Here in the Rimrocks of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, the intermingling of Page Sandstone with the Carmel Formation has formed an area of bizarre hoodoos and pinnacles at the southern edge of the monument. The Paria River drains this region southeast of Bryce Canyon National park where, over the eons, water has carved some of the most bizarre formations found anywhere on the Colorado Plateau. Layers of colorful clay exposed here erode quickly in the torrential rains which pound this region during the late-summer monsoon season to produce free-standing towers such as this one. Vegetation which might reduce this erosion is prevented from taking root due to the clay's erosive and expansive properties. This panoramic photograph was captured with a 6x17 panorama format camera. All photos in these fine art photo galleries may be ordered as fine art framed prints or for stock photography usage.