Bryce Canyon National Park

Template:Short description Template:Featured article Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox protected area Bryce Canyon National Park (Template:IPAc-en) is a national park of the United States 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 rock. The red, orange, and white colors of the rocks provide distinctive 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 Template:Convert.

The area is in portions of Garfield County<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Kane County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1850s and was named after Ebenezer Bryce, who homesteaded in the area in 1874.<ref name="Kiver1999p523">Template:Harvard citation no brackets</ref> The area 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 Template:Convert<ref name="area"/> and receives substantially fewer visitors than Zion National Park (nearly 4.3 million in 2016) or Grand Canyon National Park (almost 6 million in 2016), largely due to Bryce's more remote location. In 2024, Bryce Canyon received almost 2.5Template:Nbspmillion visitors.<ref name="visits"/>

Geography

The park covers Template:Cvt<ref name=area/> in southwestern Utah, at an altitude of Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The park is about Template:Convert northeast of and Template:Convert higher than Zion National Park.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Harris1997p44">Template:Harvard citation no brackets</ref>

Bryce Canyon National Park lies within the Colorado Plateau geographic province of North America and straddles the southeastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau west of Paunsaugunt Faults (Paunsaugunt is Paiute for "home of the beaver").<ref name="Harris1997p46" /> Park visitors arrive at the plateau and look over its edge toward a valley containing the fault and the Paria River just beyond it (Paria is Paiute for "muddy or elk water"). The Kaiparowits Plateau is on the eastern opposite side of the valley.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Bryce Canyon was not formed from erosion initiated from a central stream, meaning it technically is not a canyon. Instead headward erosion excavated large amphitheater-shaped features in the Cenozoic-aged rocks of the Paunsaugunt Plateau.<ref name="Harris1997p46">Template:Harvard citation no brackets</ref> This erosion resulted in colorful pinnacles called hoodoos that are up to Template:Convert high. A series of amphitheaters extends more than Template:Convert north-to-south within the park.<ref name="Harris1997p46"/> The largest is Bryce Amphitheater, which is Template:Convert long, Template:Convert wide and Template:Convert deep.<ref name="Harris1997p46"/> A nearby example of amphitheaters with hoodoos in the same formation but at a higher elevation is in Cedar Breaks National Monument, which is Template:Convert to the west on the Markagunt Plateau.<ref name="Harris1997p44"/>

Rainbow Point, the highest part of the park at Template:Convert,<ref name="Harris1997p53"/> is at the end of the Template:Convert scenic drive.<ref name="Harris1997p46"/> From there, Aquarius Plateau, Bryce Amphitheater, the Henry Mountains, the Vermilion Cliffs and the White Cliffs can be seen. Yellow Creek, where it exits the park in the northeast section, is the lowest part of the park at Template:Convert.<ref name="TheHoodoo">Template:Cite news</ref>

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, the park has a continental climate with warm, dry summers (Dsb). Dsb climates are defined by having their coldest month at a mean temperature below Template:Convert, all months with a mean temperature below Template:Convert, at least four months with a mean temperature above Template:Convert, and three times as much precipitation in the wettest winter month compared to the driest summer month. The plant hardiness zone at the visitor center is 5b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of Template:Convert.<ref name="USDA">Template:Cite web</ref>

The weather in Bryce Canyon is cooler and receives more precipitation than Zion: a total of Template:Convert per year.<ref name="Tufts1998p71">Template:Harvard citation no brackets</ref><ref name="TheHoodoo"/> Yearly temperatures vary from an average minimum of Template:Convert in January to an average maximum of Template:Convert in July, but extreme temperatures can range from Template:Convert.<ref name="TheHoodoo"/> The record high temperature in the park was Template:Convert in July 2002, while the record low temperature was Template:Convert in December 1972.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

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History

Native American habitation

Little is known about early human habitation in the area. Archaeological surveys of the Paunsaugunt Plateau indicate that people have lived in the area for at least 10,000 years. Basketmaker Anasazi artifacts thousands of years old were found south of the park. Other artifacts from the Pueblo-period Anasazi and the Fremont culture (up to the mid-12th century) were found.<ref name="Tufts1998p73">Template:Harvard citation no brackets</ref>

The Paiute Native Americans moved into the area around the time that the other cultures left.<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/> These Native Americans hunted and gathered for most of their food, while supplementing their diet with cultivated plants. The Paiute developed a mythology surrounding the hoodoos. They believed that they were the Legend People whom the trickster Coyote turned to stone due to their bad deeds.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> One older Paiute said his culture called the hoodoos Anka-ku-was-a-wits, which is Paiute for "red painted faces".<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/>

European American exploration and settlement

In the late 18th and early 19th century the first European Americans explored the area.<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/> Mormon scouts visited in the 1850s to gauge its potential for agriculture, grazing, and settlement.<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/>

