Postcard from Bryce Canyon – New Places

Bryce Canyon National Park isn’t really a canyon at all. It is a wall that runs approximately 17 miles north to south, facing east. It contains some of nature’s most beautifully sculptured creations, but a surprising large portion of the park is never seen by most visitors.

Most of the tourist activity centers along an area called “Bryce Amphitheater,” a series of fours stops, not far from the main park entrance, that contain arguably the most beautiful scenery on our planet. Most of the photos you see of Bryce, including ones I have shown here before, come from the amphitheater area. In planning this visit, I decided to concentrate on the rest of the park…although I did spend some quality time in the amphitheater.

While the amphitheater features four viewpoints, the rest of the park, connected by Highway 63, has 11 other viewpoints…most of which definitely lend themselves to being photographed. I spent three days in the park taking photographs. Except for one stop, all photographs were shot in the morning light.

The first photograph was taken at Paria View, just outside the amphitheater area. I liked this viewpoint very much as the hoodoos and rock formations are very close. Now, notice the light in the foreground…it looks as if the sun is at my back as it is so bright and colorful. In actual fact, my camera is points in the direction of the sun. What makes the foreground so light is the sunlight reflecting off of other red rock walls beneath where I am standing. You will find this kind of reflected light in many Bryce photographs, especially mine, which helps make the park a photographer’s delight. In fact, all three photographs here show off this phenomenon.

The second photo is of Natural Bridge, another easy-to-take photograph as all you have to do is get out of your car to see it. I am sad to say I do not remember exactly where I took the third photograph, but it might be at Black Birch Canyon.

Next stop, one of the least visited parts of Bryce that is actually the very first turnoff once you are inside the park…and one of the most intimate and beautiful places you will find.

Editor’s note: I have temporarily fixed the photo problems that plagued the last few blogs I posted. I am still looking for a permanent solution, but that won’t stop me from continuing on. -JRC