About an hours drive from Moab are two fantastic National Parks. Canyonlands and Arches NP. Both National Parks are a must see. If you have to make a choice- go to Arches only because it has the state symbol for Utah. Also, Landscape arch may not last very long.
Our first stop was Canyonlands NP. After catching early morning sunrise at Mesa Arch we drove out to other view points. The
sunrise at Mesa is worth every bit of effort you put in to wake up at that unearthly hour. Island in the Sky district offers one of the most popular views in this park. There is a vast expanse of canyons carved out by what seems like a small river. The Grand Canyon seems to hog all the attention and there is much less publicity about these endless canyons of Utah. After taking in the sights on a cold December morning with temperatures in the low teens, we headed further out.
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| Green River from Island in the Sky |
Along the drive in to the National Park there are some beautiful views and sheer cliffs if you are willing to walk the untrodden path. There are no trails to this location- it was just a few hundred feet off the road.
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| LaSal Mountains in the backdrop |
Canyonlands NP is so huge, it may take more than a week to explore all corners. There are extensive backcountry 4wd trails. You can also take Jeep tours from nearby Moab. The park is divided into multiple districts- Needles, Island in the Sky, Horseshoe Canyon and the Maze among others. Island in the Sky is the most easily accessible area from Moab. White Rim road provides a 100 mile dirt road for bikers.
After spending most of the morning in Canyonlands, we made a short detour to visit Deadhorse Point State Park. This park offers a fantastic view point of more canyons etched by the Colorado River. The visitor center was closed the day we visited and hence I was unable to get much more information. This view below is from the Visitor Center. The short deviation is entirely worth it.
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| Deadhorse Point State Park |
Late in the afternoon, we headed back to Arches NP to be able to catch sunset at the Delicate Arch. This is a 2.5 mile hike one way. The trail ends about half way into the hike and you are left climbing sandstone monoliths. There are trail markings - either with stones placed in a row or actual signs. Look out for them. The last few feet of the hike is on a ledge cut out on the side of a giant rock formation. If you are doing this hike in winter - the ice on the trail is compacted due to heavy traffic on this section. Be very careful. I would strongly recommend carrying Yaktrax for your hiking boots. Once you traverse the ledge, you are treated to wonderful views of the Delicate Arch- the state symbol of Utah. There is almost a rim like formation near this area- it is a hard spot to set your tripod. The fact that tourists hog this spot makes it very difficult to get an isolated shot like the one below. In this case, we had 10 seconds before one group left and another group came in under the arch. La Sal mountains in the backdrop make a picture perfect setting. The sunlight highlights the arch.
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| Delicate Arch at Sunset |
While I was walking around the Delicate Arch, I saw the suns rays make an interesting photo-op. I couldnt wait too long for the folks below to leave and clicked away regardless. The result turned out well.
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| Inverted Diamond Ring- Delicate Arch |
And... before you leave, what National Park visit is complete without your set of goofy pictures. (Yoga lessons not required for this pose!)
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| The Human Arch along with the Delicate Arch |
Below is the rim like formation that I mentioned earlier. It is a steep fall of about 50 plus feet. You may slide down to the bottom and lose some skin but it is not too dangerous.
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| The rim like formation- next to the arch |
Next morning, I had an early start to capture this shot below. This arch in the foreground is North Window. The arch inside in the background is Turret Arch. You need to get across North Window to a viewing platform made by rocks. It is unmarked but provides a very good spot. I waited for about 45 minutes after sunrise for the sun to highlight this arch.
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| Turret Arch as seen from North Window |
As we exited North Window, I was trying to find some small brush to place in the foreground of the photograph. A friend of mine decided to pose in the arch and it made for a great picture.
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| Man vs Arch, Looking into North Window |
As we drove out- this landmark stood out. This photograph below is of the 3 Gossips.
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| 3 Gossips |
Another famous arch in this National Park is that of Landscape Arch. This is the longest arch in the world and is in the Devils Garden Area in the park. The arch extends 290 feet- that's right! Three full football fields almost! At its thinnest section, this arch is only 6 feet wide.
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| Landscape arch |
The day we visited, it was overcast and gloomy and did not make for a great photo op. Doing a star photograph here with some light painting may be worth investigating in.
Here is some stunning photography!
http://bretwebsterimages.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Galactic-Desert/G00003veX5HFA71E/I0000Q6Wq4..ZsOM
On June 5, 1995, a 47-foot mass of rock fell from the front
of the thinnest section of the arch, followed by another 30-foot rock fall
on June 21. The loop under the arch is no longer open and is considered unsafe.
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| Landscape Arch- 6 feet wide at its thinnest section |
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| Delicate Arch- back side view |
If you are not upto the task of hiking 2.5 miles one way to see Delicate Arch, you could take a short half mile hike from the parking lot to see Delicate Arch. You can see little specs of people lined up on the rim and one person under the arch as well. This is a beautiful sight from a distance.
Balanced rock below is probably the most visible structure from the road. This rock is about the size of a bus- and there is a an accessible trail around the rock. Sunset highlights the rock bringing out some golden colors.
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| Balance Rock at Sunset |
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As I scurried along to catch the beautiful after sunset colors, I was eagerly looking for a tree to place in the foreground. Here is the picture I took- look for the spoiler below the picture.
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| Sunset from Balanced Rock |
Spoiler: If you have been to this park- you probably know that there arent too many trees around here. This was a small bush by Balanced Rock. The bush was probably knee high- I think it did the job!
After catching dinner at a restaurant in Moab, we drove back for some star photography. After a tiring day we were low on patience and we had a long drive ahead. Although there isnt too much light pollution around here, there are countless planes criss crossing the skies above. With some light painting on a long exposure I was able to capture this photo below.
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| Alien looking up at the Stars- Balanced Rock with lightpainting |
While we were at it, there was a plane that went right in our path. The resulting photograph was not so bad. It looked like an Alien being energized by a laser beam from the sky. The light painting in this particular pattern was just a happy accident and was not intended.
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| Alien energized by laser beam from the sky |
Here is another beautiful night sky image from the same location.
http://bretwebsterimages.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Galactic-Desert/G00003veX5HFA71E/I0000fA8vqk40nOA
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