Under-the-Rim Trail
Encyclopedia
The Under-the-Rim Trail is a 22.9 miles (36.9 km) hiking trail in Bryce Canyon National Park
, Utah
. The trail was established by the National Park Service
to provide access to the portions of the park located below the rim of the Paunsaugunt Plateau
, whose edge forms the eroded natural amphitheater for which the park is famous. Plans dating to 1932 proposed the trail so that wooded portions of the park's east side could be accessed, primarily for fire suppression activities rather than for access to scenic features. Work began on the trail in 1934, using Civilian Conservation Corps
labor from CCC Camp NP-3, with work continuing into 1935.
Besides the main trail, the trail complex includes the Sheep Creek Connecting Trail, the Swamp Canyon Connecting Trail, the Whiteman Connecting Trail and the Agua Canyon Connecting Trail. The Sheep Creek Trail was a pre-existing roadway that was used for sheep drives. The total length of the trail complex is 32 miles (51.5 km) The trail descends from Bryce Point in the northern section of the park, moving first east and then south away from the amphitheaterat an average distance of about 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) from the edge of the plateau, ending at Rainbow Point. The trail features fewer of the park's famous hoodoos
than day-hiking trails. Several campsites are located along its length.
The Under-the-Rim Trail and its branches, except for the Sheep Creek Trail, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on August 25, 1995.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park is a national park located in southwestern Utah in the United States. The major feature of the park is Bryce Canyon which, despite its name, is not a canyon but a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. The trail was established by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
to provide access to the portions of the park located below the rim of the Paunsaugunt Plateau
Paunsaugunt Plateau
The Paunsaugunt Plateau is a dissected plateau, rising to an elevation of , in southwestern Utah in the United States. Located in northern Kane County and southwestern Garfield County, it is approximately wide, and extends southward from the Sevier Plateau approximately , terminating in the Pink...
, whose edge forms the eroded natural amphitheater for which the park is famous. Plans dating to 1932 proposed the trail so that wooded portions of the park's east side could be accessed, primarily for fire suppression activities rather than for access to scenic features. Work began on the trail in 1934, using Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
labor from CCC Camp NP-3, with work continuing into 1935.
Besides the main trail, the trail complex includes the Sheep Creek Connecting Trail, the Swamp Canyon Connecting Trail, the Whiteman Connecting Trail and the Agua Canyon Connecting Trail. The Sheep Creek Trail was a pre-existing roadway that was used for sheep drives. The total length of the trail complex is 32 miles (51.5 km) The trail descends from Bryce Point in the northern section of the park, moving first east and then south away from the amphitheaterat an average distance of about 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) from the edge of the plateau, ending at Rainbow Point. The trail features fewer of the park's famous hoodoos
Hoodoo (geology)
A hoodoo is a tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland. Hoodoos consist of relatively soft rock topped by harder, less easily eroded stone that protects each column from the elements...
than day-hiking trails. Several campsites are located along its length.
The Under-the-Rim Trail and its branches, except for the Sheep Creek Trail, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on August 25, 1995.