Recommendations for LF in the Southwest in July

I'm planning a two week vacation this summer, and I'm targeting the

latter part of July. My objective is to see and to experience a

little bit of the southwest, and to photograph anything that appeals

to me. I'm most interested in southwestern desert terrain of any

sort, ordinary or spectacular, flat or moutainous, populated or

barren.

 

I realize that this might not be the most comfortable time of year

for much of the southwest, but it's what I have available, so I want

to make the best of it. I'm thinking New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado,

Utah, Nevada, or Southern California. I don't want to try to fit in

a grand tour, I just want to go to one or maybe two destinations, and

to explore them as thoroughly as I can.

 

I'll be shooting 8x10 and 8x20 B&W.

 

I'll be driving a 4WD Jeep from North Texas; rough offroad terrain is

OK, but I'm not an experienced back country outdoorsman or an eXtreme

sports daredevil. I'm not interested in testing the limits of my non-

existent rock crawling skills.

 

 

I wish to avoid touristy areas and big crowds, even at the risk of

missing some of the more famous attractions. On the other hand, I'm

not averse to towns and people, and in fact, I plan to stay in motels

since I'm not equipped for camping right now.

 

I'd appreciate your suggestions for destinations.

Skip, some ideas: The North Rim of the Grand Canyon; Capitol Reef(don't miss the trout dinner at the Road Creek Inn in Loa); Walnut Canyon just east of Flagstaff(if you're in heroic shape); The Virgin River area near the Arizona/Utah/Nevada border; a lovely drive north of Taos called 'The Enchanted Circle' goes through Eagle Lake and Angel Fire(don't miss the Viet Nam War memorial); Bisbee, Arizona. Keep your film and holders cool!-----Cheers!

Your bound to get a lot of good responses because there is so much to shoot here in the SW. My favorite place is "Big Bend National Park". You will not find anything like it. You have mountains, desert and the Rio Grande. It is very remote and with your 4WD you can get to some great places. Not too far away from there is the Guadalupe Mountains and if you continue NW you can get to White Sands, NM, but that may pushing it. They down side to July in Big Bend (or so I was told by a resident of the area) is that July tends to be their rainy month. I'm not sure how much rain they get being a desert, but you might get some great storm clouds. I hope to get out sometime this July and find out.

<p>If you follow Hwy 40 West, you'll be in striking distance of many interesting areas, and there are literaly hundreds of fabulous spots along the way. My suggestion would be to consider New Mexico and Colorado as being close enough for shorter trips, and therefore head for Arizona and spots in California. Canyon de Chelly in northeast Arizona is great, as are various other spots in the Navajo Nation. From there, head south on Hwy 17. Sedona is off 17, as is the Tonto national Forest and ruins. </p>

 

<p>From Phoenix, Hwy 10 West will take you to Joshua Tree National Park. If you ahve time to head north, consider Hwy 395, that runs along the East side of the Sierras. That, however, is different terrain, so you might prefer to loop back toward the Grand Canyon and the Page area in Arizona. The National Parks site (<a href="http://www.nps.gov/">http://www.nps.gov/</a>)is a wealth of information.</p>

 

<p>And, of course, don't forget Death Valley (but, it's <i>really</i> toasty in July):</p>

<center>

<img border=2 src="http://www.rbarkerphoto.com/misc/Travel/DV2003/DV0203-A3-550bwZabSunrise.jpg">

<center>Sunrise at Zabriski Point, Death Valley</center>

</center>

I just finished a much shorter trip through the southern Utah and northern Arizona and would like to make a few suggestions. First of all, Arches National Park just north of Moab, Utah is just spectacular. I was there on Thursday and Friday and encountered very few people considering how stunning the scenery was. In particular, the monument known as Park Avenue is simply breathtaking (a term I seldom use) and just begs for a wide angle lens. I tried unsuccessfully to fit it on a 4x5 sheet with my 90mm Super Angulon. Oh well.

 

Monument Valley (south-eastern Utah) is another location with lots of potential and relatively few people. The area is huge so there should be lots of possibilities for you.