The first major scientific expedition was led by U.S. Army Major John Wesley Powell in 1872.<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/> Powell, along with a team of mapmakers and geologists, surveyed the Sevier and Virgin River area as part of a larger survey of the Colorado Plateaus. His mapmakers used many Paiute place names.<ref name="Harris1997p46"/>

Small groups of Mormon pioneers followed and attempted to settle east of Bryce Canyon along the Paria River. The Kanarra Cattle Company began grazing cattle there in 1873.<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/>

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent Scottish immigrant Ebenezer Bryce and his wife Mary to settle land in the Paria Valley to apply his carpentry skills. The Bryce family settled right below Bryce Amphitheater—the main collection of hoodoos. Bryce grazed his cattle inside what are now park borders, and is reputed to have said that the amphitheaters were a "helluva place to lose a cow."<ref name="Kiver1999p523"/> He built a road to the plateau to retrieve firewood and timber, and a canal to irrigate his crops and water his animals. Other settlers soon started to call the canyon at the end of road "Bryce's Canyon", and the name stuck.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A combination of drought, overgrazing, and flooding eventually drove the remaining Paiutes from the area and prompted the settlers to attempt to build a water diversion channel from the Sevier River drainage. That effort failed, leading most settlers, including the Bryce family, to abandon the area.<ref name="Harris1997p46"/> Bryce moved his family to Arizona in 1880.<ref name="TheHoodoo"/> The remaining settlers dug a Template:Convert ditch from the Sevier's east fork into Tropic Valley.<ref name="Harris1997p46"/>

Creation of the park

These scenic areas were first described to the public in magazine articles published by Union Pacific and Santa Fe railroads in 1916.<ref name="Kiver1999p523"/> Forest Supervisor J. W. Humphrey among others promoted the scenic wonders of Bryce Canyon's amphitheaters, and by 1918 additional articles helped generate public interest.<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/> Ruby Syrett, Harold Bowman, and the Perry brothers later established lodging and "touring services".<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/> Syrett later served as the first postmaster. By the early 1920s, the Union Pacific Railroad became interested in expanding rail service into southwestern Utah to accommodate tourists.<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/>

Conservation advocates became alarmed by the damage overgrazing, logging, and unregulated visitation was inflicting on the canyon. A protection effort soon began, and National Park Service Director Stephen Mather responded by proposing that Bryce Canyon be made into a state park. However, the governor of Utah and the Utah State Legislature lobbied for national protection. Mather relented and sent his recommendation to President Warren G. Harding, who on June 8, 1923, established Bryce Canyon National Monument.<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/>

A road was built the same year on the plateau to provide access to outlooks over the amphitheaters. From 1924 to 1925, Bryce Canyon Lodge was built from local timber and stone.<ref name="TheHoodoo_p5">Template:Cite web</ref>

Members of the United States Congress started work in 1924 on upgrading Bryce Canyon's protection status from national monument to national park to establish Utah National Park.<ref name="TheHoodoo_p5" /> A process led by the Utah Parks Company for transferring ownership of private and state-held land to the federal government started in 1923.<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/> The last of the land was acquired four years later, and on February 25, 1928, Bryce Canyon National Park was established.<ref name="Kiver1999p524">Template:Harvard citation no brackets</ref>

In 1931, President Herbert Hoover annexed an adjoining area south of the park, and in 1942 an additional Template:Convert was added.<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/> This brought the park's total area to the ultimate Template:Convert.<ref name="Kiver1999p524"/> Rim Road, a scenic drive, was completed in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Park administration was conducted from Zion National Park until 1956 when Bryce Canyon's first superintendent started work.<ref name="Tufts1998p73"/>

Later

The USS Bryce Canyon, named for the park, served as a supply and repair ship in the U.S. Pacific Fleet from September 15, 1950, to June 30, 1981.<ref>Template:Cite DANFS</ref>

Bryce Canyon Natural History Association (BCNHA) is a non-profit organization, established in 1961.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It runs the bookstore inside the park visitor center and support interpretive, educational, and scientific activities.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Responding to increased visitation and traffic congestion, NPS implemented a voluntary, summer-only, in-park shuttle system in June 2000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geology

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The Bryce Canyon area experienced soil deposition that spans from the last part of the Cretaceous period and the first half of the Cenozoic era. The ancient depositional environment varied. Dakota Sandstone and Tropic Shale were deposited in the warm, shallow waters of the advancing and retreating Cretaceous Seaway (outcrops of these rocks are found just outside park borders).<ref name="Harris1997p51">Template:Harvard citation no brackets</ref>

