Out-of-This-World Views, Under-the-Rim at Bryce

Under-the-Rim Trail, longest in Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park, winds 22 1/2 miles below the Pink Cliffs, connecting Bryce Point in the north with Rainbow Point in the south. The trail offers close-up views of the multicolored bands of yellow, red and beige that tint the canyon.

Actually, geologists say Bryce isn’t a true canyon, but a series of breaks in a huge amphitheater. Ebenezer Bryce, who gave his name to the park, described the horseshoe-shaped formations as “a hell of a place to lose a cow.”

Under-the-Rim Trail provides great views of the pink and white pillars called “hoodoos.” Each pillar appears to have a snowcap, but it’s really a hard cap of dolomite and calcium carbonate. Eventually, hoodoos are destroyed when the rock cap is cut through by erosion. But park fans can rest assured that there won’t be a hoodoo shortage for several million years; as the amphitheater retreats, new hoodoos continue to form.

Other trail-side views feature the dun-color desert reaching toward the horizon--a few thousand square miles virtually untouched by civilization. Some 300 million years of geologic history is written in the colored rocks.

True to its name, Under-the-Rim Trail stays far below the rim of Bryce Canyon, touching it only at its trail head at Bryce Point and at its terminus at Rainbow Point. Four connector trails drop to various points along the trail, so with a little planning and car shuttling, it’s possible to take shorter hikes.

To trek the length of the trail in two day-hikes, walk as far as the Whiteman Connecting Trail the first day (about 12 1/2 miles). Next day, walk back down the Whiteman Connecting Trail and continue to Rainbow Point (10 miles).

Under-the-Rim Trail is also a terrific two- to three-day (or even longer) backpack. You’ll need to stop at the visitor center to get a back-country permit and to register to use one of the nine primitive campsites along the trail. Make sure you ask rangers about water availability at the creeks and springs along the route, then make your overnight plans accordingly. In any case, carry plenty of water and purify any you find.

Directions to trail head: Bryce Canyon National Park is 26 miles southeast of Panguitch, Utah, via U.S. 89, Utah 12 and Utah 63. From the park visitor center, drive 1 1/2 miles south on the park road. Turn left toward the Bryce Point parking area and the trail head.

To reach trail’s end at Rainbow Point, drive another 15 1/2 miles past the Bryce Point turnoff, located a quarter-mile before the loop at road’s end.

The hike: Begin your descent past the fantastically eroded limestone formations, descending through a well-spaced forest of pine and fir. Two miles of travel brings you to the Hat Shop, a jumble of hoodoos topped with gray caprock or “hats” that are much more resistant to erosion than are the pillars themselves.

Descending further, hikers follow Yellow Creek, passing the first of nine back-country camps found en route. The pines give way to oaks, juniper, manzanita and mountain mahogany. Sheep Creek and Swamp Canyon--another five miles along--offer camping and are good halfway points for backpackers. Beyond these canyons is the Whiteman Connecting Trail, the path to take to return to the rim if you’ve decided to travel Under-the-Rim Trail in two day-hikes.

From Whiteman Connecting Trail south, the hiker will find silence, solitude and a more challenging trail. The trail itself includes segments made of “ball-bearing” limestone, as well as stretches of sandy soil. Under-the-Rim Trail’s second half also has some arduous ascents. Compensating for the climb are grand over-the-shoulder and behind-the-back panoramas of the Pink Cliffs, and views south across the plateaus toward the Grand Canyon. As you climb, the terrain gets greener with spruce, fir and aspen groves. Your hike concludes with a long (five-mile) contour around the Pink Cliffs and a climb back up to the purple rim of the world--9,105-foot Rainbow Point.

(Note: Wednesday’s 5.5-magnitude earthquake, centered about 100 miles southwest of Bryce Canyon near Zion National Park, caused no damage to hiking trails at Bryce, according to a park spokesman.)

Bryce Canyon Southwest Utah / Under-the-Rim Trail Where: Bryce Canyon National Park. Distance: 22 1/2 miles one way. Terrain: Pink Cliffs, gullies, ravines and open forest of ponderosa pine and Douglas fir. Highlights: Up-close views of fantastic “hoodoos” carved in Pink Cliffs. Degree of difficulty: Moderate to strenuous. Precautions: Avoid rim viewpoints during thunderstorms due to possible lightning strikes. Carry plenty of water and be sure to purify any you find along the trail. For more information: Contact Superintendent, Bryce Canyon National Park, Bryce Canyon, Utah 84717, (801) 834-5322.