Few more southern Utah question/s.

[suman]

<p>I have searched the form but since every trip is unique, I am looking for some advise from you guys. We will be traveling to Southern utah for 4 days. We will be flying to SLC on 09/04 and start driving around noon towards Kanab thru I-15. We plan to stop by Zion for couple of hours, just before sunset.<br>

The next day (09/05), we plan to drive east towards Page, AZ for a visit to Antelope canyon and spend about 2 hours there. We will start driving away from Page towards Monument valley and hope to get in there by afternoon, say around 4:30pm. I plan to stay there till the sunset so I can utilize the nice lighting. We will be lodging at Mexican Hat on that day. Next day (09/06), we have planned for a second visit to Monument valley for the early morning sunshine shots. Once done with MV, we will be heading to Horseshoe Bend and by afternoon, drive up north to Moab. If time and body permits, we will stop by Arches NP that day. If that is not feasible, we plan to be there the next day morning (09/07) and stay there till around 11am. Our flight from SLC is at 5pm. So most likely we should hit the road to airport by 12 noon. I planned to take the route thru San Rafael Swell on I-70 and then pick up Rt-10 to go up north.<br>

My schedule is too packed, but I am wondering if someone of you can point me towards the best photogenic spots along my travel route. From my last tour in Utah, I learned that lesson the hard way as we spend too much time shooting from roadside, but later we were short in time at prime spots.</p>

[sattler123]

<p>This is a crazy intinerary - sorry, but you are packing way too much into a 4 day trip. I have done that part of the Southwest many, many times. You will not enjoy your trip with that much on your plate. In 4 days, the max. I would do is Zion and Monument Valley. or Zion and Bryce Canyon otherwise you will spend more time driving than taking pictures.</p>

[ted_raper1]

<p>WAY too much! I agree w/Juergen. I was just out there for 9 days, visited Page, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and rafted down the Colorado (left from Glen Canyon Dam in Page). If you try to do all you say in 4 days you won't enjoy any of it because you'll be so rushed. Maybe cut that itenerary in half. Bryce and Zion are the most photo friendly because you can get down into the canyons (and therefore take better pictures than the standard looking-out-over-the-canyon shots).</p>

[luis_g]

<p> Suman, nature photography and the stress of blitzing, with long drives in between, do not work well. On one hand you worry about having enough time at prime locations, but your itinerary insures that cannot happen on your trip. I agree with the Zion and Bryce suggestions, and even then, realize you will only be able to see a fraction of either.</p>

[SteveH]

<p>Not only is this way too much, but you're doing it over Labor Day Weekend. I bet Moab will be pretty full. There may even be lines to get into Zion, Arches and other popular parks. I calculated the driving time alone at about 18 hours for almost 900 miles. Add in some time for meals and bathroom breaks and >24 hours is pretty well spent. Then there's sleep - another 18 hours (at 6 hours a night) and about 1/2 your time is gone already. Along with the others, I suggest you narrow your focus, drive less and photograph more. For example Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef would be more than ambitious for this weekend. </p>

[david_henderson]

<p>I do think you need to take another good look at this. For example its not a 4 day trip, its a 2 day with 2 bits trip and look what you're going to cram into it. On your day 1 you plan to arrive at a major airport, pick up your bags, get a car, drive 300 miles in time to have a couple of hours at Zion before sunset- which means getting there by 5.45pm. What you may not be taking into account is that you lose the light in Zion Canyon much earlier than sunset. , so with the exception of the Watchman Bridge shot you're probably going to miss the Canyon itself. Have you checked whether you're going to need to use the shuttle buses to get around there at that time of year? Meanwhile Zion is pretty good early morning, but you're in Kanab where there is little in the immediate vicinity </p>

<p>On your day 3 you wake at Mexican Hat, do dawn at Monument Valley and then somehow drive all the way back to Page to hit Horseshoe Bend before backtracking yet again for the long drive via MV (again) to Moab. That can't be right. Did you mean Goosenecks? </p>

<p>Meanwhile you're planning to skip Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Dead Horse Point that are all much closer to SLC</p>

