Earth & climate

Establishment of Bryce Canyon National Park

15 September 1928

Bryce Canyon National Park is a protected area in southern Utah, known for the crowded spires of rock called hoodoos that fill its natural amphitheatres. Despite its name it is not really a canyon, but a series of eroded edges of the Paunsaugunt Plateau, where frost and ice wedging, rain and slow weathering have carved the soft limestone into fantastic forms in shades of orange, red and white. The park is named after Ebenezer Bryce, a Mormon settler who lived in the area in the 1870s. It was first made a national monument and then became a national park in 1928. Its high elevation and clear air make it a favourite place for stargazing.

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