HooDoos and Rim Rocks

Hoodoos are tall thin spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins and badlands. They are composed of soft sedimentary rock, and are topped by a piece of harder, less easily-eroded stone that protects the column from the elements. In common usage, the difference between hoodoos and pinnacles or spires is that hoodoos have a variable thickness often described as having a "totem pole-shaped body." A spire, on the other hand, has a smoother profile or uniform thickness that tapers from the ground upward. Hoodoos are most commonly found in the High Plateaus region of the Colorado Plateau and in the Badlands regions of the Northern Great Plains.

Hoodoos range in size from that of an average human to heights exceeding a 10-story building. Formed in sedimentary rock, hoodoo shapes are affected by the erosional patterns of alternating hard and softer rock layers. Minerals deposited within different rock types cause hoodoos to have different colors throughout their height. Good examples of hoodoos are found at Bryce Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Utah

Wahweap Hoodoo

Groves of capped white columns are located near Big Water at the edge of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The cap of the hoodoo is Dakota Sandstone which was a beach of an incoming seaway. It is 100 million years old, and the post of the hoodoos is Entrada Sandstone that is 160 million years old. Wahweap hoodoos are located near Bigwater Utah.

Start at the confluence of Coyote Creek, Nipple Creek and Wahweap Creek. The trip through Wahweap Wash is easily navigated. Be aware that if the clay at the edge of the creek is wet it can be extremely slippery. Hike north up Wahweap Wash. Avoid damaging the environment by staying in the watercourse whenever possible. At approximately a half-mile, a dilapidated "hanging fence" is suspended over the creek bed. Continue past the fence hiking in the wide open wash of Wahweap Creek. Spectacular views of the gentle sloping fields of "pocketed" white Entrada Sandstone are seen to the north. Farther up the wash, sandstone formations appear taller and are vertical in nature. Continue north, heading for the large "red buttress" on the eastern side of the creek. At the 2 mile mark, stop and hike toward the obvious white hoodoos located on the west (left) side of the wash. Continue toward the first teasers of brown capped, tall white hoodoos. At 2.3 miles, you should be up against the white, slick rock band on the western side of the wash. At 3 miles, more delicate white hoodoos become apparent. At 3.6 miles, hikers will reach the first white towering hoodoo landmark.