Vegas/Zion/Bryce Late Dec?? Nedd Help

[pepino]

I am planning a weekend trip to to the vegas area to shoot. I will arrive friday evening and be leaving sunday night. Im staying in vegas so that will be my base. I also rented a 4x4 and do not mind driving hours on end day or night so thats that a problem, but 5 hours is about max i want to drive.

That said, i am planning on leaving vegas early sat morning and heading for Bryce to get a sunrise shot. after that i'll try to shoot all around Bryce until sunset and get my setset shot there as well. After a full day i'll head back to vegas. For sunday i was thinking of either Zion or grand canyon wil a side trip to the Valley of Fire. I'll be able to get a Sunrise and Sunset shot on sunday but im just not sure where i should head on this day. Im still a little unsure about saturday as well.

Can you guys make any suggestions on locations and times for my trip? does what i propose sound good or are there better options? your help is much appreciated!

[jdemott]

I suggest that you spend some time looking at MapQuest or similar.  From downtown Las Vegas to the scenic areas in Bryce is about 5 hours each way, assuming dry roads and no traffic problems.  Grand Canyon is at least as far.  That doesn't include any time to scout the locations in the park or travel to the more distant viewpoints.  Winter driving conditions are quite possible this time of year.

 If the purpose of the trip is photography, you would do far better to drive to Springdale, Utah outside Zion on Friday night and use that as your base for both days-you could drive to Bryce one day if you like from Springdale.  If you must stay in Vegas, you might do better to limit your photography to Zion which is about 3 hours each way from Vegas.  There is plenty to photograph in Zion to occupy much more than two days.

[camilla]

I just want to comment that to shoot Bryce at this time of the year can be quite challenging because of the weather- it's always very very cold up there. So in between sunrise and sunset there is not that much you can do as you would be shooting from the viewpoints anyway.... I don't know how much snow there is and if you can hike to some of the trails...I would call the ranger station...
I would suggest the sunrise shots of Bryce and then moving on to page where you can get awesome shots of Horseshoe Bend as well as Upper and Lower Antelope and many other places as well.
Naturally, you could spend the entire time in Zion also...
A lot do do in a very short time but you have many many options..
have fun

[Peter McLennan]

At the risk of sounding really off-base, I'd bail on Bryce and Grand Canyon as just too far and too cold.  Bryce is, I believe, close to 8000 feet in elevation.
Death Valley would be a far better experience both photography wise and weather wise.   Zion and DV would probably be do-able in your time frame. Barely.

[Mark F]

In January 2007 I spent a few days in Bryce and Zion and although it was pretty cold in Bryce (-12F for sunrise), the biggest problem at both sites was the ice on the trails.  Walking uphill was just about impossible in my hiking boots. A couple of  guys at Zion had ice crampons <sp?> attached to their boots so they were ok, but everyone else had a really tough time.

That said, there was fresh snow at Bryce and the sunrises were spectacular and worth the trip.

Mark

[DonWeston]

Just there about 2-3 weeks ago, the area is great, but like others have said, you may have selected too much in too little time. Other advice about weather conditions you should also take literally. Bryce is a SUNRISE shot, at least for Queens Garden[?], I think that is what it is called, and even at the time I was there -->COLD!!! I put hand warmers in my gloves. We had light snow the night before and little accumilation, which brought up another issue and that was dynamic range, think HDR. Had better light and color predawn actually. We ended up staying the first night in Kanab, Utah, going to Page. Then drove to Bryce for overnight, shot sunrise, then on to Zion for two nights. Great trip and lots to shoot. Had shot Valley of Fire and Red Rock Canyon on a different trip, so didn't stop there this time. Also don't miss Red Canyon on east entrance to Bryce, great either early or late light. Drove 800 miles in like 4 days. Would strongly recommend more time in fewer spots. Considered going to North Rim from Bryce and Kanab area, but no where to stay and it is still like 4-5 hrs each way from Kanab. Would have been lucky the north road in, was still open when we were there, but we passed as just too much that could go wrong and we were firm with two days in Zion. Have a great trip but less maybe more...Don

[pepino]

I just want to comment that to shoot Bryce at this time of the year can be quite challenging because of the weather- it's always very very cold up there. So in between sunrise and sunset there is not that much you can do as you would be shooting from the viewpoints anyway.... I don't know how much snow there is and if you can hike to some of the trails...I would call the ranger station...
I would suggest the sunrise shots of Bryce and then moving on to page where you can get awesome shots of Horseshoe Bend as well as Upper and Lower Antelope and many other places as well.
Naturally, you could spend the entire time in Zion also...
A lot do do in a very short time but you have many many options..
have fun

That sounds like a good idea. is antelope open this time of year?  maybe after page i could head to Zion for sunset? does Bryce have better sunrises or sunset? maybe after page i can go to Bryce again for sunset shot.

