National Parks, Photography, Travel

Rediscovering Nature: My 2015 Photo Journey in Capitol Reef National Park

For those of you who have been following me for quite a while, you may recall that Capitol Reef National Park in Utah is one of my favorite desert hangouts. The area is much less crowded that Utah’s more famous parks like Arches, Bryce Canyon or Zions. The scenery here is just as spectacular, if not more so. Some of the coolest things about Capitol Reef are that it has so much different geology and so many different landscapes all in one park.

I have been incredibly busy with work lately, and I know it’s unlikely I’ll be getting out anytime soon for more adventures. So, I have been spending some of my spare time reworking a few of my older photographs, and even finding some treasures that I never “developed”.

So, this post will just consist of some of my older photos with some detailed explanations in the captions.

This is Cassidy Arch that I photographed back in 2015. There is a trail that goes right over the arch if you don’t have a major fear of high exposures. The trail to the arch is a bit over 3 miles, but is quite rugged. But the scenery is incredible.
I honestly cannot quite recall exactly where this is, but it’s along the Cassidy Arch trail. Now you’re getting to understand why I absolutely love Capitol Reef!
This is a rock wall abstract I took on a steep side trail from the Grand Wash trail that goes through some pioneer graffiti and then climbs up into some very rugged terrain. I cannot quite recall the exact spot, but this wall is above a sunken “tank” type hole.
May in the park is a great time to see cactus in bloom. This little one was so deeply red.
This shot is near the beginning of the Grand Wash Trail in Capitol Reef. I had taken a bit of a detour into the side canyon going up into the left of the photo, and when I turned around on the way back, this is what I saw.
This rock scape is along the “Scenic Drive” road that goes southward through the park. This was actually quite a difficult shot trying to capture detail in both the shady side of these rocks and then the sky. I do recall I used a flash fill to make this shot work out.
This shot I took near the rock wall abstract above. To get here you need to enter the Grand Wash trail, and then take a side spur off to the north that climbs steeply up the side of the canyon into a new canyon area. From here there is no longer a trail, just a light path deeper into the rocks.

Some of these photos I haven’t ever shown before, and some I have just re-processed using to more years of skills and better software. I hope this give you some inspiration to just get out in nature and do your own exploring – wherever that may be. Nature has an amazing ability to sooth our souls and heal our minds and bodies.

I hope that you have enjoyed this little trip down memory lane via Capitol Reef National Park. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. Have fun out there!

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