The Amphitheater at Bryce Canyon
by Bruce Bley
Title
The Amphitheater at Bryce Canyon
Artist
Bruce Bley
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Bryce Canyon National Park is a national park located in southwestern Utah in the United States. The major feature of the park is Bryce Canyon, which despite its name, is not a canyon but a collection of giant natural amphitheaters along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Bryce is distinctive due to geological structures called hoodoos, formed by frost weathering and stream erosion of the river and lake bed sedimentary rocks. The red, orange, and white colors of the rocks provide spectacular views for park visitors. Bryce sits at a much higher elevation than nearby Zion National Park. The rim at Bryce varies from 8,000 to 9,000 feet (2,400 to 2,700 m).
The Bryce Canyon area was settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1850s and was named after Ebenezer Bryce, who homesteaded in the area in 1874. The area around Bryce Canyon became a National Monument in 1923 and was designated as a National Park in 1928. The park covers 35,835 acres (55.99 sq mi; 145.02 km2) and receives relatively few visitors compared to Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon, largely due to its remote location.
The national park lies within the Colorado Plateau geographic province of North America and straddles the southeastern edge of the Paunsagunt Plateau west of the Paunsagunt Fault (Paunsagunt is Paiute for "home of the beaver"). Park visitors arrive from the plateau part of the park and look over the plateau's edge toward a valley containing the fault and the Paria River just beyond it (Paria is Paiute for "muddy or elk water"). The edge of the Kaiparowits Plateau bounds the opposite side of the valley.
Bryce Canyon was not formed from erosion initiated from a central stream, meaning it technically is not a canyon. Instead headward erosion has excavated large amphitheater-shaped features in the Cenozoic-aged rocks of the Paunsagunt Plateau. This erosion exposed delicate and colorful pinnacles called hoodoos that are up to 200 feet (61 m) high. A series of amphitheaters extends more than 20 miles (32 km) north-to-south within the park. The largest is Bryce Amphitheater, which is 12 miles (19 km) long, 3 miles (4.8 km) wide and 800 feet (240 m) deep. A nearby example of amphitheaters with hoodoos in the same formation but at a higher elevation, is in Cedar Breaks National Monument, which is 25 miles (40 km) to the west on the Markagunt Plateau.
Rainbow Point, the highest part of the park at 9,105 feet (2,775 m), is at the end of the 18-mile (29 km) scenic drive. From there, Aquarius Plateau, Bryce Amphitheater, the Henry Mountains, the Vermilion Cliffs and the White Cliffs can be seen. Yellow Creek, where it exits the park in the north-east section, is the lowest part of the park at 6,620 feet (2,020 m).
I hope you have enjoyed this work and will share it with others. You can see more of my work on my homepage in the various galleries I have created. Thank you for visiting.
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November 25th, 2016
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Viewed 614 Times - Last Visitor from White Plains, NY on 03/28/2024 at 7:30 PM
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Comments (33)
Bruce Bley
Rebecca, I am grateful for the feature in the group "Contemporary". Thank you for the honor.
Bruce Bley
Julie, I am grateful for the feature in the group "Your Story of Art". Thank you for the honor.
Morris Finkelstein
Beautiful Bryce Canyon landscape photograph, Bruce! Congratulations on your feature in The 200 Club! F/L
Barbie Corbett-Newmin
Congratulations. Your special scenic photography has been chosen to be featured on the home page of The 200 Club - Best Photos With Over 200 Views Up To 500. You are invited to archive it in the appropriate discussion threads.
Bruce Bley replied:
Barbie, I am grateful for the feature in the group "The 200 Club". I sincerely appreciate it.
Will Borden
Hi Bruce~~this would be a magnificent place to visit! We have visited much of Utah, but haven't seen this beautiful location yet!! Fine photography! Many thanks for your recent comment!! F&L!!
Bruce Bley replied:
Thank you for the kind comment, Will. If you can it is a must see. I would have liked to been there either for sunrise or sunset, but it didn't work out.
Andy Lloyd
spectacular landscape, I love the perfect mix of earthy and blue hues
Bruce Bley replied:
Andy, thank you for the kind and gracious comment. I am glad you enjoyed this work.
Bruce Bley
Carole thank you for the feature in the group "World Landscape Lovers Of Art". I sincerely appreciate the honor.
Bruce Bley
Karen, I sincerely appreciate the feature in the group "Nature Landmarks Landscapes Wildlife- One A Day". Thank you so much.
Bruce Bley
Dan, Thank you for the feature in the group "Premium FAA Artists". I am grateful for the honor.
Bruce Bley
Jijo, Thank you for the feature in the group "Amazing Colors Of Nature". I sincerely appreciate the honor.
Robyn King
Congratulations your beautiful work is being featured in the World We See Group:-)
Bruce Bley replied:
Robyn, I am very grateful for the feature in the group "The World We See". Thank you for the honor.
Bruce Bley
Cathy, Thank you for the feature in the group "Out West - 13 States". I appreciate the honor.