Best places to photograph in Zion, Arches, Bryce, etc.?

[lewdog]

My wife and I are leaving for a 3 week desert/red rock road trip this morning. I can't believe I'm still sitting in front of the computer. Anyway-these are the main places we're going and I'm hoping that, if some of you have spent time at these parks, you can give me suggestions as to which places in the parks are the best to photograph. We'll go to the ranger stations and get maps and guide books and such-we'll have no difficulty finding enjoyable things to do-I'm just hoping to get some guidance as to the best photographic sites.

Zion National Park
Arches National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Monument Valley
Grand Canyon
Mesa Verde

[nicksan]

I don't have anywhere specific, but I've gone to most of the places you listed 4 or 5 years ago. Only had a P&S with me, however you will be surrounded by amazing scenery so I would imagine you would not have any problems getting breathtaking shots.

I did the sunrise at Monument Valley and Grand Canyons. Absolutely gorgeous and well worth waking up very early in the morning.

Enjoy!!!

[DunnoWhen]

I did this loop a couple of years ago, visiting each of the places mentioned, and a great time I had too. :)

For Monument Valley, make sure you get out to "John Ford" point (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/2619880740_89eb023b53.jpg).

You might consider adding to your agenda one of the favourite parts of my trip which was a day trip on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Guage railway (http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/durango-and-silverton-narrow-gauge-railroad-durango-codgrr2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.planetware.com/picture/durango-durango-and-silverton-narrow-gauge-railroad-us-codgrr2.htm&usg=__eVEIhZHictTr-ROxGyEOwVDomOM=&h=314&w=500&sz=96&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=fPAgcZNFVIaaQM:&tbnh=82&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddurango%2Band%2Bsilverton%26hl%3Den%2 6client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-GB:official%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1).


Have a good trip.:)

[Hatchna]

I've been to Arches and Zion National Parks, but it's been a while. At Arches, some you'll definitely want to photograph are:

Delicate Arch (If you know anything about Utah you've seen a picture. :) )
Landscape Arch
Double Arch
The Fiery Furnace
Balanced Rock
Double-O-Arch

Those are the ones I remember most. There are a lot of good things to photograph there. I've only been to Zion once or twice, and don't know as much about it, but you'll definitely want to look at:

Angels Landing: Incredible views are offered on top.
The Three Patriarchs

That's about all I know there. I haven't been to the others yet, but I hope that gives you a good idea for those two parks. :)

[AMG911]

Zion National Park - don’t know too much about Zion other than it has good hiking or so I’m told. IF you’re staying/stopping over in Springdale be sure to spend some time in Michael Fatali’s gallery. He’s an amazing photographer.(google him)

Arches National Park - wonderful park, it will take you an hour or so to hike up to Delicate Arch BUT my gawd is it worth it. Go in the late afternoon and stay until after sunset. Been there 4 times. Had to be a bit of a prick though. When the light really turns good you’ll want to ask the (mostly) P&S kids to move out of the way and let others have a go at the ARCH without them in your photos. If you dont ask they will carry on standing under the arch and be oblivious to others.

Arches is worth at least 3 mornings and evenings.

Bryce Canyon National Park - Get there before the sun rises, yes in pitch dark. Wait for sunrise and after you’ve taken the pics you may as well leave. Other than good hiking trails there’s not much to photogragh after sunrise. Light becomes to harsh and it is not a sunset park.

If you have time to drive to Page then 2 things are a must see.
Horseshoe bend. When I was there late 90s and early 100s it wasn’t sign posted. Take the 89 towards Flagstaff. A couple of miles down the road there’s a dirtroad turnoff to the right that ends in a parking lot 36°52'35.96"N 111°30'9.87"W. Exit your car and hike in same direction for 30 mins or so. Breathtaking.
Another even more spectacular place is Antelope Canyon in Page 36°53'52.51"N 111°24'25.92"W. Don’t book the Upper Antelope Canyon (UAC) tour. A) its expensive, the local tribe drive you to the entrance and B)you’re limited to an hour and then they will pick you up. Go for Lower Antelope canyon. It’s opposite the UAC and you park your car next to the hole in the ground, well 2 min hike from it. Pay your fees, grab a tripod and head down in to the narrow canyon. This is something you can do during the day as you want the sun overhead spreading it’s diffused light on the sandstone formations. You can easily spend 3-4 hours here. The canyon (LAC) is quite long but due to pockets of water in it you’ll probably only walk for a mile, which believe me is more than you need to get absolutely stunning photos.
UAC and LAC are next tot the big power plant on the 98 at a T junction. If you’re driving from Page via the Coppermine road take the 98 that meets up with the 160. Google it and zoom in. You’ll see a T junction. To the right (on the 98) is UAC and to the left (take a left and continue for 100 yards) is the LAC turnoff on a dirtroad.
I’ve been to both and much more enjoy LAC. UAC is good for tourists and kids not for serious photography, too busy and not enough time.

