Tag: Utah

Southern Utah March 2025 – White Rocks – Part 2

Broken Circle

This post is a continuation of photography in an area of Southern Utah that is commonly referred to as “White Rocks”. There are many interesting rock features in this area.

I have to admit to cheating a little in the editing of this first image. In the original image there was a big rock where the two in the foreground are now. I found that single, large rock distracting, so I used Lightroom’s AI tool to break that rock into smaller rocks. This tool is often used to remove objects, but it can also modify objects. the tool creates three choices from which to choose at each activation and one can repeat the activation, if none of the choices are desirable. I could have completely removed that big rock, but that did not seem appropriate, so I chose this broken rock alternative, which I think fits better with the other rocks in the “Broken Circle”.  Some will object to this blatant modification of a landscape, but I’ve finally gotten to the point of seeing such photography as much as art as in faithfully copying what nature provides. So I’m ok with modifications, within reasonable limits and we have to use our own judgment as to what is “reasonable”.

Temple Guardians
A Toad’s Stool

Geologist refer to these rock features as “hoodoos” or “toadstools”. To me the rock atop the pedestal in the foreground here looks like a toad. So Maybe this is a “Toad’s Stool”.

Parent and Child

I titled this “Parent and Child”, but I can also see it as a dog with its tail sticking up. Some people’s pareiodlia may see it otherwise, but in the end it is another of natures marvelous creations, no matter how we perceive it.

Surveying its Domain

This hoodoo, supported by many rock layers, seems to be looking down into the valley at those which lie below its lofty perch.

Parent and Child 2

I made this second image of “Parent and Child” a few minutes after the first, composing from a different angle. Within those few minutes, the sky in the background had changed significantly due to the windy conditions, illustrating how a minor change in view point and changing environmently conditions can affect a photograph.

Red Hat and Pink Bonnet

Just a pair of stylish, cartoon like hoodoos in Southern Utah.

Mom Hoodoo and Pet

A close up of the hoodoo with the pink bonnet in the previous image and a conversion to monochrome, give a completly different interpretation to this scene.

Hoodoo Family

Getting into a position to make this image was not easy. Steep slopes with gravel size rock chips and thin layers of sand over the hard rock surface and other obstacles, made moving around treacherous and positioning awkward.

Hoodoo Family Group Portrait

These hoodoos are the same one presented in individual photos. Grouping these into one shot, I’m imagining a father, child and mother in these rock shapes, all peering down into the valley below.

Hoodoo Family

Another group of hoodoos that look like a family unit. Dad in the background, mom on the right, casting a sideways look at the child in a curious manner.

That’s it for now. Stay tuned for more Southern Utah landscapes,

Ken

 

Southern Utah March 2025 – White Rocks – Part 1

I met my son at White House Trail Head and Campground in Southern Utah to spend a few days hiking and photographing in the area in mid-March 2025. We had previously spent some time in this area in 2009. So we knew a little about the area and had some ideas about where to go and what to see, but we wanted to avoid some of the most popular areas, which tend to be the ones most easily accessible and are, consequently, crowded.

Yet, we did spend a fair amount of time driving around and hiking to check out some possibilities. We also had one really windy day that curtailed all but some driving exploration in the area.

We ended up going to one particular area a number of times at various times of the day. This area is not awfully difficult to get to, but it does involve a fairly long drive on gravel and dirt roads, with a long portion on a rugged, 4 wheel drive road, which probably keeps out many casual visitors, followed by a sandy hike. One has to know where this site is, otherwise it is not obvious from any roadway. We saw evidence of other recent visitors, but never saw anyone else during any of our vists here.

Puppy Head Hoodoo

For those that are not familiar with the term, “Hoodoo” is used as a description of a pinacle of weathered rock, usually with curious shapes. My pareidolia causes me to see creatures is some of these rock features, so I will often name these hoodoos for what I perceive.

Flatheads
Ghost Rocks

“Ghost Rocks” is an accidental multiple exposure, due to my forgetting to reset my camera menu from an earlier multiple exposure shoot; but I like it. Maybe I should have made more such multiple exposures here.

White Rocks Hoodoo

The generic name for this area is “White Rocks”, for the mostly white rocks in this desert canyon.

Desert Dancer

Wind whipping the blades of this desert grass around leaves circles in the sand around its base.

White Rock Hoodoos, Fat Man and Little Boy
Rim View

I called this area with the many hoodoos a “canyon”, but I’m not sure that is the best term. It is more like an area eroded down into a large flat plain, where the harder rock remains as pinacles with rock caps of various colors and sizes. “Rim View” is a late day shot from the flat plain above the eroded out area.

More Utah rock features later,

Ken

 

 

Buckskin Gulch

This is a continuation of hiking and photography in Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch slot canyons in Southern Utah in March 2025.

