On our way back from more than a week of shooting in various places in Utah, my friends Charlie and Karl and I decided to make a quick run to Zion Canyon this morning. I had heard that color in the canyon was not quite at peak yet, and I would concur. The red maples are very colorful, and there is some color on cottonwoods and box elders and similar... but more to come. But by poking around a bit it was possible to find some good color, especially when it is enhanced by light reflected by nearby sandstone walls. (There is still fine color along the Mount Carmel highway, and in many other areas of southern Utah.)
Along the Virgin River in the Temple of Sinawava area - shot during breaks between early morning wind gusts!
Jim, it has been several days since I was there now - I think it was last Tuesday morning. We just made a quick stop on the way back from points east, where we had been shooting for over a week - so we only had time for a few hours of shooting in Zion Canyon itself.
I'm afraid I can't offer you much useful reconnaissance at this point! I will say that Zion Canyon colors were starting to look good and, in fact, did look good if I looked in the right places. The red maples were quite nice, though the cottonwoods and box elders were clearly short of their peak. My hunch is that the peak could be occurring right about now.
