A Delicate Balance

Hoodoos are a unique, geologic formation found in many places of the American Southwest, particularly in Utah and around Lake Powell.

Hoodoos like these are formed when there is a rock layer more resistant to erosion that has broken into pieces of various sizes, often on the edge of a cliff. The harder rocks then come to rest on a softer rock layer which tends to weather away more quickly. The harder rock pieces directly above the softer rock shield the rock directly underneath leaving behind a stone tower of sorts that supports the harder rock piece above. A process called “ice wedging” is the predominant force that sculpts these dramatic formations in Bryce Canyon, but water and wind erosion also contribute. Hoodoos also go by other names such as tent rocks, fairy chimneys, or earth pyramids. The greatest concentration of hoodoos are found in Bryce Canyon.

These two hoodoos we found in an undisclosed arm of Wahweap Creek called Coyote Creek. This is an amazing area with very few visitors, fewer trails and is subject to the rules and of the Grand-Staircase-Escalante National. Monument. We’ve been rewarded every time we have visited with the discovery of even more hoodoos and exotic formations. In our trips here, we’ve identified close to one hundred hoodoos and there are more to be found. The two hoodoos shown here attracted our attention because they are both so precariously balanced. The larger one on the right stands at least 8 feet tall and we would not be at all surprised to learn that the caprock weighs a half ton.

Photo taken April, 2021.