 

Though I didn't go to the north rim of the Grand Canyon what I've heard about it echoes the positive comment already made about it.

 

By the way, while at the southern rim of the Grand Canyon I met a guy who had travelled extensively in the Southwest including many hikes. I asked him if he had any favorite areas and he started raving about the Cottonwood Canyon road that leads south from Cannonville in south-central Utah. (Note: He said not to attempt it during or after rain as it would be impossible to cross.) Of course, I have no first-hand knowledge of this area, but it sounds fantastic and lightly traveled. I'm sure you can find some decent photos of it online if you're interested.

 

By the way, there are two books I'd recommend for your trip: "The Lonely Planet Guide to the Southwest" and "The Eyewitness Travel Guide to the Southwest and Las Vegas." They complement each other very well. The first is heavy on good info, the second on color photos.

 

Have fun and be sure to check out the lesser-known motels. They can be a lot of fun and offer a great value.

In New Mexico: El Moro & Chaco Canyon.

All of the areas mentioned are great areas, there's a slight problem with most of them in that places like Canyonlands, Big Bend, etc. are huge and so it helps to have some specific sites in mind. You might consider looking into buying back issues of "Photograph America," a periodic publication that devotes one issue to a particular area and has an issue for most of the specific areas mentioned here. The author discusses specific sites within those areas and how to get to them in detail. I never go anwhere new without an issue dealing with the area I'm going to but then I've been a subscriber since day one so I have all of the issues, of which there are now something like 75 published over the last fifteen or so years. In your case you could pick out maybe five or ten areas and then just get the back issues for those areas. I think they cost about $5 each. If you're interested, let me know and I'll give you contact information or maybe someone else has it at hand.

Just a side note to the Southwest trips in July. In Tucson and much of the Southwest our rainy season (read "Monsoon") starts July 4th most years. You can expect some intense rains, wind, thunderstorms and heavy weather. These build into the afternoon due to ground heating and extra moisture in the air.

 

PLEASE watch out for flash floods in canyons which can occur in lower elevations where there is no rain falling. These storms are beautiful, but have a shower cap or plastic tarp ready for your camera if it is set up and the clouds look dark. You may get a chance to see some truly spectacular storm clouds over the mountains and canyons complete with lightning and hail.

 

Flagstaff areas: Oak Creek Canyon, Walnut Canyon, Grand Canyon, San Francisco Peaks.

Tucson areas: Saguaro Monument west or east.

Skip, I just got back from a Southwest trip myself. I did all the big ones as posted above.

If you would like to avoid crowds, shoot amazing rock formations and be able to do it all from a pack on your back and never be more than a few hundred yards from your car, try Goblin Valley State Park Utah.

It's off Rt. 24 between I-70 and Hanksville.

My whole trip I was hammered by high winds. I shot mostly 35mm. Except Goblin Valley, lots of rock to hide behind and set up the 810 Dorff.

This is one place you are allowed to go and climb anywhere. So if you set up on an interesting rock and some kids head shows up on top of the rock or in the background, just wait 30 seconds and they will be gone.

Also they have a big shaded pavillion. Very helpful in July.

Skip,

 

If you haven't already, read Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey before you make the trip.

 

It will suggest some locales for you and really open your eyes to what you're seeing.

 

Joe Dickerson

Every time I read the responses to one of these question I think we should all

work together and produce a book Titled "A Photographers Field Guide for

Photographers" There's just so much info given about places to go that it gets

overwhelming. Having shot alot in AZ, some in north NM and south CO, I think

a nice trip would be to skirt across the top of NM, explore the GC and head

into Utah, but the season for tourist should be close to high level. I don't know

that you would enjoy anything lower than Sedona at that time of year unless

thre was alot of preceding rain. Do watch for forest fires tho, One thing will be

that most room rates will be high so plan in advance and book now. With the

terrain mentioned you can find shots everywhere. Also, you might think about

a specific subject mattter within the context of your general travels; Something

like old gas stations or abandoned towns. You can produce your own photo

book thru online services for very little. A nice reminder of your trip.

