Another Arizona question...

<p>After 30 years of travel, I'm finally going to Arizona in May. We're spending 10 days around Monument Valley, Lake Powell, Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyons, etc. This is not a question about what equipment to take; I'd appreciate anyone's insight about tips on photo guide/tours, or going it alone. Do I need a guide or tour to get some good shots? Do they really get you into areas where "tourists" do not venture or is that just a come-on? Are there any good tours that you'd recommend? Or completely avoid? Thanks very much in advance for your help.</p>

<p>There are plenty of places, iconic and otherwise, that you can do by yourself. You'll need a guide for some parts of Monument Valley and you'll need to pay entry fees at Antelope Canyon near Page, AZ. I suggest two guidebooks that are among the best: Photographing the Southwest: Southern Utah and Arizona (two separate editions) by Laurent Martres. They give you directions, time of day/year, suggested lenses, etc.</p>

<p>Do you need guides? No, of course not and you could amply fill your time on a first visit without guides at all. For example at Momument Valley there's a loop drive that you can do in the morning and again in the afternoon when the light will be different. If you're staying in MV for a day then thats the way to spend it IMO. If you plan to fill three days there you need to hire a guide and get into some different areas. </p>

<p>You will however need to spend some time thinking about how you're going to get to the areas you want to photograph rather than (for example) waiting till you get to the Grand Canyon to discover that access to the west rim drive is not allowed to cars for most of the year and the shuttle buses may well not start till after sunrise. If you're happy to carry out planning at that level yourself, with the aid of the web and books like those of Laurent Martres as above, then you can have a great time in that areas for ten days without guides. </p>

<p>Guides really come in when you want to get to see/photograph things that require vehicles , locational knowledge, and driving skills that go beyond what most people are able to carry out, or where the Navajo deem that a guide is a compulsory part of access under the rules they set. For example getting around slot canyons other than Antelope, getting to places up the west side of Lake Powell like Romana Mesa (I've done this without a guide but there were times when the routing didn't look terribly certain. If you want to see parts of MV that you can't access from the loop and so on. </p>

<p>If you're using a rental vehicle you should make yourself aware of the terms and conditions of the rental company in particular about taking vehicles off the paved road. I imagine most people do this when their vehicle is suited to the road you're attempting, and from observation sometimes when it isn't. But all this does relate to the guides issue in the sense that you might find a guide to get to somewhere remote like White Pockets for example to be cheaper and less worrisome experience than trying to find someone to dig/tow you out of deep sand. </p>

I believe indian reservations set their own rules and some of them do require guides in certain areas. Some tribes have websites and you might write ahead to get specific information. See - http://www.navajo.org/ - for example.

<p>I was in that same area last summer - stayed at the marina resort in Page, right down on the shores of Lake Powell. We did two things that were just great (not just for photographs but great, period) and they both involved booking boats. One, we booked a raft trip down the Colorado, starting at the dam. Great photo ops going down the river - smooth water all the way, but do take something to protect your camera from water spray. I forget the name, but the rafters are right in Page. The second thing was a half day boat trip on Lake Powell - you get on a big ferry-like boat and they take you out into the lake and some of those lovely back canyons. Same story, great photo ops and great, period. That one was booked at the hotel/marina.</p>

<p>When I was at Monument Valley I hired a guide. He took me to places I could not otherwise go to plus I learned a lot about the place. I would hire the guide. Consider adding Canyon de Chelly to your itinerary. For this trip I definitely recommend you hire a guide for access to the canyon floor for a half day trip, preferably in the morning. This way you can stop whenever you want to for shots. I found both guides at the visitor centers. If time is short, you can call ahead and pre plan your hires.<br>

Joe Smith</p>

<p>Thank you all for your help. I will certainly consider many of these ideas.</p>

<p>Get a guide to take you up to Hunt's Mesa in Monument Valley for some early sunrise shots. You will NOT regret it. Go back again for the sunset. It's breathtaking from up there. I used to always stay at Gouldings Lodge, but I understand there is now a new motel in the park itself. Haven't been there in over 10 years, so research it yourself.</p>

<p>We did MV, the loop road, a couple summers ago.. 16 westerns, eight with John Wayne, were filmed there, but you need a guide to see those spots. My all time fav "Once Upon a Time in the West" was filmed there.</p>

<p>We stayed a couple nights in Kayenta, about 30 miles south. Depending on your personal choice, remember that Kayernta and the surrounding areas are on the Navajo Nation, aka "Dry". Canyon de Chelly is worth a side trip and off season you can buy native art really cheaply, you are not ripping them off. Window Rock is worth a try.</p>

<p>Take a look at <a href="http://www.vistablackandwhiteoftaos.com">www.vistablackandwhiteoftaos.com</a> for some images.</p>

<p>I don't think that you need a guide for a first time trip to the Parks that you mentioned with the exception of Monument Valley. I would suggest spending two nights there and doing both a sunrise and sunset shoot with and Indian guide. I have not been to Canyon de Chelly, but I have heard that an Indian guide is required there too.</p>

<p>Stay at the View Hotel inside Monument Valley if you can. Wake up and go to sleep with outstanding views of the icons in the valley. Make the loop drive as suggested. Get up early, stay out late and photograph continually. It's all good.<br>

My last visit was in December 2009 and the valley was covered in snow...first time I've seen snow in 10 plus trips to the valley.</p>

<p>John Rogers</p>

<p>Hi John,<br>

I just secured a room at the View. After calling every day for a month and being told to keep trying, I got one. I'm really looking forward to it!</p>