For sheer spectacle, nothing compares to your first glimpse of Bryce Canyon and the army of hoodoos it contains - skinny spires of rock that jut up from a series of natural amphitheatres. There are thousands of them right throughout the park, ranging in size from two metres to 45 metres - that's higher than a 10-storey building. The hoodoos vary in colour from brown, pink and red to yellow and even purple, depending on the mineral content in the stone. Even after the sun sets, Bryce Canyon is worth a visit. It has one of the darkest skies in North America, making it a great place for stargazing. Read more
An hour before astronomical dusk ended, the point at which daylight fully surrenders, Rodger Fry had focused his 10-inch Meade telescope on Saturn. Venus, flaring in the west, was easy to spot but Saturn had been a challenge. He explained how he had aligned his telescope north and south, sought out Venus, and then had it automatically slew to the Saturn vicinity. Read more