Winter Spectacles: Arches National Park, Utah

Above: Double Arch in December

Below: Turret Arch from northwest angle

Above: Spectacles at Sunrise

These photos of Arches National Park
were an unexpected Christmas gift.
I was traveling south through Utah on my way
to visit family for the holiday,
and as I drove through Moab I saw snow on the ground.
I was not as far along as I wanted to be,
but I stopped for the night.
Snow in Moab is unusual,
and I knew it was the Perfect Opportunity for a photo,
and I knew just where I wanted to be, come sunrise:
out waiting for the sun to hit the Spectacles Arches at Arches NP.
So I got up early, gratefully ate a hot breakfast at the hotel,
and then drove to the trailhead,
and trudged out, all bundled up to avoid the freezing winds.
It was a cold wait,
but oh, how worth it, when the sun rose.
The dusting of snow just adds to the beauty
of the sun-limned red rock.

Canyonlands National Park (Island in the Sky district)

The Green River, from Labyrinth site (above) in fall
View from Murphy Hogback (below) in summer:

Moses and Zeus formations in Taylor Canyon (above)
View from White Crack (intersection of Green and Colorado Rivers):

Canyonlands is gorgeous, and generally less crowded than some of the other Utah parks.
All of these photos were taken from the White Rim road,
in the Island in the Sky district.