Natural Attraction
Black Birch Canyon
From this high-elevation rim, you're looking south into a bowl-shaped amphitheater of hoodoos rising 1,000 feet above a forest floor of pines and firs. The Paunsaugunt plateau has fractured along a major normal fault to the east, and millions of years of frost-wedging and runoff have sculpted the Claron formation (Pink Cliffs) into these geometric spires. The three-tier cliff system below—pink, grey, and white strata—tells the story of the Colorado Plateau's 20-million-year uplift.
More details
- Attraction Type
- Geological Overlook
- How To Get There
- From the park entrance, drive south on the 18-mile Southern Scenic Drive to Mile 16.5 (Black Birch Canyon pullout). Paved road, drive-up access with designated parking pullout.
Location
More at Bryce Canyon National Park
Lower Inspiration Point
Bryce hoodoos from Lower Inspiration Point; ice-wedging sculpts pink and white Claron limestone.
Natural Bridge
A massive stone arch carved by ice, not water—Nature's window into the hoodoo-forming process.
Agua Canyon
The Hunter and Rabbit hoodoos frame Agua Canyon. Winter freeze-thaw sculpts these Claron Formation spires.
Park Sign Scenic Highway 12 Western Boundary
Stone boundary marker at milepost 14.5. First view of Bryce's distinctive hoodoos from the west.
High Plateaus Institute
Historic 1932 log cabin—the park's first administrative center. Now a field institute and summer Junior Ranger hub.
Bristlecone Loop Gazebo
Octagon log shelter at Bristlecone Loop midpoint surrounded by bristlecone pines with distinctive five-needle bundles.
Recommended gear for Bryce Canyon National Park
Sources
- National Park Service
- YourNPGuide Editorial
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Last updated July 2026. Report an issue.