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View Full Version : canyonlands, moab, and the sawtooths



eddie
13-Sep-2008, 05:59
hello westerners,

we got a easterner heading out your way.....a NYer non the less......be warned!

i will be in SLC on the 21st of sept. i plan to drive to the Moab region that day. i have shot and climber there many many times. my favorite places are indian creek and island in the sky. i plan to explore far up the other canyons in indian creek this time. any other must see suggestions (been to arches)?

after 5 days i head back to SLC to get my friend and then up into the sawtooths. i have not spent much time there yet. any suggestions?

if anyone is around and has some time and wants to come out and play please let me know. it is always un to meet with and shoot with other LFers.

be there soon.

eddie

Steve Sherman
13-Sep-2008, 07:17
Island in the Sky is one of my favorites for sure.

If you are in the Moab area there is a terrific little run down still active town (really a settlement) called Cisco. I had some great fun photographing there some years ago.

Ever been to "Goblin Valley" really strange little hoodoo outcroppings with a mountain vista in the background. There is a campground there as well. Out of Goblin Valley there is a fairly decent road that goes towards Wild Horse Canyon. I took that road for what amounted to all day and saw various forms of spectacular Utah erosion I had not seen that often in other areas. Keep bearing left for photography. There are off shoots of that backcountry road that will connect with I 70 if that works for your return to SLC. The spectacular erosion is not however on that road heading north to the interstate.

Also, if you head south from Goblin Valley to Hanksville on RT 24 I believe and then turn west towards Capital Reef National Park that main road has some very interesting landscape on the right hand side of the road. The "Factory Butte" is in that very area.

UT. best state in the land

Terence McDonagh
13-Sep-2008, 08:29
If you'll have 4-wheel drive, I highly recommend Capitol Reef NP. The Cathedral Valley area in the north end of the park is one of the most beautiful places iI've ever seen.

Goblin Valley and the slot canyon in Wild Horse Canyon are also worth the trip.

Jeffrey Sipress
13-Sep-2008, 10:03
As a native NY'er, I once visited the west in 1971, and never went back.

Eric James
13-Sep-2008, 14:10
Have you been to Castle Valley? There are driving instructions in Roper and Steck's Fifty Classics.

eddie
13-Sep-2008, 15:58
awesome! thanks everyone! keep em coming....i will do it.

is a 4x4 a must to get to the good stuff in capital reef?

more....please

Erik Larsen
13-Sep-2008, 22:15
Eddie, the road isn't that technical but it can be sandy in spots and a few rocky sections as well. It is impassable after a rain because of numerous washes that it crosses. If the weather is good you could probably make it at least to the temple of the sun and moon in a rental that you don't care about:) That area is spectacular with huge monoliths popping out of the landscape and it is rarely visited because of it's remoteness. Get up early and be there for sunrise or better yet camp out there and have the place to yourself.
regards
Erik

Pete Roody
14-Sep-2008, 06:52
Eddie, the road isn't that technical but it can be sandy in spots and a few rocky sections as well. It is impassable after a rain because of numerous washes that it crosses. If the weather is good you could probably make it at least to the temple of the sun and moon in a rental that you don't care about:) That area is spectacular with huge monoliths popping out of the landscape and it is rarely visited because of it's remoteness. Get up early and be there for sunrise or better yet camp out there and have the place to yourself.
regards
Erik

eddie,

why don't you go to idaho first and then we can go here. :)

Flexnib
14-Sep-2008, 08:58
Eddie,
I will be in Bryce on the 28th will you be around?
Arthur

Steve Sherman
14-Sep-2008, 17:17
awesome! thanks everyone! keep em coming....i will do it.

is a 4x4 a must to get to the good stuff in capital reef?

more....please

Capital Reef is the least visited area for me and I have been to Utah more times than I can remember. That said, that area is the first area I would return to when I go again.

At the end of September you are probably a bit too early for the ranchers driving cattle down from the high country, nevertheless be on the look out for cowboys, cattle and drovers. Cowboys were very friendly to me and granted me some time for portraits, that is until the cattle got restless, then they spring into action.

Enjoy your time in UT

Terence McDonagh
14-Sep-2008, 19:06
I have not tried it, but the dirt road from I-70 into the north end of Cathedral Valley is supposedly possible with a non high-clearance vehicle. But the road up to the campground would be pretty rough, as it is rocky.

Coming from the park itself you almost immediately cross a shallow stream that really requires a high clearance vehicle.

The road in from east of the park would probably be doable in a car, but I'd be leery of doing it in a car I didn't own. And I'm not known for babying my rental cars . . .

The road east into the main park (Hwy 24) has lots of interesting stuff to shoot. As does Hwy 128 from I-70 down to Moab.

The "Photographing the Southwest" book series by Laurent Martres are indispensable for someone short on research time.

