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Bryce Canyon, Part 1
Posted by Bigfoot on July 2nd, 2009
Bryce Canyon National Park is located in southern Utah, about 40 miles east of Zion National Park, and about 30 miles north of the border with Arizona, as the crow flies. The driving distances, as you might expect, are another matter. Unlike Zion, where the main road follows the bottom of the canyon, Bryce’s main road runs roughly north-south along the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau, at the rim above the park’s namesake canyon and several others that cut into the plateau. The lower ends of these canyons connect to the Tropic Valley, to the east. Side roads lead to several overlooks and trailheads. This is the view southward from the overlook called Sunrise Point.
The strangely shaped rock pillars are called hoodoos. Here’s a closer look at a group of them, seen from the trail that leads down to a place called Queen’s Garden.
I call this rock the Moai, because it reminded me of the statues on Easter Island.
A rock formation, seen further down the trail.
One of three holes in the rock through which the trail leads.
At Queen’s Garden, the rock formation that looks like Queen Victoria, on the left.
As I left Queen’s Garden, one more difference with Zion became apparent. With the trailhead being at the rim instead of the bottom, the return hike was uphill. But with a distance of only about 3/4 mile, it was nothing that a hiking nut like me couldn’t handle. I returned to the rim, and set off for another destination.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:32 am
That’s beautiful. I really need to get on a vacation….
July 7th, 2009 at 1:16 am
Great pics, Bigfoot. I was lucky enough while trucking to go through there and several other great places. People don’t appreciate just how beautiful and varied our country really is.