Bryce Canyon: hoodoos, night skies, and a Christmas Eve sunrise

Several visits to a favorite Utah national park, from Queen’s Garden and Wall Street to a sunrise that holds a special place in my heart.

Bryce Canyon is one of my favorite national parks in Utah. I have visited several times, and the hoodoos are the biggest reason I love it so much. This journal brings together photographs from those visits, along with one memory I hold especially dear: watching sunrise over Bryce on Christmas Eve morning.

The shapes that make Bryce special

The hoodoos are what make Bryce my favorite Utah national park. I enjoy the views across the canyon, where there are so many formations to take in at once. The wide photographs in this collection show that side of the park—the rows of towers and the scale of the landscape that first catches my attention.

The hoodoo amphitheater — Photograph by Brandon Wichmann.

I also enjoy looking at individual formations. A smaller group of rock towers gives a different view of the same place, and those photographs belong alongside the broad canyon scenes. Across several visits, the hoodoos have remained the feature I am most excited to see again.

Rock towers against blue sky — Photograph by Brandon Wichmann.

Queen’s Garden, Wall Street, and the trees

I love hiking Queen’s Garden to Wall Street. To me, it is one of the most iconic hikes, and it is a favorite part of spending time in Bryce. The photographs made between the walls bring back a different perspective from the overlooks: the formations are around me, rather than spread out below.

Between the canyon walls — Photograph by Brandon Wichmann.

The forest is another part of Bryce that I really enjoy. The trees deserve a place in the story alongside the hoodoos. These closer views help show that there is more to a visit than standing at the rim and taking in the widest possible scene.

Trees beneath orange walls — Photograph by Brandon Wichmann.

Backpacking and looking up after dark

I have backpacked into Bryce Canyon, too. That experience is part of my connection to the park, and I recorded a YouTube video from the trip. The film gives me another way to share being there, alongside the still photographs gathered across my visits.

A tree between the hoodoos — Photograph by Brandon Wichmann.

At night, I enjoy doing astrophotography in Bryce. It adds another reason to spend time in a park I already love during the day. The opportunity to photograph the sky is part of what makes time in Bryce feel so full, from the first light of morning to the hours after sunset.

The landscape after dark — Photograph by Brandon Wichmann.

Christmas Eve at Sunrise Point

I enjoy all the viewpoints in Bryce, but my favorite is Sunrise Point at sunrise. One Christmas trip made that location especially meaningful: I watched the sun rise over Bryce on Christmas Eve morning. I hold that memory very dear. It is the first thing I think of when I explain why that viewpoint is my favorite.

Color above the canyon — Photograph by Brandon Wichmann.

These photographs span several visits, rather than documenting that Christmas morning alone. Together, they show the park I keep returning to: the hoodoos, the hikes, the forest, and the sky after dark. Sunrise Point has a particular memory attached to it, but my affection for Bryce comes from all of those experiences.

Photographing from the rim — Photograph by Brandon Wichmann.

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