A decade in the making
p.1 #1A decade in the making
It took me a decade to figure out how to get a close view of the Kofa Pinnacle. With my track record of mostly bluebird skies over dozens of visits, it will take me another decade to get a sunset or sunrise from this location with a decent sky. This will have to do for now.
Jun 16, 2026 at 11:27 PM
p.1 #2A decade in the making
Beautiful sunrise/sunset seen through the window of Kofa Pinnacle
Jun 17, 2026 at 03:27 AM
p.1 #3A decade in the making
I don't know that area but looks like a challenging hike. Well done.
Jun 17, 2026 at 11:38 AM
p.1 #6A decade in the making
sangwon04 wrote:
I think this is a fantastic shot
.
Eh, it will have to do for now. I have been circling around the formation for a decade, looking for ways to get other than telephoto shots. Below are long telephoto views (400mm+) of the Pinnacle from the easily accessible side off US95. The one in the OP is around 35mm, from the other side of the range, perched somewhat precariously on a rock above a deep canyon. It can make for an epic view... if I can be there at the right time. It is a 7-8 mile off-trail hike one-way, so I tend to do it in the morning, camp on site for a night, shoot the sunset and sunrise, maybe next sunset too if the weather forecast is favorable, then get back to the car. No shade or drinkable water so more than one 1.5 days becomes prohibitive in terms of the amount of water than I need to haul, on top of camera gear.
I think this is a fantastic shot
.Eh, it will have to do for now. I have been circling around the formation for a decade, looking for ways to get other than telephoto shots. Below are long telephoto views (400mm+) of the Pinnacle from the easily accessible side off US95. The one in the OP is around 35mm, from the other side of the range, perched somewhat precariously on a rock above a deep canyon. It can make for an epic view... if I can be there at the right time. It is a 7-8 mile off-trail hike one-way, so I tend to do it in the morning, camp on site for a night, shoot the sunset and sunrise, maybe next sunset too if the weather forecast is favorable, then get back to the car. No shade or drinkable water so more than one 1.5 days becomes prohibitive in terms of the amount of water than I need to haul, on top of camera gear.
Jun 25, 2026 at 12:16 PM
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p.1 #7A decade in the making
Lovely images all GG! For my taste I prefer the 4 images in the last post, but I understand the challenge of the getting the closer/harder shot right. A worthy quest!
Jun 25, 2026 at 02:56 PM
p.1 #8A decade in the making
guidostow wrote:
Lovely images all GG! For my taste I prefer the 4 images in the last post, but I understand the challenge of the getting the closer/harder shot right. A worthy quest!
I agree that the later post has nominally better images. But those are the result of dozens of visits over 10+ years, some under very rare conditions - for example the clouds streaming around the pinnacle. There is a lot of potential in the new location, but it requires specific light and direction, which may not be compatible with the winter season. I have not done the work yet to figure that out.
Lovely images all GG! For my taste I prefer the 4 images in the last post, but I understand the challenge of the getting the closer/harder shot right. A worthy quest!
I agree that the later post has nominally better images. But those are the result of dozens of visits over 10+ years, some under very rare conditions - for example the clouds streaming around the pinnacle. There is a lot of potential in the new location, but it requires specific light and direction, which may not be compatible with the winter season. I have not done the work yet to figure that out.
Jun 25, 2026 at 05:38 PM
p.1 #9A decade in the making
Wow. I’m invested after hearing the story. I can get a bit obsessed about things, but your dedication to get the close up shot is impressive. Please don’t fall off the cliff for a photo, though.
Jul 02, 2026 at 05:58 AM
p.1 #10A decade in the making
Beautiful images! I absolutely love the foggy one!
Jul 02, 2026 at 08:13 AM
p.1 #11A decade in the making
Mark Metternich wrote:
Beautiful images! I absolutely love the foggy one!
Yeah, that was a very unusual atmospheric event that I have seen only once. I am keeping a close eye on the monsoon this year, which may create similar atmospherics. Unfortunately it is well over 100F there right now, and I am not enough of a masochist to even try it. I will shoot without hesitation at -40F, but 100F+ is not something that I am willing to suffer through.
Processed a few more from that series today, I have a ginormous backlog of images from the past 6 months.
