Bryce Canyon National Park

“At dawn and dusk, mule deer graze the forested plateau along the road into Bryce Canyon. The alpine environment is home to dozens of species of mammals and birds, all acquainted with a spectacular truth: this is no ordinary forest. Water and wind over millions of years of freezes and thaws have carved into the plateau endless fields of the park's distinctive red rock pillars, called hoodoos, into the park's series of natural amphitheaters. Seek out the canyon floor on foot or stick to the overlooks by car. Bryce Canyon National Park invites discovery.

Every year, Bryce Canyon National Park awes visitors with spectacular geological formations and brilliant colors. The towering hoodoos, narrow fins, and natural bridges seem to deny all reason or explanation, leaving hikers gazing around with jaws agape in wondrous incredulity. This surreal landscape is what brings people from around the world to visit Bryce Canyon National Park.

How are those Hoodoos and fins formed? It starts with rainwater seeping into cracks in the rock. The water freezes during Bryce’s cold nights, expands and breaks apart the rock. The deep, narrow walls called “fins” result from rain and snowmelt running down the slopes from Bryce’s rim. Eventually the fins form holes (called windows), and when the windows grow larger they collapse and create the bizarre hoodoos that we see today.

Hiking in Bryce Canyon National Park is the best way to immerse yourself in the amazing geography. Day hikes range from easy 1-mile loops to challenging 11-mile round-trip adventures. As you hike, be sure to check out the bristlecone pine trees for which Bryce is known. Bristlecone pines are the oldest trees in the world, even reaching 5,000-years-old in some places!

An overnight stay in one of Bryce Canyon National Park’s campgrounds is highly recommended to experience the early morning and late evening in Bryce, when the pink-orange sandstone goes through a dramatic transformation of light, shadow, and color. A view of Bryce under a full moon is also an experience you will never forget. And when the moon is dark, Bryce is one of the best places in the nation for stargazing because of its pristine air and lack of surrounding development.

And because Bryce Canyon National Park is at an elevation of 8,000 to 9,000 feet, there are even opportunities for winter sports like snowshoeing and cross-country skiing — something you might not have expected in the Utah desert!” *

Bryce Canyon owes its array of colors to a few compounds of the periodic table. Hematite or iron oxide (Fe2O3) creates the browns, pinks and reds. Limonite (FeO(OH)*nH2O) creates the yellows. Pyrolusite (MnO2) creates the Purples.

From 1950 to 1981 a supply and repair ship was used in the U.S. Pacific Fleet named after the park, the USS Bryce Canyon.