And when you're in Moab, make sure to allot a bit of time for Tom Till's gallery on the main drag. Beautiful stuff, even to a guy who only shoots B&W.

eddie
15-Sep-2008, 04:38
cool.

i do not see route 128 on my map or the dirt road from the N. what map are you using to see these roads. i got a rand mcnally a great map but not for the itty bitty roads.

i will try it for sure.

again, thanks for all t he help. keep it coming.

eddie

Terence McDonagh
15-Sep-2008, 06:30
USe Google Maps and search for "Moab Utah" and zoom out a stop or two and you'll see 128 heading northeast from the north end of town. It meets I-70 just west of Cisco.

The dirt road into Cathedral Valley is tougher. It's a county road that starts roughly where Hwy 10 hits I-70, but there are a couple of turns to get to Cathedral Valley. Again, Google maps shows it if you search for "Capitol Reef National Park Utah" and then zoom in three-four clicks, scroll north and flip between "map" and "terrain". Solomon's Temple is in the middle of Upper Cathedral Valley. while the Temples of the Sun and the Moon are a little southeast of there in Lower Cathedral Valley.

The Delorne Gazzetteer book of maps for Utah is invaluable, but I'm sure there are even better maps out there.

Keith S. Walklet
15-Sep-2008, 23:17
If you manage to leave the beauty of the desert southwest and get up to the sawtooths, there are a number of lakes accessible by auto that provide morning and evening opportunities. In particular, Little Redfish Lake, Redfish Lake, Stanley Lake are all pretty spots. If you have the inclination to get into the wilderness itself, Alice Lakes, Twin Lakes, Saddlebag Lake. Phenomenal country and the color should be wonderful.

eddie
18-Sep-2008, 04:35
thanks keith,

i will try to get to some of these spots.

i we have a family photo taken back in the early seventies of me and the fam at redfish lake...i guess i should go have a look again. thanks for the reminder.

Thad Gerheim
18-Sep-2008, 21:41
Ditto on what Keith said, except I think he meant Saddleback Lakes at the base of the Elephant's Perch. They are only three an half miles up from Redfish Lake if you can catch a shuttle or ride across the lake to the trailhead. Very spectacular! I'm headed to the Sawtooth valley tomorrow, I here the shrubs along the creeks are turning color now and the aspen are starting.
Dress warm there may be fresh snow in the mountains next week.
Thad

eddie
21-Sep-2008, 01:53
thanks all,

thad, how was the sawtooth valley. anything new to report?

i am leaving now for the airport. cheers!

eddie

eddie
26-Sep-2008, 17:53
okay! i am still alive.....many many sheets of film down! :)

somehow i threw out my back! maybe it is all that heavy LF gear....i am not sure. anyway, i got some good drugs and struggled on. i hot capital reef. a wonderful spot. thanks for the tip. i had planned to drive on some of the many dirt roads but thought better of it with my back/car! (how bad is the road to the north end of the park...really?).

after much thought i decided to hit Bryce canyon. i had been once before and loved it so i went back. just as great as i though. because i had not planned to go there i ran out of color film very fast! of course. i am having a new batch flown in so i should be okay. my last day proved to be worth the wait. perfect puffy clouds, great light and not too many tourists.....OH i hit some great aspenn groves out towards cedar breaks. orange, yellow and green...with stunning storm clouds to round it out.

tomorrow we head into idaho! more later.

cheers

eddie

Thad Gerheim
28-Sep-2008, 19:35
Eddie, I just now found this thread again. If you're headed to the Sawtooths now your timing is really good. The aspen are mostly in color and they're calling for a slight chance of thunderstorms on wednesday and thursday. Sorry, not much in the way of fresh snow on the mountains. Maybe I'll bump into you somewhere. A good place to eat in Stanley is the Bakery, a small log building on the dirt road that goes to the airport.
Cheers,
Thad

Flexnib
5-Oct-2008, 11:16
Eddie,
I hope you had a great time. I just returned from Bryce and it was amazing. Also took a beautiful ride along UT14. 40 miles of streams, ponds, meadows, lava fields and Aspens. WOW.
Arthur

eddie
5-Oct-2008, 23:41
thanks guys! still alive and still in SLC. i fly out tomorrow awesome shooting! sorry i missed you Thad. the sawtooths were perfect! aspens were in full colors. so much great color! i hit the old ghost town and the gold dredge again....great! got a flat! had to drive to ketchum to get it fixed?!?!?! great clouds in the tooths. i used most all of my color film....even the extra stuff i got!

then we hit craters of the moon. i could have shot there for a week. sweet clouds. a storm rolled in last night. the sawtooths got snow on them now!

i shot almost 100 sheets of both 8x10 and 4x5! several boxes of color too! oh! and i gave mt Rb and 6x18 pinhole cameras great work outs too.....now i hope i can get it all souped up soon....:)

eddie