phil_goble

I will be arriving at Great Smoky Mountains NP tomorrow evening. I

am looking for suggestions for good flower photo opportunities from

April 27 - 29. Any information from forum members who have visited

in the last week would be appreciated.

I am going to be at GSMNP the last week of April. I was there about the same time last year and seemed to be late in several areas for good flowers. Sounds like the same thing this year. Can one predict at this time what areas might be good at that time?

When shooting Fisher Towers, you are shooting toward the southwest, sorry.

One of my favorites (and my wifes - which is saying something), is shooting down the Colorado River toward Fisher Towers in Castle Valley. You have to take 128 from Moab going northeast and drive past Castle valley. You will actually end up shooting toward the southeast. This is an afternoon, sunset shot. You can get the mountains in the background. I was going to climb up the rocks (the river flows through a gorge it has cut), but didn't have time.

Overdone and obvious, but excellent subjects worth seeing in any event:

 

Sunrise: Dead Horse State Park - as already mentioned

 

Sunrise: Mesa Arch (Canyonlands)

 

Sunrise: Turret Arch thru North Window (Arches) - can also be good at twilight

 

Early morning: Landscape Arch

 

Late afternoon / Sunset: Delicate Arch (not the Delicate Arch viewpoint, but the longer hike from Wolfe Ranch)

 

Late afternoon / Sunset: Balance rock can be good with the mountains in the background if the light is right

 

Late afternoon: The Fiery furnace (you have to scout to get a good foreground)

I was in Death Valley in early December two years ago. There may actually be road closures this time of year. When I visited the road to Eureka dunes was not officially open (as well as some others I didn't care about), but a ranger was nice enough to hint that they heard some people were on it (it had just been graded). I also spoke with one of the hotel operators about peak visiting times (thinking that December would be one of them) and he told me that December was actually quiet, the busiest time is actually when it is hottest! Apparently tourists from outside the United States like to visit during this time period, perhaps to brag about being in 120 or above heat.

 

I believe the road closures are listed on the www.nps.gov website. If they aren't, you can find them somewhere because I did before I left on the trip.

 

I drove from Las Vegas and had no problems getting to the park. In terms of places to shoot there are many, but I really enjoyed shooting the dunes. Unfortunately, there were tracks all over Mesquite dunes, but Eureka was fairly pristine because the road had been closed.

 

Good luck.

Is a permit required to travel near Shiprock, as it is on Navajo land?

I wouldn't recommend the hike to the wave with a 4 year old, and I doubt you could obtain the necessary permits, which are gone months in advance (as many as six months). You might consider Antelope Canyon (upper and lower), which aren't that far from some of the places you mentioned. Accessibility would not be a problem for your family, although the light is better toward's summer.

I drove Toroweap in a Blazer, but a passenger car could make it if you don't mind shaking the suspension. When we went back there was a large motorhome already there. I am sure it wasn't airlifted in. There are three main routes to get to Toroweep. We took the middle route. It took me substantially less time than the rangers indicated, but my friends would characterize me as an "aggressive" driver. As indicated earlier, rain turns the roads to mush and makes things difficult. I found the roads good until the last mile or two, at which point you are driving over washboard rock. Even then, it isn't bad if you drive slowly. Given a choice, I would take an SUV. If you need more information email me directly.

An alternative you could consider is looping from the south rim, through Page, going by Toroweep on the north rim of the canyon, and Zion on the way back to Vegas. I would skip Canyon De Chelley. Haven't been to Petrified Forest, but you are heading farther east and extending the trip.

I had planned to be in Ouray, CO October 3-5. Would those familiar with the area think that is too late? There is a possibility I could be there September 24-26. Would there be that much difference between the two times?

If you like seclusion and good scenery, I would recommend Point Sublime and Toroweap on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. They are both easier to negotiate than they seem.

 

I would recommend wading the Zion river narrows back about two mile. I did the river about the same time two years ago and although it was cold, the water levels were low and air temperatures were high. I had no problems with hypothermia.

 

I would recommend stopping at Page to photograph Antelope Canyon (both upper and lower).

Dave,

 

It's probably too late for this warning, but beware the poison oak and ivy at the park. I got the worst case of poison oak in my life there. The next day in San Francisco, a doctor I saw there indicated this is not uncommon, and it is one of the worst places on the west coast. Nonetheless, it is beautiful and worth a visit. I would recommend that you travel down to Garrapata for sunset, as it is only about fifteen minutes from the entrance to the park.

Thanks to everyone for their responses. I guess there is probably a little more snow cover now.

I have read in the archives that April is a good time to visit

Yosemite for a variety of reasons. I am looking at a potential visit

around March 12 because that is when my family can travel. What will

conditions in the valley be like at that time? Is the water flowing,

are any flowers blooming (it would seem early to me), any snow still

present? I imagine conditions are variable and a storm could

dramatically change things. It is worth a visit?

Color on the North rim was good. In fact many trees are bare. It just snowed last week which is causing the leaves to drop.

 

It's too early in Zion. Sometime in November.

