Bryce Canyon National Park
Updated: Nov 23, 2020
After sleeping at the KOA in West Yellowstone, we made our way through Montana, Idaho, and almost all of Utah to Bryce Canyon National Park. Although we didn't make it in time for sunset in Bryce Canyon, Becca was able to get some quality time with her Great Aunt and cousins that she hadn't seen in years! It was a joyous occasion. Not to mention their hospitality! Becca's family had some fresh veggies and fruits waiting for us when we arrived in Salt Lake that were so delicious! Furthermore, we got to shower for the first time in a week, which was amazing.
Milky Way at Inspiration Point
We wove through the Dixie National Forest, the city of Bryce, and into the parking lot at Inspiration Point, Bryce Canyon National Park. We ended up getting there around 11 pm MST, so we grabbed our headlamps and jackets and hiked up to inspiration point. We sat atop inspiration point in near-total darkness less the light from the glistening stars above. There was a group of people laying down on Inspiration Point, stargazing at the meteor shower above.
If you look about midway up the photo, the two brightest stars on the left that are side by side are Saturn and Jupiter. These two planets seemed to follow us around throughout our journey of the western United States. This single photo is actually a composite of three portraits stacked above each other, which is why the dimensions of the picture are skewed vertically.
Sunrise at Bryce Canyon
We got a good night's rest and got back to the parking lot near the trail for Inspiration Point and the Rim Trail. From what I had seen last night up at inspiration point, I wasn't sure if that was the sunrise I wanted to capture. So, with little light, I made my way down and around the Rim Trail until I found a spot... or two... or three... It was so hard to focus on one thing for this sunrise because the light was hitting some hoodoo formations one way at one time and other formations at another time! It was a little hectic trying to swivel around and adjust my positioning in order to capture the best shot, but it's all so majestic, it's hard to take a bad photo!
We stayed for less than 24 hours at Bryce Canyon and I cannot wait to get back. I hope that you enjoyed these photos and make sure to check out www.chadgunton.com/prints for some prints from these beautiful places.