The major feature of Bryce Canyon National Park is Bryce Canyon, which despite its name, is not a canyon, but a collection of giant natural amphitheaters. The National Park is distinctive due to geological structures called Hoodoos, formed by frost weathering and stream erosion of red, orange, and white sedimentary rocks.

According to the National Park Website, Bryce Canyon has the largest concentration of Hoodoos found anywhere on Earth. You can read about the 'Three-Step Recipe to Create Bryce Canyon' here (National Park Website).

Bryce Canyon National Park sits at a much higher elevation than nearby Zion National Park which is much more visited. Situated along a high plateau at the top of the Grand Staircase, the rim at Bryce Canyon varies from 8,000 to 9,000 ft (2,400 to 2,700 m).

The Bryce Canyon area was settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1850s and was named after Mormon pioneer Ebenezer Bryce who homesteaded in the area in 1874.

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.

Bryce Canyon National Park is one of my favourite U.S. National Parks. The photographs are from visits in the years 2003, 2005, and 2012.