Written by: the Warrior

With a land mass of 35,835 acres, Bryce Canyon has been a US National Park since 1928. It was first established as a National Monument in 1923, and when we visited in December of 2023, we arrived in time to celebrate its centennial.

But of course, its actual history, is much longer than a measly 100 years.

As seen in the figure below from the US National Park Service, Bryce Canyon National Park is part of a geological formation called the Grand Staircase, stretching from the Grand Canyon, through Zion to Bryce Canyon.

Its rock layers form the upper most and youngest layers of the formation, coming in at a youthful 30-50 million years old.

It’s situated in southern Utah, about a 1.5-hour drive from Zion National Park, a 2.5-hour drive from Antelope Canyon, and a 5-hour drive from Grand Canyon National Park.

Even though Bruce Canyon is located in close proximity to its more famous National Park cousins, and is geologically connected to them, Bryce Canyon itself is actually very different from the rest.

For one, though the word “canyon” is in its name, apparently, Bryce Canyon is not per se a canyon. According the US National Park Service, Bryce Canyon “consists of a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters“.

“The erosional force of rainwater have shaped the colorful calcium-rich mudstone of the Claron Formation into bizarre shapes including slot canyons, windows, fins, and spires called hoodoos“.

Bryce Canyon National Park

I’m not entirely sure what is meant by windows or fins, but I know hoodoos when I see one. I have seen these strange rock formations in Drumheller, Alberta (Canada) too.

Hoodoos Trail, Drumheller, Alberta (Canada)

Also, Bryce Canyon is located at an higher altitude of between 2000m to 2700m above sea level, thus, its climate is cooler and windier, especially in the winter.

The fact that it’s a smaller park and more remote, meant that during our visit, Bryce Canyon was much less crowded as well.

Bryce Canyon was the Tiger Princess’ favourite National Park in the area, since according to her, it’s the brightest and most colourful one, especially with the sprinkles of snow.

I could not have said it better myself.