Bryce Canyon National Park in Snow

In the winter of 2023 we went to southern Utah to escape the winter cold and provide me with yet another opportunity to improve my golf game.  Neither goal was fully realized.  But I did get to experience the surreal beauty of Bryce National Park under a deep cover of fresh snow.


Winter is the peak golf season in southern Utah.  Proof of this is the elevated prices for 18 holes of warm winter golf.  (Sky Mountain Golf Course)   Not so in 2023 as the weather was generally too cold, windy or snowing for a pleasant golf outing.  My golf outings are often not all that pleasant in the best of conditions.

Home in Hurricane

Our Quirky little home in southern Utah, built 113 years ago.

Our home was one of the original homes in town, built in 1910.  While it certainly had been updated, there were plenty of quirks to deal with.

driving range

The beautiful driving range of Sky Mountain Golf Course among the red rocks.

Deep Snow and Cold Temps at Bryce

It got so cold golf was out of the question.  So I requested a neighbor hand deliver to me my biggest winter down parka so I could to go to Bryce National Park for some winter photography.  The temperatures were forecast to be in the low teens and single digits and strong wind gusts.

For the top lead photo, the winds were blowing certainly at least 30 miles an hour, chasing most visitors away.  I had to increase my shutter speed, really hold down the tripod to help steady it and shoot between wind gusts.  This view is from Bryce Point, the highest overlook at Bryce.

I failed to arise and depart Ruby’s Inn early enough to get the low clouds which were present only 30 minutes prior.  So I had to contend with harsh light and shadows.  There are several hotels to choose from in Bryce, but the very best choice by far is the original Ruby’s Inn .

Snow shadows Bryce NP

Light and shadows as seen from Inspiration Point in Bryce National Park

 

Inspiration Point Bryce

Looking down canyon from Inspiration Point.

The above photo is taken at the same Inspiration Point, just looking the other way.  Two ladies from Europe were chatting very loudly with friends back in Germany about how beautiful the sights were they were experiencing.  Otherwise, this would have been a very peaceful scene.  I blame Facebook, Instagram and other social media for much of the demise and overcrowding of national parks.  Another reason for me to concentrate on bug photography.

view from Sunset Point

The snow storm begins to clear as seen from Sunset Point.

Similar Views with Differing Amounts of Snow

I had visited Bryce in the early Spring about 15 years ago.  Several inches of snow fell overnight but was quickly melting in the sun.  As the sun on the warm side of  the canyon hill sides melted the snow, beautiful patterns emerged.  The photo below is one of my favorites.  This colorful scene lasted only a few hours, then the snow was gone.

Bryce snow lines

Abstract lines created by melting snow at Bryce N.P.

I captured a photo of this same viewing area in 2023, but with much deeper snow.  For me it is interesting to view the same scene in different lighting conditions.  It is not the exact area, but the same canyon side with some overlap of the same hill sides.

A Hike to the Bottom of the Canyon

Much of the beauty of Bryce can be seen from easily accessible overlooks next to the main parking lots.  However, having already visited them, it seemed logical that I should hike to the bottom of the canyon.  The conditions can be very icy, so you must wear ice cleats.  I was worried about going so early, trudging along in the deep snow by myself.  Cell phones likely would not work down in the canyon.  I had a ration of food with me, warm gloves and a down parka, so off I went, hiking alone.

The hike is a popular one in good weather.  Starting at either Sunrise or Sunset Point and hiking to the other point.  By the time I reached the canyon bottom, I was much too warm and was seeing whole families with young children coming from the other direction.  Hummm.  When you are all alone, you can blow some concerns out of proportion.

Navajo Trail

Early in the decent on the Navajo Trail

Unfortunately, the Wall Street section of the Bryce Canyon Navajo Trail was closed.  Despite this, someone had crossed the closed signs and went down these steep sharp switchbacks.  As you would expect, I followed the main trail.

climbing to Sunrise point

Beginning the climb out of the canyon to Sunrise Point

After taking the ‘required’ shots, I feel more freedom to experiment with black and white scenes.  For this scene, I waited in the warm sunshine for the cloud to pass by the two rock outcroppings, creating three distinct objects against the skyline.

Hikint toward Sunrise Point

Continuing to hike out of the canyon toward Sunrise Point.

My Glove Ran Off Without Me

abstract Bryce scene

Interesting lines, light and shadows nearing the end of the hike.

