Regensburger Photography

Category: Landscape

  • Capitol Reef

    I made a short trip to Capitol Reef National Park this past weekend.  The cottonwoods were just leafing out so it was a great time to be there.  I explored some new places and went to an old standby.  Overall, it was a fun trip but I wish the weather had been better so I could have explored Escalante National Monument.  Coyote Gulch will have to wait.    

    Sheets Canyon

    This is a short hike to a pretty slot canyon on the east side of the park.  Sheets Canyon is located off the Notom Road.  The trailhead is located just before the pavement ends, about 12 miles down the road.  The hike wanders through the Sheets Canyon wash for about a mile before the walls narrow.  There are some very interesting rock formation in the canyon.  The narrows stretches for about 1/2 mile and then the canyon widens.  The walls are quite high in this area so it is still an interesting through this part of the canyon.  There are a few chokcsotnes you have to scramble over in the narrows section but nothing too difficult.  

    Cohab Canyon

    The trail to Cohab Canyon is located near the Fruita barn just before the main campground in Capitol Reef.  It climbs steeply up a series of switchbacks before leveling off at the entrance to Cohab Canyon.  Just before the entrance there are some interesting rock formations and trees that make great photography subjects.  The canyon itself, has pink or orange walls, and is quite pretty.  The walls are pockmarked with holes, alcoves, and other cool features. In about 1/2 mile, the trail veers to the left and ascends to a view of Fruita and the campground below.  The one way total is just under 2 miles.     

    Navajo Knobs Trail

    The Navajo Knobs trail leads to a panoramic overlook after a hard 4.7 mile hike.  Luckily, the views are pretty spectacular most of the way so making the top isn’t a requirement to get a great view.  The trail starts about a mile from the visitor’s center along the main park road.  It climbs steeply and intersects with the Hickman Bridge trail in about half a mile.  Veer right at the junction and continue to climb up to a great view of Pectol’s Pyramid across the valley.  At mile 2.5, the trail comes to a view of the Fremont River and you are looking back across at the visitor’s center.  From here, the trail descends for about 3/4 of a mile which of course leaves a steep ascent back up a long ramp.   At this point, the views are amazing.  One last side canyon has to be routed around before reaching the top.  This is a steep and long hike but the effort is worth it.  Views can be had in any direction from here.   

    Sulfur Creek

    Sulfur Creek features a neat waterfall after a short 1 mile hike.  Take the trail to the right of the visitor’s center and veer around to the back of it.  When you come to the creek, head toward a power line straight across the creek.  You can also head left down stream but the walk is much longer and wetter this way.  After climbing a short rise you will come to a lime kiln on the right and then the trail cuts back down to Sulfur Creek.  The waterfall is about .75 of a mile from the visitor’s center.  It isn’t particularly large but the scene is pretty with the read rock of Sulfur Canyon framing the shot.  

  • Wildflowers Anza Borrego Desert Park

    I spent spring break in California photographing wildflowers at Anza Borrego Desert Park, Joshua Tree National Park,  and Walker Canyon near Lake Elsinore.  The flowers were spectacular in spots this year.  All that winter rain paid off.  After years of drought, caterpillar plagues, and weed infestations, the flowers finally had their turn this year.  Anza Borrego was particularly pretty as fields of flowers were blooming.  Interestingly, Joshua Tree just to the north was not nearly as vivid although the Palm Springs area had plenty of flowers.  

    Anza Borrego Desert Park

    The crown jewel of my trip was Anza Borrego Desert Park, about a two-hour drive from San Diego.  I had been wanting to come here for a decade to see wildflowers but haven’t had the chance to make it out.  I picked the right year to come.  The flowers were exploding in color and size this year.  Huge fields of desert sunflowers, sand verbena, and desert primrose graced the area around Borrego Springs this year.  Other parts of the park were;t as vivid but were still pretty, too.  I spent most of my time between Arroyo Solado campground and Borrego Palm Canyon.  This area in the northern part of the park seemed to have the biggest concentration of wildflowers.  I drove up the Coyote Canyon road and saw several fields of flowers as well.  Palm Canyon was also a nice respite.  I even saw a herd of desert bighorn on a hike to the palm grove.  

    Lake Elsinore

    I hiked a trail off the Walker Canyon had, which is just north of Lake Elsinore, about 65 miles southeast of L.A.  This area had fields of poppies growing all over the hillsides.  About a mile down the trial was particularly beautiful as people had not damaged the fields like they had closer to the road.  I had fun getting low in the fields and pointing the camera up.  This made for some cool shots with poppies framed against the blue sky.

