Amazed with the maze of multicolored sandstone spires that spread before us, we take the Navajo Loop Trail ever downward on orange sand into a narrow slit of bright orange canyon walls looking so weathered, and out we go to the other side of the slit to see among the pines an immense array of pinnacles rising above, like bishops. kings and queens, ever at play through the seasons in a silent game of giant chess under indigo blue skies and filled with the fragrance of pines.
Sincerely,
Bryce Canyon National Park
This popular park is most famous for its colorful hoodoos, and there are more of these artfully eroded spires here than anywhere else on Earth. The area is not actually a canyon, however, but a series of amphitheaters which feature remarkable rock formations and extensive forests dominated with conifers, including ancient bristlecone pines. Together with Zion and Grand Canyon National Parks, Bryce Canyon is part of a geologic wonder known as the Grand Staircase, an immense area of rock with layered sedimentary formations ranging from 600 million to 2,000 million years old.
State(s): Utah
Established: 1942
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