A short 1/4 mile hike will get you to a view of Turret Arch through North Window. This is a picture I have seen many professionals take, so it's not original but I still like it. You can shoot this at sunrise or sunset. At this time of year you probably will have shadow on Turret Arch until an hour after sunrise.

 

Double Arch is closeby, about 1/4 mile from the same point (opposite direction) you departed from to get to Delicate Arch.

 

I wouldn't visit Arches without hiking to Delicate Arch. This has to be one of the most photographed objects in Utah and graces the Utah license plate. I found it to be an impressive site, especially with the La Sal mountains in the background. If memory serves this is around a mile hike with a 700-800ft change in elevation. I am not sure how your knee would react, but if you think you can go five miles I would fit this in somehow. I definitely recommend this as a late afternoon / sunset shot.

 

Balanced rock in late afternoon /sunset is another good shot easily reached.

 

As was previously indicated, it's easy for you to stay at Moab and drive to a point that you can originate a hike.

 

Good shooting. Email me with additional questions if desired.

Canyonlands and Capitol Reef are both worth a visit, and they both are convenient given your desire to see Arches and Bryce. The Canyonlands is around 45 minutes from Moab (Island in the sky section), so you can see it in conjunction with Arches. I would recommend that you visit Dead Horse State Park (on the way to the Canyonlands) to catch the Colorado Goosenecks inside the Canyonlands at sunrise. You can then go on to Island in the Sky (in the Canyonlands) and catch the major viewpoints there. I would definitely recommend Mesa Arch, but this is a dawn morning shot as well. I stayed at the Best Western Canyonlands - Moab, and it was nice.

 

You can stop by Capitol Reef on your way to Bryce. You can easily spend a day at Capitol Reef. The "Castle" is right by the visitor center on the main road. Panorama Point is past the visitor center on your way to Bryce (evening / sunset shot). The scenic drive down into the waterpocket fold is worth your time. There are some interesting rock formations in the gorges that are good at midday as the sun reflects off the walls. If you want to get an interesting view of nature in action, drive out to Strike Valley overlook. I believe you can Strike Valley in a car, but a 4 wheel drive vehicle would be better. I stayed at the Best Western near Capitol Reef (about four miles away), which was fairly new at the time and pretty nice. There are one or two other hotels near the park as well.

 

In terms of Bryce, your best opportunities are at sunrise and early morning, although you can get some interesting shots at midday while you are down inside the canyon. I would recommend the Navajo loop trail for your hiking and midday shooting. Shooting Thor's hammer at sunrise was an exhilirating experience for me. Unfortunately in October you aren't going to be able to get the sun rising behind it. I would also recommend shooting from Inspiration Point, Bryce Point, at Agua Canyon, and the Natural Bridge. You can't really go wrong from any of the major viewpoints. I am sure others in the forum have their favorites. If you haven't already booked lodging at Bryce, I would recommend Ruby's Inn immediately outside the park. You would be lucky to get into Bryce Lodge at this point. One thing you might consider is shooting at Bryce in the mornings and driving to other opportunities for evening/sunset shooting.

 

Good shooting. Maybe I will see you at Bryce or Capitol Reef, as I have plans to visit again in October. Feel free to email me for further information if desired.

I will be spending some time in the Page, AZ area in early October.

Am already planning on visiting Antelope Canyon, Water Holes Canyon,

Horeshoe Bend, Tatahatso Point, hiking to Cobra Arch, and possibly

hiking into Buckskin Gulch a short way and retracing. Regrettably,

Coyote Buttes North is booked until December.

 

I am sure many of you have some favorites that I have not mentioned.

I have a slot for a day hike of about 6-8 hours, and some 2-3 hour

time periods that favor easy access. Any suggestions on areas with

good photo opportunities would be appreciated.

 

We will have a four wheel drive vehicle at our disposal, and are

intermediate to experienced hikers.

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).

I went in late January last year over a weekend and there was no snow. In the morning before dawn temperatures were around 19 degrees F. By noon the were around 40 degrees F. I doubt this means anything. The weather varies wildly from a temperature and moisture perspective there that time of year. You should just pray the weather works for you since your travel plans aren't flexible. One advantage of going then is that you shouldn't be running into many people. I counted two cars in Canyonlands while I was there. It was more like twenty cars in Arches. The only place there were many people was at Delicate Arch. Maybe this is an anomaly. One recommendation, shoot from Dead Horse State Park one morning to get a great shot of the Colorado goosenecks in Canyonlands. Good shooting.

I made plans about four weeks ago to visit Capitol Reef, Bryce, Zion, and the north rim of the Grand Canyon. I will be arriving next week. Your news is a great disappointment. Any information on the interior of Zion and the north rim of the Grand Canyon? Were they impacted as well?

Although I have visited all of the locations you mentioned and enjoyed them, I wished I had spent more time at Capitol Reef. As someone already pointed out, you won't be running into as much traffic there as with Bryce or Zion. You might also consider Arches and Canyonlands on your trip. Neither should be as busy as Zion or Bryce, especially Canyonlands. I don't know whether these fall within your definition of Southern Utah or not. Enjoy yourself, it's beautiful country.