Bryce Canyon Conservancy
A 3D model of the Bryce Amphitheater seen from above the forested plateau: the rim drops away into ravines of pale and orange hoodoos, with Bryce Creek's dry wash leading east toward hazy hills.
01Thor’s Hammer 02Natural Bridge 03Queen’s Garden

Bryce Canyon has the largest concentration of hoodoos on Earth.

A hoodoo is a pillar of rock left standing as the edge of a plateau wears away. Rain and ice remove softer layers faster than harder ones, so its sides jut out and pinch in, and a harder cap can shield the rock beneath it.

See Thor’s Hammer

Point at the ground to read its elevation

USGS 3DEP lidar · USDA NAIP 2021 imagery · 30 km across · true vertical scale · About the model

01A hoodoo

Thor’s Hammer

The park’s most famous hoodoo stands nearly below Sunset Point. This model is built from the laser returns of a 2018 U.S. Geological Survey flight, with the neck under the cap traced from a Park Service photograph. Turn it, cut it in half, or look at the returns themselves.

Top
2,401 m 7,878 ft
Height
About 28 m 90 ft above its uphill foot, 140 ft on the downhill side
Cap
About 3 m across on a neck about 1.3 m (4 ft) wide
Measured
About 3,500 laser returns on the pillar
A 3D model of Thor’s Hammer on a block of the slope it stands on: a banded orange column narrows to a thin neck under a flat, overhanging cap.

Shape from USGS 3DEP lidar, 2018; the aircraft could not see under the cap, so the neck is traced from an NPS photograph taken from the west. Ground from the same lidar, trees left out. Colours and fine texture are drawn, not measured. How the model was built · Full-size still, 2,400 × 3,000
Cross-section of Thor’s HammerTwo true-scale cross-sections along the line from Sunset Point to Thor’s Hammer. The first shows the rim at 2,440 m, the slope falling away, and the pillar 97 m out, its top at 2,401 m. The second shows the pillar in its beds: from the top, a harder cap, a softer neck about 1.3 m wide, then alternating harder beds that jut out and softer beds that pinch in, down to where it joins the slope. It stands about 28 m above its uphill foot. Beds are read from the shape; no rock was sampled.From Sunset Point, true scaleSunset Point2,440 m · rimThor’s Hammer2,401 m · 97 m from the rimrock since worn away2,3602,3802,4002,4202,440m20 mwest-southwesteast-northeastThrough the pillarCapharderNecksofter, 1.3 m wideHarder bedjuts outSofter bedpinches inHarder bedjuts outSofter bedpinches inHarder bedjuts outHarder bed: resists, juts outSofter bed: wears back, pinches inBeds not traced28 m (91 ft) above the uphill foot2,400 m2,360 m5 m
Cross-section along the line from Sunset Point, true scale. Outline and ground: USGS 3DEP lidar (2018) and the 1 m USGS elevation model; neck traced from an NPS photograph. Beds are read from where the outline juts out or pinches in; they are assumed flat-lying beyond the pillar, and no rock was sampled.

02An arch

Natural Bridge

No stream ever ran through it. The Park Service calls it an arch, or window: frost, rain and gravity opened it in a wall of rock. This model is built from the same 2018 laser survey, with the opening traced from a U.S. Geological Survey photograph taken at the overlook. Turn it, look at the returns, or step from a solid fin to the day the span falls.

Top
2,632 m 8,635 ft, the top of the span
Opening
About 33 m tall 109 ft from the ground beneath to the underside of the span; about 19 m wide halfway up
Span
85 ft 26 m across, the Park Service’s figure; about 16 m of rock over the opening
Measured
About 14,000 laser returns on the span
A 3D model of Natural Bridge seen from the overlook side: a thick orange span of layered rock over a tall opening, with a slim leg on the left and a massive one on the right.

Top of the rock from USGS 3DEP lidar, 2018. The aircraft could not see under the span, so the opening is traced from a USGS photograph taken at the overlook, where the laser’s slanted paths agree with it, and carried straight through the rock. Trees left out. Colours and fine texture are drawn, not measured. How the model was built · Full-size still, 2,400 × 3,000
Natural Bridge face on, and bridge or archTwo drawings. First, Natural Bridge face on from the overlook at true scale, on the plane across its opening: the top of the span at 2,632 m, an opening about 33 m tall from the ground beneath to the underside of the span and about 19 m wide halfway up, with about 16 m of rock above it. The opening is shaded by what shows it: seen through in the 2014 USGS photograph from the overlook, crossed by the 2018 laser survey under the span, or carried down to the ground beneath. Second, a teaching comparison: a natural bridge is cut by a stream flowing through it; an arch, or window, is opened by frost, rain and gravity, with no stream, and Natural Bridge is an arch.Face on from the overlook, true scale33 m (109 ft) tall19 m wide halfway upspan about 16 m thickNatural Bridgetop of the span 2,632 m · 8,635 ft2,5802,5902,6002,6102,6202,630m10 mnorth-eastsouth-westSeen through in the photoAlso crossed by the laserAir the laser foundCarried down to the groundBridge or arch?A natural bridgeCut by a stream that flowsthrough itAn arch, or windowOpened by ice, rain and gravity;no stream. Natural Bridge is one.
Face on along the opening, true scale. Top of the rock and the ground: USGS 3DEP lidar (2018); the opening from the USGS photograph (2014) and the laser’s paths under the span, carried straight through the rock. Bands are drawn, not sampled. Bridge or arch: after the Park Service, “Bridges are carved by flowing water, whereas arches can be carved by everything else except flowing water.” Not to scale.

