Heading to Zion, wide angle or telephoto?

[Oeijur]

Hey Tschnitker,
I'll be heading to Zion in about two weeks. Since you were just there, do you have any suggestions for good photo-spots and trails - keeping in mind the lighting at different times of the day. My plan is to do the narrows in the morning-afternoon and then angel's landing during late afternoon/dusk to get the golden hour light. I'll be going with a 17-55mm lens on a 40D. Any tips would be appreciated.

[Tschnitker]

Originally Posted by Oeijur

Hey Tschnitker,
I'll be heading to Zion in about two weeks. Since you were just there, do you have any suggestions for good photo-spots and trails - keeping in mind the lighting at different times of the day. My plan is to do the narrows in the morning-afternoon and then angel's landing during late afternoon/dusk to get the golden hour light. I'll be going with a 17-55mm lens on a 40D. Any tips would be appreciated.

It's all pretty good. The "lower" or west of the tunnel is where more of the wildlife is at since it's wooded, it's also where most of the large landscapes are at. The eastern part is for the most part rocky with small, snaking valleys. I really wanted to find a rattlesnake and spent quite a bit of time on the east side looking for one but couldn't =(

To go all the way through the narrows you need a pass (i believe) and they only give out like 40 or 80 a day. It's a long trek that we decided to save for next time because it was raining, flash flood warnings and we didn't have proper water shoes/boots/poles to walk through that much river. The path to the narrows is easily the busiest part of Zion and you will have people in just about all your shots. I'd recommend getting your pass and heading out as absolutely early as you can because like I said, LOTS of people in that part.

When we went the trails to the emerald pools were closed...bummer.

If you have been to Yosemite, imagine Zion as being a smaller less packed version.

[spotz04]

Originally Posted by Tschnitker

Looking for some advice from people who have been to Zion National Park.

I'm going to be heading out from Vegas for 2 days in Zion soon and since I'm not bringing much gear I was wondering if you only had the options between a nice wide angle, and a telephoto which would you bring?

My last trip a couple years ago to Vegas then driving to Zion from there, I only had a T1i, 18-55 and 55-250 kits. Wish I had something wider than 18mm at the time as to capture more of a wider view of the mountains in Zion while doing all the tour bus stops. We saw lots of deer in Zion along the Virgin River but my 55-250 didn't perform that well.

The waterfall near the end of the tour bus stop (~1/2 mi hike on paved walkway) barely had water coming down the falls. A bit of a disappointment.

I was still on the mend from a broken foot so I couldn't do any long hikes for gaining better shots. Many of my better shots were actually while driving on the highway to Zion from Vegas. Used a B+W CPL on the 18-55.

Just my two cents.

[Tschnitker]

Originally Posted by spotz04

The waterfall near the end of the tour bus stop (~1/2 mi hike on paved walkway) barely had water coming down the falls. A bit of a disappointment.

That sucks! I didn't expect water with it being July/Aug but it rained on and off when we got there. The first day the river was kind of meh, but towards the end it had a decent flow.

One thing I was VERY happy about was that there were absolutely no biting insects to be found while I was there. I'm guessing they all came alive a few days after I left, but we were certain we were going to get chewed to bits while hiking in the forest in just a thin T-shirt with shorts. Not one bite!

[lensfreak]

On crop I would go the 10-22 over the 17-40. Only for the maximum view in wide angle,

Enjoy

[spotz04]

Originally Posted by Tschnitker

That sucks! I didn't expect water with it being July/Aug but it rained on and off when we got there. The first day the river was kind of meh, but towards the end it had a decent flow.

One thing I was VERY happy about was that there were absolutely no biting insects to be found while I was there. I'm guessing they all came alive a few days after I left, but we were certain we were going to get chewed to bits while hiking in the forest in just a thin T-shirt with shorts. Not one bite!

We went during the end of August, not a bite either! Did get a little wet from a late afternoon passing thunderstorm shower. Captured a neat rainbow just outside of Zion on the highway back to Vegas. I sure wish I had my 10-22 at the time.