Bryce Canyon National Park Facts

Bryce Canyon National Park is located in Utah's Canyon Country. Some 35,835 acres (14,502 ha) or 56 mi² (145 km²) in extent, the designated area around the spectacular Bryce Canyon (not actually a canyon, but rather a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion) became a United States National Monument in 1923 and was designated as a National Park in 1928. The park is one of the most popular in Utah with nearly one million people visiting each year.

Bryce Canyon consists of a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters carved from the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in southern Utah. The erosional force of frost-wedging and the dissolving power of rainwater have shaped the colorful limestone rock of the Claron Formation into bizarre shapes including slot canyons, windows, fins, and spires called "hoodoos." The varied colors of the rocks and rock formations contribute to the spectacular views.

Bryce lies at a much higher elevation than nearby Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon, varying from 8,000 to 9,000 feet (2,440 to 2,740 m), whereas the south rim of the Grand Canyon sits at 7,000 feet (2130 m) above sea level. Bryce Canyon National Park therefore has a substantially different ecology and climate, offering a contrast for visitors to the southwest (who often visit all three parks in a single vacation).

1. Interesting fact: Water, ice, and gravity are the natural forces that formed the geological "hoodoos" that make Bryce Canyon unique.

2. Fun fact: This park is named after Ebenezer Bryce, who started ranching the area in 1875. Upon showing the canyons to visitors, he is said to have remarked, "It's a hell of a place to lose a cow."

3. Cool fact: Prairie dogs were wiped out from the area in the 1950s. In the 1970s, they were reintroduced.

4.  Bryce Canyon's rocks are among the youngest of those on the Colorado Plateau, dating back a mere 65 million years ago to the Cretaceous period.

5. Interesting fact: Paiute Indian history says the colorful hoodoos were "Legend People" who were turned into stone by the trickster god Coyote.

6. Weird fact: Marmots, a high-elevation mammal found here, are often called "rockchucks" by the local population.

7. Cool fact: Most rural parts of the U.S. have 2500 stars visible on any given clear night. At Bryce Canyon, that number jumps to a whopping 7500.

8. Fun fact: On a clear day, visibility from Bryce Canyon can exceed 100 miles.

9. Cool fact: Foxes, mountain lions, and black bears inhabit Bryce Canyon, although they are rarely seen.

10. Bryce Canyon is along the southeastern rim of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. The word paunsaugunt comes from the Paiute language. It means place or home of the beavers.

11. Geological fact: Bryce Canyon isn't actually a canyon. It's a natural amphitheatre.

12. There are 400 plant species in this high desert environment.