Hiking and exploring opportunities in Zion National Park Utah are nearly endless. My favorite time of year is Autumn. I recommend staying in the park lodge, but don’t try to book at the last moment.

Before your trip, the first thing you should do is pick up Joe’s Guide to Zion National Park. It’s free. Joe describes all the major trails and offers recommended hikes.

My one caution is everyone wants an iconic image of the Watchman. An hour or more before sunset, people line up on a bridge that provides the viewpoint. You will stand shoulder to shoulder, assuming you can find a parking spot and photography spot. If the light isn’t perfect you will stand around for hours doing nothing.

I suggest doing something else. Anything else. Other parts of the park can be crowded, but the Watchman at sunset is the worst. In autumn, the trees from the Watchman view are in deep shadow at sunset.

I will display a Watchman image later, but I took it in the middle of the afternoon where there were interesting clouds and the sunlight was hitting the cottonwoods. There was no one else on the bridge, and the light was better than at sunset.

Feature Image: Great White Throne

 Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L Tilt-Shift Lens, F/14, for 0.3 seconds.

All the images on this page are High Dynamic Range (HDR), made by combining multiple images from the exact same position but different exposures. I try to use just two exposures if I can get away with it, one for the sky and one for the rest of the image. Lightroom has an HDR merge function or there are other programs you can use.

Here is another image from the same area.

There is not a soul in sight.

Equipment

Those interested in my equipment and recommendations can find it here: Mish’s Equipment List.

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More Zion National Park images coming up.

Mike “Mish” Shedlock