Near the end of the hike, I saw this somewhat abstract scene.  The thin golden grass stems against their opposite color of blue and crooked leading line was an appealing scene for me.  However, such a scene cannot be captured in one shot.  The grass is blowing in the wind, so a fast shutter is required.  A long depth of field is necessary to get the grass in focus as well as the distant bush.  So this called for about 8 different shots to be blended together at home on the computer.  So when one tripod leg randomly sinks into the snow deeper, slightly changing the camera’s perspective,  you have to scratch all those photos and start over.  People walking by on the trail have no idea what I’m taking a photo of, but will dutifully snap a few pictures over my shoulder, mutter something in a foreign language, and carry on down the trail.

It seems I had enough of one view, so I move the tripod to another slightly different view.  The carbon fiber legs of the tripod are quite cold and likely brittle now, so I have to be careful not to put too much pressure on the legs plunging them into the snow.  A few more views and more sequences of photos and I’ll be finished.

rejected shot

An example of one of the scenes that were rejected, but then…

 

strange line appears

I notice a odd line in the snow in my field of view….

Suddenly I see an inexplicable line in the foreground of my photo.  OOOpps!  This snow path is from my runaway glove, sliding down the snow, in front of my camera, ruining the scene. It slid mostly straight down the snow for 50 feet, banked a hard left, down the steeper part and came to rest in a gully a hundred feet below.  It occurred to me to rescue my glove, but the snow drifts can be quite unpredictable and deep. For now, my glove still rests in this gully.  Maybe I’ll be able to retrieve it one day.

glove resting spot

My runaway glove, resting peacefully.  Photo taken with a zoom as it was quite a distance from me.

This is the last photo I took of Bryce Canyon.  My last photo of Bryce National Park for who knows how long.  Get rid of the glove and this is not a bad photograph…

These Bryce Canyon photos and more appear in by Utah Gallery Utah Gallery, No Zion Photos

Little did I know the next photograph I would take would be in Portugal.

Yellowstone in the Winter

Yellowstone Winter Firehole

This past winter I spent five full days exploring Yellowstone National Park by snow coach.  Passenger cars are not allowed at that time. The only modes of transportation inside the park are snowmobiles or snow coaches.  I signed up with Gerlach Nature Photography Workshops led by Barbara Eddy and John Gerlach.  It was a wonderful time with two very knowledgeable leaders.  We were exploring the park daily from shortly after sunrise to past sunset.
Continue reading

Alaska Revisited

 

Eagle Portrait on July 4th, 2018.

How appropriate to photograph an American bald eagle on the Fourth of July in Alaska.  In Hoonah, Alaska I was able to slowly approach this eagle which had apparently just eaten some fish.  Yep, we made a return visit to Alaska to visit Denali National Park and cruise the beautiful coastline for a second time in two months.

Continue reading

Orange Gates of Kyoto, Macaques and Hiroshima

Japanese macaque monkeys inhabit Iwatayama Monkey Park.

These macaques are cute, but before we visit the monkeys we must visit one of the most famous Shinto shrines in all of Japan, the Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto.  Inari is the patron God of business, prosperity, rice and sake. Continue reading

Sydney and Its Famous Opera House

View from Mrs Macquarie's Chair

View from Mrs. Macquarie’s Point

Several cities around the world are defined by a single building or structure.  Paris and the Eiffel Tower, San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge and Sydney and its Opera House.  Because of this strong association, the convenient location of our hotel and the terrible summer heat wave, I did little else in Sydney other than make short excursions exploring various views of the Sydney Opera House.
Continue reading

Park Guell, Barcelona, Spain (Good-bye Spain)

Park Guell Barcelona

Park Guell Barcelona

Gaudi Town, Barcelona Revisited

We had visited Barcelona, what I call Gaudi Town, for a week about 90 days ago as the termination point to our trans-Atlantic cruise.  Antoni Gaudi has four wonderful architectural master pieces in Barcelona, including Sagrada Familia which still being built 120 years later, Casa Milá and Casa Batlló.  We will now get to see a fourth major work by Gaudi, Park Güell.  We are concluding a 90 day, clockwise visit to the Iberian Peninsula.
Continue reading

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

coyote peeking

A coyote keeps an eye on my approach in Theodore Roosevelt NP

Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota requires the visitor to search for beauty within the 36 mile vehicle loop, unlike some of the more spectacular national parks such as Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon or Zion.  On any random visit, a lucky visitor might possibly be blessed with stormy rain clouds, clearing storms or special light. More typically, on a hot clear blue sky day, you must really search for the attractiveness of the park.
Continue reading

Yellowstone National Park

Buffalo Trio

Our previous attempt to visit Yellowstone National Park was thwarted by the sixteen-day government shutdown in the fall of 2013.  It was to be a fall color tour with reservations at the beautiful Yellowstone Lodge and four other national parks.  For this 2015 trip we felt happy to snag a couple of open nights at Grant Village due to a cancellation.  Continue reading