Upon exiting Wire Pass Slot Canyon, we turned right, proceeding into Buckskin Gulch.

Hard Evidence

The numerous rocks strewn over the canyon floor in Buckskin Gulch give evidence of the violence of currents that periodically rage through this canyon.

Sky Reflection

The sky and canyon walls are reflected in this muddy puddle, including the upper portion of the wall with the glow of midmorning light. We were able to pass this puddle by using the rocks on the left as stepping stones, then making a big step to the right onto a large boulder at the far end of the puddle.

Beyond the First Puddle

More pebbles and boulder in the pathway. This seems typical of Buckskin Gulch. Evidently, more water flows through this canyon than through Wire Pass.

No Dry Way Forward

The next puddle we came to was deeper and had no convenient stepping stones in it to facilitate passing without wading in the very cold water. This was an obvious turn around point for us, as we were not prepared to wade through the cold water. A small tour group turned around here, too; but one intrepid old fellow stripped down to his underwear and waded through. He moaned and groaned all the way through, then again as he apparently had to repeat the process at another puddle that we could not see around the bend here.

Turn Around Puddle

I made a number of images at this turn around puddle to capture the details in the canyon wall, the red, golden glow ahead and the reflections in the puddle.

First Puddle Again – HDR Image

It was a bit more awkward making that first step back across this first puddle, because of the location of the first boulder on the far side. I had to think about how to approach that first step, since a poor choice of step would put me into the cold water and maybe an unplanned cold bath. Once back on this side, I turned to get a parting shot with more of the canyon walls in this one. The dynamic range of light in these canyons creates a challenge getting a good exposure, so I bracketed several shots with different exposure settings, then combined those images into this one High Dynamic Range processed image.

Buckskin Gulch – HDR 2

After our shortened hike into Buckskin Gulch to the south of the Wire Pass exit, we hiked into the northern portion, which tends to be wider than the part to the south.

Turn Around Point 2 – HDR

We soon came to another big, muddy puddle, at which we elected to turn around. Footprints in the mud attest to others wading on through the cold water. There was not as much water in this canyon the first time we visited here years ago and we were able to easily hike further into each of these portions back then.

After turning around here, we went back through Wire Pass, returning to the parking lot and then back to our campsite to plan the rest of the day.

Until next time,

Ken

Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch – Part 2

This is a continuation of posts on hiking and photographing in Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch slot canyons in Southern Utah in March of 2025.

Mind the Step

Rocks in the path through Wire Pass can be hazardous to a careless hiker.

Mind the Step 2
The Bend Ahead

Water flowing through this narrow chasm over many years have cut through massive sandstone rock formations, revealing the multiple layers in the rock walls and cutting impressive contour features into those rocks.

Mind the Step 3
The Bend Ahead 2

Footprints of previous hikers cover the sandy path.

The Alcove

Wire Pass slot ends at a wide opening at its confluence with Buckskin Gulch. The Alcove is a massive feature carved into the rock wall near this junction.

Stay tuned for a brief hike into Buckskin Gulch,

Ken

Southern Utah March 2025 – Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch, Part 1

Wire Pass is a narrow slot canyon, about 3/4 mile long that feeds into Buckskin Gulch, reportedly the longest slot canyon in the world. The trailhead for Wire Pass is about a 45 minutes drive, if the road conditions are good, from White House Campground.

This is a fee area, requiring a small fee for day use. The first time we came here in 2009, the parking lot was small. This area is much better known and much more visited now than it was back then. Now the parking lot is much larger and fenced with a metal bar/pipe type fence. This parking lot is also for the trailhead to The Wave, which requires a permit for access. Permits for The Wave are awarded via a lottery. I have registered for this lottery numerous times, in person and online, over the years, including for this trip, and I’ve never been successful at obtaining a permit.

For photography, the best time to be in the canyon is around mid-morning to maybe mid afternoon. So we did not need to get here super early, but we did want to beat the crowds, so we arrived in time to hike the mile in the sandy creek bed to the entry to the slot by mid-morning. There were already quite a few folks out, but not a big crowd.

It was a cold, but sunny morning. There had been snow fall the previous day, but the dirt road, going south from highway 89 was in fair condition. This road is impassable when it is really wet.

Wire Pass Slot Canyon Entry
The First Obstacle

Just into the entry point, the first obstacle, a twisted, broken tree trunk spans across the slot, requiring either crawling underneath or climbing over. I went under one part and over the other. I don’t remember in which order.

Wedged Tree Trunk

This wedged in tree trunk was high enough on the wall to walk beneath and is an indication of why one does not want to go into such a canyon, when there is a chance of a flash flood.

