The Wahweap Hoodoos of Escalante

The Valley of White Ghosts, also known as the Wahweap Hoodoos of the Escalante Grand Staircase in Utah, are a stunning collection of giant pinnacles, balanced rocks and eroded mounds along the cliffs of the Kaiparowits Plateau.
The most outstanding feature of the Grand Staircase of Utah is its wide variety of landscapes. These hoodoos are located at the margin of the Kaiparowits Plateau. The snow-white sandstone belongs to the so called Tropic Shale. These sands were sedimented in a marginal sea during the late Cretaceous age that covered large parts of central North America. Overlaid are adamantine dark rocks that are much more resistant to erosion. The dark sandstone therefore well protects the snow-white formation from intense thunderstorm precipitation during summertime. This interaction between Geology and Meteorology forms the fragile White Ghosts of Utah.