Fantasy Canyon
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Fantasy Canyon
It is the official designation of an area composed of unique erosional features located about 27 miles south of Vernal, in Northeastern Utah. Even though the area is somewhat small it contains some of the most unique geologic features in the BLM’s Vernal District. The site adjoins Coyote Wash and has unofficially been called “Hades Pit” or “Devil’s Rockhouse” and is part of “The Devils Playground,” which is designated on topographic maps of the area. Earl Douglas, who coined the name “The Devil’s Playground,” presented some of the first photographs of this area in a 1909 publication called “The Columbian Magazine.”
Geology
The rocks of Fantasy Canyon were deposited during a geologic time period known as the Eocene Epoch. The age of the rocks dated around 38 to 50 million years ago. During the geologic period the Uinta Basin was occupied by a large lake called Lake Uinta. The lake extended west to Heber, east to Rangely, south to the bookcliff divide, and north to the Uinta Mountains. You are standing along the east shore where the soil began to slowly fill the lake. The water was possibly only a half a mile deep. The lake was filled with sediments eroded from the surrounding high lands, which rose about the same time the Rocky Mountains were uplifted. More and more sediment was deposited and the once loose sands, silts and clays were forged into rocks of sandstone and shale. Through enormous earthen uplifts, the sedimentary rocks were elevated and the long process of erosion began, yielding the spectacular scenery in the West. Because of different rates of weathering, the more durable sandstone rises above the more easily weathered siltstone and shale.
The geologic formations of Fantasy Canyon today will continue to give way to weather, and will eventually topple, and erode into sand, but more will appear as the topsoil washes away.
Fossils
The Uinta Formation is an important keeper of a portion of the fossil record for this area. It contains the widely scattered bones of creatures, mostly mammals, which roamed the Basin during the Eocene. Cross sections of turtle shells are visible in the area.
Tour
Over the years names have been attached to many of the features. Below is a list of some of the most popular. Aluminum survey caps identify the features. Follow the arrows on the caps for direction and number of feet on the caps to the feature.
- Camel 16. Alien Head
- Bird Bath 17. Flying Porpoise
- Witches Head 18. Screaming Man
- Prowling Coyote (3 faces on one rock/facing SE)
- Polar Bear 19. Six-Pack Man
- Boxing Bear 20. Scratching Dragon
- Sunken Face 21. Jaws
- Flying witch w/Cape 22. Mickey Mouse
- Rabbit 23. Prairie Dog on hind feet
- Flying Dumbo 24. Tea Pot (stacked plates)
- Gargoyle Dragon Head/Magician 25. Buzzard Rock
- Howling Wolf 26. Diving Duck
- Kings Throne 27. Diving Seal
- Witches Hat 28. Ant Castle in the Sky
Dinosaur Backbone (actually holds water in a rainstorm)