Wire Pass 1

Wire Pass is a typical slot canyon with varying widths through which to pass, but is never extremely narrow. But it is narrow enough that folks have to stand aside to allow others to pass.

Wire Pass 2
Wire Pass 3
Wire Pass 4

Many years of flash flooding have eroded the walls into nicely contoured features and shapes. Light, which varies through out the daylight hours, from the top of the canyon provides varying color to the rock walls.

To be continued,

Ken

 

Southern Utah March 2025 – The Nautilus

We were informed about a rock feature not far from our White House Campground by another visitor. So one afternoon we hiked to that feature from our campsite.

The hike was fairly short and relatively easy, requiring about 2/10 – 3/10 of a mile hike on the road into the campground, then another 1/4 mile or so in a sandy, dry creek bed.

The Nautilus

This rock feature is called The Nautilus, due to its twisting opening through a rock. That slope at the base of the hiker is much steeper than it looks in this image and the loose sand in it makes it a bit treacherous to walk up. Then there is another climb out on the other side that is not as steep. [This first image was chosen for Flickr’s Explore Page].

The Nautilus, Lower End
The Nautilus, Looking down the lower slope

This image gives a better indication of the narrowness of the lower section. Climbing up the narrow channel and making the sharp turn can be a little tricky with the slippery sand on the rock. At least this is true for adults. Small kids can easily and quickly navigate the slope and turn. It is easier and safer for us old kids to go around to the top, rather than going through the crevice; but I went through, anyway. I’m told by others that small kids like to slide down through this feature. Old kids might accidentally slide down and through, if they are not careful.

The Nautilus, Lower Wall Details
The Nautilus, View Through

Hugging the wall on the left, it is possible to get a view through to the other side of this twisted rock crevice.

The Nautilus, View from the top side
Island

‘Island’ is a small scene along the dry wash hike to The Nautilus.

Ancients

‘Ancients’ is another image made along the hike to The Nautilus.

Companions

‘Companions’ is an iPhone image of rock features in the walk in tent camping area of White House Campground.

This is the end of this short adventure. Stay tuned for more Utah rocks and landscapes.

Ken

 

White House Campground and Trailhead

Base camp for my spring 2025 photo outing was White House Trailhead and Campground. This site is on BLM land south of Highway 89, near Big Water, Utah, west of Page, Arizona.

I don’t know why the name “White House”. Maybe it is because of the white rocks at the campsite and all around this area.

When choosing a campsite, I use online apps and websites with reviews and photos from the campsites. I’m nearly always disappointed in the photos. It seems most campers and RVers mostly like to photograph their tents and RVs in a campsite, maybe the facilities and signs, but often don’t photograph much of the area around the campsite.

The White House Campground is not a large one, with only a few sites suitable for RVs; but it is in a beautiful location with massive rock features. There are more walk in tent sites past the end of the road at the campground. The pit toilets are well maintained, too. The campsites are on a first come, first serve basis, but there were plenty of open sites, when I arrived. Payment for the campsites is via an automated kiosk at the site. No need for a check or cash, as in the old days. Now a credit card is all that is accepted and discount cards such as Senior Passes for the National Parks and Public Lands are honored.

Sportsmobile in Campsite

After setting up in my chosen site, I walked around with my iPhone to capture a few images of the area.

Desert Vegetation and Rock Back Drop, White House Campground Area
Tree and Dimpled Rock, White House Campground Area
Curls, White House Campground Area
Long Wall, White House Campground Area
Rock Curves and Layers, White House Campground Area
Boulders from Above?, White House Campground Area
White House Campground Area, Day Use Parking Area in Background
Sand Dune at Base of Cliff, White House Campground Area
Bent Tree, White House Campground
Rock Wall at White House Trail Head and Campground

As one can see this is a scenic area, especially for those with an interest in geology.

This site is a trailhead for a hike to and into Buckskin Gulch, the longest slot canyon in the world.

Stay tuned for more Utah landscape photos,

Ken

Snow Canyon State Park, Utah, March 2023 – Sunrise Day 2

I set out from my campsite before sunrise on the first morning after my arrival in Snow Canyon to hike to my chosen location for sunrise photography.  It was a crisply cold morning, which I dressed for, but I was soon unzipping my jacket as my body generated heat from the gentle uphill hike.

I stopped at a location near petrified sand dunes, chose a location to set up my camera and waited for sunrise, making a few pre-sunrise images.

Pre-Sunrise in Snow Canyon

I’ve always liked the lighting just before sunrise and I often like those images better than those after the direct sunlight hits the subject.

Sunrise – Snow Canyon

I made a number of images as the direct rays of the rising sun began to impinge upon the distant canyon walls and add color to the sky.