<p>Seriously if photography is your purpose you have to give yourself time to find and do justice to locations. IMO if you're serious about photography you'll organise your trips so that you don't do much more than 100 travelling miles ( as against photography miles) in a day. Otherwise you get days dominated by the need to be somewhere else, and you'll be collecting locations not photographing them. </p>

[richard_crowe4]

<p>I totally agree with the above posts. Even just for sightseeing without expecting to photograph anything; your itinerary is overly ambitious. If you expect to achieve some good imagery, the itinerary is pretty well impossible.<br>

I am very familiar with Southern Utah. It is my favorite part of the world but, I know from experience that specific areas are good for photography at only certain times of the day. You either need to know where and when to go or have a good photography book to help you plan. Photographing the Southwest Volume 1 by Laurent Martres is an excellent photo guide to Southern Utah and the surrounding area. It will give you an idea of the best times of the day (year) to visit locations to achieve the best lighting.<br>

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Photographing-Southwest-1-Southern-Utah-2nd/dp/0916189120/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251388893&sr=1-1">http://www.amazon.com/Photographing-Southwest-1-Southern-Utah-2nd/dp/0916189120/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251388893&sr=1-1</a><br>

I mentioned that this is my favorite part of the world but, that excludes major holiday weekends when the entire world seems to be visiting that area!</p>

<p> </p>

[suman]

<p>Guys- thank you all for your input and I have a feeling that I had an insane itinerary. I am going to redo the travel plan. The dilema is wheather I should remove Zion area or Arches NP? the main reason I am travelling to Utah is monument valley.</p>

[john_demott]

<p>If you are flying to SLC and plan to drive to Monument Valley, the most direct route will take you through Moab which will allow you to see Arches and Canyonlands. With the short time you have available, I suggest limiting it to those three locations--MV, Arches and Canyonlands. Leaving SLC at noon would let you get to Arches for late afternoon shooting, then do some more shooting in the morning before heading to MV, for evening and morning shooting before returning through Moab for some more around that area. You won't lack for things to see and shoot. </p>

<p>There are so many great locations within 6 or 7 hours drive of one another that it is tempting to try to see them all...but if you try you won't really see any of them because you'll just be driving.</p>

[darin_schaffer]

<p>I would agree with John and save the rest for another trip. When you do come back to do Zion, Bryce, and Antelope, fly into Vegas as it is only a little over 2 hours from Vegas to Zion. I was just there in May for 8 days, did all three, and felt like I could have spent another 8 days and still not been able to see and photograph everything I wanted to. Zion is an amazing place, give yourself time to take it in.</p>

[charles_wood]

<p>I live in southern Utah and I've done the trip you have suggested many times. It's a 6-7 day trip, minimum to do what you want to do with any semblance of efficiency. First, the drive from Salt Lake to Zion will take 5-6 hours. The traffic along the Wasatch Front (Salt Lake - Provo and South) is a nightmare.<br>

Two hours in Zion gets you nothing and you're already going to be getting there too late for any light in the main canyon. As for Antelope Canyon, if you go early in the morning the slots won't glow as much as at midday. Also, unless you pay additional, the Navajo will give you one hour for the basic entry fee.<br>

Horseshoe Bend is located south of Page approximately two miles or so, on the Colorado River. Why would you drive to Monument Valley/Mexican Hat and then backtrack the next day? It's three hours to Moab from Monument Valley and the road is two lanes most of the way and will be crazy with holiday traffic. Memorial Day and Labor Day mean packed roads and motels in Utah.<br>

Incidentally, Kanab is the redneck capital of Utah and the local government there reflects pretty much the extreme ultra right wing agenda. Not one of my favorite places.<br>

I would suggest you consider driving from Salt Lake to Moab the same day. You could arrive there to do some sunset work at either Arches or Canyonlands. You could easily spend you're entire time at Canyonlands and Arches shooting at Delicate Arch at Sunset, The Windows Section or the LaSal Overlook at sunrise or The Hidden Kiva at Canyonlands in late afternoon. If you don't have a copy I would suggest you obtain Laurent Martes' Photographing Southern Utah for a comprehensive guide to planning your trip photographically. Good luck.</p>

<p> </p>

[tom_harvey3]