Other formations were created, but mostly eroded away following two major periods of uplift. The Laramide orogeny affected the entire western part of what would become North America starting about 70 million to 50 MYA.<ref name="Kiver1999p524"/> This event helped to build the Rocky Mountains and in the process closed the Cretaceous Seaway. The Straight Cliffs, Wahweap, and Kaiparowits formations were victims of this uplift. The Colorado Plateaus rose 16 MYA and were segmented into plateaus, separated by faults and each having its own uplift rate.<ref name="Harris1997p53">Template:Harvard citation no brackets</ref>

This uplift created vertical joints, which over time preferentially eroded. The soft Pink Cliffs of the Claron Formation eroded to form freestanding hoodoo pinnacles in badlands, while the more resistant White Cliffs formed monoliths.<ref name="Harris1997p46"/> The dominant bright orange colors are from hematite (iron oxide; Template:Chem2); the yellows from limonite (Template:Chem2); and the purples are from pyrolusite (Template:Chem2).<ref name="Harris1997p50">Template:Harvard citation no brackets</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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Ecology

More than 1000 plant species live in the park.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The park spans three life zones, depending on elevation.<ref name=ecology>Template:Cite web</ref>

The highest areas have Douglas fir, Blue spruce, and quaking aspen. Mule deer, elk, and grouse eat young fir shoots here. Squirrels and Chipmunks are also found in this area<ref name=ecology/>
The mid elevations are dominated by Ponderosa pine forests, with greenleaf manzanita and Rocky Mountain juniper also occurring in these forests.<ref name=ecology/>
The lowest elevations are arid and have Colorado pinyon and Utah juniper trees. The seeds of the pinyon are consumed by pinyon jays and Clark's nutcrackers, which help the pinyons reproduce.<ref name=ecology/>

The park has 59 mammal species, more than 45 species of butterflies and moths, over 100 species of birds, and a large number of insect species. The forests and meadows support diverse animal life, including ringtails. Larger mammals include deer, antelope, elk, and mountain lions. Birds of the park include peregrine falcons, ospreys, jays, and hummingbirds.<ref name=ecology/> Eleven species of reptiles and four species of amphibians have been found.<ref name="NPSrepam">Template:Cite web</ref> Reptiles include the Great Basin rattlesnake, short-horned lizard, side-blotched lizard, striped whipsnake, and amphibians include the tiger salamander.<ref name="NPSrepam"/>

The park forms part of the habitat of three wildlife species listed under the Endangered Species Act: the Utah prairie dog, the California condor, and the southwestern willow flycatcher.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Utah prairie dog is a threatened species that was reintroduced to the park. The largest protected population is found in the park.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Also in the park are the black, lumpy, very slow-growing colonies of cryptobiotic soil, which are a mix of lichens, algae, fungi, and cyanobacteria.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Together these organisms slow erosion, add nitrogen to the soil, and help it to retain moisture.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Activities

Bryce Canyon has eight marked and maintained day hikes:<ref name="TheHoodoo_p6">Template:Cite web</ref>

Easy to moderate hikes

Mossy Cave (one hour, State Route 12 northwest of Tropic)
Rim Trail (5–6 hours, anywhere on the rim)
Bristlecone Loop (one hour, Rainbow Point), and Queens Garden (1–2 hours, Sunrise Point)

Moderate hikes

Navajo Loop (1–2 hours, Sunset Point)
Tower Bridge (2–3 hours, north of Sunrise Point)

Strenuous hikes

Fairyland Loop (4–5 hours, Fairyland Point)
Peekaboo Loop (3–4 hours, Bryce Point)

Several of the trails intersect, allowing hikers to arrange routes for more challenging hikes.

The park has two trails designated for overnight trips: the Template:Convert Riggs Spring Loop Trail and the Template:Convert Under-the-Rim Trail.<ref name="TheHoodoo_p6" />

On clear days the Navajo Mountain and the Kaibab Plateau can be seen Template:Convert away in Arizona from Yovimpa and Rainbow points and the Black Mesas of eastern Arizona and western New Mexico can be seen Template:Convert away.<ref name="NPS Farview">Template:Cite web</ref>

The park has a 7.4 magnitude night sky, one of the darkest in North America<ref name="TheHoodoo" /> and patrons can see approximately 7,500 stars. 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 festival, Asteroid 49272 was named after the national park.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The two campgrounds are North Campground and Sunset Campground.<ref name="NPS Campgrounds">Template:Cite web</ref> Loop A in North Campground is open year-round. Additional loops and Sunset Campground are open from late spring to early autumn.<ref name="NPS Lodging">Template:Cite web</ref>

Notes

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References

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External links

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Bryce Canyon National Park Service information / U.S. Department of the Interior.
Bryce Canyon National Park: Hoodoos Cast Their Spell, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan
Maps
Bryce Canyon National Park — slideshow by Life magazine
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Bryce Canyon National Park

Contents

Geography

Climate