I will apologize in advance for the huge number of pictures I am about to post. I thought Bryce Canyon was the most visually stunning of all the parks we visited. This collection of colorful spires, pillars and cliffs highlighted by the greenery of its many beautiful trees was truly breath-taking.
To get into the park, you must first pass through the Red Canyon area and a short tunnel that even our friend, Alice, would have been comfortable driving through. This area was the home of Butch Cassidy.
Bryce Canyon has accurately been described as one of the world’s geological masterpieces. This area was first proclaimed a national monument by President Warren G. Harding in 1923, then Utah State Park in 1924 and became a national park in 1928. It was named after the Mormon pioneer, Ebenezer Bryce, who settled in the valley just below the canyon. The park was extensively advertised by the Union Pacific Railroad, who built a lodge and provided transportation to the area. The ranger at the gate described the park as “vertigo-friendly” to Hank. He was right about the drive, but you will see from the pictures that Hank was often not able to stand too close to the edge to take pictures. We drove to the farthest viewpoint and worked our way back to the gate. You may be able to tell from the photos that we started the day in bright sunlight, clouds moved in with a downpour and then the sun came out again.
Rainbow and Yovimpa Points offer expansive views of southern Utah and you can generally see up to 100 miles away.
Ponderosa Canyon shows off its multicolored hoodoos framed by pine-covered foothills and the Table Cliff Plateau to the north. Hoodoo is the word for a pinnacle of rock left standing by erosion.
Aqua Canyon displays contrasts of light and color that are among the prettiest in the park. Look for small trees atop a hoodoo known as The Hunter.
Natural Bridge was not formed by a stream as true natural bridges are. More accurately an arch, it was carved by both rain and frost erosion acting from the top of the rock.
Farview Point offers a panorama including its neighboring plateaus and mountains and, far to the southeast, the Kaibab Plateau of the Grand Canyon’s north rim.
Swamp Canyon had posted pictures of a fire from last summer. I tried to take a picture of the exact same spot.
Paria View looks out over hoodoos in an amphitheater carved by Yellow Creek. The Paria River valley and Table Cliffs Plateau form its backdrop.
Bryce Point is one of the points that overlooks the Bryce Amphitheater, the biggest natural amphitheater in the park. You can see the Black Mountains in the northeast and Novajo Mountain in the south.
Inspiration Point became “perspiration point” for Hank and he handed the camera to me to document its beauty.
Sunset Point also overlooks the Bryce Amphitheater and we watched hikers on the trail far below us.
A heavy rainstorm caught us here so we made our way to Bryce Canyon Lodge. Local timbers and stone were used to build it in 1924-25. We had hoped to have a drink here, but had forgotten we were back in Utah and had to content ourselves with touring the gift shop instead. The rain prevented me from taking a picture of the entrance, but I did snap a picture of the lodge’s unique roof line as we drove away.
Fairylalnd Point was our last stop in the park and it did not disappoint us. The scenery rivaled any we had seen.
What a lovely day this was. On our way out of the park, we spotted a group of mule deer next to the road. These are the most common large mammals in the park.
Again, a few last pictures of this magnificent place.
Next stop will be Zion National Park.
No comments:
Post a Comment