[pepino]

At the risk of sounding really off-base, I'd bail on Bryce and Grand Canyon as just too far and too cold.  Bryce is, I believe, close to 8000 feet in elevation.
Death Valley would be a far better experience both photography wise and weather wise.   Zion and DV would probably be do-able in your time frame. Barely.

I have been to Death Valley a few times before so I have that covered. DV is an AWESOME place!

[DonWeston]

Pepino - Page and Slot canyons are great, but the sun is at a lower angle  this time of year, so it becomes a more mid day shooting area, and I have heard and agrees with my own experience a few weeks back, no light ray shafts...don't know if there are other reasons for this but that is what I found also. If you have any specific questions please let me know, but as of 3 weeks ago, $26 covered both Corkscrew Canyon[UPPER] and Lower Antelope Canyon, although we had both been to Upper before and just went this time to Lower.

[vandevanterSH]

I have been driving in that area for the past week.  With your time schedule, it's either DV or Zion.  I was at Zion two days ago and it was nice..very few people.  In your situation, I would spend Friday night in LV, drive to Zion Sat and spend Sat night at the Zion Lodge.  Do more Zion Sunday AM and then have a non stressful drive back to LV to catch the plane.

Steve

[gouldm]

Hi,

We've (my wife and I) have just come back from 2 weeks in the South West US... I flew in to Vegas and drove straight to Zion. This took me about 2.5 hours. We stayed in Zion Lodge - the rates are all winter rates now and it cost $92 per night, although to be honest you could as easily stay in Springdale for less. It's a further 1.5 hours on to Bryce so given that sunrise is now at about 07:30 MST (and of course Vegas is on PST so it's an hour earlier in Vegas!) you'd have to leave at 02:30 in the morning to get to Bryce for sunrise!

If you do go to Bryce, a good overlook for sunrise is Bryce Point and for sunset Inspiration Point or Paria View. There was a dusting of snow when I was there about 2 weeks ago... it's very cold if it is a little windy! I hiked the Queens Garden trail during the day and as it was sunny I actually got quite hot. The trail wasn't icy and was quite easy to walk. One thing to note about sunrise in Bryce is that (imho) the best light is just *after* sunrise when the sun illuminates the hoodoos in the canyon, so no real need to be there for morning twilight :-)

Zion was beautiful when we were there, still some leaves on the trees, but I do think to get the best out of Zion you need to hike, I wasn't too impressed with it as a sunrise/sunset location, but I think if you hiked the Narrows or to the Subway or even the Angels Landing hike (if you have a head for heights!) you'd get more out of the location. Infact, just walking along the valley floor trail on the Scenic Drive is good! You can drive your own car on the Scenic Drive now too as the shuttle bus has now stopped running anyway.

I'd agree with the person that said either go to Zion and stay there (as you could probably do Bryce much more easily in a day from Zion), or go to Death Valley (I didn't go to Death Valley, just not enough time!). Grand Canyon was supposed to be having snow in the early part of this week, but is as someone else said a 4.5 hour drive.

Well, at least there aren't too many people at these places at the moment!

Anymore questions please ask me :-)

Have a good trip whatever you decide to do!

Mark.

[pepino]

Awesome! Thanks so much for the report!! I think i am for sure going to Bryce for sunrise. I'll leave however early i need to for the time change.  So i think Saturday will be Bryce for sunrise and a bit after sunrise. I was planning on going to Zion after Bryce, but i am not sure about that. I don't want to do any major hiking or anything, and im not sure how impressed i will be without doing any major hiking. I'll maybe just drive through the scenic drive just to see the park because i have never been there before. If i spot something like will make a good stop and get out the camera. Like you said though, i have a feeling its not going to be too impressive for a sunset that Saturday night.

So if i skip Zion or just to a really quick visit, would you suggest an alternate location? Maybe i should just head back towards Vegas and stop at Valley Of Fire for sunset. The only thing i really have confirmed is my sunrise at Bryce, the rest of Saturday is up in the air.

As for Sunday goes....Im not sure about that. I kind of wanted to stay fairly close to Vegas so i can get back in time for my flight at 9:45pm. I am up for driving so maybe i'll drive to GC for sunrise on sunday and then just drive straight back shooting whatever i see on the way back. Maybe i'll visit the Valley of Fire again on Sunday. I have already been to DV but its not out of the question on this trip. I can maybe go there on Sunday instead. Any other cool locations within about 3-4 hour?

thanks!!!!!
Joe

Hi,

We've (my wife and I) have just come back from 2 weeks in the South West US... I flew in to Vegas and drove straight to Zion. This took me about 2.5 hours. We stayed in Zion Lodge - the rates are all winter rates now and it cost $92 per night, although to be honest you could as easily stay in Springdale for less. It's a further 1.5 hours on to Bryce so given that sunrise is now at about 07:30 MST (and of course Vegas is on PST so it's an hour earlier in Vegas!) you'd have to leave at 02:30 in the morning to get to Bryce for sunrise!

