Bryce from the Edge

Back in June of last year, we spent a night at Bryce Canyon during our trip through the southwest. This place has one of the most alien landscapes we have ever witnessed. The rock formations (called hoodoos) go on for as far as the eye can see. In late afternoon and early morning, the light reflects off the sandstone and casts dark shadows throughout the canyon. With daytime temperatures in the eighties, we weren't expecting the thirty degree morning we had to watch the sunrise! 

The park road runs through and provides a number of vistas to stop at and view the landscape below, so during the first afternoon and morning, we mainly explored from the rim of the canyon. The shots in this post are from those trips. We did have a solid hike through the canyon itself, which I'll post in the near future. Bryce is much smaller than Zion, and can easily be seen in a day, but very much worth checking out if you're traveling through Utah!

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 Walls on Fire

Lower Antelope Canyon glows a deep red with the light reaching down the narrow slot canyon walls. This section was empty, quiet, and very beautiful.

The Heart of the Wave

The end of a 3.5 hour hike through the desert and slick rock on the Arizona / Utah border brought it all into view. The months (years, actually) of entering the Wave lottery finally landed us backcountry permits to visit this special place. It's a difficult hike in 100+ degree temperatures and only a handful of visitors are allowed to attempt it each day.

We hit the road before sunrise, with about an hour drive down a rough dirt road, then the hike following only GPS coordinates. We reached the Wave late morning. Every angle of sandstone is literally flowing up and down this formation. After exploring all of it, we took a break to take it all in. We refueled on water and energy bars, snapped a few pics of ourselves to prove we were there, and made our way back in the afternoon sun.

Bucket list item: check.

See more photos of the Wave from an earlier blog post.

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.

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.

The Wave - Reflected Light

Unreal. That's really the only word to describe the Wave, a remote and beautifully twisted sandstone formation on the Arizona / Utah border. It's one of the most amazing places that I will ever see.

To visit the Wave, you need to apply 3 months ahead of your trip online in a lottery system. Only 10 passes are given out each day and is justified to preserve this fragile rock. I've been applying for years and finally was lucky enough to receive a pass. The access is down a 10 mile dirt road and then 6 mile hike through the desert and sandstone. There are no trails and it was easily over 100 degrees by mid-day. So we prepared with lots of water, electrolytes, and the GPS coordinates provided with the pass, then headed out by 6AM to begin the hike.

These are the first few photos of reflected light on the details of the Wave. Many more photos coming soon.