Bryce is known for Hoodoos, Antelope herds, Bristlecone pines and excellent stargazing. Ebenezer Bryce was a Mormon who settled in the mouth of the canyon in the 1870s. When asked about the canyon he reportedly said, 'It's a hell of a place to lose a cow.'
Like many of the great parks, the Union Pacific railroad built a huge rustic lodge here to stimulate rail travel before the property became a park in the early 20th century. During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corp jobs program developed many of the trails and other facilities that still exist in America's parks.
Bristlecone pines live on the rim of the 10,000 foot summit and are known to reach ages of 1600 years. Hoodoos are orange spires formed here in the desert by erosion from rain. The Paiute Indians said that they were 'legend people' who had been turned to stone by the trickster Coyote.
We drive the motorbike 20 miles up to the Sunset Point summit and walked the Bristlecone trail. The average visibility is 113 miles. The park boasts the best star-gazing conditions in the US. They claim you can see your shadow by the light from Venus. Unfortunately it was overcast in the evening.
Source: i-love-witchcraft.blogspot.com