If you do go to Bryce, a good overlook for sunrise is Bryce Point and for sunset Inspiration Point or Paria View. There was a dusting of snow when I was there about 2 weeks ago... it's very cold if it is a little windy! I hiked the Queens Garden trail during the day and as it was sunny I actually got quite hot. The trail wasn't icy and was quite easy to walk. One thing to note about sunrise in Bryce is that (imho) the best light is just *after* sunrise when the sun illuminates the hoodoos in the canyon, so no real need to be there for morning twilight :-)

Zion was beautiful when we were there, still some leaves on the trees, but I do think to get the best out of Zion you need to hike, I wasn't too impressed with it as a sunrise/sunset location, but I think if you hiked the Narrows or to the Subway or even the Angels Landing hike (if you have a head for heights!) you'd get more out of the location. Infact, just walking along the valley floor trail on the Scenic Drive is good! You can drive your own car on the Scenic Drive now too as the shuttle bus has now stopped running anyway.

I'd agree with the person that said either go to Zion and stay there (as you could probably do Bryce much more easily in a day from Zion), or go to Death Valley (I didn't go to Death Valley, just not enough time!). Grand Canyon was supposed to be having snow in the early part of this week, but is as someone else said a 4.5 hour drive.

Well, at least there aren't too many people at these places at the moment!

Anymore questions please ask me :-)

Have a good trip whatever you decide to do!

Mark.

[gouldm]

Awesome! Thanks so much for the report!! I think i am for sure going to Bryce for sunrise. I'll leave however early i need to for the time change.  So i think Saturday will be Bryce for sunrise and a bit after sunrise. I was planning on going to Zion after Bryce, but i am not sure about that. I don't want to do any major hiking or anything, and im not sure how impressed i will be without doing any major hiking. I'll maybe just drive through the scenic drive just to see the park because i have never been there before. If i spot something like will make a good stop and get out the camera. Like you said though, i have a feeling its not going to be too impressive for a sunset that Saturday night.

So if i skip Zion or just to a really quick visit, would you suggest an alternate location? Maybe i should just head back towards Vegas and stop at Valley Of Fire for sunset. The only thing i really have confirmed is my sunrise at Bryce, the rest of Saturday is up in the air.

As for Sunday goes....Im not sure about that. I kind of wanted to stay fairly close to Vegas so i can get back in time for my flight at 9:45pm. I am up for driving so maybe i'll drive to GC for sunrise on sunday and then just drive straight back shooting whatever i see on the way back. Maybe i'll visit the Valley of Fire again on Sunday. I have already been to DV but its not out of the question on this trip. I can maybe go there on Sunday instead. Any other cool locations within about 3-4 hour?

thanks!!!!!
Joe

I think it partly depends on the weather you get while your there (I found the sun during the day to be quite harsh, even in winter, and much of the landscape in the area is of course rock which reflects a lot of light).

At Zion, the other drive is the Mount Carmel Highway (it's the drive that goes through the mile long tunnel) and you'll go along it to get to Bryce (assuming you go that way through Zion from Las Vegas)... This drive is quite different to the Scenic Drive (much more rock rather than canyon floor) and if it's not too sunny may offer some great photo opportunities. I think I prefer this drive for photography (if your not going to hike Zion), but you can easily do them both as they're not very long (Scenic Drive is about 6 miles and Mount Carmel Highway is about 10 miles). The Mount Carmel Highway drive ends at the Checkerboard Mesa (so that might give you some idea of the type of landscapes you'd see along that drive).

Before I went, I got the 'Guide To The National Parks - Southwest' by National Geographic it's a great book and well worth it.

Mark.

[Thwack]

I was at Bryce last year on Xmas day,  insanely cold  -10F and worse and very windy.   As others mentioned it's a bit of a drive to get there. And the big factor is snow/ice.   Bryce is way up there and lots of the roads in Utah are snowy or icy with minimal guardrails.  It will slow you down.  Even if you get their in time for sunrise, you won't want to do much but stay warm in the car.

Good luck though.

[pepino]

Hey everyone! Thanks for all your tips and info! So, my trip is complete!

