"Breathtaking and Magical " a Bryce Canyon National Park Travel Page by CoAir13

Nestled in the Soutwest corner of Utah lies the spectacular Bryce Canyon National Park, set atop the Paunsuagunt Plateau. The valley below is still being carved out by the Paria River and its tributaries. These rushing waters carve into the stone to create "fins". These fins further erode into pinnacles or "hoodoos", which is a Paiute word meaning "to cast a spell".
Hues of orange and pink and white amaze and inspire all who visit this geologic wonder!

Evidence that this area has been inhabited for 12,000 years exists, but leaves little information. The Anasazi and Fremont cultures lived on the plateau and when the first Euro-Americans began to enter the region, it belonged to the Paiute. In the 1880's, this natural marvel was being explored by Captain Clarence Dutton and John Powell. They named many places in this valley using the Paiute language. Paunsaugunt means "home of the beavers", Yovimpa means "point of pines", and Panguitch (which is a large gulch), means "big fish".