Posts Tagged ‘utah’
Posted on February 5, 2021, 8:43 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Day 11 Zion National Park’s Virgin River Narrows is arguably the most famous canyon hike in the world. Being that Zion National Park is the 7th most crowded national park (per this way of evaluating the “crowd factor”), the Virgin Narrows can feel downright crowded (Five ways to photograph the Zion Narrows without people). The […]
Posted on January 21, 2021, 9:58 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Days 9,10 Just like in Treasured Lands, for my new national monuments book one of my goals was to cover each of the monument’s corners, providing photographs and information about each of its significant areas. I had visited Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument multiple times before, but the monument is so vast that there were […]
Posted on January 15, 2021, 12:47 am, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Days 7,8,9 Since 2018, each autumn found myself in Bears Ears National Monument. 2020 was no exception. This time, I had planned to start at Valley of the Gods, where I ended my previous visit. On that evening of November 2019, after a promising afternoon, clouds had blocked the western horizon at sunset time. About […]
Posted on January 8, 2020, 12:10 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon have the most famous massive multi-room Ancestral Puebloan ruins in the Southwest. However, when it comes to smaller structures, in addition to harboring the highest concentration of them anywhere, Bears Ears National Monument’s Cedar Mesa area is home to possibly the two most iconic of them: House of Fire and […]
Posted on December 19, 2019, 6:00 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
If you thought the reduction in size of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument was bad, wait until you look at Bears Ears National Monument, which lost even more protections that same day of December 4, 2017. See some of the vast landscapes to be excluded from the monument. The proclamation of Bears Ears National Monument […]
Posted on December 13, 2019, 12:40 am, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Grand Staircase Escalante is arguably the crown jewel of national monuments, however, the Trump administration wants to reduce it to half its size. Follow me on a tour of six of the most remarkable areas of the monument to lose their protection. When designated in 1996, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, stretching over 2938 square […]
Posted on October 27, 2017, 11:17 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Easily missed, but aptly named Fairyland Point offers quiet, a great view, and the trailhead for one of the best hikes under the rim of Bryce Canyon National Park. On the way to the renown viewpoints over the Bryce Amphitheater such as Sunrise Point, Sunset Point, and Inspiration Point, most visitors miss a turnoff in […]
Posted on July 22, 2017, 8:30 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Because slot canyons have no vegetation and are mostly in the shade all the time, one might think that their appearance doesn’t change much. But in fact, the interplay of light with the walls varies much faster than in more open scenery, so much that visual surprises abound and reward multiple visits. Follow me on […]
Posted on July 15, 2016, 7:10 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Zion National Park doesn’t have the equivalent of Yosemite’s Glacier Point. Because of the sheer walls surrounding Zion Canyon, there are only two trails leading from the valley floor to the rim. Although lesser known than Angels Landing, the Observation Point Trail is the higher of the two. Angels Landing Trail is is famous for […]
Posted on June 29, 2016, 6:47 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Most hikers into the famous Virgin River Narrows of Zion National Park turn around at the junction with Orderville Canyon, sometimes after taking a quick peak inside. Zion National Park’s most accessible canyon after the Narrows, Orderville is spectacular and distinctive, making it a worthwhile destination in itself for the adventurous hiker. Exploring the entirety […]