Bryce Canyon Rim Trail

The Rim Trail gets you very close to the cliffs at some parts. But why is there such a difference between the eastern steep side vs the western less steep side. Why don't you get the same beautiful hoodoos on the other side? The geological layers are the same! The climate is the same, so the erosion must be the same! The answer can be found in the fact that the east side connects to the Paria River Valley system and the Colorado River system, which cut it's way quite deep into the plateaus. The headward erosion from this side is much more aggressive, and forms much more steep cliffs, and Hoodoos in the Claron formation vs the headward erosion from the other side. It is estimated that the cliff moves by 1 foot per 65 years to the west. So, if you wait another 686.000 years, the Bryce Canyon will have cut the East Fork Sevier River and will tap that water to the Colorado River. Today, the water which falls on the west side of the rim, goes to the Great Basin and evaporates.

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