After visiting Zion National Park on our recent trip, we went over to Bryce Canyon National Park to spend a sunset and sunrise.  It was my second time visiting Bryce, but during my first visit I wasn’t able to be there during the “golden hour”, so it was nice to spend an evening and a morning there.  Additionally, I was excited to visit while there was snow on the ground; for some reason, Bryce seems like a national park that’s complimented very well by snow.

As expected, the Amphitheater didn’t let down.  We spent sunset at–are you ready?–Sunset Point, and it was very pretty.  In the hour or so before the sun went down, I photographed the lovely backlit hoodoos in the cluster known as the Silent City.

The Silent City, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, January 2010

However, after the sun went down is when the real show started.  The best way to describe the light at Bryce Canyon may be “magical” or as a “glow”.  Either way, I don’t think those words really do it justice.  After the sun went below the horizon, the entire Amphitheater lit up with this palette of pastels that is simply indescribable.  This photo shows what’s probably Bryce’s most photographed hoodoo–Thor’s Hammer–all the way to the Aquarius Plateau in the distance simply lit up in alpenglow.  What a perfect night to be outside!

Pastel Sunset, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, January 2010

Click here to see all of my images from Bryce Canyon National Park.  In my next post…sunrise at Bryce.