Bryce Point

Two of my favorite things...dead trees and Bryce Canyon.

On a clear spring day, it's hard to beat this view. This is the starting point for the Peekaboo Loop Trail, which takes you through the Wall of Windows, past The Cathedral and offers so many photographic opportunities.

What tends to catch my eye is the spiral grain of the trees that grow in these harsh environments. Scientists have a number of theories with regard to this growth pattern, ranging from optimized nutrient delivery (especially for trees that are growing from rocks), to trees that are subjected to high prevailing winds. This tree would be an example of both conditions, so it's difficult to determine...but, I do appreciate the look!

Whatever the case, I can't wait for my next trip to Bryce and the rest of the 'Mighty 5' National Parks found in southern Utah!

Walls, Windows, and Hoodoos, Oh My!

Bryce Canyon is such a unique place. The climate at this elevation causes constant erosion, with the extreme temperature swings, intense precipitation events and resultant frost-wedging cause these otherworldly formations.

The clear blue skies and thin, crisp air add an incredible luster to every image with stark contrast against the pink and orange rock in the canyons and amphitheaters.

I've visited close to 30 National Parks, and an untold number of beautiful places in the United States and around the world. Nothing compares to Southern Utah, and Bryce Canyon is THE crown jewel.

Peek-A-Boo Canyon

The Peek-A-Boo Loop Trail is a great introductory hike to Bryce Canyon National Park. Its trail head is near Bryce Point, which is the prominent point in the top center of this frame.

The trail quickly drops over 1500' to the canyon floor and is a 5+ mile loop before returning to the rim. It's not for the faint of heart, but it's a well trafficked trail exposing hikers to the Wall of Windows, the Cathedral, the Fairy Castle, and more hoodoos than can be counted. I find the trees almost as amazing as the rock formations, because they emerge from the rocky soil at all sorts of angles, and find a way to thrive.

This super panorama is a composite of 16 individual images and is designed to be printed in the largest possible format. At full scale you can make out the 10 tourists enjoying the view from Bryce Point.

Helluva Place to Lose a Cow

Ebenezer Bryce, a Mormon Pioneer who homesteaded this area in 1875, was known for describing this land of hoodoos in amphitheaters as, "A hell of a place to lose a cow."

A collection of amphitheaters eroded from the Paunsaugunt Plateau in southern Utah, Bryce Canyon became a national park in 1928. Frost wedging and rainwater have eroded the limestone rock to produce brightly colored formations, including hoodoos, fins, windows, and slot canyons.

One of the more famous hoodoos, Thor's Hammer, (featured here) provides a great foreground for sunrise images. Many times, when the horizon is not cloudy, photographers capture the sun as it crests the hammer. On this morning, however, first light provided even more color, by illuminating the clouds in the sky.

Bryce Canyon National Park sits at a much higher elevation than the nearby Grand Canyon and Zion NPs; so, when you visit, be wary of hiking in the mid-day unless properly acclimated. The trails typically drop several hundred feet from the rim and the return can be difficult in the thinner air at high temperatures. Sunrise, even for non-photographers, is an excellent time to visit this park, as the amphitheaters are all oriented toward the east

The Other Side of Wall Street

The folks who name locations in National Parks, especially in Southern Utah, have an affinity for NYC, it would appear.

In a previous photo, shared from Arches NP, I showed an image of Park Avenue at sunset. Here I bring you an image from the Navajo Trail canyon on the east side of Wall Street (the formation to the right is the same "wall"). Unfortunately, during my visit to Bryce Canyon NP, the actual Wall St portion of the trail was closed, due to ongoing rock slides and trail reconstruction.

I still believe that Bryce Canyon is the most fascinating location in the NPS system that I've been to so far.

Sunrise on Another World

This landscape is so different from any other. The environment so extreme, the geologic formations seem like something from a sci-fi fantasy world, with vibrant colors and thousands of pointed hoodoos that seemingly go on forever, though in reality only occupy a relatively small space on the map.

I've seen comments on my photos from Yellowstone and the Redwoods that show people's affection for those locations. And, while I agree that they're beautiful places, worthy of all their recognition, there is something just magical about Bryce Canyon.

Southern Utah is a vast wonderland of geography. Sparsely populated, remote, and with difficult seasons, I can understand why people don't flock here in as high numbers as some of the other jewels in the US National Park system. But once you do visit, your appetite for more will only increase, I promise.