Hi Skip. Lots of good responses already. If it's a hot July the ancient bristlecone forest in the White Mountains east of Bishop Ca. is my personal favorite. The "desert" moves up into the tree crags. You work at 9500 to 11000 feet elevation so oxygen is short and light is very contrasty. I'm new to 820 and will be working up in there with it some time this summer. I live in Tonopah Nevada which is fairly nearby and there are ghost towns and truly uninhabited places around me.

Skip, read the following article on some of the places in the Southwest, www.largeformatphotography.info/travel/four-corners.html

Good luck, good light, happy shooting. Pat.

Wayne, I like your idea for a geographic resource for photographers, though I think that an online version might be more useful as it could continue to evolve as more people chime in. Additionally, the ability to search by state, region, time of year, terrain, etc. is a shoe-in for the Web. This sounds like a fun Web app project that I just might assign myself. If I do I'll be sure to let the forum know.

<B>If you haven't already, read Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey before you make the trip.</B>

<p>

Yes, and be sure to read the <I>Dead Man at Grandview Point</I> chapter first. I think it was July...? ;)

I recommend the Bisti Badlands and Chaco Canyon, both in northwest New Mexico.

More on the weather: be prepared for <em>cold</em> as well as heat. Higher

elevations (and much of the Southwest is over 5,000 feet in altitude) can get

downright chilly at night, even if it was blistering hot a few hours before. Get to

8,000 feet and above and frost can happen on any night of the year. And strong

thunderstorms can drop the temperature by 40 degrees F in a matter of minutes.

This may sound strange, but I would advise that you go to none of the places so far recommended. Why? Because they are so good that everyone goes there and takes good pictures. In my opinion, and I live in New Mexico and have photographed in the SW for several decades, you would be better off going to little known, out of the way places. For example, Tent Rocks. Anywhere along the escarpment west of Albuquerque. Along Hwy 17 north of Chimayo, and that whole general area. I could go on, but you get the idea.

 

If you plan to go at all off road in the desert in July be sure to have a lot of water. By lot, I mean 20 gallons or more, and have it in several containers. If you must go alone, be very sure that someone very reliable (you could be trusting them with your life) knows where you will be and when you are expected to be back. You can drive further in a few minutes than you can walk in the rest of your life, so be very thoughtful about your planning when traveling on back roads in the desert.

 

Cheers,

 

Joe Stephenson

Wow, guys! I was sure I'd get some good responses to this question, but this is truly an amazing wealth of information. And in less than 24 hours, too.

 

I'm grateful to everyone for all of the different types of information you've supplied, from specific or general locations, to books, magazines, and other resources for planning, to weather tips and warnings. Many of you mentioned things I wouldn't have even thought about. I've got plenty of material now to research over the next few weeks while I decide where to go.

 

It's going to be hard for me to decide where to go, I think, but only because there appear to be so many excellent possibilities!

Don't miss the slot canyons in Page, Arizona - check out Jackson Bridges photography for awesome tours.

Skip, it will be hot. Be prepared. Lots and lots of water. My recommendation is since you won't get out there again for awhile, go directly to Moab. Do not pass go, and do not try for the grand tour. Moab will offer you the best bang for the buck. I travel out in the southwest 5 or 6 times a year and for my money, nothing beats that area. Especially with a 4wd vehicle. There are Anasazi ruins, pictorgraphs, old ranches, rock formations that will leave you breatless, from mountains still snowy to bare rock. Arches, the Redwall, Dead Horse Point, Island in the Sky, The White Rim, Potash Rd, The Back of beyond, Behind the Rocks, Spider Mesa, ect, ect, ect. And it isn't that far to Zion or Mesa Verde. It's a prime area. And between Moab and Cortez (Mesa Verde) is the Ute Indian Res where you can get guided tours of some of the best indian ruins around. And there is Betatakin and Hovenweep. Look into this as a good trip. Have fun. Email me if you want specifics. Arches isn't that crowded during the week either. But you need to be out and about before sunrise. And please take lots and lots and lots of water. James