Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon is not a single canyon, but a series of natural amphitheaters or bowls, carved into the edge of a high plateau. The most famous of these is the Bryce Amphitheater, which is filled with irregularly eroded spires of rocks called hoodoos. Perhaps every visitor to the park will spend at least some time marvelling at its four main viewpoints, all found within the first few miles of the park: Bryce Point, Inspiration Point, Sunset Point, and Sunrise Point. Between April and October a shuttle service is operated in this area of the park to reduce congestion.Other viewpoints are found all along the park's 18-mile main road which travels from park's only entrance in the north along the plateau rim to its highest elevations in the south (over 9,000 ft / 2,743 m). Hiking trails explore the forests of the plateau, connect between viewpoints along the rim of the Bryce Amphitheater, and wander through the hoodoos below. Deepen your understanding of the park by attending a ranger program, whether it be a daily geology talk, rim walk, evening program, astronomy program, or full moon hike. Be sure to ask about our Jr. Ranger Program at the visitor information desk. Concessioner-provided horseback rides are another way to experience Bryce Canyon during the summer season. There are activities for everyone!Bryce Canyon offers two campground sites (one in winter) and lodging is available at the Bryce Canyon Lodge during the summer season. During winter, hotel rooms are available in the park at the Sunset Hotel.Explore the park map to begin familiarizing yourself with the layout of this special place.

bryce canyon national park

Bryce Canyon National Park (/braɪs/) is an American national park located in southwestern Utah. The major feature of the park is Bryce Canyon, which despite its name, is not a canyon, but a collection of giant natural amphitheaters along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Bryce is distinctive due to geological structures called hoodoos, formed by frost weathering and stream erosion of the river and lake bed sedimentary rocks. The red, orange, and white colors of the rocks provide spectacular views for park visitors. Bryce Canyon National Park is much smaller and sits at a much higher elevation than nearby Zion National Park. The rim at Bryce varies from 8,000 to 9,000 feet (2,400 to 2,700 m).

The Bryce Canyon area was settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1850s and was named after Ebenezer Bryce, who homesteaded in the area in 1874.[3] The area around Bryce Canyon was originally designated as a national monument by President Warren G. Harding in 1923 and was redesignated as a national park by Congress in 1928. The park covers 35,835 acres (55.992 sq mi; 14,502 ha; 145.02 km2)[1] and receives substantially fewer visitors than Zion National Park (nearly 4.3 million in 2016) or Grand Canyon National Park (nearly 6 million in 2016), largely due to Bryce's more remote location. In 2018, Bryce Canyon received 2,679,478 recreational visitors, which was an increase of 107,794 visitors from the prior year.[2]

Bryce Canyon was not formed from erosion initiated from a central stream, meaning it technically is not a canyon. Instead headward erosion has excavated large amphitheater-shaped features in the Cenozoic-aged rocks of the Paunsaugunt Plateau.[4] This erosion resulted in delicate and colorful pinnacles called hoodoos that are up to 200 feet (60 m) high. A series of amphitheaters extends more than 20 miles (30 km) north-to-south within the park.[4] The largest is Bryce Amphitheater, which is 12 miles (19 km) long, 3 miles (5 km) wide and 800 feet (240 m) deep.[4] A nearby example of amphitheaters with hoodoos in the same formation but at a higher elevation is in Cedar Breaks National Monument, which is 25 miles (40 km) to the west on the Markagunt Plateau.[5]

These scenic areas were first described for the public in magazine articles published by Union Pacific and Santa Fe railroads in 1916.[3] People like Forest Supervisor J. W. Humphrey promoted the scenic wonders of Bryce Canyon's amphitheaters, and by 1918 nationally distributed articles also helped to spark interest.[13] However, poor access to the remote area and the lack of accommodations kept visitation to a bare minimum.

