Stop #9 – Hoodoo? We do!!

A Hoodoo is a geological structure – tall, skinny, and and intriguing! When a soft stone underlies a hard stone, just add wind and water and the soft material erodes leaving a topknot or what the French refer to as a rock coiffure (a ladies hairpiece). They are found in dry, hot areas of the world but nowhere in such great numbers as is found in Bryce Canyon National Park. After the Grand Canyon (overwhelming immensity!) and Zion National Park (just overwhelming!), what could stimulate our senses more than the densest concentration of Hoodoos in the world?

The evolution of Hoodoos.

Note above that Hoodoos are not formed by rivers like the canyons in the previous national parks. Usually Hoodoos are found at higher elevations, in fact, Bryce Canyon (not a true canyon) is almost 2000 feet higher than Zion and 6000 feet higher than the floor of the Grand Canyon! There isn’t just one Hoodoo in Bryce – try a hundred! Or a thousand!

Hoodoo after Hoodoo!

Now these Bryce Hoodoos are not just ordinary man-size Hoodoos! Try 50 feet straight up or 100 feet! Imagine getting lost in a wilderness of Hoodoos. They are all different – but all alike! Some say, if you have seen one Hoodoo, you have seen them all but the visual fun is that you never see but one. Every Hoodoo is a family and when we do the Hoodoos, our “to do”s will be “eye do”s. (original but not too creative). Rather than read my “pundoo”s, let’s eye do some Hoodoos.

The seemingly “King Hoodoo” overlooks his subjects at Bryce. Its actual name is “Thor’s Hammer” – appropriate!

The King’s court standing at attention waiting for orders to further erode.

Bryce Canyon is close to Zion National Park and a late afternoon’s drive to our next overnight stop near Provo, Utah.

Provo is surrounded by high mountains and will be a picturesque car-tenting stop.

Despite the harsh environment, there will be wildflowers among the Hoodoos.

As we head north, we are getting closer to a pinnacle of our trip – Grand Teton and Yellowstone. But our next stop is Bear Lake, Utah. Come follow us!