Sunrise – Snow Canyon

After seeing the early morning rays touching the uppermost parts of the highest peaks, I began to hike back towards my campsite, looking for other scenes to photograph.

Snow Canyon – Early Morning Light
Snow Canyon – Early Morning Light

The park has rules requiring visitors to stay on the official trails, which is limiting for photographers.  It does not appear that those rules are rigidly enforced.  There were numerous footprints and even bike tire tracks in the sand, adding unsightly features in my photos.  Sometimes I will edit these out or at least try to mute those via editing, but many times I think the editing introduces undesirable artifacts, so I might not eliminate all such features.  It is likely that casual observers will not note the edits, but knowing where the edits are, I can nearly always see unnatural results and would rather not introduce those into my photos.

Until next time,

Ken

Snow Canyon State Park, Utah, March 2023

In late March of 2023, I traveled to Snow Canyon State Park in Utah with the intention of staying here a full week.  The park features, which are impressive, are essentially located along the roadway that goes through the park.  However, due to the orientation of the canyon, sunrise works for golden hour photography in some portions of the park, but sunset golden hour is either very limited or non-existent.  This was a disappointment, as that greatly limited my photographic possibilities here.

After checking into my campsite, I drove towards the south exit/entrance (I had entered via the north entrance) to check out the scenery in that direction and to get a cell phone signal.  There is only a weak, at best, phone signal at the campground, but a good signal at and near the south entrance.

On my way back to the campsite, I stopped to check out Jenny’s Canyon, a very short slot canyon that is accessible via a short hike from the roadway.

Eastern Canyon Wall, Snow Canyon, Utah, iPhone Photo

I stopped to shoot this image of the canyon wall, that I hiked towards, which is the rock formation where Jenny’s Slot Canyon is located.

Big Mouth Rock, Snow Canyon, Utah, iPhone Photo

I noted this rock atop a portion of the canyon wall, that I dubbed “Big Mouth Rock” for obvious reason.

Sky Slash, Jenny’s Canyon, Snow Canyon, Utah, iPhone Photo

Sunlight filtering down into narrow canyons can create some remarkable color contrast on the canyon walls.  The image above is shot looking upwards towards the sky from within the short slot canyon.

Sky Slash 2, Jenny’s Canyon, Snow Canyon, Utah, iPhone Photo

 

Canyon Wall Details, Jenny’s Canyon, Snow Canyon, Utah, iPhone Photo

Usually, I find something of interest to photograph in route to my destination, but I found nothing of special interest during my first two days of the drive.  Maybe I wasn’t looking intently enough and too preoccupied with getting to my stops.  Although, I did see this group of deer near the entrance to my first overnight stop.

There is always at least one in a group photo that is not looking at the camera. iPhone Photo.

I’ve picked out a general location for sunrise photos tomorrow.  The results are next up.

Ken

 

Upper Calf Creek Falls, Escalante National Monument, Utah

As a side trip from Capitol Reef National Park, we decided to hike to Upper Calf Creek Falls in the Escalante National Monument.  The trailhead to this waterfall is just off of Utah Route 12 near Boulder.  We traveled this route numerous times going to and from Torrey and the southern portion of Capitol Reef National Park.

The trail to the falls is only about a mile one way, but it is very steep over slick rock for the first portion, before becoming moderately level, then moderately steep just before the base of the falls.  It is so steep that not only is coming back up the trail strenuous, but going down the trail takes some effort to avoid slipping and falling.  There were a few places on the trail that required big steps down and up.

The information we found for the trail says the grade is 14% at the top and my son’s trail app showed as much as 20+% grade over some portions.  Anyone reasonable fit can do this trail, but care is advised.

We had planned to make the round trip to the falls in about an hour.  When we signed the trailhead register, we noted that the two previous hikers had taken hours on the trail, which gave us pause to consider whether much of that time was due to the strenuous nature of the trail.

Anyway, we proceeded cautiously down the trail.  I knew the trip out would require me to stop to take periodic breathers, but I had no doubt that I could safely navigate down and back.

Due to the steepness and strenuous nature of the trail, I elected not to carry the weight of my heavy DSLR and lens.  So the few photos in this post are via my iPhone.

Upper Calf Creek Falls and Pool, iPhone Photo
Upper Calf Creek Falls, iPhone Photo
Upper Calf Creek Falls, iPhone Pano

We took time at the base of the falls for photography, snacking and hydrating, before heading back to the trailhead.  Our round trip time was 90 minutes, 1.5 times as long as we had anticipated.  The additional 30 minutes was mostly due to the strenuous nature of the trail both going down and coming out.

We had done the trail to the Lower Calf Creek falls years ago.  That trail is three times as long, but mostly on flat, sandy ground along the creek bed.

Until next time,

Ken