If you visit Utah National Parks, Bryce Canyon should not be missed. It is (surprisingly) not as popular as Zion and Moab. It is not, technically, a canyon, but rather a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion, yet there is no other place in the world that features as fine and abundant collection of hoodoos as Bryce. The park is family and wheelchair friendly, and has an ample parking. There are drinking water fountains around the parking lots, and all the necessary facilities. You can hike a whole day or only an hour, you can just walk along the rim, or just stand and look around – you will still enjoy yourself.
However, you should know that it is a high altitude location (above 8000 ft – up to 9000 ft). The trails vary from easy to moderate and strenuous; the descents and ascents are very steep though, and it could be very hot down there at the foot of the hoodoos. Do a good research before you pick up a trail. Thankfully, because of the high altitude it is always a bit cooler on the rim, and also thunderstorms are quite common in the area.
We paid $30 for a vehicle which gave us a 7 day access to the park.
What is “hoodoos“? Read this link, you will love it (all the links open in separate windows). In Bryce, most erosion occurs from “frost wedging” – rain water freezes and expands in the cracks of the rocks. You can find all the stages of erosion during your hike, from plateaus to fins and finally hoodoos. The process never stops, and when you come again, it will be a different Bryce.
Hoodoo has nothing to do with Woodoo, yet in Blackfoot mythology, the oddly shaped rock columns were some malignant giants whom the Great Spirit had turned to stone because of their evil deeds. Deep in the night, the petrified giants would wake up and throw boulders down upon any human who dared to hang around. I wouldn’t be surprised, since some rocks do look like they are barely balancing.
Geology of the hoodoos is fascinating, but the look of them is something you will never forget. The colors vary from brown to red, orange, pink and ivory, and change during the day and the weather. A few steps to the left or right – and you enjoy a different angle, different shapes and hues. You cannot get bored in Bryce.
Click on the photographs to enlarge. They are all resized to resolution of only 72px.
This huge natural bridge is spectacular. We have seen a smaller one too.
Our youngest team member is two, and we considered the shortest trail, the Navajo Loop that took us some 2 hours. Yet, you should be aware that more rocks fall on this trail than any other trail in the park. The last major rock slide occurred in 2011 though.
The trail begins to descend very steeply – don’t make it back to the rim this way! The series of switchbacks are very short, thankfully, but extremely steep anyway.
The trail passes through Wall Street, a narrow slot between the cliffs, and takes you to the canyon floor. In the image below – entering the Wall Street.
A look back.
Surprise greeting from a local resident. The little guy was very fat and had no fear of children. We took some hundred photographs of him and the kids.
Great views from the bottom of the canyon.
The Inspiration Point – the highest point in the Park. We stood there a day before. Under our feet there is a river bed.
The little legs are tired. It is time for a break and some snack.
We settled for a break, and there was another beautiful opportunity to take a photo. This Jay loved our company.
Full of energy, we proceed.
Some great views on the ascent.
The ascent was not that steep, or perhaps I just lied to myself… Still I felt dizzy two times and had to stop for a minute. Didn’t take many pictures, was focused on surviving 🙂
In the image below – the ascent trail, a view from the rim.
We had a lovely drive and stopped at almost each point on our map. The rain was coming and going. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any rainbow, and only a few distant lightning strikes. In addition to that friendly Chipmunk and the curious Jay, we saw some Mule deer. No Rattlesnakes again, darn it!
We loved our hotel, it was outside the Park. We loved the Rock shop, and all the funny props for children photographs, like Jail, Wooden Horse and Wooden Bears. We loved the stunning little Red Canyon where we made a stop and a short hike.
Thank you for taking this trip with me. If you ever have a chance, visit scenic Utah and enjoy a real adventure.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Making memories 
Wow…Looks amazing. i really hope to get there someday. Cheers =)
Thank you! You would love every minute of being there. 🙂
I’ve been to the southwest, just not that part. For a guy who grew up in the northeast, that area is absolutely fascinating. Cheers =)
I was stunned when I first saw the red desert. One day I will share my old photographs of Page and area.
Inese, what glorious photos! I am absolutely envious. Thanks so very much for sharing this wonderful adventure with us. Mega hugs!
Thank you Teagan! I cannot believe I was there just a few days ago…
Thank you for the wonderful scenery and blue bird photo.
Thank you for stopping by! 🙂
Gorgeous captures of one of my favorite parks!
Thank you Cindy! It was my first visit!
Beautiful photographs.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
Thank you so much David! Hugs!!!