At the same time, conservationists became alarmed by the damage overgrazing, logging, and unregulated visitation were having on the fragile features of Bryce Canyon. A movement to have the area protected was soon started, and National Park Service Director Stephen Mather responded by proposing that Bryce Canyon be made into a state park. The governor of Utah and the Utah State Legislature, however, lobbied for national protection of the area. Mather relented and sent his recommendation to President Warren G. Harding, who on June 8, 1923, declared Bryce Canyon a national monument.[13]

Members of the United States Congress started work in 1924 on upgrading Bryce Canyon's protection status from a national monument to a national park in order to establish Utah National Park.[15] A process led by the Utah Parks Company for transferring ownership of private and state-held land in the monument to the federal government started in 1923.[13] The last of the land in the proposed park's borders was sold to the federal government four years later, and on February 25, 1928, the renamed Bryce Canyon National Park was established.[16]

The park also has a 7.4 magnitude night sky, making it one of the darkest in North America.[29] Stargazers can, therefore, see 7,500 stars with the naked eye, while in most places fewer than 2,000 can be seen due to light pollution, and in many large cities only a few dozen can be seen. Park rangers host public stargazing events and evening programs on astronomy, nocturnal animals, and night sky protection. The Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival, typically held in June, attracts thousands of visitors. In honor of this astronomy festival, Asteroid 49272 was named after the national park.[30]

Here you will find the best Bryce Canyon can offer in Restaurants, Guided Park Tours, Hotels, Bryce Canyon Activities and so much more! Let us help you plan your next visit to Bryce Canyon and get a complete experience tailored to you. There are no shortage of activities in Bryce Canyon, and planning your national park trip should be part of the fun! We have compromised lists of activities and places to stay and eat in hopes of making your vacation planning stress and worry free. Some things in life are worth racing the sunrise for, and seeing the orange growing drip castles are one of those things.

Getting HereThe closest major airport is Salt Lake City International Airport located 260 miles North of the park. Regular commercial flights serve Cedar City (87 miles), St. George (150 miles), Salt Lake City (270 miles), as well as Las Vegas, Nevada (270 miles). The Bryce Canyon Airport (4 miles), operated by Garfield Country, has commercial flights from Las Vegas. Phone: 435-834-5239 for current carriers and schedules. Private planes are welcome at this uncontrolled airport.

Whatever you see in the hoodoos, they are one of the most iconic sights across Southern Utah. This summer, Bryce turns 100 years old and the park is celebrating. On June 8, a free centennial ceremony and concert will commemorate the day in 1923 when the area was designated a national monument (later to be made a national park). This will kick off more events and programs staged throughout the year.

President Warren G. Harding named the area a national monument in 1923, Congress passed a bill the next year to establish a national park, and it officially earned that designation in 1928. Today, this otherworldly landscape is a must-visit stop on southern Utah's circuit of five national parks, with some 2.6 million people making the trip in 2019.

BCNP's popularity means it can get crowded during the tourist season, May through September. To reduce congestion and long lines at parking areas, the park runs a shuttle bus that can make your visit much more pleasant. Simply park your car at one of five stops in Bryce Canyon City, hop on the shuttle and let the driver do all the work. The buses typically arrive every 15 minutes, but you can check for real-time updates on brycecanyonshuttle.com.

If you visit during a full moon, enter the park's lottery for one of the few slots on a two- to three-hour guided nighttime hike. Submit your name between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Visitor Center and check whether you've been selected between 4 and 4:15 p.m. The moon's glow bounces off the oddly shaped hoodoos, creating an eerie interplay of light and shadows. The park usually offers one of two hikes, depending on ranger staffing: an easier one along the rim, and a harder one that descends into the canyon.

The park is a popular stop for campers looking to visit multiple national parks, including Zion, which is less than a two-hour drive. Other Utah parks include Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands National Parks.

There is RV camping right outside the national park at Ruby's Inn RV Park & Campground, which is one of the most popular places to camp near Bryce Canyon, according to Campendium users. While the campsites do have full hookups, they are relatively simple with just a fire ring and picnic table. Still, most visitors say you can't beat the convenient location as the campground is located on the road that leads to the National Park.

Bryce Canyon Lodge's ideal location inside the park, near the canyon rim, makes this lodging facility one of the most sought-after and popular choices in the region. The lodge is also listed on the National Historic Register. Bryce Canyon Lodge is an architectural treasure that opened in 1925. Designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood, who also designed the Ahwahnee at Yosemite, Old Faithful Lodge at Yellowstone, and Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park. Bryce Canyon Lodge has been carefully maintained to keep the original structure. 041b061a72