Rob

[stellgar]

I've been to Arches and Zion National Parks, but it's been a while. At Arches, some you'll definitely want to photograph are:

Delicate Arch (If you know anything about Utah you've seen a picture. :) )
Landscape Arch
Double Arch
The Fiery Furnace
Balanced Rock
Double-O-Arch

Those are the ones I remember most. There are a lot of good things to photograph there. I've only been to Zion once or twice, and don't know as much about it, but you'll definitely want to look at:Angels Landing: Incredible views are offered on top.
The Three Patriarchs

That's about all I know there. I haven't been to the others yet, but I hope that gives you a good idea for those two parks. :)


Exactly what he said


I keep going back to Moab It's one of the most intriguing and beautiful places I've ever been. Be sure to check out the the canyon lands state park about 30 miles south of Moab similar to the Grand Canyon with no crowds. You have to go off the main hwy about another 10-15 miles ask around.

There is a gallery on the north side of Zion... pictures taken with a custom built 8X10 box film camera. Michael Fatali, he does his own developing and is an inspiration to experience. http://www.fatali.com/index-frame.php

[bigcountry]

try to get into the wave!

[MikeFairbanks]

I've been to Zion a bazillion times. It's amazing.

There's a place called The Narrows that is remarkable because the entire canyon was carved by the Virgin River. The Canyon is fairly wide in places, but at the far end is The Narrows, where the canyon walls are so close you can touch both at the same time.

Weeping Rock.

Angel falls (I think that's what it's called).

The entire canyon is remarkable.

[amriddell]

It's all amazing. Check out some of my galleries here: http://adamriddellphotography.com/Travel for some ideas.

[bps]

Stop into a bookstore along the way and pick up a copy of "Photographing the Southwest Volume 1" by Laurent Martres. It's worth its weight in gold and you won't be disappointed!

I know for sure that some of the bookstores in Moab have a copy.

Bryan

[Maxdave]

Stop into a bookstore along the way and pick up a copy of "Photographing the Southwest Volume 1" by Laurent Martres. It's worth its weight in gold and you won't be disappointed!

I know for sure that some of the bookstores in Moab have a copy.

Bryan

+1

The two volumes on Utah (Volume 1) and Arizona (Volume 2) were my gudebooks for my seven week trip to southern Utah and northern Arizona in 2007. In these books you will get advice on where and what to to shoot, when to shoot, how long a visit is required, how easy a drive, how easy and how long a walk ... it was by far the best guide to Zion, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands, everywhere else I visited out there. Very little is left out of these books. Excellent photos too. The third volume, featuring Colorado and New Mexico, will be my guide for my trip this fall. Check his work at the website below:

http://www.martres.com/

I also would recommend the Photograph America series.

http://www.photographamerica.com/

Although he is controversial, Michael Fatali's work is so extraordinary a visit to his gallery in Springdale, just outside of Zion NP, is a must. You may think you have taken some great photos, but you will be "put in your place" after seeing his work!

http://www.fatali.com/

The last thing you may need is more places "not to miss" out there, but I can't resist recommending Kodachrome Basin State Park (near Bryce NP), Dead Horse Point State Park (near Canyonlands NP), Goblin Valley State Park, Capitol Reef NP (near Hanksville), and the drive along Highway 12 between Escalante and Boulder.

You could spend YEARS, never leave southern utah and northern Arizona, and still not even see everything worth photographing, let alone capturing it at its best .....

Maxdave

[argyle]

PIck up a set of books from Amazon...its a three volume set called "Photographing the Southwest" by Laurent Martres. They're chock full of information, including recommended gear and settings, types of filters you'd need, directions, best times of day for each location, etc. These are a must for any landscape photographer. Volume 1 covers Southern Utah and Volume 2 covers Arizona. I strongly recommend that you pick these up...they're invaluable with the information provided and will save you a lot of guesswork.