03A trail

Queen’s Garden

The least difficult trail into the Bryce Amphitheater leaves Sunrise Point and winds down through a garden of hoodoos to one said to resemble Queen Victoria. This model is the same 2018 laser survey, about 430 m across, with the trail as mapped by OpenStreetMap volunteers. Walk it, turn the garden, or look at the returns.

Trail
1.8 mi round trip 2.9 km, the Park Service’s figure; 1.4 km each way on the mapped trail
Down
About 113 m 370 ft from the trailhead at Sunrise Point to Queen Victoria
The climb back
About 140 m 460 ft of climbing on the return, counting every rise; the Park Service lists 450 ft
Measured
About 6.5 million laser returns in the model
A 3D model of Queen’s Garden: pale and orange fins and hoodoos below a forested rim, with the trail drawn as a pale line winding down from Sunrise Point.

Rock and ground from USGS 3DEP lidar, 2018, every 40 cm, with the trees left out; green marks where the laser found tree crowns. The trail is OpenStreetMap’s, set on the lidar ground. Colours and fine texture are drawn, not measured. How the model was built · Full-size still, 2,400 × 3,000
Queen’s Garden from above, and the walk downTwo drawings of Queen’s Garden. First, the garden from above, about 432 metres across, with 10 metre contours, the fins and hoodoos filled, tree cover shaded, and the Queen’s Garden Trail winding from Sunrise Point down to Queen Victoria. Second, the walk as an elevation profile along 1.4 km of trail, first at true scale, where the descent looks gentle, then with heights exaggerated five times: from 2,439 m at the trailhead to 2,326 m at Queen Victoria, 113 m down, with a low point of 2,317 m; the climb back counts about 140 m of rises.From aboveSunrise PointQueen VictoriaN100 mTrail, as mappedStanding rockTree coverContours every 10 mThe walk down, true scale2,3202,3702,420Sunrise Point trailhead 2,439 mQueen Victoria 2,326 mThe same walk, heights × 52,3202,3402,3602,3802,4002,4202,440Sunrise PointQueen Victoria113 m (372 ft) downlowest point, 2,317 mBack up: about 140 m (458 ft) of climbing, counting every rise on the way.200 m along the trail
From above: USGS 3DEP lidar (2018) with the trees left out; tree cover where the laser found crowns; trail © OpenStreetMap contributors. The walk: the lidar ground under the mapped trail, every metre. The Park Service gives the trail as 1.8 miles round trip.

HoodooFree · iPhone and iPad · in development

The best companion for a day at Bryce.

Hoodoo is our free app for the park. It draws Bryce’s trails on the same USGS lidar and aerial imagery as the model above, shows the climb back before you walk down, and explains the rock around you. Maps and articles are stored on your phone, so they still open when the signal drops below the rim.

Hoodoo’s 3D map of the Bryce Amphitheater with the Navajo Loop Trail drawn in orange and a card listing Bryce trails.
Trails in 3DTwelve mapped trails on lidar terrain. Swipe the trail cards and the map flies to each one.
A paused 3D flight around the Navajo Loop Trail, shown from the second of four perspectives.
Fly it firstA short 3D flight around the Navajo Loop shows its switchbacks before you start down.
The Navajo Loop elevation profile, dipping and climbing back to about 8,000 feet, with sunrise and sunset times below.
The climb backElevation profiles from the USGS grid, with sunrise, sunset and twilight for the day.
A field guide article titled “Navajo Loop: rim to amphitheater,” describing Wall Street, Two Bridges and the climb back.
A field guideShort articles on hoodoos, rock layers, forests, wildlife and dark skies, each with its sources.
See what else Hoodoo does

Screens from the development build in the iOS Simulator, September 2026. Not yet in the App Store. Imagery: USDA NAIP. Elevation: USGS 3DEP. Trail and place data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

How the rim turns into hoodoos

The Park Service’s exhibit at Sunrise Point breaks it into four stages. All four are in the model above; the tour stops at the best places to see them.

  1. 1

    The rim wears back

    Rain and snowmelt cut gullies into the edge of the plateau.

  2. 2

    Fins

    Harder caprock shields the softer rock beneath it, leaving narrow walls.

  3. 3

    Windows

    Water seeps into cracks and freezes. The ice expands, pries the rock apart and opens holes through the fins.

  4. 4

    Hoodoos

    As windows grow, their tops collapse. The columns left standing are hoodoos, and they keep changing.

Stages from the NPS “Life of Hoodoos” exhibit and hoodoo guide. Drawings are simplified, not to scale.

Field notes

01How a hoodoo formsWeathering, erosion and the difference between them. 02The Claron FormationAncient lakes and rivers, and why the rock is far older than its shapes. 03Bryce and the Grand StaircaseWhere Bryce sits in the cliffs that step down to the Grand Canyon. 04Geology and careWhy the trail protects the slopes that hold hoodoos up.

A conservancy for the land around the park

Bryce Canyon Conservancy is a new, independent Utah nonprofit. We make free tools for understanding Bryce, and we are preparing to protect and look after land at its edges, with owners who want the same thing.

Founder Chase Kaczmarek brings a technical background to the work, including the Hoodoo app, and intends to do much of the fieldwork in person.

Now
Free geology field notes, the 3D model, and the Hoodoo app in development.
Preparing
Voluntary land protection, long-term stewardship, careful field observation and local participation in Tropic, Bryce Canyon City and Cannonville.
Where we stand
Incorporated in Utah on September 29, 2026. Tax exemption is not yet recognized. We hold no land, have no partners yet and are not accepting donations. Full status

Write to us

Landowners, neighbors, scientists and visitors: we would like to hear from you.

hello@brycecanyon.co