Observation Point

Hiking to Zion's Observation Point is a strenuous effort but offers an incredible view as the reward. Starting early in the day, we took the shuttle bus through the park to the Weeping Rock Trailhead. Almost immediately, the trail begins a steep vertical ascent of switchbacks that rise over 2,000 feet.

Continuing past the offshoot trail to Hidden Canyon for several minutes, we quickly found ourselves in Echo Canyon. This large side canyon sits high above the Zion valley floor and known as 'the refrigerator' because it is in the shadows and offers much colder temperatures than the ambient areas on the hike. Echo Canyon offers a some very interesting eroded sandstone along a dry stream bed and offered views into Hidden Canyon along the way. We stopped to check out a stone tunnel and water pool here.

As the trail gained further elevation, we entered the White Cliff formations and began to see wider views of the Zion valley in the distance. The last mile or so was mostly level along the canyon rim through a sandy trail. Finally, after about 4.5 miles, we were rewarded with a stunning view of the valley floor, Angels Landing, and the Virgin River carving through it. We stopped to eat lunch, rehydrate, take a few photos, and returned the way we came.

Possibly due to the length and exertion, this hike was mostly free of other hikers - much unlike Angle's Landing, which had lines of people waiting to get by. It was quite a peaceful hike, with only the sounds of wind and footsteps. At Observation Point, there were only a handful of visitors enjoying the views. Needless to say, Observation Point lived up to its name. This was the one of our top two hikes at Zion.

Looking up during the ascent.

Making a quick pace through Echo Canyon.

A water break offered a good view of this small side canyon.

Finally coming into perspective.

Living up to its namesake.

Incredible.

Looking down from the highest point in Zion.

We had much more time to explore on the return trip.

Exploring the Zion Narrows

At the farthest end of the Zion National Park road lie the Narrows. Here, the expansive canyon walls close in to their most confined point. There is a 1 mile footpath from the main road to the entrance of the Narrows, after which, you enter the Virgin River and literally hike upstream.

An outfitter in town rents out the necessary equipment - waterproof canyoneering boots, neoprene socks, and a trekking pole. These turned out to be critical in navigating the very cold rushing water that was up to our midsections at times and the loose rocks beneath. We secured our gear the night before so we could get an early start the next morning. Camera equipment brought some additional complexity with dry bags and tripod strapped to my daypack.

Taking one of the first shuttle busses into the park (40 minute ride, 20 minute walk) got us to the Narrows before 8:00AM. There were very few other hikers at this time and the early morning made for great reflected light photography. Long exposures helped to capture the motion of the swift current. The morning air was cool in the shadows and the water was in the low-50 degrees.

This is one of the most unique hikes, as it is in water, the entire length. In some sections such as 'Wall Street' the canyon edges closed to within 20 feet. Other areas required careful selection of crossing points and a bit of floating at times. We ventured about 2 miles upstream in a few hours - finding our way upriver made for slow but fun progress. The return trip downstream was much quicker once we knew our route. 

If you are ever in southern Utah, this is a must-hike!

Canyon Vista

"It is a vast wilderness of rocks in a sea of light, colored and glowing like oak and maple woods in autumn, when the sun gold is richest."
- John Muir

Antelope Canyon

Antelope Canyon is a place of such unworldly light variations that it's hard to truly take in all at once. It can also make photography very difficult. Areas in direct sunlight are bathed in a fiery red-orange, while the cool shadows reflect a near purple glow. The canyon walls can be a bit tight and climbing from some angles can be challenging, but certainly traversable.

There are so many formations and twists of rock here. Light conditions change around every corner. This is a dream location for a photographer but anyone planning a trip to the Southwest should stop here to experience it. Suffice it to say I have hundreds of photos from only a short amount of time in the canyon. More coming.

The Howling Chief formation in the lower right.

Howling Chief.

Horseshoe Bend

Just outside of the town of Page, Arizona is Horseshoe Bend, an incredible curve in the Colorado River.  It's accessed by a relatively easy 3/4 mile hike from the trailhead, but in intense heat and sun. Once at the edge, you are free to roam anywhere around the entire bend. What an expansive view from here.

To get these shots, I had to lie down at the edge of the canyon and hold the camera over. My wide angle lens was barely able to capture this scene at 17mm!

Lady in the Wind

Lower Antelope Canyon is a beautiful slot canyon in northern Arizona. It has incredible curves and warm light reflecting off the sandstone through most of the day. One of the formations in the rock is called the Lady in the Wind.

Hawaii - Waimea Canyon

It's only been 5 months, suppose I should post those Hawaii honeymoon pics! Here we go.

Our first trek was to Waimea Canyon, a bit bleary-eyed from the 3 flights we had taken the day prior. This place is incredible and known as the 'Grand Canyon of the Pacific.' You've probably seen some of the landscape in Jurassic Park. All of those movies had some filming on Kauai, either in the canyon or on the coast.

This part of of the island is a rainforest (Mt. Wai'ale'ale gets over 450" of rain per year!). While it was 80+ and sunny at the coast, the climb in elevation brought a 20 degree drop in temperature and increased clouds until we were essentially within the rain cloud with there was no visibility. So we later ventured back down a bit to get in a short hike and a better view of the canyon. What a view.