Twisted Hoodoo

At the far west end of Lake Powell is Wahweap Bay and a drainage called Wahweap Creek feeds into that bay.

Several miles of hiking up Wahweap Creek brings one to an area of “hoodoos;” unique geologic formations of softer sandstone capped by a harder conglomerate rock. The harder rock delays the erosion of the strata immediately below it while unprotected strata to the side weathers and erodes more rapidly leaving behind these almost mystical cap-rock towers. They range in height from inches to 75 feet or more. We found one we call, “The Great Hoodini.” Some are quite colorful and others strangely shaped and even “twisted” in appearance as the one shown here. 

Over the years we have made several excursions not only to the main fork of Wahweap Creek, but also some of the branches and an area to the west called “White Rocks,” more easily accessed from Church Well, UT. Over those trips we have roamed and discovered dozens, even hundreds of these hoodoos, some located in remote and difficult terrain to reach. A photo we stumbled across led us to some research on Google Earth and sent us on a search for this hoodoo in March of 2021. The angled supporting strata gives the appearance of this hoodoo being twisted on its base. It’s not all that large, standing at only about 8 feet, but it is certainly a rare find. We hope anyone who visits this place will exercise great care not to climb on this precariously perched rock and send it tumbling down.