</p><p><i>This story originally appeared in the August 12, 2007 edition of The Kansas City Star</i></p><p><b>ABOUT THE PARK</b></p><p>Bryce Canyon was established as a national monument in 1923 and became Utah National Park in 1924. In 1928 its name was changed to Bryce Canyon National Park. The park comprises nearly 36,000 acres in southwestern Utah. The park draws 1.5 million visitors a year, said ranger Kevin Poe.</p><p>Even in midsummer, temperatures rarely reach above the mid-80s. That's partly because Bryce sits anywhere from 6,620 feet above sea level at Yellow Creek to 9,115 feet at Rainbow Point.</p><p>Bryce Canyon is not really a canyon. "Real" canyons are valleys created by flowing water, and they're usually V-shaped, formed by two walls, ranger Jan Stock said. Instead, Bryce is a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters that sit where a huge lake was 50 million years ago.</p><p><b>WHO WAS BRYCE?</b></p><p>Ebenezer Bryce was a Mormon shipwright, carpenter and cattleman who lived in southern Utah with his wife, Mary, and their family from 1875 to 1880. Their name endured long after they left the area. When the National Park Service took over the land and began looking for a name, people who lived there said, "It already has a name: Bryce's Canyon."</p><p>Bryce was once asked about the area's unusual landscape. He reportedly responded: "It's a hell of a place to lose a cow."</p><p><b>RANGER ACTIVITIES AND GREAT WALKS</b></p><p>Interpretive talks and walks are almost always worthwhile. Check the visitor center for a list of current activities. Here's a sampling of this summer's schedule:</p><p>Family hikes: A walk to Mossy Cave on the park's north edge shows a different side to the park -- water. A small waterfall and stream give kids a chance to play.</p><p>Sunset walk: Leisurely hike along the rim of Bryce Amphitheater explaining the geology and legends behind the hoodoos.</p><p>Astronomy programs: At least twice a week visitors can get a hands-on chance to see what the dark-sky fuss is all about. Full-moon hikes are held two nights a month.</p><p>It may be tough to tell one hoodoo from another after a while, but not all hikes are alike at Bryce Canyon. A few to consider:</p><p>Rim Trail: If steep walks down (and then up) aren't for you, the mile between Sunset and Sunrise points climbs only 15 feet, from 8,000 feet above sea level to 8,015 feet. The entire Rim Trail is 11 miles long.</p><p>Fairyland Loop: This eight-mile loop tends to be steep -- 2,309 feet down or up -- but it's well worth the effort. It leads past some of the park's celebrated and ancient bristlecone pines and up to some wooded areas with expansive views. Look for the Tower Bridge and the China Wall.</p><p>Queen's Garden: One of the park's most popular trails, this is the least strenuous path into the canyon, dropping only 320 feet along 1.8 miles. This is not a loop, but it can be if you follow the steeper Navajo Trail back to Sunset Point. Two things to watch for: the figure of Queen Victoria near the bottom of the canyon and the Wall Street side of Navajo Trail, closed because of a 2006 landslide.</p><p>Peekaboo Loop: This 5 1/2 -mile loop offers more spectacular scenery. It originates at Bryce Point, which offers stunning sunrise views without the crowds of Sunrise Point. It's rated strenuous.</p><p><b>PLANTS AND ANIMALS</b></p><p>Bryce offers no single animals in large abundance but a large diversity because of the park's changes in altitude, park ranger Kevin Poe said. Among the animals you're most likely to see are prairie dogs, mule deer, pronghorns, ground squirrels, chipmunks and lizards.</p><p>The park's most notable tree is the bristlecone pine, at left, said to be the oldest known living thing in the world. Some in the park may approach 1,700 years old. The short, bushy bristlecone has deep green needles in clusters of five. The branches are bushy at the end. Look for bristlecones especially on the Bristlecone Loop Trail from Rainbow Point and Fairyland Loop Trail from Fairyland Point. Also common are piñon and ponderosa pines, junipers, firs, aspens and manzanita.