    Joshua Tree National Park

    Joshua Tree National Park had one area of good wildflowers right at the park entrance on the Cottonwood entrance to the south.  The Cholla garden looked like it had almost been completely killed by drought and was just starting to recover this year.  The Joshua trees and mojave yuccas were blooming as well higher up in the park.  I also found the largest beavertail cactus I have ever seen which must’ve had over 100 buds on it.  I wish I could go back in a week and get a picture of it fully in bloom.  

    Art Smith Trail

    I hiked the Art Smith trail near Palm Desert.  This trail was full of wildflowers such as brittlebush, lupine, and beavertail cactus.  It was a steep but rewarding hike.  Great views of Indian Wells open up below you as you climb higher.   

  • Winter in Canyonlands National Park

    My son and I recently spent a couple of days in Canyonlands National Park–one in the Island in the Sky District and one in the Needles section.  I like visiting Utah and Canyonlands in the winter because the skies are often clear and the crowds are thinned out and the Parks less busy.  On the first evening, we took in sunset at Green River overlook and then headed to Mesa Arch to shoot some star trails.  Since we were the only ones at Mesa Arch, it gave a completely different feeling than the normal sunrise time where 20 or more photographers jockey for position under the arch.  On the second day, we headed to the Needles.  Unlike Arches, the Needles is virtually deserted in the winter.  The rangers don’t collect fees and the visitor’s center is closed.  Not surprisingly, there were only a handful of cars in the park.  We hiked the trail to Druid Arch through the Needles area.  We got a late start and didn’t quite make it to the arch, but the hike along the trail provided some great photo ops.  Much of the Druid Arch trail winds along a wash and is lined with many dead junipers.  I took a bunch of photos in hopes of getting a few good ones to convert to black and white.  On the way back, we were treated to golden light on the rock formations.  I stopped at Pothole Point to catch the last rays of the sun on the canyon walls in the distance. The point provides just enough elevation to get above the junipers and give a clear view.     

  • Fiery Furnace

    I took my son to Arches over Christmas break.  We decided to hike in the Fiery Furnace area.  The Fiery Furnace is a fun place to hike.  There are no formal trails so ability to route find is a must.  As a result, the park requires a permit to hike there.  You can also do ranger-guided hikes the other three seasons.  Unfortunately, winter is not one of them.  

    The Fiery Furnace is a series of rock fins that contains arches, towering rock spires, and endless side canyons.  Because of the narrow canyons, mid day is best for photography so light gets into the canyons. The washes also contain a number of interesting trees to photograph.   

    Hike Description

    There are two basic routes in to the Fiery Furnace.  A well-worn path leads either uphill or downhill of the main parking lot.  We chose to go right.  The route descends into a main wash.  The first interesting feature is a slot canyon off to the right that contains a small arch you can hike under.  I had my son pose in the arch for a fun photo.  Back in the main wash, we hiked up a narrow slit in the canyon wall to the right as the wash made a sharp turn.  You hike up into another wash at this point and a couple of side canyons later on the left you will find one of the coolest spots in the park.  It is a small slot canyon that contains a double arch that looks like a pair of eyeglasses.  We ended our exploration with a side canyon to the right of the main wash. It contained a small arch that looked like water would flow through in the rain.  We retraced our steps back to the parking after a fun and challenging hike.  We got maybe a mile in three hours of hiking!

  • Star Photography in Arches and Canyonlands

    My son and I took a December trip to Arches and Canyonlands recently.  I wanted to do star photography in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.  The air was cold and clear and it made for amazing star viewing.

    Mesa Arch in Canyonlands

    We stopped at the Island in the sky section of Canyonlands to catch the sunset at Green River Overlook.  Then it was on to Mesa Arch to watch the stars.  Unlike sunrise when upwards of 20 photographers crowd the small arch to catch first light on the arch, the area is virtually deserted after dark.  My son and I had the arch to ourselves this particular evening.  We did exposures to get both pinpoint stars and a long 30 minute exposure to produce star trails.  It was a cold evening but an amazing one as well.  We tried lighting up the arch with a flashlight but discovered that low power was the key since the arch was so close to our position.

    Delicate Arch in Arches

    We also hiked up to Delicate Arch to catch sunset and waited around for the sky to get dark.  The 100 or so spectators dwindled to about 10 after dark.  The people who left missed a star show of epic proportions.  I have never seen so many stars out before.  However, given ten people were there and each had their own agenda, it made it a little difficult to do all the various star photography requirements.  The group down in front didn’t want flashlights on so it was hard to take pictures while lighting up the arch. Given there were people down front, it was also impossible to do a long exposure since headlamps would occasionally turn on and get in the picture.  But it was still a fun experience and cool to see all those stars.  

