White Rim Road

[Drew Wiley]

I go by the light plus road safety issues, and reasonable distance from road dust for shot themselves, when pulling over. But don't forget the easier places too, like right up at Deadhorse Point for sunrise. There's a campground right there if you want a good shooting opportunity before you head off down the White Rim Road. It's been so long for me. None of the roads were graded or paved except that one to Deadhorse. Upheaval Dome was hell to get to. Moab was a tiny town with a Sheriff suspicious of outsiders after the uranium mining era ended, and before the trail biking masses arrived and turned the whole area into Disneyland. Wow, how it all has changed; but still, it's so big that you can easily find solitude of you own. And nearby too is Arches NP of course; and don't forget that little road upriver from Moab toward Cisco, right on the Colorado River. It will take you right past Fisher Towers, the highest sandstone columns in the world.

[dave4242]

thanks

[xkaes]

You are correct about Moab being DisneyWorld, but there are lots of places in Canyonlands where you can escape the crowds -- like the west side of the Colorado River, and the south side near Dark Canyon. Of course the same is true for the Grand Canyon, Capitol Reef, etc. Just get a guide book and find the canyons that aren't in it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165237683310

Here's a shot of a waterfall in a small canyon in Zion -- that I had all to myself. Taken with a Fujinon SWD 65mm f5.6 -- NO FILTRATION or manipulation. Agfacolor 100 4x5 in a Toko Nikki II.

[Drew Wiley]

Well, me and my nephew once spent ten days backpacking a particular spectacular canyon system in that area without seeing anyone else the whole time. I won't identify where. It's also informative how the official Canyonlands NP website video specifically mentions, please DO NOT post GPS coordinates if you find something special, so other people can enjoy discovering things for themselves. My feelings exactly. It's about time. Special backcountry places that once saw two or three visitors a month now have reservation permit systems limiting visitation to 50 people per day! That's one of the curses of the web.

[xkaes]

There were 20 years wait times on certain parts of the Grand Canyon even before the WEB -- and there are still places you can "get lost" in the Grand Canyon, mainly because you have to bring your own water! I think the WEB actually helps because people make all these reservations so far in advance that by the reservation date they are either busy with other things, forgot all about it, got divorced, had kids, etc, etc. -- and they never show up. Helps the land. And since the West is such a HUGE place, just go places where people don't go -- Bob Marshall wilderness in Montana, Peloncillo Mts. in Arizona, Bear Ears in Utah............I could go on all day.
How many pictures of Delicate Arch in Utah do we need? Let all the other photographers re-invent that wheel. I'd rather use my film in the Cruces Basin wilderness in New Mexico or Mt. Moriah wilderness in Nevada -- you won't see anybody there -- and no reservation needed!

[Drew Wiley]

Just remember that a lot of those reservations with respect to White Rim itself go to tour agencies. But some of us do know how to find our own space. Just in the past decade I've been to an area within the boundaries of Yosemite NP without seeing anyone else for an entire week of a 12 day trip, same goes for trips into Sequoia NP and King Canyon, and the Wind Rivers in Wyoming, and in each case the terrain was even more stunning than all the postcard locations. 98% of people visit 2% of the area.

[xkaes]

I've never seen any official numbers, but I would not be surprised if the majority of National Park reservations go to companies. I know it's true about rafting reservations ANYWHERE on the Colorado or Green rivers.

[Chauncey Walden]

In 1959, I walked from the parking lot to Delicate Arch and back in June and saw only 2 other folks. How things have changed!

[xkaes]

I drove down Utah Rt. 12 when it was still a dirt road. If I had to confess, I'd admit that it was what convinced me to go large format.

[Willie]

"How many pictures of Delicate Arch in Utah do we need?"

It depends, DuraLog flame lit, sunrise or sunset?