Harpers Corner Trail Stop 7

Whirlpool Canyon's walls were once an ancient sea bed.

NPS Photo/Conrad Provan

Quick Facts

Amenities

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Scenic View/Photo Spot

Have you noticed the contrast between the rocks of Whirlpool Canyon to the west with the rocks of the Yampa Canyon to the east? Whirlpool’s walls are dark and sheer and are made up mostly of limestones and shales left by ancient seas. As the seas retreated, windswept sand dunes piled up to become the light colored Weber sandstone of the Yampa Canyon’s cliffs and domes. When geologic forces uplifted this area to its present elevation, faulting occurred. The rock layers were bent and broken as some blocks of land were pushed higher than others. You are standing on the edge of one of the high blocks from which the younger sandstone has been eroded away. In the low block to the east erosion has not progressed as far. The older limestone and shale are still buried beneath the sandstone, Faults contribute to the vastly different appearance of each canyon.