Entrance of Bryce Canyon National Park
After my visit to Antelope Canyon in Arizona, I took you on a multimedia tour of Bryce Canyon in Southern Utah, a well known spot for photographers. If you click on the pictures you will be redirected to my webpage to see a larger size and have the option also to order prints and licenses. Please hit the back button of your browser to go back to this page. Enjoy your visit!
Bryce Canyon is one of the jewels of United States National Parks and located just North of Zion National Park in Southern Utah. The 18-mile-long park road allows you drive along the plateau rim and stop to up to 14 viewpoints amongst them Sunrise, Sunset, Inspiration, Bryce points which encircle the main Bryce amphitheater.
The first day of this 2 days trip was spent visiting Inspiration, Bryce and Sunset points. Standing on the edge of the rim at Inspiration point, the first thing that came to mind is how Nature could manage to make such complex and beautiful structures? These tall thin spires of rock, also called hoodoos, were not formed by wind but by successives freeze/thaw cycles over the years. As erosion continues inexorably, these spires will be gone in few thousand years.
Inspiration point entrance
Bryce canyon amphitheater from Inspiration point
Panoramic view from Inspiration point (58 megapixels)
Panoramic view from Inspiration point
Powershot G9 set up for infrared shot (see result below)
Infrared panoramic view from Inspiration point
View of the amphitheater from Bryce point is quite spectacular and you can admire its amazing geological features.
Panoramic view from Bryce point
Infrared panoramic view from Bryce point
Sunset point was the last stop of the day, just it time to see the rocks turning to a nice golden color.
Panoramic view from sunset Point
View of Bryce canyon amphitheater from sunset point
22 millions megapixels panoramic view from Sunset point (HD video of the left hand side below)
HD timelapse video of shadow moving on the spires
Bryce canyon amphitheater large hoodoo at sunset point
From there, we went down on the Navajo loop trail, where you can have a spectacular view of the hoodoos from below. Speaking from experience, you have to be careful not to slip on the icy trail especially when carrying photo equipment…
View from the Navajo trail
View from the bottom of the Navajo trail
Second day’s trip started with an early visit to Sunrise point. We arrived just in time to set up the camcorder to record sunrise which was at 5.30 am braving temperature of below zero Fahrenheit (minus 18 degrees Celsius).
Sunrise over Bryce Canyon from Sunrise point
Sunrise over Bryce Canyon from Sunrise point
HD timelapse video of sunrise over Bryce Canyon amphitheater
Trail to Sunrise point at dawn
Later in the day, the sky was cloudy and we went to Paria viewpoint. In winter, the road is close but easily accessed by cross country skiing. The view was not as spectacular as Inspiration and Bryce points because there are less stone formations.
Panoramic view from Paria viewpoint
Bryce canyon from Paria view
Beside a good workout, you can enjoy there a pure silence and listen to your footsteps in the fresh snow.
Despite freezing temperatures, visiting Bryce canyon in winter is truly an unforgetable experience and a paradise for landcape photographers. Be prepared, in addition to your tripod, to carry additionnal batteries and memory cards, you will probably need them. A cloth tissue can also be useful to clean up condensation which builds over time between the filter and the lens. If you have been there also, feel free to post the link to your pictures in the comments.
