Bryce Canyon in south west Utah is the product of millions of years of erosion of uplifted sediments originally formed when the area was covered by the sea about 150 million years ago. The result today is a fantastic display of brightly coloured pink, orange and white hoodoos (thin rock pillars). This landform, more an eroding plateau than a canyon, is much smaller than the Grand Canyon, more on a human scale, and there are several fabulous hikes below the rim amongst the spires and hoodoos.
The area was originally settled by the indigenous Paiute people, but they were displaced by Mormon settlers in the mid 1800s. The canyon takes its name from one of these settlers, Ebenezer Bryce, whose property was nearby.
We admired the view from each of the lookouts in the park, then did a 12km hike down into the canyon, taking in the Queen’s Garden, Navajo and Peek-a-Boo Trails. It was an awesome, other-worldly walk, and it had just turned dark when we made it back up to the rim. We think Bryce Canyon is more beautiful than its bigger cousin the Grand Canyon, and is a must-see destination if you're in the area. It's possibly the most stunning natural sight we've ever seen.
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