Bryce Canyon National Park

The first stop in our journey takes us to Southern Utah. While I have been to many sites in the National Park System, I will consider this a “fresh start” of sorts and use this as my first in-depth encounter of what is offered.

Bryce Canyon National Park is located in the southwestern portion of Utah and is part of a large collection of national sites, including Zion and the Grand Canyon National Parks. Despite its name, Bryce Canyon is not actually a canyon but is a large collection of natural amphitheaters along the eastern ridge of the Paunsaught Plateau. The “hoodoos” throughout the park were formed by frost and stream erosion of the river and rock beds.

Entrance Sign to Bryce Canyon National Park

The area has been visited by mankind for nearly 10,000 years, as evidence in the area has demonstrated. It wasn’t until the late 18^th century that European Americans first explored the area. Mormon scouts began visiting the area around 1850 and was settled by Ebenezer Bryce who the area is now named for. Tourism to the area became popular around 1916 as a result of the trains coming through the area, and on June 8, 1923, President Warren G Harding declared the area a National Monument. A road to connect the scenic views and a lodge were soon added shortly after this. On February 25, 1928, the area became known as Bryce Canyon National Park.

Upon arriving at the park we entered through the toll both just past the small town at the head of the park. The entrance fee is $30 per carload, however, we opted for the $80 annual pass which includes all public sites in the Department of the Interior (my birthday gift from Kristina, my fiancé). Our first stop is the visitor center just inside the gate, to look at the exhibits offered and visit the bookstore. I bought myself and Kristina each a “Passport to the National Parks”, which is a fun option to include in your visits. Each site offers a cancellation stamp with the date and provides a free souvenir (after the $10 price of the passport) for all the sites in the National Park System. The exhibits here are very interesting and provide a look into the area history, prairie dogs, and an interactive display on light pollution and the effects on viewing stars at night.

View into a portion of Bryce Canyon

We traveled into the park and got a firsthand look at the amazing forces at work. For thousands of years, water has been forming the view that visitors may gaze and hike through. Water seeps into cracks and holes in the solid rock foundations, some becoming trapped there until each year it freezes during the winter. When this happens the expanding ice forces the rock apart causing the holes to become bigger and bigger. This creates “bridges” in the stones until the top finally collapses, leaving only the hoodoos. The entire rocky cliff is covered with these jagged rock trees reaching up from the floor of the amphitheaters. Taking your time through the park offers you the chance to hike, ride horses, star gaze, or many other activities.

Kristina and myself in front of Bryce Canyon

There is much more to Bryce Canyon National Park, but I will leave that for you to discover on your own. I recommend taking your time visiting each scenic viewing area, and taking at least one hike at your pace and skill level. We accomplished a small hike into the first amphitheater, giving us time to get our bodies ready for this new hobby. There are two campgrounds and a lodge in the National Park, both offer a great opportunity to stay in the park and get the chance to view the clear night skies. For more information, I recommend visiting the parks website, www.nps.gov/brca.