Sunrise location in Zion N.P.

[Antonello Mori]

i should be in Zion next fall,and i would like to go in the Kolob C.Any suggestion for a sunrise shot in that area?

Thanks for the help

[Duane Polcou]

The Kolob Canyons section of Zion features a series of "finger canyons", and as such hiking in them places you in the bottom of a canyon. If you are shooting color, a common practice photographing in these canyons is to wait until low-ish angle light (i.e., sunrise or sunset) directly illuminates a wall, and then shoot the opposing wall which is now saturated with reflected light colored by both the sun and the color of the opposing wall (see "Coyote's Canyon" by John Telford, "Stone Canyons of the Colorado Plateau" by Jack Dykinga, "Plateau Light" by David Muench).

To get a view of the actual sunrise you would need to be up on the plateau looking out. Some of the best spots for sunrise/sunset are along the Zion-Mt Carmel highway. Just park in the pullouts along Pine Creek, hike up the slick rock and wait for the lightshow.

[Thomas Greutmann]

There are some nice sunrise spots at the bottom of the valley. Nice contrast between the mountain tops in the first sunlight and the dark valley.

This one was taken from a parking lot in the upper part of the main valley, I don't recall the exact location. You will have to check for the best locations as they will change with the seasons. I believe this one was taken in summer. To find the proper exposure will be a bit of a challenge, due to the high contrast.


This one is just outside the park in Springdale. A five minutes walk from the hotel I stayed in. Strange skies, in winter.


The pictures were taken a couple of years back with small format gear. I didn't use LF at that time.

Greetings, Thomas

[Antonello Mori]

Thank you all for help me!

[mrladewig]

The towers of the virgin are probably the most common photographed feature in Zion for sunrise. I don't remember what the building is (museum I think), but basically its easy to shoot from the patio behind the building. If you go in September, there are also jimson weeds (aka moonflowers) in the valley behind the horse stables and those walls receive early morning light.

I'd like to climb to the top of cable mountain for sunrise sometime, but it seems a rather daunting task. Canyons often photograph best from their rims at sunrise and sunset.

I think the more common shots in Zion are the slot canyon shots. Many of them work best in mid-day when the light is reflecting from one wall to another.

[Antonello Mori]

Thanks mrladewig,
so do you think Kolob Canyon should be good?

[shadow images]

i should be in Zion next fall,and i would like to go in the Kolob C.Any suggestion for a sunrise shot in that area?

Thanks for the help

Are you going this year or the next? Me and the wife are going first of Oct. this year.

[Antonello Mori]

this year,may be the 3th week of october.

[Alan Rabe]

Don't rule out the Checkerboard plateau. It is just beyond the east entrance thru the tunnel. It has all kinds of twisty little passages that wind thru all kinds of glacier carved landscapes. It is a little easier to get a handle on.

[mrladewig]

Thanks mrladewig,
so do you think Kolob Canyon should be good?

I haven't been to Kolob yet. I'm planning to return, but probably not this year. Kolob is a west facing series of canyons, so it will likely be better for sunset than sunrise.

I'll second Alan's mention of checkerboard mesa. Its a very interesting area with alot of potential from intimate compositions to grand scale.