Hi everyone,
I will be visiting Arches and Canyonlands for the first time and would appreciate some advice on sunrise/sunset locations for a short trip. I will be staying next to Arches but think that Canyonlands is 30 min drive from my hotel.
Dead Horse Point state park (just shy of Canyonlands on the road up) is great for both sunrise and sunset, especially the actual Dead Horse Point at the end of the mesa. You can even see the spot featured on S1E1 of Westworld where the Man in Black scalps a guy:
That said, I feel like there's a ton of great opportunities for shots from the Devil's Garden trail in Arches. Would much rather try to get creative there compared to standing shoulder to shoulder with a bunch of other people at the Mesa arch at sunrise.
In between sunrise and sunset you have all the narrow red sandstone canyons that are illuminated all day long by the light bouncing back and forth off the canyon walls. There's no need to wait for sunrise and sunset to get great light in these places. Little streams lined with multi-colored cobbles twist along the canyon bottoms and are accented by gnarled old cottonwood trees that have withstood decades of flash floods. At this time of year the trees will have few, if any, leaves left on their branches.
By "narrow" I mean just wide enough to accommodate the stream, some bank flanks, and a winding road that parallels the canyon bottom and gives you easy access to endless photo spots. At many times of year, you can count on having these spots to yourself. If you're into hiking, even narrower canyons branch off the roaded ones.
These are places celebrated by the photography of Guy Tal. Just be careful of flash floods during the rains like we're having right now.
Have been down to that area a few times over the years and, although it has been done by everyone it seems, I always do a sunrise visit to Mesa Arch. A bit of a drive into Canyonlands from the entrance, but well worth it. Expect to get up early for a good spot and take a light for the walk from the parking area to the arch (maybe a quarter mile?). And, as a bonus if the sky is clear, remember to look up while waiting for sunrise. The stars are absolutely amazing and it seems like you can reach out and touch them.
A wide angle (28mm or wider) is necessary to get the whole arch, especially if you get one of the good spots as you are quite close. If you don't get one of the preferred spots, you can walk towards the right (watch yourself cause there's no fencing and it's a long way down) up to a hundred metres or so for some shots of the spires (or whatever they're called), with a longer lens.
After you've finished that shoot, you can then wander around to the many other lookouts and/or do Arches Park on your way back to the hotel.
And make sure you dress appropriately, it can get pretty cold, especially if you're just standing around waiting.
I recommend an out-n-back to "Double O Arch." When I last did it we made the "loop" that you will see on the map and the consensus was the extra mileage just wasn't worth it (possibly just our opinion).
The recommendation in the brochure: "The hike becomes difficult beyond Landscape Arch toward Double O Arch. Turn around at this point to avoid the challenging remainder of the hike." Just NOT our experience...go all the way.
"The Rat said: ...Would much rather try to get creative there (Devil's Garden) compared to standing shoulder to shoulder with a bunch of other people at the Mesa arch at sunrise."
Our experience TOTALLY unless you have the time for both.
Agree with the advice of Devils Garden, particularly going past landscape arch, wherr I have most enjoyed Arches NP. Lots of interesting non-arch material to shoot along the Park Avenue hike/walk as well in early or late light.
Dead Horse Point is a must-see, jaw-dropping vista where you will definitely want to take in a sunrise.
If you have the time, a visit to the Needles district of Canyonlands is highly advised, I have really enjoyed the hiking and unusual formations in that area.
Just came back from a quick two day trip today. We stayed at the Red Cliffs Lodge next to the Castle Creek Winery on HWY 128, which is north of Moab.
That area is amazing. Fisher Towers is out there, and you can get a shot of the snow covered La Sal Mountains and Colorado River with the Fisher towers in the same shot. I took my Leica 35-70 and Contax 100-300 and wish I had a wider lens.
It rained A TON in Moab on Thursday, so there is water in pools in Arches, where you can get good reflections. A good resource that I have used for years is thewave.info
He has lots of awesome locations and great photos of said places.
Too bad False Kiva got ruined and closed, that is for sure worth it. Potash Road, where Corona Arch is located has lots of photo ops next to the Colorado River as well.
p.1 #10 · Arches and Canyonlands 4-day trip advise
When are you going and are you driving or flying to your destination area? If driving, which I recommend, you will see some beautiful landscape areas along Hwy 12 (through Bryce Canyon), then north to Hwy 24 and to Moab. I recommend Moab due to its range of accommodations and other facilities, and because the town is close to several places you plan on visit.
As pointed out Dead Horse State park offers a wonderful view of the twisting Green river and mesas, and Mesa Arch, although it has been photographed a million times, is compelling for an early sunrise shot framed by the arch and hoodoos in the distance. Check your sunrise times for various places.
p.1 #11 · Arches and Canyonlands 4-day trip advise
Mesa Arch...get there early...like really early, it can get busy quick.
Drive past Mesa arch, some very cool photo opportunities
Contact CKarr (long time FM member...he lives in Moab) and may be able to take you to some different spots, there are lots of opps other than the standard touristy ones.
p.1 #12 · Arches and Canyonlands 4-day trip advise
Dead Horse Point is a must - great for sunrise and sunset.
