In late April we visited Bryce Canyon National Park, a strange landscape of sculpted-pillar hoodoos in southern Utah.… Read More The post Hoodoo wonderland at Bryce Canyon National Park appeared first on Digging. June 25, 2023 On our spring RV trip through western national parks, we visited Bryce Canyon, a strange landscape of sculpted-pillar hoodoos. Located in southern Utah, Bryce sits high in the sky, averaging 8,000 feet in elevation. Snowbanks stood head high along some of the overlook paths during our late April visit, although temps were mild. Bryce Canyon isn’t actually a canyon at all but an amphitheater. This geological bowl was filigreed by eons of water runoff and snowmelt. A canyon, on the other hand, is carved by a river. Bryce’s famous hoodoos — pillars of stone sculpted by erosion and helped along by the pressures of freeze and thaw — are concentrated here in greater numbers than anywhere else on earth. If you squint right, they can look like people. Erosion also creates arches like this one. The ongoing subtraction process constantly creates new hoodoos along the edges of the amphitheater, and existing ones collapse. It’s a pretty temporary landscape in the grand scheme of things. Aspen trunks and snow I had to laugh witnessing this staring contest between an inquisitive turkey and a park visitor. After the hikes at Zion the day before, I found Bryce to be more of an “overlook park.” We drove the length of the rim, stopping at pullouts to admire turret-like views. The number of hoodoos is astonishing. Like clouds, hoodoos assume various forms in your imagination. Crenellated castle walls? Check. Throngs of people pressed tightly together? Yep, I can see that too. Hoodoos to be A fallen tree stretches white, weather-sanded limbs toward the sky. Castles in the air… …where sentinel trees cling tenuously to cliff edges… …and your eye can roam and roam. Up next: A visit to gorgeous Red Hills Desert Garden in St. George, Utah. For a look back at majestic Zion National Park, where we spotted bighorn sheep, click here. I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox! __________________________ Digging Deeper Come learn about garden design from the experts at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, and authors a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance. Simply click this link and ask to be added. Season 7 starts in August. Stay tuned for the lineup! All material © 2023 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. The post Hoodoo wonderland at Bryce Canyon National Park appeared first on Digging.
