Lately, I’ve been chasing autumn landscape photos. It’s that time of year, so why not? Autumn leaves are fleeting. I also noticed I’ve shot a lot of Bryce Canyon lately. I felt like I should branch out a bit more. So, with several national park sites around, I pursued another. I went to a park I hadn’t been to in a while and tried a trail I hadn’t tried before. I found myself overlooking a beautiful autumn canyon once I was done.
Needing something different, I returned to Zion’s National Park. On the way in, I noticed the light was soft and diffuse extra early as some light clouds veiled the sun. I found perfect light shinning on the famous Checkerboard Mesa. Since I had time, we pulled over and I captured some of the amazing view. The autumn leaves really completed the look.
We continued on towards the trailhead. After we arrived, we discovered a problem. The park provides very limited parking for the trail. Some of this limitation comes from the shape of the canyon right there. There’s simply not enough room for spacious parking arrangements. Still, we made the best of it we could and proceeded to the trailhead of the Canyon Overlook trail.
That half mile trail seems easy with a short hike and small rise. However, it’s more difficult that it seems. The trail is full of rocks and some narrow ledges where a wrong step might turn deadly. Still, that trail is POPULAR. We passed so many people on the way up. We also passed a bride and groom taking wedding photos on the trail.
Almost at the top, I found some tourists paying lots of attention to an ordinary nook. When I got closer, I saw why. A wild mountain goat found some scrub there and was eating it. I couldn’t resist and took a shot.
Finally arriving at the top, I found myself greeted by a bright warm sunset falling over the canyon. Autumn leaves dotted the stream way below me. I was overlooking the autumn canyon of Zion’s National Park. With such a blazing sunset, I started working immediately. I had not time to lose. So I managed to capture the beautiful scene in front of me. With proper exposures for both the landscape and the sky, I fully captured the entire scene.
I really enjoyed that hike and adding new landscape photos to my portfolio. Hopefully, I’ll return soon to add more. In the mean time, what do you think about my latest additions? Do you love overlooking the autumn canyon as I did? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
