April 2010 Archives

April 22, 2010: Bryce Canyon National Park

Located towards the north/central region of the great Colorado Plateau, Bryce Canyon is most famous for Hoodoos: a pillar of rock of fantastic shape, left by erosion. 200 million years of earth movement and water erosion has created this natural wonder. Our visit was on a cloudy, rainy and snowy day with temperatures hovering right at 32 degrees. Below are just a few of the pictures we took along the various park viewpoints along it's 18 mile paved road high along the plateau rim featuring many perspectives of the "Bryce Amphitheater," the most famous being Bryce Point overlooking the Hoodoos. Zion and Bryce possess fantastic beauty and geological formations but are small in size when compared to the grandest of this great plateau region; you guessed it: the Grand Canyon.

We made into Zion Canyon yesterday. It is five miles deep and at the end another one mile hike to the narrows. That's where the canyon walls are only 30 feet wide and the Virgin River continues its sandstone cutting activity. This entire area is simply incredible. 200 million years of water eroding a high desert plateau combined with volcanoes and upward movement of the earth's crust. Human inhabitants trace back 12,000 years.

The canyon's of the great Colorado plateau includes Bryce to the north, Zion and the Grand Canyon to the south. These canyons will eventually wash away. Others will form. A constantly evolving geology influenced by the hands of Mother Nature.

Kolob Canyon is in the northern reaches of Zion National Park. More exotic formations literally created by water. Check out the river of trees and the hanging forest. These were taken in the AM into very bright sun so it was a challenge to get the contrast adjusted. Enjoy, we did.