Arches is a trainwreck due to the amount of people - I'd avoid at sunset and go to Canyonlands/Dead Horse.
If you want a bit of a drive, go South to the Needles Overlook - a different perspective for sunset and gorgeous, overlooking the Needles portion of Canyonlands.
If you have a chance to pick up the book Photographing the Southwest - the Utah version explains a number of different locations nearby which would make for awesome photographs.
You'll want long lenses for shooting into the canyons and potentially the snow-capped La Sal's. Wides will also work well for up close images.
p.1 #14 · Arches and Canyonlands 4-day trip advise
Comical addendum: due to my intestines not cooperating for days on end, I had to cut my latest trip short and pass through the Moab area on my way home. I hit the Mesa Arch at sunrise this morning, and I was only one of eight or so people. Was the only one there before sunrise, and the only one with a tripod. 2/3 of those that showed up were using smartphones only.
It was pretty great to see. I suppose I can now recommend the Mesa Arch for sunrise when it's winter and midweek. Still can't imagine bothering any other time of year with the giant crowds though.
p.1 #15 · Arches and Canyonlands 4-day trip advise
Visited Arches and Canyonlands for 4 days in 2007. While the ground level photographic subjects were great, the highlight of the trip was a 2+ hour small plane flight over Canyonlands and the Convergence down to Monument Valley with a stop there and then back with a slightly different route. Even though we had only mid-day light the scenery was jaw dropping with a few memorable keeper photos.
Aerial tours and photography may not be your cup of tea, but if you have never tried it this is a great one to experiment with. Some flight options around Arches/Canyonlands are as short as 30 minutes for $99 and up to 2 hours 20 minutes for $329 for the Monument Valley round trip. You can take most of these tours without missing a ground level golden hour opportunity.
Good luck with your trip. Wish I could make it back out to these spectacular national parks.
p.1 #16 · Arches and Canyonlands 4-day trip advise
Arches is far more popular than Canyonlands. Expect a much bigger crowd there. It's about an hour to Mesa Arch in Canyonlands from Moab. That is going to be the most popular spot in the Islands in the Sky section on Canyonlands.
A few suggestions and comments:
Arches NP
Delicate Arch- very famous at sunset with crowds like the press Corp at a blockbuster movie premiere. As in expect 200 plus people there. Many now stay and light paint after sunset. It's a long walk up and down with following rock Cairns on the slick rock.
Balanced Rock is also popular as a sunrise, sunset and night spot. It's right by the road.
Wall Street is a famous view that is worth exploring down the valley.
Canyonlands NP
This is all for the Island in the Sky section. The Maze is a completely different area worth exploring too.
Mesa Arch is the crown jewel here. It's a sunrise shot. As someone already said get there early. At least one hour prior to sunrise. Probably two. It gets packed and only a dozen or so people can set up. Needs to be clear for the arch to glow but the glow lasts for almost half an hour so plenty of time.
Grand View overlook has some great spots as you walk the rim. Great at sunset.
If you stay up in Island in the Sky for the day the Granaries at Aztec Butte are worth exploring.
Dead Horse Point SP is very small but scenic for sunrise and sunset. Probably not enough to spend the day there. It's on the way to Island in the Sky. Too difficult to do sunrise there and Mesa Arch so plan it for a different day.
La Sal Mountains
If in the Moab area in the warmer months take the loop road up from Spanish Valley to the La Sal Mountains. Look for Warner Lake. It's off Forest Service road 63. Super scenic with Aspen's and pines. Amazing in early October when in color. Plus a nice cool location in summer.
p.1 #17 · Arches and Canyonlands 4-day trip advise
The snow capped La Sal mountains are quite a distance from Dead Horse SP but with even a medium telephoto lens you can get a nice landscape shot of those peaks.
p.1 #18 · Arches and Canyonlands 4-day trip advise
You can get info on off-roading at the Information Center in Moab, including difficulty and type of vehicle required. Gemini Bridges is nice, and easy. Shafer Trail is more of a challenge, but spectacular. Return via Long Canyon for a scenic loop.
If you are interested in petroglyphs, they can be found all over the Moab area. Use Google to find them.
A beautiful multi-tier waterfall can be found near Ken's Lake. Another is along Mill Creek (past the man-made one at an old mill site) about a mile each way.
A hike into what was called Negro Bill Canyon off Rte 128 crosses the stream many times but leads to Morning Glory Arch. Watch out for poison ivy near the arch. Corona Arch and Bow Tie Arch (same trail) are good for early morning.
Dinosaur fossils/bones can be easily reached with a short hike (Google).
Be sure to sign up for a ranger-led hike into Fiery Furnace.
p.1 #19 · Arches and Canyonlands 4-day trip advise
Sunrise will provide the best opportunity to photograph the rock formations without people crawling all over them. Apps like Photo Pills and Photographer's Ephemeris that provide exact angles for sunrise at a given location which helps you to scout locations the day before and then arrive at a location while it is still dark.
There is a NM photographer and guide, Ed MacKerrow, that has made exceptional use of these tools to photograph the areas mentioned.
Dead Horse Flat is a great alternative for camping as well as photography.