    Miops Camera Trigger

    I tried out a camera trigger for the first time.  This one was made by Miops.  In addition to acting as an intervalometer, it can also be triggered by lightning, sound, and laser.  The app downloaded to my phone worked pretty well.  It triggered the camera and was relatively easy to use.  I used it to take a series of 10 shots of the scene to stack together later and to do a 30 minute timed exposure.  

  • Valley of the Fire State Park

    Valley of the Fire State Park in northern Nevada is a photographer’s dream.  It contains countless rock formations of eroded sandstone such as arches, rock fins, and multi-colored rock.  The park consists of four main areas: the Main Park Drive, the Loop Road, the Silica Dome Road, and Highway 169.

    Loop Drive

    The loop drive contains a number of small rock formations and arches that make for some very cool photography.  While the area has a handful of iconic formations such as Arch Rock, Piano Rock, and Windstone Arch, a creative photographer can come up with countless images due to the interesting geology of the area.  The are hundreds of little pockets carved into the rocks here and reflected light into them makes for orange-colored rock.

    Arch Rock

    Arch Rock is a small arch located at the top of a rock as the name implies.  It is found just past Arch Rock campground.  It is best photographed an hour or so before sunset so the arch has some light on it.

    Piano Rock

    Piano Rock is a rock shaped like a grand piano and is found on the left side of the road just as the road makes a turn toward Arch Rock campground.

    Windstone Arch

    Winston Arch is a little arch or rock leg found inside a small alcove.  It is best photographed in mid morning when reflected light makes the interior glow orange.  There is a small turnout about 200 yards from the junction with Highway 169.  Park here and go around the back of the first large rock formation. The alcove is straight ahead in a second set of small rock formations.  This whole area is very photogenic so don’t just focus on Windstone Arch.

    Main Park Drive

    Petroglyph Trail

    This 3/4 mile long trail contains several large panels of petroglyphs carved into the rock face on the left side of the canyon as you descend.  It is an easy walk through a sandy canyon.  Mid afternoon works best for photos.

    Rainbow Vista/Fire Canyon

    This trail leads to two overlooks: one of Fire Canyon and its brown-colored chunks of volcanic rock and Rainbow Vista, an amazing, colorful plateau with a commanding view of the park.  If you take the main trail straight form the parking lot and then veer right upon arriving at a steep rock face, you will arrive at Fire Canyon overlook in about 1 mile.  A small arch can be found near the end of the trail.  As you walk back toward the parking lot, stop at the area of pink and yellow sandstone where the trail veered steeply to the right.  If you ascend 100 feet or so above this area, you will find views opening up.  Proceed to the left and then out onto to the rocks.  This is Rainbow Vista. Here is where you will find amazing small arches and an incredible view of Silica Dome.  This may be the most photogenic spot in the park.

    Parking Lot #2

    Pink Canyon

    Pink Canyon is a short slot canyon just off the main park road.  It lies directly between parking lot #2 and #3.  There is one parking spot on either side of the road at the canyon entrance that seems to be an informal parking area for the canyon.  If these spaces are full, it is about a .6 mile hike back to one of the parking areas up a steep hill so be prepared.  The hike itself is quite short through the slot canyon.  The sculpted walls make for some interesting photography.  Be prepared to use HDR or a graduated neutral density filter to keep the sky from blowing out.  Don’t forget to scramble up one of the rock faces and do a little exploring.  This is possible where the canyon makes a sharp left turn.  The area up top contains some beautiful rock fins.

    Swoosh Rock

    Swoosh Rock is named for the streak of red rock that adorns the base of the formation, and looks like the symbol of a famous shoe company.  The rock itself is mainly pink and yellow sandstone.  This rock is located just across from the mouth of Pink Canyon.  As you cross the road from the canyon, veer to the right and stay close to the road. You will find it in about 100-200 feet.

    Rock Fins

    If you head out on a route at about 2 o’clock form parking lot #2, you will come to some incredible rock fins.  There is no trail so you have to pick your way across the sandstone.  Be careful as the area is criss-crossed by large canyons so route-finding skills are required.  This is not an area to blindly wander in the dark for sure.  My favorite spot was an area of sandstone that looked like it had been melted like candy and then curled under.  The rock fins make for great leading lines in a photograph as well.

    Parking Lot #3

    Crazy Hill

    Crazy Hill is a name that does;t do the formation justice.  Painter’s Palette might be a better name as it looks as though a painter spilled several paint buckets on the rock and let the colors run down the side of the rock.  It is found by walking straight out of the parking lot #3 a couple hundred yards.  You follow the mouth of a small canyon and continue heading straight down the hill.  You will see a couple of small arches along the way in the sides of the rock.