Beautiful images! I absolutely love the foggy one!
Yeah, that was a very unusual atmospheric event that I have seen only once. I am keeping a close eye on the monsoon this year, which may create similar atmospherics. Unfortunately it is well over 100F there right now, and I am not enough of a masochist to even try it. I will shoot without hesitation at -40F, but 100F+ is not something that I am willing to suffer through.
Processed a few more from that series today, I have a ginormous backlog of images from the past 6 months.
Jul 19, 2026 at 11:01 PM
p.1 #12A decade in the making
eapage777 wrote:
Wow. I’m invested after hearing the story. I can get a bit obsessed about things, but your dedication to get the close up shot is impressive. Please don’t fall off the cliff for a photo, though.
The Kofa Pinnacle is far and away the most distinctive feature of the Kofa range that can be seen during a casual visit. It it is offset far enough back from US95 with no roads or trails that approach it, unlike the quite commonly photographed location that is accessible via an easy dirt road navigable by passenger SUV. Most of the second set of images are from a location on the south side of the range that require a few mile dirt road drive plus a few mile hike over mostly flat terrain, in order to get into territory where a 400mm would effectively isolate the formations without requiring deep cropping. This is where the fog image was taken from.
The sidelit image at the end is from a sunrise on Signal Peak. Getting there requires another 5 mile offroad drive past the well known location, followed by a 2-3 mile hike with around 2000 ft elevation gain, and some light route finding required. It offers the best sunrise and sunset views of the Kofas, bar none. I usually hike it in the early afternoon with a gallon of water, a sandwidth, a sleeping pad, and a quilt, spend the night up there which allows me to shoot a sunset and a sunrise. Even on crystal clear days, which is the norm in the Kofas, the views are impressive. The few people that hike it usually do so as a day hike. I have always been the only camper at the top on the several occasions I have done it.
Then you get to the more difficult to access areas on the east side of the Kofas --- Squaw Peak, Old Smokey, which are largely off-trail hikes along the washes. In the dozen times I have been back there I have seen other people maybe twice, though there is clear evidence of footprints along most of the washes. This particular view requires hiking out of the washes, past a hidden summit, to an edge of a canyon with direct view of the Pinnacle. Someone built a fireplace there, so clearly not super isolated or difficult to access, but tucked enough from the obnoxious IG crowds to provide solitude.
Wow. I’m invested after hearing the story. I can get a bit obsessed about things, but your dedication to get the close up shot is impressive. Please don’t fall off the cliff for a photo, though.
The Kofa Pinnacle is far and away the most distinctive feature of the Kofa range that can be seen during a casual visit. It it is offset far enough back from US95 with no roads or trails that approach it, unlike the quite commonly photographed location that is accessible via an easy dirt road navigable by passenger SUV. Most of the second set of images are from a location on the south side of the range that require a few mile dirt road drive plus a few mile hike over mostly flat terrain, in order to get into territory where a 400mm would effectively isolate the formations without requiring deep cropping. This is where the fog image was taken from.
The sidelit image at the end is from a sunrise on Signal Peak. Getting there requires another 5 mile offroad drive past the well known location, followed by a 2-3 mile hike with around 2000 ft elevation gain, and some light route finding required. It offers the best sunrise and sunset views of the Kofas, bar none. I usually hike it in the early afternoon with a gallon of water, a sandwidth, a sleeping pad, and a quilt, spend the night up there which allows me to shoot a sunset and a sunrise. Even on crystal clear days, which is the norm in the Kofas, the views are impressive. The few people that hike it usually do so as a day hike. I have always been the only camper at the top on the several occasions I have done it.
Then you get to the more difficult to access areas on the east side of the Kofas --- Squaw Peak, Old Smokey, which are largely off-trail hikes along the washes. In the dozen times I have been back there I have seen other people maybe twice, though there is clear evidence of footprints along most of the washes. This particular view requires hiking out of the washes, past a hidden summit, to an edge of a canyon with direct view of the Pinnacle. Someone built a fireplace there, so clearly not super isolated or difficult to access, but tucked enough from the obnoxious IG crowds to provide solitude.
Jul 23, 2026 at 09:57 AM