Saturday, June 29, 2013

Bryce Canyon Photo Gallery

Finally, I present a few of the hundreds of photos I took at Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah while camping there on May 21 and 22, 2013. The main blog post, which includes two photos of Bryce Canyon not in this gallery can be found here.

The first afternoon, after claiming my camping spot, I drove to the end of the road and started viewing from each of the overlooks as I worked my way back. Unfortunately, the sky was not great for photos, covered with high clouds, and a forest fire to the west created a haze in the atmosphere. Consequently, I didn't include any of those photos. Those overlooks do not have the density of hoodoos as "the Amphitheater," as it is called, but do afford grand vistas. I did include three photos from late that evening, which I placed at the very end of the gallery - organizing by time, though not by date.

The second morning I met my friend Kevin, who works as an interpretive Ranger at Bryce, and we rode the shuttle bus to Bryce Point. The gallery begins there. We walked the trail to Inspiration Point. I highly recommend this easy hike. It is mostly level and affords spectacular views of Bryce Canyon. Beforehand, I thought the scenery might be a bit repetitive, as one walks around the rim of the same canyon complex, but was I ever wrong. Every turn of the trail revealed new, fascinating perspectives.

Remember, you may click on any photo to view them all in a light-table format or slide-show.

Panorama from Bryce Point. I recommend the slightly larger version.

Iconic Hoodoos

I like the alternating pink and white of this formation.

A single white Hoodoo and colorful soils.
There were flowers and birds aplenty along the trail, if you could tear your eyes from the canyon views.
I did enjoy the flowers, but apparently didn't take very many photos.

White cliff and red Hoodoos with a vista.

Red, white and blue... and green.

The view from Inspiration Point, the terminus of our delightful walk. The slightly larger version.

These pretty flowers adorned my campsite.

After a nice afternoon nap, I set off to walk down the trail to the Queens Garden - a "must see" according to my photog buddy Chris, who used to haunt southern Utah, and now I agree completely.

A view from near the top of the trail in the general direction of the Queens Garden.

Along the trail there are tall Ponderosa pines.

Interesting formations as I look up toward the canyon rim.

A Ponderosa that has withstood the tests of time and a hint of the modern
world that I chose not to photoshop out of the image.

A cute little chipmunk who wasn't particularly afraid of all the humans walking the trail.
As proof, this photo was taken with my wide-angle lens.

Here the Queens Garden Trail winds through one of several man-made tunnels.

Looking through a tunnel opening. They were tall enough for me to stand upright.

At the end of the trail, this informative plaque was erected.

The Queen, herself, atop the left pinnacle. 

On the way back up, I caught this juxtaposition. Not sure why I like this so much, but I do.

Another tree perspective.

An open area of trail affording a wider view.

More dead trees framed by the rock - this time a tunnel.

Nothing left of this tree but its roots providing an organic contrast to the geology.

Now for the photographs from my first evening:

Moonrise

The layered soils from which Hoodoos spring and the evening sun lighting the horizon.

The last rays of the sun illuminate this bluff on the north end of the park.

Thank you for looking at my photos. I hope they either bring back fond memories of your earlier visit or encourage you to go to this amazing natural wonder for yourself!

8 comments:

  1. Fantastic. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Wow! This is one of the most amazing photos of Bryce Canyon this is one of the mots interesting reason why so many people loves to visit this place.

    Photos of Bryce Canyon

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  3. y visit to Bryce Canyon was an experience of a lifetime. I was able to witness the beauty Mother Nature beyond words. It was a perfect photography venue. Thank you for sharing your images. I would like to personally suggest a website which captures amazing fine art photos of Bryce
    Canyon and several national parks in the country.

    For beautiful Bryce Canyon photos , please visit this site:
    http://www.darkeclipse.com/landscape-pictures/national-park-pictures/bryce-canyon-pictures/

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  4. I worked as a seasonal ranger at Bryce Canyon in the late-70s and had a wonderful experience. In the late-70s Bryce saw about 600,000 visitors a year (and I thought it was busy then!). I believe the current numbers are three times that. Even so I'm hoping to visit again this year.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. It's a beautiful park and worth visiting again for sure.

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