Looks like you are having a wonderful trip! I love this part of the country. You feel like you are in a different world! Pictures were fabulous!
Thank you so much! A different world, that is true. Everything looks so unreal.
Really magnificent shots. Your clear shots of the Jay and hoodoos and your discussion throughout was a fun trip. Nice!
Thank you so much for your comment, Cindy!
What can I say, beautiful.
Thank you! 🙂
Great photos, thank you for the trip! The only time I ever heard the word HooDoo is in an old song by CCR, Born In The Bayou.
It means that you heard it way before I did 🙂 Thank you for reading and commenting!
An awesome trip. They are fascinating and even the picture of the blue jay. He looks quite friendly.
Thank you very much! He was fancying some of our supplies 🙂
Beautiful poem in orange, blue and green, Inese. A big thank you ☺
Thank you so much! I have seen many photographs of this place before, but my eyes still didn’t believe it was real 🙂
I have the fortune to have seen it mostly with your publication of today, thanks for making it real for us 🙂
Thank you so much, Francis!
^_^
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
Nature’s Cathedrals 😃
Thank you very much! 🙂
Welcome- Great photos 👍😃
Beautiful scenery and I love those two tree growing from the bottom of this canyon shall we say shooting towards pass those ridges. Impressive entry. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour
Thank you so much! The trunks are so perfectly straight. The tree had no doubts 🙂
I’m going to have to visit Bryce Canyon! Wonderful photos and interesting story. Hoodoo is a great word, isn’t it. 🙂
Thank you so much! I haven’t heard the word before doing my research on the trip. It sounds strange, but I started getting used to it 🙂
Gorgeous photos as always! Love this!
Thank you! Hiking down and back again took my breath, to be honest 🙂
I’m not sure I’d make it! I’m not much of a hiker.
Your Fitbit might make a hiker of you 😉
Doubtful! I can hike up just about anything, but I freeze when heading down even small inclines. They scare me.
Cannot disagree. I am afraid I will just stumble and roll down…
Exactly! I’ve gotten myself into a few scary situations over the years because I’m a fearless climber.
What I keep saying to my granddaughters – before you climb, make sure you can get down without wailing for help.
I still wail for help.
Reblogged this on Barrow Blogs: and commented:
What wonderful photos – would love to visit but getting there is way out of our budget, I think. Still these pictures show how awesome the place is. Thank you
Thank you so much, Judith!
Fantastic photos. Looks like an amazing place. I’d never heard the term “hoodoos” before, so I’ve learned something too. 🙂
Thank you so much! I have never heard of the hoodoos either. I thought these were spires until now. Now I know that “spires” is something completely different. 🙂
What a fabulous post. Your photos are wonderful and vivid. As a geologist, I’d dearly love to visit Bryce Canyon and have a good look at those hoodoos. The wildlife there looks pretty amazing, too. I love the stunning colours of that jay. Thank you so much for taking us along the trail with you on your wonderful visit. 🙂
Thank you so much for your comment! I would say this place is a paradise for a geologist. I wish I had a better knowledge – it is why I posted a link, and it is a very interesting link. I just wanted to point out that some fantastic places can be visited with young children, and make an enjoyable trip 🙂
I could see how well the two little ones were enjoying it. Such a wonderful experience for them.
It was 🙂
You could have taken enough beautiful photos to make 5 posts. 🙂 I love the natural bridge and the looking up from canyons. Gorgeous acenery and a memorable trip. 😉
Thank you so much! I could sure post a picture a day for a month 🙂 Could make my life easier 🙂
For photography, it makes sense to stay there a week and shoot in different lighting conditions. I am not a landscape photographer, and I simply enjoyed myself 🙂 I was on vacation after all 🙂
Inese, I should have said I bet you already had taken enough for lots of posts! A photo a day is good but I did feel like I took a fantastic vacation or journey with you. It was marvelous and exciting to see all these natural wonders. Thanks for sharing.
When I started this blog, I learned from the others, and I did realize that my traffic would skyrocket if I posted just a picture every hour 🙂 Then I sacrificed my traffic :)))
Thank you for your comments, I really appreciate that you loved the journey. It is worth any traffic, seriously 🙂
Though not as spectacular as Bryce, it’s worth it to head to Drumheller in Alberta, Canada of the hoodoos there, and the Royal Tyrell Museum of paleontology!
I think you’d find plenty of fantastic shots.
Thank you! When I did my research, I read about the hoodoos in Canada and some other countries. They are all different, but stunning and very strange looking, which I really love 🙂 I wish I had a chance to visit them all…