Visit Bryce Canyon National Park, USA

A blanket of thousands of spires, fins, pinnacles and mazes of dazzlingly coloured rock cover the spectacular Bryce Canyon National Park in southwest Utah. Despite its name, the park does not protect a canyon but a series of giant natural amphitheatres along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau.

This bizarre forest of oddly-shaped rocks known as 'hoodoos' was formed when the harder upper layers of limestone, sandstone and mudstone remained firm while the lower layers wore away leaving a vast and breathtaking landscape of jagged shoots.

Visitors can follow a network of walking trails around this surreal landscape to inspect the rocks at closer range and get panoramic views of the canyon floor. There are many scenic views into Bryce Amphitheatre, the best known of which are from Sunrise Point and Sunset Point, but possibly the most dramatic of all views is from Bryce Point. From here you can look upon most of the park itself as well as the Henry and Escalante Mountains.