir, pine, and aspen, and part meadows of grass and sage. At lower, drier altitudes, pinon pine and Utah juniper predominate. All this makes the area a great camping area in Utah.

 Bryce Canyon awaited promotion and development before its full tourism potential could be realized. National Forest Supervisor J. W. Humphrey was transferred from the La Sal National Forest to the Powell National Forest on 1 July 1915. He was amazed at the beauty and grandeur of Bryce and resolved to do all he could to promote it and make it accessible. He took visiting dignitaries to Bryce and secured funds for a road to the canyon rim. In 1916 Arthur W. Stevens of the Forest Service wrote an illustrated article for the Union Pacific railroad tourist magazine. J. W. Humphrey wrote a similar article for the Rio Grande railroad. These were the first descriptive articles published about Bryce Canyon. In the meantime, moving pictures and postcards began circulating and Bryce began to attract visitors from all parts of the nation.

At Bryce Canyon National Park, erosion has shaped colorful Claron limestones, sandstones, and mudstones into thousands of spires, fins, pinnacles, and mazes. Collectively called “hoodoos,” these colorful and whimsical formations stand in horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters along the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in Southern Utah. Hoodoos formed over thousands of years by the same processes that form the features of surrounding parks. Water, ice (at varying intervals) and gravity are the forces that formed Bryce Canyon.

Erosion

Water is responsible for creating the rock shapes in Bryce Canyon National Park. Rain and melting snow flowing down the Pink Cliffs towards the Paria River form ridges, or fins, which subsequently erode into the spires, pinnacles and other shapes (collectively known as 'hoodoos') which are left standing. In time these too erode, and the whole process moves very gradually westwards as more of the cliff is slowly worn away. During the long, cold winters, the cliffs are further weakened by freezing water expanding in cracks, resulting in more erosion when the ice thaws in spring.

The Grand Staircase

The main ridge forms part of the Pink Cliffs, which are the highest and most geologically recent of a series of escarpments known as the Grand Staircase that stretches across much of south Utah, formed by erosion and uplift of differently colored sandstone rock layers. The cliffs are named according to the dominant rock color: (running northwards, from the Grand Canyon) - Chocolate, Vermilion (visible most spectacularly around Lees Ferry, Arizona), White (which surround Zion Canyon), Gray and Pink. Most of the Grand Staircase is now contained within the BLM-managed Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument. The rocks that give Bryce Canyon its distinctive colors are members of the Claron Formation, a mixed limestone/sandstone layer, and are also found exposed, with similarly intricate forms, in other nearly locations such as Red Canyon and Cedar Breaks.

Bryce Canyon Trails

As with most national parks, the best way to appreciate Bryce Canyon is to explore away from the main roads.

There are various trails both along the rim and down through the formations, but probably the best is the Fairyland Loop Trail, an 8 mile, little-used route which descends 900 feet from the ridge road and winds through many of the fins and spires giving a more intimate view of the park. Hiking just part of the route is enough for nice views; the other most popular paths nearby are the Navajo, Peekaboo and Queens Garden trails. Many of the formations in this part of Bryce Canyon have received official names, like Tower Bridge, reached via a short side-track, which resembles one of the Thames bridges in London. There are more features of interest besides the rocks, such as along the one mile Bristlecone Trail, at the far south end of the park, which passes several 1,600-year-old bristlecone pines; these are the longest lived species of trees in the world. Other short paths include the Hat Shop Trail to a group of unusual pinnacles, and the Mossy Cave Trail to a waterfall and a sheltered alcove.

Hiking in Bryce Canyon

Fairyland Point: Fairyland Loop Trail is 8 miles (13km) round trip. It is strenuous and takes 4 to 5 hours. The Rim Trail goes 5.5 miles (8.8 km) to Bryce Point.

Sunrise Point: Queen’s Garden is 1.5 miles long (2.5 km), takes less than 2 hours, and is the least strenuous trail below the rim. It climbs 320 feet. (98 meters)

Sunset Point: Navajo Trail is 2.2 miles (3.5km) round trip, takes less than 2 hours, and climbs 521 feet (159 meters). It is fairly strenuous. Navajo and Queen’s Garden Trails, 3 miles (4.8 km), takes 2 to 3 hours and climbs 521 feet (159 meters). This is a moderately strenuous walk.

Tropic Trail: The Tropic Trail starts at the junction of Navajo and Queen’s Garden Trails and Tropic Trail. This trail goes to the East Park boundary. It is 1.2 Miles (2. Km) downhill from the junction to the end.

Bryce Point: Peekaboo Loop Trail is a strenuous 5.5 miles (9 km), takes 3 to 4 hours, and climbs 827 feet (255 meters). Under-The-Rim Trail is a backcountry trail that ends at Rainbow Point. The trail is 22 miles (35 km) long. Ask at the visitor center for details.