Bryce Canyon National Park is located in the southwestern portion of the state of Utah.\u00a0 The park is just 56 square miles (150\u00a0km2) in size, which is quite small for a national park in the western United States\u00a0 It also receives fewer visitors compared to other national parks in the area. Bryce Canyon is a beautiful park though and well worth the trip.<\/p>\n
Bryce Canyon National Park is primarily known for its tall, thin, chimney-like* rock formations, which are called \u201choodoos.\u201d\u00a0 (\u201cHoodoo\u201d is a technical geological term and not a common word in English.)\u00a0 These hoodoos are formed by erosion** over many hundreds and thousands of years. The average rate of erosion for the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park is 2-4 feet (.6-1.3 m) every 100 years.\u00a0 What that means is that these marvels*** of nature won\u2019t be around forever!\u00a0 In fact this national park looks different now than compared to when it was first discovered and described by white men moving west across America in the 1700s and 1800s.\u00a0 The first western settlers in the area of Bryce Canyon were Mormon pioneers in the 1850s.\u00a0 These pioneers farmed in the valleys around where the hoodoos rise up.\u00a0 There are still people living and farming in this area today.\u00a0 They are not living and farming in the national park of course, but just outside it.\u00a0 Before American pioneers lived in this area there were Native Americans (also called ‘American Indians’) who have lived in this area for at least 10,000 years. The Paiute people (the Native American tribe in the area) developed stories about the impressive hoodoos. They believed that the hoodoos were a group of people whom a tricky**** Coyote turned to stone.<\/p>\n
One of the reasons the hoodoos in this national park are so impressive is because of the beautiful color of the rocks.\u00a0 This color is revealed over time by erosion.\u00a0 The weather in this area helps a great deal in this erosion process.\u00a0 There can be as much as 15 to 18 inches (38 to 46\u00a0cm) of rain and snowfall in this area of Utah every year.\u00a0 The temperature also ranges from very cold (9 \u00b0F \/ \u221213\u00a0\u00b0C) to reasonably hot (83 \u00b0F \/ 28\u00a0\u00b0C).\u00a0 You can visit this park year round and see its beauty in both the snow and sun.\u00a0 There are many walking trails, a driving route with many view points, and a number of campgrounds.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t have a lot of time, this is an American national park that you can see in just one day. As many people can\u2019t make it to the park at all I\u2019ve included some pictures here of the hoodoos in the park so you have an idea of what they look like.<\/p>\n
Here is a link to the National Parks Service website for Bryce Canyon National Park: http:\/\/www.nps.gov\/brca\/index.htm<\/a><\/p>\n * chimney = the part of a fireplace structure that extends above the roof to let smoke out, typically built of stone or brick This post is a continuation of my look at national parks in the United States. Bryce Canyon National Park is located in the southwestern portion of the state of Utah.\u00a0 The park is just 56 square miles (150\u00a0km2) in size, which is quite small for a national park in the western United States\u00a0 It also…<\/p>\n
\n** erosion = the gradual wearing away of sand, dirt, and rock by elements like water, ice, and wind
\n*** marvels = things that fills a person with wonder or astonishment
\n**** tricky = deceitful, crafty, or skillful<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2012\/02\/Bryce-11-350x263.jpg\")