If you're hitting Zion first, then driving to Bryce, there's a small park just a few miles outside of Bryce, called Red Rock Canyon. That's worth stopping off as well. Bryce is basically a sunrise park...very early morning setups and shoots. Shoot in the morning, hike the trails during the day. Zion is pretty spectacular...the only downside is the shuttle bus that you need to take within the park...no driving (only at certain times of the year, and off the top of my head I can't recall what those times are). Best to avoid when kids are out of school, IMO. If you plan to hike the Narrows in Zion, you may need to rent special equipment (sturdy water shoes, drybag, etc)...there are outfitters in town that specialize in this. Angel's Landing provides spectacular views of the park, but the last part of the climb/hike is not for the squeamish.

You can cover Bryce Canyon probably in a day and a half...most of the shooting is from the rim anyway. Lots of trails, but during the day when the sun is up doesn't make for the best time. If you have some extra time in Bryce, about 20 or 25 miles away is another park called Kodachrome Basin...very unique rock formations known as chimneys. Great photo opportunities here, and a good way to spend some extra time.

In either case, trust me on the books...

[seilerbird]

I hope you take a lot of ice and a huge air conditioner. You are going to one of the hottest spots in the country at the worst time of year. You should have left in late September. If you want to photograph California condors then go to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and get between the El Tovar Hotel and Lookout Studio in the afternoon. They are almost always around there in the summer time.

[Pupsocket]

Near Arches, head east out of Moab to Castle Valley. Many intriguing buttes & towers, with the Manti laSal mtns as a backdrop.

Another location worth visiting is Muley Point, near Mexican Hat just north of Monument Valley.

I took a weeklong driving trip through CO & Utah to the Grand Canyon. After seeing much of southeastern Utah, in comparison the Grand Canyon was simply bigger, not better. Of course in a week trip I only had time for a few days on the south rim.

Enjoy your trip, heat be darned! Wish I was going too.

[MikeFairbanks]

It's hot in the exposed areas, but because the humidity is low, the areas with shade near the river are fine.


I forgot to mention: Go to GRAFTON. It's a ghost town that was restored for the filming of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

I've been there many times. My mom was a pro photographer and took a lot of pictures of the place (they have never been digitized).

I don't know the orientation of the place or the best time for light, but with a little help from Google Earth you could do it.


IMPORTANT NOTE: Zion is very dusty. Protect your equipment.

[bps]

I've spent most of my time in Moab during the winter months. The sun stays low on the horizon longer making for extended periods of shooting during the magic hour that surrounds sunrise and sunset. The cool weather makes it easier to hike. There is no such thing as crowds. Hotels are a third of the cost. It's downright peaceful.

I went on a 3 week journey across the Southwest last July and it was my first extended trip there during the summer. It was somewhat difficult dealing with the heat and the very long days. Wintertime is nicer just for the fact that you can shoot at last light, go have dinner and a beer at the Moab Brewery, and still get 8 hours of sleep before heading out the next morning for first light. Regardless, the desert southwest is beautiful and I would never pass up an opportunity to visit there – even in the summer months.

It’s a magical place!
Bryan

[lewdog]

Good call on the books. I tried to find "Photographing the Southwest" or whatever it was called, but the stores I've looked in here in Zion didn't have it. I picked up this, as it was the best I could find:
http://www.amazon.com/Photographers-Guide-Canyon-Country-Perfect/dp/088150663X
It looks like it has some good tips, although I'm sure not as many as the other book.
Zion is awesome. I don't know if any of you have hiked the Angels Landing trail, but it is out of this world. Here are some links from Google:
http://www.bobposch.com/John%20coming%20back%20down%20off%20of%20Angels%27 %20Landing.JPG
http://www.citrusmilo.com/zion2005/joebraun_angel1.jpg
http://www.zionparkinfo.com/images/nics_angel_landing_0781.jpg
Not my work-as I understand it, it's okay to provide links to others' pictures on this forum. The trail ends in a .5 mile razor ridge that you see in a couple of those pix. At times, it is literally only a few feet wide with a 1200 foot drop on one side and an 800 foot drop on the other. Sometimes there are chains to hold on to and sometimes there are not. It actually surprises me that they maintain it as a public trail-it's the sort of thing where literally one misstep could cost you your life. I'm not being overly dramatic-it was really the scariest hike I've ever done in my life.
Lack of being able to drive through the park makes things a bit harder, especially with photography. Sometimes, I just want to go on a hike without my Mountainsmith Odyssey full of camera stuff, but I don't want to miss anything. Even despite having it all with me virtually all the time, I haven't really felt very inspired thus far. I'm not saying anything disparaging about the scenery-it's just that my juices are going yet. That, or my talent hasn't kicked in yet. I really hope I get more creative/successful as we continue on to the next parks. The temperature has been around 103 degrees-you can imagine what desert hiking in that is like. We're tent camping, so that makes dealing with the heat a bit harder. I believe the weather in Mesa Verde and Bryce is supposed to be about 20-25 degrees cooler during the day and night; my wife and I are tremendously excited about that.
I tried to go to the Fatali Gallery, but it's closed until the day after we leave. I was able to look through the window at some of his stuff. I noticed somebody said something about his work being "controversial." There was a sign posted on the wall in the gallery that said "No Enhancements." What I could see through the window made that statement seem impossible-I'm wondering if this is why people say his work is controversial. Now, my vantage point from outside was not perfect-maybe seeing it up close in good light would make a difference. I also have a whole lot to learn about photography. That being said, his stuff looked pretty juicy for "No Enhancements." Nonetheless, it was beautiful work.
Arches is our next stop-I'll definitely re-read all the suggestions made thus far about places in that park to go. Thanks for all the help guys. Glad to hear any more advice, as well!

