Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon is a national park located in southern Utah, known for its stunning geological features and rich biodiversity. Established as a national park in 1924, it is renowned for its unique rock formations called "hoodoos," which are limestone spires that have been shaped by millions of years of erosion. The park covers over 35,000 acres on the Paunsaugunt Plateau and features vibrant colors in its rock layers, resulting from oxidation of minerals such as iron and manganese. Interestingly, Bryce Canyon is not a true canyon, as it was not formed by a central river but through geological processes that occurred millions of years ago.
Before the arrival of Mormon settlers in the 1800s, the area was inhabited by Native Americans, including the Paiute tribes, who had cultural legends about the canyon. The park is home to diverse wildlife, including mule deer, coyotes, and various bird species, as well as over 400 species of plants. The park attracts millions of visitors each year, offering activities such as hiking, camping, and scenic tours, allowing people to appreciate its breathtaking landscapes. Preservation efforts are in place to protect the delicate rock formations and the park's natural beauty for future generations.
Bryce Canyon
Named after a Mormon pioneer who settled near the area in the 1800s, Bryce Canyon is a geologic feature that was designated as a national park in 1924. The site is best known for its spectacular rock formations in addition to its rich vegetation and wildlife. Called "hoodoos," the park's limestone spires with multicolored bands of pink, yellow and purple rock were shaped by erosion over millions of years. These unusual geological features are scattered across more than 35,000 acres of land on Paunsaugunt Plateau in southern Utah.
Geology and Ecology of Bryce Canyon
Interestingly, Bryce Canyon is not geologically considered a true canyon, as it was not carved out by a central river or stream. Approximately 50 million years ago, during the Tertiary Period, surrounding highland waters deposited sediments into a prehistoric lake in the area that is now Bryce Canyon. These deposits accumulated and hardened into limestone, sandstone and shale when the lakes began to disappear. About 10 million years ago, the rock pulled apart, breaking into smaller plateaus and thus forming Paunsaugunt Plateau. The uplift resulting from the pressure between the rocks caused steam to cut through layers of rock, ultimately carving out a valley.
The creation of the hoodoos is the result of a different process of erosion, in which rain, ice and snow wear away the rock. Water that enters the pores in the rocks sometimes freezes, and the expansion of water into ice eventually causes parts of the rock to break away. Certain layers of rock wear down faster than others, causing the exotic shapes of the hoodoos and other features. The process is ongoing, and visitors are encouraged to stay on marked trails and not touch the rock formations in order to help preserve them.
Oxidation of the minerals in the rocks is responsible for the multiple colors seen throughout Bryce Canyon. Iron oxides turn yellow, pink, brown or red when they react with oxygen, while manganese oxides turn purple. The combinations create a spectacular effect when contrasted with the color of the surrounding desert.
Bryce Canyon measures approximately 5 miles east to west and 20 miles north to south. It is the largest collection of hoodoos anywhere on the world. The national park also contains a multitude of wildlife, from mule deer, prairie dogs and coyotes, to bobcats, mountain lions, great horned owls and peregrine falcons. Ponderosa pines and fir-spruce forests are among the more than 400 species of plant life present.
History of Bryce Canyon
Prior to the arrival of Mormon settlers in Utah, Native Americans had lived in the region for about 12,000 years. Paiute Indians lived in the area during the 1800s, but neither they nor any other Native American tribe settled the canyon, considering it to be inhabited by a trickster coyote spirit. According to legend, giant creatures called the Te-when-an-ung-wa inhabited Bryce before humans came into existence. These creatures, which resembled birds, lizards and other animals, painted their faces to appear human. When they began warring among themselves, the coyote god grew angry and transformed them into stone pillars. Another version of the legend contends that the rock pillars were formed when the coyote buried a great city in mud.
In the 1800s, Spanish explorers and traders traveled through Utah but failed to record any journey into Bryce Canyon. However, it is believed that fur trappers passed through the area, since the name Paunsaugunt Plateau is derived from a Paiute word meaning "home of the beavers."
In the late 1840s, Mormons began settling Utah when Brigham Young and his followers established Salt Lake City. The Paiutes were displaced by the white intruders, who developed many small communities throughout Utah. In the mid-1870s, a small group of Mormons moved to southern Utah and settled in valleys near Bryce Canyon to raise livestock.
National Park
In 1875, Ebenezer Bryce moved to the region with his family to aid the settlers in building houses. Bryce built a road to the Paunsaugunt Plateau as well as an irrigation canal, prompting locals to dub the area "Bryce's Canyon." As the region developed and increasing numbers of visitors came to gaze at the hoodoos, efforts were made to protect these scenic wonders. In 1923 the area was declared Bryce Canyon National Monument, and the next year came under the administration of the National Park Service (NPS) as Utah National Park. In 1928 the name was changed to Bryce Canyon National Park.
Bryce Canyon is 250 miles from Las Vegas, Nevada, and sees a large number of tourists each year. According to an NPS report, the park had over 2.57 million recreational visitors in 2017. Visitors may hike, mountain bike, camp, or take scenic aerial tours. The canyon also offers shuttle tours of major attractions, including a free summer shuttle service intended to reduce traffic congestion in the park. Fishing and horseback riding are also popular at Bryce Canyon, as is viewing the stunning scenery from the many outlooks on the 18-mile park road.