Biweekly Wow: Zion’s Canyon Overlook

I’m somewhat beginning to adopt a habit of posting my “weekly wow”s every other week, so I suppose they’re more of a “biweekly wow.”  I still have so much to share from this trip!  I hope you’re enjoying the journey.

After our rainy bust at Zion’s Canyon Overlook the morning prior, we had to give it another chance.  After all, the golden rays of dawn are supposed to be spectacular on this national park’s red rocks.

As you probably know, I’m a sucker for sunrise.  Even when there’s little hope of actually catching one, I’ll chase it again and again for that slim chance.  And my efforts are often rewarded… eventually.

This particular morning was much drier than the one before, and we now had the advantage of experience with the route so as to not wander off trail as we did before.

Our group decided to split up – some going to a spot on the valley floor with the Three Patriarchs, and others going back to Canyon Overlook.  I debated long and hard as to which spot I wanted to visit.  Should I try something new?  Or do I return to the same spot and hope for better conditions?

In the end, it’s clear which I chose.  I think I would have been happy at either location, but in the moment, I felt I’d regret more missing an epic shot from this iconic vantage.  We can only shoot so much when we’re only there for a few days!  Sometimes I envy Utah residents with so many incredible parks right in their back yards.

The morning was much drier, but it was still very cold.  We arrived far too early, so we had a long while to wait – and freeze.  We waited, but we were disappointed to find we once more wouldn’t see the fiery red glow upon the canyon walls.  The sky had too much haze to let enough sun through.

However, I still loved these blue-hour colors, so I’m not disappointed.  While I didn’t get quite what I set out to, I’d still chalk this up as a success.

---