At Agua Canyon two prominent hoodoos command attention. On the left, is the taller of the two towers, "The Hunter." To the right is a hoodoo commonly referred to as the "Rabbit" or alternatively the "Backpacker." In the early years of Bryce Canyon National Park a great effort was made to name many of the more prominent hoodoos. Over the years many of these have fallen or partially fallen so that they look nothing like the things they were originally named for. As a result hoodoos are no longer being named and many of the more obscure names are being dropped from newer publications. The good news is that you, the park visitor, now have the liberty to exercise your own creativity. Is the rabbit a backpacker or maybe even a thumb? It's up to you to decide. Let your imagination run! Make your own connections to Bryce Canyon National Park.
Geology
Here again Navajo Mountain looms on the distant horizon. Called a batholithic, Navajo Mountain can be thought of as a volcano that never quite happened. As happens with a volcano, a plume of molten rock moved upward from deep inside the Earth causing a swelling much like a large blister. Unlike a volcano, Navajo Mountain never blew its top and so the plume cooled slowly, creating the hard core of the mountain that still exists today.
Nature
As you stare out into the vast expanse of the Grand Staircase, keep your eyes peeled for the distant but majestic shape of a large bird. Perhaps you will see a California condor. Not since Ebenezer Bryce's time have 9 ft. wingspans cast great shadows across the region. Following a long but successful captive breeding program condors have been reintroduced to their historic habitat. The prognosis for natural recovery is still uncertain, but condor scientists and enthusiasts remain optimistic.
