The area’s indigenous people were far more amazed. Related: EXPLORE THE TWISTING DESERT LANDSCAPES OF THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST “It’s a hell of a place to lose a cow,” he once famously quipped. Unlike the early Mormons who viewed Zion Canyon as a heavenly gift, rancher Ebenezer Bryce viewed the badlands that ran through his 1870s ranch as a bane. But there is more here than spectacular erosion. In about 50 years, the present rim will be cut back another foot. In summer, runoff from cloudbursts etches into the softer limestones and sluices through the deep runnels. Water may split rock as it freezes and expands in cracks-a cyclic process that occurs some 200 times a year. Bryce past and presentįor millions of years, water has carved Bryce’s rugged landscape. Encompassing six square miles, it is the park’s scenic heart. The largest and most striking is Bryce Amphitheater. Many ephemeral streams have eaten into the plateau, forming horseshoe-shaped bowls. To the west are heavily forested tablelands more than 9,000 feet high to the east are the intricately carved breaks that drop 2,000 feet to the Paria Valley. The park follows the edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Many descend on trails that give hikers and horseback riders a close look at the fluted walls and sculptured pinnacles. Its wilderness of phantom-like rock spires, or hoodoos, attracts 2.7 million visitors a year. Perhaps nowhere are the forces of natural erosion more tangible than at Bryce Canyon. Among the nation’s most beloved (and photographed) parks, Bryce is a major draw for hiking, challenging rock climbing, and winter cross-country skiing trails.Īnd the park is less than 40 miles as the crow flies from another natural gem: Zion National Park. Entrance Fee: $35 vehicles $20 individualsīryce Canyon showcases the stunning geology of southern Utah, a red-rock wonderland created by wind, water, and snow.
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