I got into vegas at about 8pm, checked into the hotel, got some food, started drinking and losing money :-) I left the hotel at about 2:30am and headed for Bryce. It was really cold in vegas and surrounding areas!! It ranged from about 36 in vegas to -2 in Bryce. Anyway, it was a long cold drive. The roads were pretty good the entire way, no real snowy spots except in bryce itself. No icy roads (well that i know of luckily).

I got to Bryce about 30-40 minutes after sunrise. I was taking it a bit slow as it was dark, cold, and unfamiliar. I ended up taking the 15 to the 20, then 89 to the 12 and into Bryce. Bryce was -2 degrees! I paid my fee at the entrance and headed to Bryce Point. This was my first view of Bryce and I have to say its AMAZING! Me and another photographer and his wife were there shooting for about 45 min. We mostly used 100-400mm lenses to zoom in on the structures and detail. The snow covered hoodoos are awesome! some of them look like little elfs or people with little white hats.

After Bryce point I drove as far into the park as i could go. it looked like they had some roads closed. I think Paria Point (i think thats it) was closed. I turned around at the end and headed back to the entrance station stopping at all the lookouts i could on my way. Bryce is awesome! Its smaller then i thought, and before i knew it i saw everything i could and was ready to head back home.

On the way out i asked the guy at the booth if its best to go back the way i came or go through Zion. He said it will take me forever to go through Zion and the roads at the time were not the best. It had been a really long night and i just wanted to get back to vegas so i skipped Zion. I had been up more then 24 hours and was sick of driving. Normally i would have just gone for it and headed through Zion, but i was just not feeling up to it. On the way home i had to pull over and take a nap because i could not keep my eyes open. I blame vegas! next time i'll stay somewhere else :-)

So i headed back to vegas for the night. I did not stop and take any photos on the way home. Had another night of losing money, drinking, and walking all around the town. I think i finally got to sleep around 3am.

Next morning (well, actually about 1pm) i decided i would head for Valley of Fire for sunset shots. VOF is AWESOME!!!! I was not expecting it to be that great but it was amazing. like being on another planet! I wish i had some more time to spend in VOF so i could get away from the roads and out into the rocks. It seems like the type of place you could spend a few days. The late afternoon light was great at VOF and Rainbow Vista lit up very well and was full of color. I spend a few hours shooting at VOF before heading back to vegas for my flight home.

It was a pretty good trip, but i wish i was able to see more. Vegas combined with alot of driving and only 2 days is not ideal. I had a really really fun time and it was a great trip. Seeing Bryce and VOF was good enough for me for the weekend. I think trying to see more and make it worthwhile would be tough, especially as a photographer.

I plan to head back to the area another time when i actually have more time. Thanks again for everyones tips and info!! I will post my photos sometime soon for you all to see.

Thanks!!

[Thwack]

Sounds about right.   I got there in the afternoon when I did it,  as the drive from Zion to Bryce takes a while, it's a windy road through the first bits and caution taking slows you down.  Not something I would do tired or at night.

And like you, it was going down to each look out, getting some shots,  freezing,  then on to the next.   It was Xmas, so the park was "closed"  *shacks head at state of country*, but you could go to the view points and yes, the road closed part way down.  Was mainly miffed that the visitor center and all that was closed.   Still, doesn't take long for one to decide it's beautiful, but at super cold, you just want to get going, and get off that elevation before it gets dark.   Bryce is really just a couple hour experience that time of year.

Made me appreciate A700 button design being designed for gloves, it works, bryce trip proved that.

The funny part was I was sub-zero, but still stopped and had Icecream at the place just outside the park.

[vandevanterSH]

If you are going to do a weekend trip from LV... Sat AM drive to Zion then in late afternoon drive to Bryce, stay at Ruby's,  catch the sunrise at Bryce and then drive back to LV.

Steve

[leeonmaui]

Aloha,

There are a lot of good tips listed,

I spent about a month working out of las Vegas in august my guess is you could spend a few years working that area!

Forget the grand canyon as a weekender, it is not a side trip it's; a career.

If you have never been to Zion go!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It will inspire you to go and spend more time there! working the upper part of the park is easy from the car and can occupy a day easily, lots of fun spots with cool rocks and colors...

Page is great as well but you will burn up a lot of time getting there and back, I shot the slot canyons about six times in a month and feel I was just getting to understand them a bit. still a fair  haul from the zion/bryce canyon area but worth it.

You ideas about the valley of fire might be good if you are interested in sticking around vegas on sunday, again a very cool place to shoot, really underrated; but it has a lot of spectacular competition.

valley of fire could be a great sunset I only got one day when the sky was worthwhile though, scout your location early and think about where the shadows might fall as they will come fast and ruin your shots...

dido on the idea of staying in Springdale.

The whole area is just packed with wonderful locations, if I only had a weekend I would stick close to Zion.

At any rate you should have ball!

good luck,

Lee