Winter Sunrise Lighting Up Canyonlands National Park
Dawn at Island in the Sky
Chasing the Light: Morning Light on the Canyons of Moab
It had been a number of years since I last made it out to the Moab area, so I decided to head up that way this past winter. I spent most of my time wandering around Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, secretly hoping for a fresh dusting of snow to coat the sandstone. Snow on red rock looks phenomenal, but luck didn't quite hand me that exact card this morning. Even without the white stuff, being camped right inside Canyonlands means you're already in position when the pre-dawn show starts. I was up early, heading first to an eastern-facing overlook to catch the sunrise. It was a bit dicey with about 95% cloud cover overhead, leaving just a thin, anxious slot of space between the cloud cover and the horizon for the sun to punch through as it climbed.
When that lone ray finally hit, I quickly grabbed my shot but didn't stay put. I packed up and moved about a mile down the road to face west, where more magic was happening. The low-angled winter sun was carving deep shadows and setting the upper tiers of sandstone ablaze with intense, fiery light. Locking the OM System OM-1 onto my 100-400mm lens, I zoomed in to 138mm to isolate this striking tower formation against the shadowed depths below. Setting the aperture to f/8 gave me the sharpness I needed across the layered strata, while a quick 1/750th shutter speed at ISO 400 kept everything crisp as the light shifted by the second.
Canyonlands National Park is a massive expanse divided into distinct districts like Island in the Sky, The Needles, and The Maze, carved out over millions of years by the Colorado and Green rivers. The park sits on the Colorado Plateau, a gigantic block of Earth's crust that managed to stay relatively flat while being pushed thousands of feet into the air. That geological history is what creates these incredible, soaring vertical cliffs and hidden canyons. Standing out there in the crisp winter air, watching the interplay of light paint those ancient layers of the Cedar Mesa Sandstone, reminds you just how small we are—and why I keep hauling gear out into the American West.
Explore More of My Adventures
The Three Gossips in Arches National Park for a winter photo session. No snow, but incredible clouds and light started the trip to Moab, Utah.