Linda Harvey
The SaddleBrooke Ranch (SBR) National Parks Club continued with its speaker series in March with Interpretive Ranger Anne Vassar, NPS Ranger from Bryce Canyon National Park (NP).
Ranger Anne explained there is no place on earth like Bryce Canyon NP for its number of hoodoos. She explained that the Bryce Canyon hoodoos are an irregularly eroded spire of rocks formed in a series of three steps which started over 50 million years ago:
1) The deposition of rocks are flat lying rocks in a low lying basin area of a lake (in this case, Lake Claron) which became covered by tiny particles from eroded rocks (limestones, sandstone, etc.) that accumulated and after many years became cemented together.
2) Uplift from movement of the Earth’s large pieces of land masses (plate tectonics) moved the rocks about 15 million years ago to the perfect elevation for the forces of nature to break down the rocks. The elevation of Bryce is now at 8,000 feet above sea level.
3) Weathering and erosion from ice and rain break down and sculpt the rocks. Water from snow and rain seeps into the cracks of the rock where it freezes and expands to break the rock apart to form walls, windows, and then individual hoodoos. This process continues today.
Bryce is an International Dark Sky Park and will be hosting the 2025 Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival from June 26 through June 28. For more information, check out the website: [email protected].
Hiking is a very popular way to see the magnificent views in the park. While the Rim Train is 11 miles roundtrip, a shorter hike of 1 mile roundtrip is the Sunset Point to Sunrise Point Trail. To see 1,600–year–old bristlecone pines, take the 1–mile roundtrip Bristlecone Loop Trail. If you are interested in a ranger-led full moon hike at Bryce Canyon NP, check availability at recreation.gov. In addition, there are several hikes and lookouts that are wheelchair accessible.
Bryce Canyon NP is one of the national parks with optional bus shuttle service. It is available from April until Oct. 19 and is free with park admission.
As always, please check the nps.gov website for updates to events and alerts in the park.
The SBR National Parks Club thanks Ranger Anne Vassar for sharing her time and expertise with the club. The Zoom presentation in the ballroom was most enjoyable.
Upcoming events for the club include an in-person ranger talk on May 13 from Retired NPS Ranger Butch Farabee on “Search and Rescue in Yosemite NP.” Our Community Sharing starts June 10, when SBR Resident Laura Haslett will share her photos and stories of her trip to the Washington national parks. July is TBD. And on Aug. 12, SBR Resident Larry Richter will discuss the geologic history of Saguaro NP. We are still looking for more residents to share their stories, experiences, and photos with the club.
For more information, please send an email to [email protected].