Southern Utah choices

[douglas_j._moo1]

I have read with profit some threads here and the Photo. America

newsletter; but I still have one tough choice to make for one of the

days I am spending in S. Utah in Oct.: the Burr Trail Road or

Cathedral Valley? I have time only for one, and photography is a

prime (that not the only) purpose. Suggestions? Better alternatives

for that day (I am also visiting Zion, Bryce, and Escalante/Grand

Staircase).

[bobatkins]

There's a new article by Shun Cheung on <a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/nature/utah.htm">Southern Utah National Parks </a>on the static pages . I don't think it quite covers this question, but I think it's a reference worth including in this thread for future reference.

[pete_dickson1]

I spent a few days in the Capitol Reef area last March. I need to go back a few times. Based on my very limited experience I think the Cathedral Valley might be your better choice because it is quite different from Zion & Bryce - (don't know about Escalante/GS because I drove through that area at 4 am in a snow storm). On the other hand, it's not an easy place to do in a day - it's a long drive on an unpaved road. Unless you get up very early - or camp back there - you won't be in the Cathedral Valley itself for the best light - even then you might not be in the best place if you haven't had a chance to scout your morning shoot properly...

[brandon_ward]

I spent a day and a half at Kodachrome State Park, and can highly recommend that as a place to explore--great light (of course) near dusk. I drove out to Escalante, but didn't get to explore that area enough--and from the drive over, it looked like there was plenty to explore!! As for Bryce--I was there over Labor Day and hiked around the rim of Bryce Amphitheater before sunrise and saw only one other person before 9am. Bryce is beautiful, and Kodachrome SP is only 9 miles away--as opposed to 40-50 for Escalante Grand Staircase, if memory serves me correctly. I'm sure wherever you go will be well worth it.

[mark_hespenheide1]

Douglas,

 

The Cathedral Valley's main attractions are some stand-alone monoliths, perhaps 100 to 300 feet high. They're composed of a very loose, unconsolidated sediment that allows the edges to erode very quickly. I have had better luck with light in the Valley in the evenings than the mornings, but was only there two of each, so you might have a different experience.

 

The Burr Trail road passes through some entirely different-looking country. The majority of Capital Reef is centered around the Waterpocket Fold, a "monocline" or warping of rock. Think about a piece of paper on top of a book that then drapes gently over the side of the book before becoming flat once again when it rests on the table. In Capital Reef, the part that makes up the stunning scenery is that draped-over section of rock. The fold's axis is oriented north-south; the Burr Trail road runs east-west so that you drive across/through a number of long, linear ridges which define a geologic cross-section of the different layers of rock. Sometimes you have panoramic views out and sometimes you are in an intimate little canyon.

 

The visitor's center will have more information on the geology of the park, if you're interested.

 

There are other considerations, of course. Park Rangers heavily advise a high-clearance 4wd for the Cathedral Valley section, although I did get one to admit that, if I knew what I was doing and went the long way around, my low-clearance 4wd Subaru could "probably" make it. We did, but I'm not sure I'd want to subject my own car to that again. And, as mentioned above, the best times for landscape photography in the area are near sunrise and sunset; if you don't want to camp out in Cathedral Valley, I think you might be better off waiting for another trip.

 

If I had only one day to choose between the two, I would try to arrange it so that I spent the night in Boulder, UT. I would get up for the sunrise about 20-30 miles east of Boulder on the Burr Trail road, then head east along the Burr Trail to its end where it T's into the Notom-Bullforg road, and take the Notom-Bullfrog road north to UT route 12. I'd stop off plenty of times along the way to photograph some of the aspens along the bottoms of the small canyons that the Burr Trail intersects, hike out to the Strike Valley overlook, head slightly south along the Notom-Bullfrog road to hike one of the short slot canyons in the east side of the waterpocket fold, bring some B&W flim for photographing the abandoned town of Notom, and then find a nice place for sunset. In October, you should have no problem finding an open campsite in Capital Reef even at nine or ten in the evening.

 

"Better alternatives"? Ah, Douglas, you'll be in one of the prime areas in the US. You can't thow a stone down there without hitting something scenic. It all depends on what you want to try to get a picture of. If I were you, though, I would try to make some pictures that captured the fall colors, as those will be specific to your visit (as opposed to most people's). Any one of these parks deserves a week on its own if not longer. If you're just there for a survey, I think the itinerary I described above would be quite satisfying. For further ideas, you could do a lot worse than browsing through a copy of David Muench's recent book _Plateau_Light_.

 

Any questions, e-mail me.

[ann_lee]

Hi Douglass,

 

Depending on how many days you are going, you might want to concentrate on a few number of parks. I particularly like Zion Narrows and Paria-Vermilion Cliffs. You can see some of my quick snapshots of these places at http://carcassi.eng.uci.edu/intropictures.htm

 

I am planning to go back there for vacation, but I will be heading to the South East of Utah in November this time around.

[john_demott]

Douglas--I posted a query about southern Utah in this forum last month and received many helpful replies. I just returned from 2 weeks there and had a great time with many wonderful photo opportunities. You will love it.

 

I drove both the routes you describe in Capitol Reef NP; either one would be a good choice. On balance, I preferred the southern loop along the Burr Trail as offering more variety with many different rock textures, geologic forms, plants, trees and views. There is a viewpoint at the crest of the Reef that is fantastic. Access is by a 4WD road. Assuming you drive the loop, the section north of Boulder driving toward Torrey goes through some beautiful high country. When I was there a few days ago, the aspens were turning, providing many colorful photo ops.

 

When I was there, the loop through Cathedral Valley definitely required high clearance 4WD in several places. The river ford required climbing a steep high bank to exit the river--a vehicle without good cleance and a good angle of approach wouldn't make it. The drive itself is well worth it, but I didn't think it was quite as varied as the Burr Trail loop. Plan on a full day because it's all rough dirt road.

 

Have a great trip.