<p>Suman, I just did a 2-week trip in April around the southwest. I live in the SF east bay area, so southern Utah is 2 days travel for me.</p>

<p>I visited Shiprock, NM, Mexican Hat, UT, Canyonlands NP, the waterpocket fold (near Capitol Reef) and a lot of Capitol Reef area before heading back home via US 50. Two weeks wasn't nearly enough time.</p>

<p>When visiting parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah ALWAYS allow extra time. There was a sandstorm April 8 that lasted until I got to Moab (April 12) and then some. It stretched all the way from Flagstaff to Farmington, NM. Traffic was crawling at about 15 MPH, visibility was near or below zero at times.</p>

<p>Regards,</p>

<p>TH</p>

[kcm photos]

<p>I'm an avid Antelope Cyn. fan! The normal "photo" tours of the upper canyon are about 3 hours. It's very open and touristy, and you have to wait for groups to get out of your way - unless you're really rude! And don't ever go on a weekend! I'd plan on spending a lot of hours at the lower canyon. It's much less crowded, and I think you can get better pictures there that aren't like everyone else's. In my collection of images, the favorites are by far the ones taken at lower Antelope - because they're different.<br>

My first visit was a 1-day thing. My second visit was a 2-day, with 1 day in upper AC and 1 day in lower AC.</p>

[dan_south]

<p>Scale down. Less is more. Zion and Bryce are best approached from Las Vegas (i.e., on another trip).</p>

[greg_campbell1]

<p>Dude....<br>

You REALLY need to get out of that d**m car! With all that driving, you won't have a single memorable experience to go with your photos (which will likely suck.) Save the time and $ and buy some postcards.<br>

Try this: SLC to Hanksville, a relatively SANE 5 hr drive. Check out Goblin Valley State Park.<br>

Next day, hike nearby 'Little Wild Horse' slot canyon in the AM, then cruise down the incredibly scenic hwy 95 to MV. (If you liked Little Wild Horse, stop at Leprechaun Canyon along the way.) <br>

Enjoy MV for a FULL day.<br>

On the 4th day, blast back to SLC.</p>

<p> </p>

[charles_wood]

<p>For a visiting out of state photographer, there are far better photographic opportunities than Little Wildhorse Canyon and Goblin Valley. Arches and Canyonlands immediately come to mind. I did Little Wildhorse a few weeks ago I agreed with the other photographer I was with that it was a big yawn compared to other locations. Crack Canyon a few miles away is a far better photo op than Little Wildhorse, in my opinion.</p>

[greg_campbell1]

<p>No kidding!! There are about eleventy dozen slots in the area - I suggested LWH because it's dead easy to access and is not exactly ugly. Since the OP was most interested in MV, a quick evening shoot of the compact Goblin area sounded like a good side dish. Really, how do you expect to do Arches, much less Canyonlands, any justice with a drive-by, half-an-afternoon shoot? Puuuuleeze.</p>

[tom_harvey3]

<p>I allowed 5 nights in Moab for Canyonlands, Dead Horse Point, Arches and Canyon Rims area...nowhere near enough time for Canyonlands and had to skip Arches. The next trip I'll allow a week for Canyonlands alone.</p>

[suman]

<p>Guys! you rock. And thanks a ton for the suggestions.<br>

Just came back from the trip yesterday. We scaled down the trip quite a bit. On day Zero, we hiked to Delicate Arch at Arches in the afternoon after a 4 hr drive from Saltlake. The hike would worth every drop of my sweat had the weather god be nice to us. It was cloudy and rainy, but we enjoyed the beauty of the arch anyway.<br>

Day1, we drive down to monument valley with a short stop at Goosenecks SP. We spend about 5-6hrs at MV and stayed there till 8-8:30pm for moonlit shots, but there were clouds again. By the way, dinner at The View hotel is fabulous but not expensive and don't miss the navajo fried bread.<br>

On day 2, we came back to Moab with a loop trip of Valley of Gods. We enjoyed rest of the day at Arches. On our last day, we spend some more time at Arches and then head north to Saltlake.<br>

Overall, the trip was great even though there were small patches of interruption from weather God.</p>