Over the Green

Arch, Utah, Green River
Canyon Windows : Prints Available

Looking out over the canyonlands near the Green River from within a unique double arch formation on the canyon rim.

In late October we hit the road for two weeks of camping and hiking in the deserts of southern Utah. Our first destination was the remote and relatively seldom-visited region along the Green River between the towns of Green River and Hanksville.

See more photos below! Continue reading “Over the Green”

Cavorting in the Cockscomb

Utah, Cockscomb, Collared Lizard, lizard
Collared Lizard : Prints Available

After our Grand Canyon trek, we had plans to backpack through the famous Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon, but for the second year in a row we decided to cancel those plans due to a less-than-promising weather forecast. The world’s longest slot canyon is probably not the best place to be with any chance of rain! So instead we spent a few days car camping and hiking in The Cockscomb area between the towns of Kanab and Page and Cannonville. This is an area I’ve never visited before and it was quite an interesting place! More photos below. Continue reading “Cavorting in the Cockscomb”

False Kiva

Canyonlands National Park,False Kiva,Utah
Kiva Alcove : Prints Available

False Kiva illuminated on a February night, Canyonlands National Park, Utah.

With no new snow in the mountains we headed out for a quick trip to Canyonlands earlier this week to enjoy the freakishly spring-like February weather. We spent a few days camping up on the Island in the Sky and doing hikes around there.

The shot above is a stitched long-exposure panorama of False Kiva, illuminated by a single headlamp placed in the kiva. This kiva is of unknown origin; it’s not clear whether it’s an authentic native site or of later construction.

Bryce and Red Canyon

Bryce Canyon,Utah, Navajo Loop, hiking, trail
Hiking the Navajo Loop Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park.

The last stop on our two-week road trip through southern Utah was the famous Bryce Canyon National Park, which Claudia just had to see since we were so close already in Escalante. The shot above was taken right before we randomly ran into my photographer friend Rich Voninski. Nice to see you, Rich!

Bryce Canyon,Utah, clouds

Ominous dark clouds contrast with the brilliant orange spires of Bryce Canyon.

Despite the threatening storm clouds, we day-hiked the Peekaboo and Queens Garden loop trails and were fortunate to not get rained on! The dark clouds actually provided a wonderful atmosphere against the bright orange hoodoos all along the trail.

Bryce Canyon,Utah, national park
Stormy Bryce : Prints Available

Ominous stormy clouds over Bryce Canyon National Park – April.

Red Canyon,Utah, sunset
Red Canyon Sunset : Prints Available

Sunset over Panguitch and the Sevier River valley as seen from Red Canyon.

After hiking the fantastic trails in Bryce, we needed to escape the crowds there since we were more adjusted to solitude after two weeks of camping on our own in the wilds. So we headed over to nearby Red Canyon and found a nice secluded camp spot for the evening. A quick scramble above our camp provided a broad vista from which to enjoy a windy sunset.

Red Canyon,Utah
The Coming Storm : Prints Available

Ominous clouds signal the approach of a spring storm – April.

That night it poured rain for the first time on our trip, and with the continuing stormy weather in the morning we decided it was time to end our desert journeys and head home to the mountains.

Death Hollow Loop

Boulder Mail Trail,Escalante,Escalante National Monument,Utah,tent
Slickrock Camp : Prints Available

Sunset reflection in a small waterhole at our slickrock campsite along the Boulder Mail Trail.

Boulder Mail Trail,Escalante,Escalante National Monument,Utah
Slickrock Sunrise : Prints Available

Sunrise illuminates a sea of slickrock along the Boulder Mail Trail between the towns of Escalante and Boulder.

The morning after returning from our previous Escalante backpack, we embarked on another even more adventurous trek – this time into the slickrock country just east of the town of Escalante. For years I’ve driven the spectacular stretch of highway between Boulder and Escalante and always wondered what it was like up amongst all that slickrock. During this trek we would find out! Continue reading “Death Hollow Loop”

Canyons of Escalante

Escalante,Escalante National Monument,Utah
Henry Mountains Sunset : Prints Available

The Henry Mountains rise above the slickrock desert between Boulder and Escalante.

The Escalante region is one of my favorite areas in the southern Utah desert. Though perhaps less impressive at first glance than other Utah destinations, a little bit of hiking reveals countless deep canyons and slots. The variety of canyon country around Escalante is staggering.

Choprock Canyon,Escalante,Escalante National Monument,Utah, alcove, camping, tent, stars
Alcove Camp

Camping under a huge alcove near the Escalante River.

I wanted to show Claudia a few of the classic canyons off the Hole in the Rock Road, so we backpacked down in there for two nights, establishing a base camp from which we could explore several narrow canyons on day hikes.

Choprock Canyon,Escalante,Escalante National Monument,Utah
Canyon Reflection

Hiking through a deep canyon tributary of the Escalante River.

One day we visited one of the more popular canyons around here, Neon Canyon, but unfortunately while we were there it was mobbed by a large group of backpackers which diminished the mystical experience of the place a bit. I wasn’t able to produce any better photos than from my previous visits to Neon, so I haven’t posted any here. I think it’s a sign I’m getting older when I start to have more and more stories about how things “used to be”! For example during my first visit here back in the 90’s before Escalante became a national monument, my friends and I were the only people around for many miles and it felt like a true desert wilderness. We even camped right underneath the Golden Cathedral, something that would probably be considered quite disrespectful today. Maybe it was then too…

Choprock Canyon,Escalante,Escalante National Monument,Utah
Canyon Bubble

A little whirlpool generates bubbles in a small canyon creek.

Despite my griping, there are still many empty canyons to explore and plenty of solitude to be found out there!

Cathedral Valley

Capitol Reef,Cathedral Valley,Utah
Cathedral Beacons : Prints Available

Light painting amongst the spires of Cathedral Valley.

Our recent dirt-road route around the San Rafael Swell in Utah took us briefly through the Cathedral Valley on the far north end of Capitol Reef National Park. We spent an evening in Lower Cathedral Valley, having fun experimenting with some large-scale light painting (thank you Claudia!) and catching the sunrise light on the Temple of the Sun, a pointy spire that pokes improbably out of the surrounding flat valley.

Capitol Reef,Cathedral Valley,Utah
Temple of the Sun : Prints Available

Sunrise light in Lower Cathedral Valley.

Exploring the San Rafael Swell

Little Grand Canyon,San Rafael Swell,Utah
Little Grand Canyon : Prints Available

A spring snowstorm passes over the Little Grand Canyon, through which the San Rafael River flows.

Although this is my so-called “Mountain Photographer” blog, the next several posts will be full of desert and canyon photos instead! During the first two weeks of April, we were out on a road trip through southern Utah visiting some old favorite spots as well as some new territory for us. We spent the first week exploring the often-overlooked San Rafael Swell region.

Anybody who has driven across I-70 through Utah is probably familiar with the San Rafael Reef, where the highway boldly cuts through the vertical red walls of jagged, tilted sandstone – one of the most dramatic stretches of interstate highway in the country. That impressive highway cut, along with Goblin Valley and the popular Little Wildhorse Canyon, are the most well known parts of the Swell; but as we discovered on this trip, they are just the tip of the iceberg [or sandstone, I should say]. The San Rafael Swell is a huge area with canyon scenery on par with the best that Utah has to offer. Continue reading “Exploring the San Rafael Swell”