ABOUT: NPM-DVD-102 - Nature Parks BRYCE CANYON UtahIn the south of the US federal state of UTAH, there's a destination that attracts nature lovers from all over the world: Bryce Canyon National Park, 145 square kilometres of pure nature. Millions of years ago, due to extreme subterranean pressure, the Earth's surface cracked and a landscape was created that is without equal, a gigantic amphitheatre of red stone scattered with a thousand rock needles that tower toward the sky. Typical of Bryce, the canyon's fantastic and bizarre „hoodoos" were created by natural erosion and rise ever upward like towering cathedrals and great skyscrapers, conveying a sense of eternity. The highest point of the park reaches a height of over 2000 metres and contains pines and juniper trees whereas, lower down, there are poplars and willows. In contrast to other canyons, Bryce is not a ravine. It is reminiscent of an amphitheatre that has been dug out of soft limestone. Its rock formations, which originally formed on the seabed, contain large quantities of minerals that produce a fascinating array of colour. Iron oxide is responsible for the strong red tones, copper produces the green hues and manganese adds deep violet. With its various lighting effects, the sun continuously casts a spell on the rocky terrain of this mystical place. This setting of stone and colour infatuates the observer and seduces his imagination and it's easy to believe that one is in another galaxy. The landscape suggests another planet, an unknown world, Light Years away from Earth, and a Black Hole away from civilisation as we know it. The semi-fanciful rock formations are reminiscent of the irregularly-shaped buildings in fairy-tales, sagas and actual reality. Thus this architecture shaped by nature has been given names such as 'Thor's Hammer' and 'Gulliver's Castle' and it has also been likened to Hindu temples and even Wall Street. But the magical fact is...this landscape is a natural reality!