Day 3 of our photography tour began with the 75 mile (120 km) trip from Zion NP to Bryce Canyon National Park. 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 sits at a much higher elevation than nearby Zion National Park. The rim at Bryce varies from 8,000 to 9,000 feet.
We arrived in mid-morning, yet the weather was still cool and breezy. At 8,000 ft + (2,438 m) it’s chilly at this time of the year. Fortunately it warmed quickly under the clear blue skies and we got some protection from the wind as we descended into the depths of the canyon. Before beginning our descent I took the following picture of one of the main amphitheatres, not surprisingly named “The Amphitheatre”. Of course, you cannot miss the snow, an indicator of the temperature but also a nice complement to the green and orange hues of the trees and and rocks.
After taking a few “overview” shots of Bryce Canyon, we hiked into it to get some closer views of the hoodoos, canyons and trees. We enjoyed a good walk, covering about 8 miles (13 km), descending via the Navajo Trail and returning via the Queen’s Garden Trail. It’s a very scenic route and yielded a good number of quality images.
One of my favourites is the next picture of a small, tributary canyon off the Navajo trail, featuring two stone bridges across the canyon. The first bridge can be seen in the upper part of the picture; the second is near the bottom, where it has accumulated rock and wood debris washed down the canyon. What’s fascinating about this photo is the light. The rock on the left is illuminated by direct sunlight, which at this time of day is quite harsh and not that appealing. That same light is reflected onto the opposite wall of the canyon, creating a warm, soft and even glow. Much more appealing. It’s a good example of how reflected light enhances the colour of many rock faces in Bryce Canyon.
Another of my favourites from last week is this shot of a lone hoodoo, perched on the downward slope of the canyon wall. The colours of the rock structure and its supporting terrain are very captivating.
As we neared the end of our trek, we were treated to a very good view of the Mormon Temple area. Nicely visible from the eastern end of the Queen’s Garden Trail. Following are two photos taken from different vantage points on the trail. The first was taken from a point near the end of the trail, higher on the canyon wall as we approached the rim.
The second view was taken from lower in the canyon before we began our ascent to the rim. This image shows the many rock structures that make up the temple and the colourful rock “dunes” in the foreground.
Enough for today. I plan to publish one final blog from our trip, featuring our last stop, Coal Mine Canyon.