I Came For Bryce, Stayed For The Weird Sand Pillars

Trade the crowds for silence and stone. We take you onto Codachrome Basin’s Panorama Trail in southern Utah, where red Entrada sandstone meets pale Henryville layers and the desert’s famous sand spires tell a surprising story about water, pressure, and time. Instead of hoodoos, these pillars rose from saturated sand forced upward long ago, then emerged as the softer surroundings eroded. The loop stays friendly underfoot, but the views scale up fast: Ballerina Spire, the quirky Hat Shop, tight turns through Secret Passage, and the wide-air drama of Mammoth Spire.

We walk counterclockwise, tracing simple junctions and weighing side trips with the clock. A ranger’s geology talk reframes every overlook—ancient dunes, seismic squeeze, and iron-rich reds that make the cliffs glow. The short spur to Panorama Point seals the deal, opening a sweeping look toward Bryce country without the shoulder-to-shoulder viewpoint shuffle. It’s a day built on small choices that pay off big: pause for a snack in the shade, study wind-carved textures up close, then step back and let the horizon run.

If you’re planning a Bryce Canyon trip, consider this as your quieter complement: fewer people, different formations, and a narrative of stone that deepens the whole region. We share practical tips on route direction, timing, water, and which side spurs are worth the detour so you can shape your own loop without guesswork. Hit play to learn how sand spires form, where to find the best viewpoints, and why Codachrome Basin belongs on your map. If you enjoyed the journey, subscribe, share with a friend who loves Utah’s canyon country, and leave a quick review—what should we hike next?

Chapters

• 0:00 Setting The Scene In Codachrome
• 0:36 Trail Overview And Route Choice
• 1:16 Sandstone Layers And Spires Explained
• 2:02 Counterclockwise Path And Early Landmarks
• 3:27 Midway Break And Secret Passage
• 4:22 Mammoth Spire And Panorama Point
• 6:56 Final Views, Timing, And Callbacks

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Hello there, this is Craig the Natural Medic. Today I'm at Codachrome Basin State Park. We're in Utah, not far from Bryce Canyon, kind of southeast, about 30 minutes near the town of Cannonville. Doing a quick hike here. The hike I'm doing is called the Panorama Trail, which gives you a good overview. And the Ranger said it was our favorite spot to go. So let's go check out the Panorama Trail here at Codachrome Basin State Park for something a little different. Maybe a little tasted Bryce, but less crowds and different flavor. Okay, see out there. Here's an overview of the trail. The UR here is right here. So we're on the right there. We go in and make a big loop. There are several extensions you can go on. Panorama Point, Cool Cave, Shepherd's Loop, etc. But I'm just gonna do probably the main trail. I might do Panorama Point if I have time. I feel like I have time. I still want to get to Bryce and do one more hike over there today. We'll see how that goes. Yeah, Ballerina Spire, Cool Cave, Secret Passage, which are geological features you see along the trail. You can see this stuff. It's pretty flat trail, easy, moderate is how it's rated. The red rock you're seeing is called the Entrada formation from iron found in the sandstone. The white is called Henryville. That's what it looks like. Henryville sandstone, which is a clay sandstone mixture. This whole big bluff or mound in front of me is all sandstone. Which is that reddish sandstone. They call these sand pillars. They're creation is a little bit different than the hoodoos that you would say at Bryce Canyon, but semi-related. Actually, I was lucky enough to get here right on time to go on a talk with one of the park rangers about the geology of the park. And what she said, the sand spires here are a little bit differently created. Hey, if you're liking this video, make sure to give it a thumbs up so you can get out to other people on YouTube. Now back to the video. The best way she explained it was think about wet sand under intense pressure being squeezed up. When this was an ancient ocean, there was a lot of sand here on the edge, sand dunes. And when that sand gets saturated, the water was forced up by pressure and seismic activity to form these sand spires. Everything else eroded around it. And then you have these things. So crazy. Suppose right here you have a decision point to make on the map. It's gonna be right there where the trail junctions goes around counterclockwise or clockwise. I kind of feel like going against the grain today. Could go clockwise, but I'm gonna go counterclockwise. So let's go. There's a sign up here. Let's see what the sign says. Through the magic of video, we will just arrive at it. Bam! Well it says off trail, travel prohibited. Looks like it goes this way towards this big formation. Let's go check it out. We're going right up against this formation behind me over here. This big old fella. Walk right past that and towards some more sand spires. Very cool. You've got that big white cliff back there. What's white at the top with some bands in it? Totally cool. Spire in front of us here. Known as Ballerina Spire. It's pretty crazy. Look at that thing. It's got more sandstone kind of jutting out of it. Or that red sandstone. At the bottom, right above the bottom. Cap. It's crazy. Just crazy. This spot's known as the hat shop. Look up here. We've got some hats hanging out. Right here by the White Cliff area. Kind of turning a corner here, about a mile into the hike. Out of three. And I'm still thinking about adding that extension on to go to Panramba Point. We'll see. It looks like somebody's used their hand and rubbed holes in this, and they're all over this rock. Right here, let me zoom out. Not really sure what's going on there. Okay. About halfway through this hike for the main trail, about 1.5 in. And this is what I see. Look at that guy. Beautiful. I'm a little snack deprived, so I'm gonna sit down, drink some water, and have a snack real quick. Just a quick break. I'm on this part of the trail, which is called the Secret Passage. And it comes to a little alcove here. Trail kind of goes around the bend right here and then back out. So it's just kind of a little side part of the main trail. But shh, don't tell anybody because it's a secret. Walk very close to some formations over here in the secret passage. Very cool. That's where I came from back here. There's other trails that go off to the right here to Cool Cave. Try to show you on the map here. There we go. So I'm kind of right here, below where my hand is. Then Cool Cave is over here to the northwest. I'm gonna continue around over to Mammoth Spire, then I might do Panorama Point if I have enough time. Let's see. That's what it looks like over there towards Cool Cave. Definitely have to check it out another time. That one's kind of cool. It's got like a pointy spire on the top. Almost looks like a face on this side, maybe a Native American person. And then over here you have the back side of this other one. Pretty cool. Alright. About two miles and twenty. It's the mammoth spire overlook. I'm assuming this massive guy out there is the mammoth spire. So that's pretty cool. We'll stop and take a look here. Wow. That thing is huge. It looks big from here, so I don't know how big it is. But it looks big. It looks really big. I did decide to take the side trail to Panorama Point. Here it is. Sign's kind of hidden in the brush there. Mammoth spires over there. Just for reference. Look at this beautiful view. Bryce would be kind of over that way. Can't see it from here, but it is over that way. Just want to give you a nice little slow view of everything. Wow. Definitely want to come back here and check it out again sometime in the future. Just too much to see in this little park. Alright, I see the parking lot. Means I'm almost back. It's taken about two hours, a little over four miles, to do the entire trail, including Panorama Point, which is an extra mile. So what'd you think about this trip? I don't know your comments below. If you like it, give it a thumbs up. Think about subscribing to the channel for further content. I'm headed to Rice Canyon next to do one more hike. And then on design, don't forget to subscribe so you won't miss those exciting activities too. Thanks always for watching. I'll see you out on the trail. Bye.