If you only had 5 days in Utah during Sept...

[Eric Rose]

Where are the must go places photographically?

I will have a car so will be mobile. Maybe rank your suggestions, that would be helpful.

Thanks,

Eric

[Norm Buchanan]

I would definitely recommend a day in the Zion narrows.

[Eric Leppanen]

Here are five of the main "classic" landscape locations in Utah. They've been photographed to death, but still make for awesome prints when done right:

1. Zion Narrows.
2. The Wave (actually in northern Arizona but very close to Utah border, you'll also need to be lucky enough to win an access permit).
3. Bryce Canyon Sunset Point at sunrise.
4. Canyonlands Mesa Arch at sunrise.
5. Road Canyon/Mule Canyon ruins (southeast Utah).

It's not possible to cover all of these in five days (particularly if you enter the lottery to win a permit for the Wave), so you'll have to prioritize. You can get in the other four, though, if you don't mind a bunch of driving.

On the other hand, if you prefer to stay within one or two areas for leisurely exploration, I would pick Zion/Bryce and possibly the nearby Escalante area as offering the maximum bang for the buck.

I also suggest you purchase these guidebooks, which are superb and actually rank photo locations in order of photographic interest: http://www.phototripusa.com/.

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

The choice proposed by Eric L. is excellent. However one could object that it is focused on rocks and unusual geological landscapes, at least as seen with European eyes.

I would suggest not to overlook nature, flowers and trees in Utah.
The strange thing in Utah for the European visitor is that the more you climb in elevation, the more you see flowers and vegetation. Exactly the opposite of the usual Alpine landscape.

I do not know how aspens will be in September, but even in summer it is really magnificent but photographically challenging !!
One of the best experience I have is travelling along road # 12 in Garfield County : Escalante / Henrieville / Bryce. You imagine that you'll only see bare slabs of hostile and uninhabited rocks and you see trees and flowers everywhere as soon as the road climbs above a certain level !!
On the way from Henrieville to Bryce you have the "Kodachrome Basin" but each additional stop for LF photography will consume one half more day to say the least !!

The main problem is the distance to cover from one famous place to another. But again this is a typical European mistake by drivers who visit America for the first time : forgetting the scale of maps they have under their eyes ;) but all Northern American citizen know the problem ;)
Another suggestion could be Capitol Reef but it is located quite far from the top-five locations, so... it will be for the next trip !!

I have found that the AAA "Indian Country" road map is really excellent. Sure it is not as detailed as our usual 1:200,000 Michelin local road map ;-) I think that this excellent map can be found almost everywhere for non-AAA members.

[Mark Sampson]

I'd go immediately to Moab and start looking around. Arches NP and Canyonlands NP are nearby, and there are lots of other things to see relatively close by. I that short a time, you don't want to spend all of it in the car.

[Eric Leppanen]

I would suggest not to overlook nature, flowers and trees in Utah...I do not know how aspens will be in September, but even in summer it is really magnificent but photographically challenging !!I completely agree, Utah has wonderful flora and the aspens and cottonwoods in this part of the country are particularly awesome once their leaves start turning. The main constraint Eric faces is that September is not a big blooming season in Utah, and fall colors typically do not show up until October. IIRC the high altitudes (aspens, etc.) start turning in early October, mid-elevations (Kolob Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, etc.) in mid-October, and the bottom of the canyons (Zion Canyon) at the end of October or early November.

Highway 12 is a wonderful road, it offers a little bit of everything and goes through excellent aspen groves at the higher elevations. I also encountered aspen groves in the Zion backcountry.

All these choices are why I suggest buying the Laurent Martres photo guidebooks. There is just so much to see, and with only five days available one needs to sort through the many options and pick just a few priorities. The Martres' books document virtually everything (geological formations, Indian ruins and petroglyphs, flowering plants and fall color, etc.) extremely well with lots of color photographs and suggested rankings/priorities.

[Robert Oliver]

spend your 5 days in moab. there's enough variety to shoot to keep you busy for weeks. plus it's a cool little town.

[Brian Vuillemenot]

Three options immediately come to mind:

1) Arches and the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands. You could stay in Moab, if you're not into camping. The Island in the Sky district is the most accessible part of Canyonlands, and Arches is just one great picture after another.

2) Capitol Reef and the San Rafael Swell. Not nearly as photographed or explored as SE and SW Utah, and has a distinct flavor all it's own. You may wnat to check out Goblin Valley while you're up there.

3) Zion and Bryce Canyon. Classic Utah landscapes, as mentioned above.

Of course, you can't possibly do all of these in on trip- pick one of the above, and it'll provide more than enough photographic opportunities.

[Eric Rose]

thanks for all your suggestions everyone. now you have us rethinking our itinerary.

[Charles]

As a southern Utah resident and for what it's worth, all of the suggestions are good ones. Five days is not remotely enough time...you can spend years trying to photograph the red rock country and never cover all the possibilities.

Be aware that fires have been rampant over the west this year. Combined with the pollution from coal fired power plants in the Navajo Nation, particulate pollution is very bad this year. Daytime shooting in areas such as Canyonlands, with vast expanses, will be very marginal as a result of the pollution. The more intimate parks, such as Bryce, Zion, Cedar Breaks, will offer more opportunity at both the golden hours and throughout the day.

The Wave was suggested but it is quite difficult to obtain a walkin permit this time of the year for the Northern Coyote Buttes section. However, the Southern Coyote Buttes are equally remarkable and far less visited. Laurent Matres' book PHOTOGRAPHING THE SOUTHWEST: UTAH edition, covers this in detail.

Finally and sadly, the rebuilt historic Paria movie set east of Kanab was torched by vandals last week and is no more. Local authorities say they will likely attempt to rebuild it.

[David Hedley]

I've just returned from two weeks in Utah / Arizona - my third trip in five years.

In five days, I would pick one location, and explore there, as much on foot as possible. Zion would be a good, safe choice. When we hiked the Narrows, we began at 6am, and it was magical as we were the only people in the canyon for quite some time. On our return (early afternoon), the lower part of the river had turned into a ghastly crowded picnic area - best avoided. Other walks in Zion - e.g. Angel's Landing, resolutely described as 'strenuous' - turn out to be mildly energetic, except for very the last section which I wouldn't recommend if you suffer from vertigo.

Other choices which would definitely offer more solitude include, for example;

- the northern Escalante area (around and off route 12), exploring some of the slot canyons there (Zebra, Spooky, and so on), and the Burr Trail, and leading into the Capitol Reef waterpocket fold and Tarantula mesa

- the Vermilion Cliffs, including the northern and southern Coyote Buttes, Buckskin Gulch and the Paria Canyon. There is a vast wilderness area on the Paria plateau which is barely explored, and which is an area I want to explore more and more.

[Andrew O'Neill]

The Cariboo/Fraser River/Thompson River area, Southern Saskatchewan...but 5 days ain't enough time....give me more time!!