Bryce Canyon, Utah

The Bryce Canyon National Park of  is an American national park situated in southwestern Utah. Bryce Canyon, which, despite its name, is not a canyon, but a collection of giant natural amphitheaters on the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau, is the main feature of the park.

Because of geological structures called hoodoos, formed by frost weathering and stream erosion of the sedimentary rocks of the river and lake bed, Bryce is distinctive. Spectacular views for park visitors are provided by the red, orange, and white colors of the rocks.

Bryce Canyon National Park is much smaller than the nearby Zion National Park, and sits at a much higher elevation. The rim ranges from 8,000 to 9,000 feet at Bryce (2,400 to 2,700 m).

The area of Bryce Canyon was settled in the 1850s by Mormon pioneers and was named after Ebenezer Bryce, who in 1874 homesteaded in the area. The region around Bryce Canyon was originally designated by President Warren G. Harding in 1923 as a national monument and was redesignated by Congress in 1928 as a national park.

The park covers 35,835 acres (55,992 sq mi; 14,502 ha; 145.02 km2)[1] and receives significantly fewer visitors than Zion National Park (almost 4.3 million in 2016) or Grand Canyon National Park (almost 6 million in 2016), largely because of the more remote location of Bryce. In 2018, 2,679,478 recreational visitors attended Bryce Canyon, which was an increase from the previous year of 107,794 visitors.

Popular activities in Bryce Canyon are hiking, camping, horseback riding and nature photography.