What is the best time to photograph at Zion & Bryce Canyon?

[mark h]

I have never been to Bryce Canyon or Zion National Park and was

wondering what is the best time to photograph there? Is July, Aug an

OK time? Thanks for the info.

 

Mark Hardgrave

[christian deichert]

Only if you'd like to share the park with 8 billion tourists.<P>I've found that early to mid May is the best time for crowds at every national park I've photographed; most kids are still in school, so there aren't many families to contend with. This leaves the crowd limited to the usual retirees and German tourists (accompanied by the usual RV and/or tour bus). Sometimes you might have the misfortune to run into the dreaded high school class trip, but only if your bad karma is really, really overdue.<P>For many hotels, it's the off season, so your reservations are easier and you save some bucks. Or, if you're like me and you camp, the free BLM campsites are relatively open. (If you're camping at Zion, use the BLM land that's about 7 miles south of the gate. It's in a perfect spot just above the Virgin River. We stayed there for three days and left our tent there the entire time; never had a problem.)<P>Also, the climate is reasonable. It was a little cool when I hit Bryce last May, but when you're at 9,000 feet or so it's usually not that warm anyway.<P>On Bryce and Zion in general: Bryce was pretty neat, but all that pink got old relatively quickly; after the first day, we cut our visit short and headed early to Zion. I loved Zion, and had no problem finding different things to shoot for the four days and three nights we spent there. While you're there, see Grafton, it's a neat ghost town between the south gate and the BLM campsite.

[vincent_le_flohic1]

Bryce: I also recommend to go there around the may timeframe. For photo matter only I would favor the winter time when there is already some snow on the ground and the sun is so low that you can shoot almost all day long with very nice light over the rim. Zion: very bad during US holidays, bad during summer (people+sun too high so light too harsh - deep canyon constraints) but for walking in the narrows when there is no risk of flood, dreamland during fall - color wise, less crowd. so... Is July, Aug an OK time? Definetely: NO... but do you really have the choice? Vincent.

[phil_goble]

While I believe May is a great time to visit both parks, I actually like going in late October better. In many respects the temperature and chance for snow is about the same in Bryce, but the water on the Virgin river at Zion is typically lower, and although the temperature was 50 degrees when I hiked it in late October I didn't really notice it because of the depth. The trees are also turning around this time in the area (although it was too early in Zion for a great deal of color).

[ross_geredien]

My answer would be similar. My personal preference is fall and winter for low-angle light, the possibility of nice, soft snowfall on the pink and red rocks, and my favorite sweet golden cottonwoods in the canyons with nice potential for reflections. The latter is possible toward late October and the first half of November.

 

All of the above are correct about May. The weather is usually very dynamic, relatively mild, and no crowds. Spring is beautiful in the desert.

 

Ross

[mark h]

Thanks you all of your input! It looks like May is nice and also fall/winter time frame. Yes, I want to avoid the crowds. From the response, it looks like some good extended shooting in the late fall winter due to the lower angle of the sun. Would September be OK?

 

Thanks

 

Mark

[marcnh]

I was in Zion in june, and it really wasn't that crowded. The only problem was parking. As long as you get there early you're fine.

My only tip is to hike Angels landing. It really is an easy five miles round trip.

[dhrubo_gupta]

I attended a workshop conducted by Joe Lange in mid-April. This was spread over a week between Bryce and Zion. We were fortunate that it had snowed heavily a couple of days before we hit Bryce. The the red rocks with the snow caps were stunning and we couldnt get enough of it. Not to be missed is the first light breaking from Sunrise Point - you will have get there early to get the best position - we just beat a team of Japanese photographers that morning. The red rock actually glows and with all the snow around, it made for an unforgetable five minutes - thats all the time you have to catch it right! I know this will confuse you about when to make it, but Joe who has these workshops twice a year in that area, said the snow made all the difference. If you have time, make it down to Page (Arizona) for an afternoon at Slot Canyon - its only a hundred yards long and two to ten feet wide but the photo ops were incredible. You have to know when precisely the sun hits the slots - we were lucky to have Joe tell us. Hope this helps.

[stan_farrow]

I was in Bryce in Early July last summer, and it is true that there are a lot of people there. However it was possible to avoid them. One problem was that the light was overhead and kind of harsh - however it was good to get out early in the morning (around 7am) before everybody else. The air was cooler, and it was possible to get some good shots with the lower angle of sunlight sculpting the hoodoos. One warning though - don't be tempted to move off the trails because there are fewer people around - it's too easy to fall or drop your camera when your footing isn't secure!

 

Best wishes

 

Stan Farrow

[ShunCheung]

Please keep in mind that starting this year (2000), unless you stay in the lodge inside Zion, you must use the shuttle bus to get around. I am not usre that is a year-around arrangement or just during the busy season.

 

According to the book "The Nature of America," the second week of May is the best time to visit national parks in Utah because the weather is good and you may see wild flowers. Of course, there are other good times to visit those parks as well.

[dan_smith]

You just missed it. The best time is 8:12 AM on February 9, unless it is snowing. Then the time moves to 10:22 AM.