Bryce Canyon National Park Scenic Trails Historic District

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Bryce Canyon National Park Scenic Trails Historic District
Queens Garden Trail at Bryce.jpg
Queen's Garden Trail, August 2006
USA Utah location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in Utah
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in United States
Nearest city Bryce Canyon, Utah
Coordinates 37°37′32″N112°09′50″W / 37.62556°N 112.16389°W / 37.62556; -112.16389 Coordinates: 37°37′32″N112°09′50″W / 37.62556°N 112.16389°W / 37.62556; -112.16389
Area51 acres (21 ha)
Built by Civilian Conservation Corps
Architect National Park Service
MPS Bryce Canyon National Park MPS
NRHP reference No. 95000422 [1]
Added to NRHPApril 25, 1995

The Bryce Canyon National Park Scenic Trails Historic District is a historic trail system in the central part of Bryce Canyon National Park in southwestern Garfield County, Utah, United States, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). [1]

Contents

Description

The trail system that was developed to allow day hikers to view or to descend into National Park's natural amphitheater of eroded limestone hoodoos from the developed portion of the park on the rim of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Five trails are included in the NRHP district: the Navajo Loop Trail, the Queen's Garden Trail, the Fairyland Trail, the Peekaboo Loop Trail, and the Rim Trail. Mainly built between 1917 and 1935, these trails intersect to create a continuous network of trails. Portions of the trails were constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps labor from CCC Camp NP-3. [2]

Looking down on the Peekaboo Loop Trail, October 2012 Peek-A-Boo trail, Bryce Canyon.jpg
Looking down on the Peekaboo Loop Trail, October 2012

The Navajo Loop Trail closely follows its original alignment, leading to the "Wall Street" section of the amphitheater. The Queen's Garden Trail covers the area between Sunrise and Sunset Points, leading to the Queen Victoria rock formation. The trail includes two tunnels. The Peekaboo Loop Trail is about 4.4 miles (7.1 km) long, starting at Bryce Point. The eastern portion of the loop enters Peekaboo Canyon, then crosses to Bryce Canyon, then back into the Peekaboo Canyon drainage along the base of the Wall of Windows formation. The trail returns through a tunnel. The Fairyland Trail is about 5 miles (8.0 km) long, running through Fairyland and Campbell canyons. The Rim Trail follows the edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau for 5.3 miles (8.5 km) between Fairyland Point and Bryce Point. Portions of especially heavy use have asphalt paving. [2]

The Under-the-Rim Trail and the Riggs Spring Fire Trail connect to the day-hike trail system to provide access to the park's backcountry. Both are separately listed on the NRHP. [2]

The Bryce Canyon trail system was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 25, 1995. [1]

History

Early trail construction focused on the area adjacent to the Bryce Canyon Lodge between Sunrise Point and Sunset Point. It is believed that what is now the Navajo Loop Trail incorporates sections from 1917, immediately after the National Park Service took over administration from the U.S. Forest Service, and may include some earlier USFS-built paths. The Queen's Garden Trail, the Navajo Trail and the Peekaboo Loop Trail were completed about 1929, most for foot traffic, with horse and foot traffic for the Peekaboo trail. This trail featured a spring with a horse trough and water fountain. Additional connecting trails were built at this time. The remainder of the trails in the district were completed between 1929 and 1935. Portions of the Rim Trail and the Fairyland Trail were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934-35. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Bryce Canyon National Park is an American national park located in southwestern Utah. The major feature of the park is Bryce Canyon, which despite its name, is not a canyon, but a collection of giant natural amphitheaters along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Bryce is distinctive due to geological structures called hoodoos, formed by frost weathering and stream erosion of the river and lake bed sedimentary rocks. The red, orange, and white colors of the rocks provide spectacular views for park visitors. Bryce Canyon National Park is much smaller and sits at a much higher elevation than nearby Zion National Park. The rim at Bryce varies from 8,000 to 9,000 feet.

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National Register of Historic Places listings in Garfield County, Utah

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Under-the-Rim Trail United States historic place

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The Riggs Spring Fire Trail, also known as the Riggs Spring Loop Trail, was built in Bryce Canyon National Park in 1936 to provide access to the park's backcountry for fire suppression crews. The approximately 8-mile (13 km) trail is significant for its association with Civilian Conservation Corps labor from CCC Camp NP-3, and represents the last link in the series of access trails built in the mid-1930s, beginning with the Under-the-Rim Trail, also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The trail descends eastward from Rainbow Point in the southern end of the park, descending along The Promontory, and turning back south, then west, then north to return to the road via Yovimpa Pass, ending at returning to Rainbow Point. The primary purpose of the trail was to provide reliable access to the backcountry of the southern portion of the park.

Grand Canyon Inn and Campground United States historic place

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Architects of the National Park Service are the architects and landscape architects who were employed by the National Park Service (NPS) starting in 1918 to design buildings, structures, roads, trails and other features in the United States National Parks. Many of their works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and a number have also been designated as National Historic Landmarks.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Caywood, Janene (December 31, 1994). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Bryce Canyon National Park Scenic Trails Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved 1 November 2011.

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