Bright colors combine with interesting rock formations to make Bryce Canyon.
There is nowhere in the world quite like Bryce Canyon. This is a place where you can let your imagination run as wild as it wants to run. I am always struck first by the colors of the rocks and then immediately afterwards by their shapes.
Thousands of years of ice-driven erosion have created a fantasy world of amphitheaters filled with hoodoos and other rock formations climbing down the side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in Southern Utah.
The best way to experience the canyon is to hike down the trails but even a quick drive-through is rewarding. Early morning and evening are best times to catch the colors. Snow adds another dimension.
An overview of Bryce Canyon from one of the major overlooks.
Bryce Canyon is actually not a canyon created by a river but is a series of amphitheaters dropping on of the Paunsaugunt Plateau.
Hoodoos are stand alone rocks created by the process of erosion. A thick wall becomes a fin. Arches are created in the fin and then cave in, leaving hoodoo behind.
A close-up of hoodoo formation. The rock in the foreground is showing cracks and a small arch that will eventually fall in and form a hoodoo.
A ghostly hoodoo.
More views of Bryce Canyon:
NEXT BLOG: A visit to the Redwoods.
10 thoughts on “Bryce Canyon and the Hoodoos… A Photographic Journey through America’s National Parks”
Carrie Rubin
Wow! I never thought I had a reason to visit Utah. I think I now do. Gorgeous.
Curt Mekemson
Utah has so much in the way of natural beauty, Carrie. And then from Zion National Park, it is a relatively short drive over to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. -Curt
cindy knoke
gorgeous!
Curt Mekemson
Thanks, Cindy. –Curt
shoreacres
I think I like the final photo the best. I like the “frosting” on top of the red rocks – so like Palo Duro and that area. There’s another place in far northwest Kansas I’d like to go – the chalk pyramids and monument rocks – also castle rock. They’re nothing like this, of course.
Good tip about sunrise and sunset for the colors, too. It was amazing to see the prairie change from hour to hour. I’m sure changes in these rocks would be far more dramatic – not only because of the light, but because of the shifting shadows.
Curt Mekemson
And morning light is substantially different than evening light. Being out and about in the early morning and late afternoon are my favorite times of day. Haven’t been to the chalk pyramids– Maybe next time I find myself driving across the country. –Curt
hilarycustancegreen
This is out of any world I have ver visited and another sculptor’s treat. It feels a long way off, but I have to believe I will get there one day.
Curt Mekemson
Having wandered back and forth across the country numerous times Hilary, it really isn’t that far. Now when I did it on a bicycle, that was another issue. 🙂 –Curt
sixdegreesphotography
I agree with everyone..just wow.. such beautiful colors and awe inspiring.. I have a friend that lives in Park City and am a bit jealous of her everyday scenery!
Curt Mekemson
Park City does have beautiful scenery surrounding it! –Curt