- Sunrise at Mesa Arch
- Green River Overview
- Dead Horse Point State Park
The sky was cloudy the day I was there and that help to dramatize the scenery. I have been told that summer is the rainy season in Moab, so there is a chance of having clouds on the sky instead of clear "relentless blue sky." But the summer is very hot. I was there at the beginning of September, it was hot. My schedule allowed me for midday visits to these locations. The shots I took there are enhanced by shadows of the clouds on the ground. Visiting these locations in the morning will guarantee interesting lighting.
Island in the Sky is a part of Canyonlands National Park closest to Moab, it is about 35 miles drive. The Mesa Arch is commonly photographed at sunrise. The reflected light gives characteristic orange glow to the underside of the arch. I have also seen very nice photos of the early dawn sky through this arch. After taking sunrise scenes at Mesa Arch, there is very short drive to the Green River Overview. At early morning the view is quite dramatic. The area provides opportunity to use telephoto lens for the intimate landscape photos of the White Ridge and other structures.
If there is still early enough, Dead Horse Point State Park is a short drive away and provides another opportunity to photograph spectacular vista. The overlook of the Colorado River with dramatic shadows on the rocky slopes is truly breathtaking. Area off the beaten path to the west of the parking lot provides good shooting location. Several small juniper trees and other plants can be found close to the edge of the canyon provide some interesting foreground.
A guide I hired for showing me around Moab suggested Canyonlands with Mesa Arch and Green River overview for the afternoon/sunset shooting locations. It is an interesting possibility to explore. For the afternoon visit to these locations, travelers with 4x4 can take Potash Road to Schafer Trail to get from Moab to Canyonlands. Follow route 279 from Moab to Potash Road for about two hours of sightseeing drive.
Here is the link to the map of the Island in the Sky area of the Canyonlands:
http://www.nps.gov/cany/pdfs/island.pdf
If you haven't already, take a look at other of my photos taken arount the Moab area.
Good luck and happy shooting.
Mark Malecha
