A close up of the Silent City. Bryce Canyon is not really a canyon at all. It is the exposed and eroded escarpment of the Paunsagunt Plateau which was formed by sediment layed down in an ancient lakebed 60,000,000 years ago. The sediments were cemented together and hardened by pressure into limestone. Around 13,000,000 years ago at the beginning of the Pliocene Period the area was uplifted which caused cracks to form. Water seeps into the cracks and freezes expanding them causing erosion. Here you can see how the layers were laid down and how they each have eroded in the same manner. The different colors come from different concentrations of iron and other minerals.

The Indian's story is better.