[Maxdave]

Hi lewdog

I was the one that commented that some regarded Fatali's work as "controversial" ...

I said that because he has had some trouble in the past (in 2001) with the authorities while doing photos at Arches and Delicate Arch. You can read about it here ... I have no opinion myself, except to say it was a long time ago.

http://photo.net/nature-photography-forum/001i0p

Mr. Fatali's gallery manager confirmed to me directly that there are no "enhancements" done to the Ciba prints that I saw displayed. He also told me Fatali sometimes spent over a week, camped out to get the light he wanted. Since I have never captured an image remotely as good as the examples displayed, I can't say whether this is possible or not.

The book by Laurent Martres I found so useful is available at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Photographing-Southwest-1-Southern-Utah-2nd/dp/0916189120/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b

The other two volumes Vol 2 (Arizona) and Vol 3 (New Mexico and Colorado) are also available from Amazon. I will be using the latter on my seven weeks in New Mexico this coming August-October.

Looks like you can get all three for $50 or so ... they are a steal at that price!

I agree with your account of the Angel's Landing trail. I knew I couldn't finish it because of that last 0.5 mile (I figured I would be exhausted by then too) so I never tried. Back in 2007, a hiker fell to his death, and a Park spokesman reported that it was the seventh fatality since 1987. Zion Canyon's NPS website (frequently asked questions about Zion's hiking trails) says five deaths have occurred on Angel's Landing trail since the park opened, but that does not include those cases where "suspicious activity" were involved. Surprisingly, more have been killed on the much easier, shorter and less intimidating Emerald Pools trails (I successfully did one of these trails, and I do not do well with heights!).

On the other hand, my cousin's fiance, a seasoned rock climber, commented that he couldn't see any problem, since you can easily walk a path "a few feet wide" where there are no dropoffs without going off the "edge", and this is no different ... of course, that's why he can be a rock climber, and I can't ...

Maxdave

[Lani Kai]

I'll be going to Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Capitol Reef next week. It's been about two years since I last went.
The Delicate Arch trail in Arches is probably best suited to sunrise or sunset. The arch against a blue sky isn't quite as dramatic. You can actually stand under the arch but don't stay there too long because other people wanting to take photos will become annoyed by your presence.
Definitely take some pictures of the night sky while you're out there. Bryce Canyon has one of the darkest skies in North America.
If you go on the Angels Landing trail in Zion (highly recommended), make sure you leave early in the day--I would suggest sometime around sunrise. If you leave later it will be painfully hot and very crowded. You want to avoid having to do stunts trying to get by people going in the other direction on the last stretch, as this will be a test of how well you can hold on to chains that are bolted in the rock. In some sections it's two feet wide with death on both sides.
I don't think the Emerald Pools trail is particularly exciting, especially if there isn't a lot of water flowing... That, and because it's one of the easiest trails in the park, it gets very crowded with lots of children roaming around.

This is a friend of mine on the last stretch to the top of Angels Landing
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/9541/nn4d4516.jpg

[lewdog]

Any suggestions for one day at the Grand Canyon? We decided to swing by on our way to Vegas and neither of the two books I bought have anything about it.