The park is basically long and narrow with a series of "amphitheaters" or canyons on the east side of the park. There are numerous overlooks along the 18 mile drive from one end of the park to the other where you can stop and enjoy the views and take pictures. There also numerous trails where you can hike down into and around the canyons, and in some cases take guided tours on mules or on horseback.
The spectacular rock formations in the canyons are called "hoodoos", crimson-colored spire-shaped rock formations. These tall sandstone columns were formed by erosion and geological lifting over millions of years. Here is the link to more information about the hoodoos and the geology of the park:
The elevation of the park varies mostly between 8,000-9,000 ft and the rock formations are mixed with an alpine forest setting of pine, birch fir and spruce trees along with mixed underbrush vegetation.
The park is very popular with tourists and a shuttle bus service is provided to encourage visitors to use it to reduce traffic congestion. There are also two campgrounds, a general store and a hotel lodge and restaurant in the park. As in Arches National Park, there were also a lot of tour buses and visitors from other countries.
We drove to the end of the park, stopped at all the overlooks on the way back and had lunch at the hotel lodge restaurant. The weather was perfect again, sunny and temperatures in the low 80s' although it did seem hotter by the end of the day. It was another great national park visit that we thoroughly enjoyed.
The National Antique Motorcycle Association was holding a national ride through three national parks in Utah and they happened to pass through Bryce Canyon today. There were lots of old guys (and gals) on old motorcycles lovingly restored. One couple I talked to was riding a 1942 Harley Davidson restored to its WW II colors.
The park is also hosting the "16th Annual Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival" from June 1-4. The festival includes daytime and evening programs as well as stargazing after dark at a viewing station within the park. Shuttles are provided to the site to view the evening sky through telescopes set-up by astronomers attending the festival. We went to the site and made our way in the dark (no white lights were allowed) along the line of over a dozen telescopes set-up by the amateur astronomers, viewing everything from planets and stars to galaxies. It was really impressive to see how many stars are out there when you look at the sky on a clear night at 8,000 ft with no other lights visible.
We decided to not go to Zion tomorrow. It is a long drive from here (83 miles) so we will save a visit there for our next trip to the area. The plan for tomorrow is to see a little more of the park and relax a bit before leaving on Sunday.
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