Framedlight

Mike and I had decided to join another ranger led walk which starts at Rainbow Point and leads round a short trail, specifically to look at the bristlecone pine trees. These iconic pines are extraordinarily long lived, the Methuselah tree in the White Mountains of California held the record for the oldest living thing until only recently. In Bryce, as well as most areas with any human population, forest fires are normally extinguished. Small, natural, forest fires are essential for a healthy forest. They clear out the brush giving space to the trees which can survive smaller burns, and also aid the seed germination of some species. Unfortunately the lack of a normal burn means that when the fires occur there is a large accumulation of brush which leads to a hotter fire which destroys the trees. We had seen this when we first came to Bryce and noticed a large area of dead burnt trees. In Bryce they are now experimenting with lighting smaller burns to stop the huge conflagrations that...

Feeling rather bloated after our late lunch of fish and chips, we thought we should drive down to the Canyon, get our pass, have a quick trip to the Visitor Centre and start exploring. On the road from Panguitch into Bryce you pass through another park called Red Canyon, for obvious reasons. We stopped there for a brief look around but decided to move out when a tourist bus arrived and we were inundated by the human tide. We passed mule deer feeding on the side of the road and an area of burnt trees as we drove into Bryce. Bryce Canyon runs roughly north south and lies at the northern edge of the Grand Staircase, a huge geological area which extends from southern Utah down through Zion to the northern rim of the Grand Canyon, The rocks are sedimentary, the youngest being at Bryce and the oldest at the Grand Canyon. They are classified according to their colour, Bryce being comprised of a pink stone known as the Claron Formation. Bryce is not a true cany...