    Fire Wave

    The Fire Wave is the park’s iconic formation. The name comes from its resemblance to the more famous Wave formation in North Coyote Buttes, AZ.  A better name for it might be Ribbon Candy Rock as it consists of stripes of red and white rock swirled into a bizarre ribbon-like shape.   A new trail leading out to Fire Wave has been built by the park in recent years that leads from parking lot #3.  It is about 1/2 mile to the Fire Wave.  This trail is popular so park here well before sunset if you want a parking spot.  Like all popular photo stops these days, be prepared for large crowds during the golden hour.

    White Domes Loop

    Silica Dome

    Getting There

    Take Exit 75 on I-15 heading north from Las Vegas onto Highway 169 heading east.  The entrance to the park will be about 13 miles ahead.  The first thing of note will be the Loop Drive and the campgrounds.  If you are coming from the north, you can also access the park from exit 93, as Highway 169 loops back to I-15.  This way takes a little longer as the road goes through two small towns.

    Camping and Accommodations

    The two campgrounds are first come/first serve.  Get there by 10 am to ensure a spot.  The park campgrounds usually fill during the temperate moths of fall and spring.

     

     

  • Little Finland

    I visited an area in Lake Mead, Nevada known as Little Finland over Thanksgiving break.  It is a small plateau that contains some incredibly bizarre and delicate sandstone formations.  The formations make for some interesting photography subjects near dawn or dusk.  The rock is uniform in color so it is not as interesting as the Coyote Buttes area to the northwest, but the rocks themselves are photogenic. The sandstone has eroded into very delicate fins, box work, and pock-marked canyon faces.  There are also many crevices and small caves reminiscent of Valley of the Fire.

    The area of Little Finland is small enough to explore in a couple of hours.  But careful exploration will take longer.  Keep an eye out for petroglyphs while you explore.

    The plateau Little Finland is located on contains three separate little canyons.  Some you can explore all the way to the top while others are too steep and require more navigation.  The far left and far right canyons provide the easiest access up and down the entire plateau.  Some of my favorite rocks were toward the top of the left branch of the canyon.  The entire face looked like Swiss cheese.

    Photography tips

    The coolest formations are toward the base of the plateau.  This means they will not be in sun near sunset or sunrise.  Take silhouettes here. The top of the canyon will be the first and last part to get light.   The top part of the canyon has more little arches and alcoves to photograph.

    Little Finland would be fantastic for star photography but access to the plateau is difficult in the dark.  The terrain is very uneven and the rock is very sharp!  I cut my finger on one rock and sliced a hole in my coat on another. So astrophotographers beware!  Bring lots of light to get to and from the plateau in the dark.

    Getting There

    The trip to Little Finland requires a lengthy drive across bumpy dirt roads and even an excursion through a wash so an AWD drive vehicle with some clearance is necessary to reach it.  We did it in a BMW X3 so most AWD vehicles will be fine.  It takes about 1:45 minutes from I-15 to reach Little Finland.  Take exit 113 (Hwy 170) off of I-15 and go about 3 miles east, just crossing the Virgin River.  Then turn right (south) onto Gold Butte Road toward Whitney Pockets.  This road is “paved” but often the surface is missing.  Drive about 28 miles south on the road until reaching Whitney Pockets.  The dirt road forks and take the fork toward Gold Butte.  Drive 6 miles or so (passing the first sign for Mud Wash) before seeing a right turn onto a narrow dirt road marked Devil’s Throat.  Stay right at the fork and head down to Mud Wash.  You will reach Mud Wash in about 3 miles after taking this right turn.  Once in the wash, just follow tire tracks down the wash.  You will reach an old corral on the right in about 2 miles.  Continue past the corral and watch for a road making a sharp turn to the right in about 2 miles.  Follow this road for a mile and a half or so as it doubles back and parallels Mud Wash.  Drive until you see a fence line on your left and some palm trees along the base of the plateau.  This is Little Finland.

    Accessing the plateau is a little tricky.  A steep cliff guards the main rim so access is from either the left or right side.  The near entrance is the easiest access.  Park in the wash and walk up a small incline to the fence line just to the left of the palm trees.  There is a small entrance in the fence, and once through it, you are free to explore the plateau to the right.  You can also access the plateau via a second entrance a few hundred yards past this one.  Drive around a small hillside just 200 yards further down the wash.  Park here and you will see a second fence line above you.  After walking through a gate in the fence, turn right and walk along a small wash for about 200 feet.  You will see the hillside on the left sloping downward  toward you.  Turn left at this point and head up onto the plateau.  At this point, most of the best formations are just to your left.

    To catch first and last light on the rocks, I recommend camping along the wash.  There are several flat areas along the base of the Little Finland plateau.    I would not recommend leaving the area near dusk as driving the wash in the dark would be hazardous.

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