Sphinx Rock
3 0.2 (1.6)
This is a nice place to try a different point of view. You came here to see the bridges, but at this stop why not get out and look at some other things of interest. You have to be careful scrambling over the rocks (the little arrow signs mark a fairly good route) and when you get out near the clifftop be very cautious, but there’s a beautiful view of the canyon. You can also see cryptogamic crust: a dark brown or black crusty layer on the soil, it is actually a very delicate plant community. DON’T WALK ON IT! Hop from rock to rock or follow the little drainages of bare sand. The cryptogamic soil is a combination of algae, fungi, lichens, and other odd plants, all dependent upon each other for some factor necessary to their lives.
Cryptogamic Crust; Detail
Douglas Fir
You will see a lot of it in the Monument; be careful not to damage it. A single footstep can destroy 25, 50 or 100 years of growth.
Ravens are a frequent sight in the canyon, flying or soaring along the cliffs. Big and black, they are readily recognized. More often, their throaty croaking call is heard and that’s easy to recognize, too.
As you look along the canyon sides (not down in the bottom), note the trees on the slope and ledges—they’re different. Different from the stocky pinyon and juniper on top and different from the leafy green cottonwoods in the bottom. The tall, Christmas-tree-shaped evergreens are douglasfir. See any on the other side of the canyon? How about that? Why do they grow on only one side of the canyon?