Photo Journal & Trip Reports (Canyons & deserts)

Please enjoy these photo journals and trip reports from some of my outdoor photography adventures, starting with the most recent. You can subscribe to follow my latest blog posts (and any other blogs as well) by using a feed reader such as Inoreader or Feedly.

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Winter Heat in the Needles — Winter Heat in the Needles

March 2026 | Canyonlands National Park, Utah

The beginning of March brought the first of an unrelenting series of unseasonable heatwaves this month to the southwest. With less than stellar skiing conditions in the mountains this season (Colorado's lowest winter of snowfall on record), we instead took advantage of the unseasonable heat to do a two-night backpack trip in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southern Utah...

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Between the Canyonlands — Between the Canyonlands

November 2025 | Southern Utah

After nearly 8 weeks of being mostly housebound with my busted toe, we finally got out into the great outdoors this last week for a couple nights of truck camping in the no-man's land between the north and south districts of Canyonlands National Park in southern Utah...

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A Weekend in the Canyonlands — A Weekend in the Canyonlands

May 2025 | Canyonlands, Utah

Over Memorial Day weekend, Claudia and I headed out to Utah for three days of car camping and day hiking in and around the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Along the way we enjoyed camping at some awesome remote campsites along mesa rims with broad vistas overlooking the canyonlands...

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Back to the Canyonlands! — Back to the Canyonlands!

February 2025 | Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Last week's backpacking trip near Moab whetted my appetite for more of this kind of stuff, so on Monday I drove out to Utah again for another quick trip - this time a solo one-nighter to a seldom-visited corner of Island in the Sky in Canyonlands National Park...

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Colorful Moab — Colorful Moab

February 2025 | Moab, Utah

With an unseasonably warm weather forecast at the beginning of February, we headed out to the Utah desert for three days of backpacking and camping on slickrock in a wonderful canyon and sandstone landscape near Moab. We were treated to some wonderful sunsets and sunrises, making for a collection of very colorful photos!

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Escalante Escapades — Escalante Escapades

October 2024 | Escalante, Utah

In mid-October Claudia and I headed out to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah for a week of car camping and hiking. We've had our fair share of mountain time this summer and autumn in Colorado and were excited to hang out in the desert for a change, especially in Escalante which is one of our favorite areas of southern Utah!

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Down in the Narrows — Down in the Narrows

May 16, 2024 | Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is easily one of the most awe inspiring sights in Colorado. Carrying snowmelt down from a broad watershed of the West Elk, Elk, Sawatch, and San Juan Mountains, the Gunnison River roars through 2,000 sheer vertical feet of 1...

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Knowles/Mee Canyons Loop — Knowles/Mee Canyons Loop

April 23, 2024 | Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness, Colorado

Hungry for a desert adventure, in mid-April I headed to the canyons west of Grand Junction in the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness, an area I'd never visited before, for a 36-mile loop trek going down Knowles Canyon, along the Colorado River, then up Mee Canyon. This was a fantastic but strenuous trek through seriously awesome canyon country.

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Ring of Fire over the Valley of the Gods — Ring of Fire over the Valley of the Gods

October 2023 | Valley of the Gods, Utah

A few days ago we made the last minute decision to drive over to southern Utah to witness the annular totality of the October 14, 2023 solar eclipse. I had seen on the eclipse maps that the path of totality would pass right through Cedar Mesa and the Valley of the Gods, and I figured it would be worth it to make the 4 hour drive to see the "Ring of Fire" (versus just staying home in the San Juans where I could have still seen a nice 85% "Crescent of Fire")...

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Exploring in the Needles District — Exploring in the Needles District

April 2023 | Canyonlands National Park, Utah

With its fantastic red and pink spires, the Needles District is a spectacular and popular part of the Canyonlands National Park in Utah. In the busy spring and fall seasons, most backcountry campsites are completely reserved months in advance...

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Remote Wanderings in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts — Remote Wanderings in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts

February 2023 | California & Arizona

Although the weather was still a bit on the chilly side, in February we headed southwest for two weeks of camping, backpacking, and exploring craggy desert mountain ranges. Our road trip took us through the deserts along the lower Colorado River, first through the Mojave Desert in California, then down into the western Sonoran Desert in far southeast California and west Arizona.

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Desert Freeze Fest — Desert Freeze Fest

November 2022 | Southeast Utah

Despite a 20º weather forecast I drove out towards Moab to do an exploratory backpack trip up an obscure canyon all the way to a high rim overlooking the Fisher Towers, camping two nights along the way. Between the frigid temperature, fresh snow, rugged terrain, and torturous bushwhacking, the trek ended up being one of the more physically and mentally challenging backpack trips I've done.

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A Week at Capitol Reef — A Week at Capitol Reef

October 2022 | Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

Having had my fill of autumn colors in Colorado by mid-October this year, we headed out to the desert for a week of car camping, hiking and exploring in Capitol Reef National Park in southern Utah (with one little backpack trip to cap it off at the end)...

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Sandstone & Ponderosas — Sandstone & Ponderosas

May 2022 | Bears Ears National Monument, Utah

In mid-May we drove west to Bears Ears National Monument in southern Utah for a quick 3-day backpack trip into a unique canyon full of giant ponderosa pines amongst giant sandstone spires. A spring-fed creek provided a pleasant base camp location to relax and spend a day exploring some fascinating and seldom-visited ancient cliff dwellings...

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More Mojave — More Mojave

October/November 2021 | Mojave Desert, California & Arizona

In late October and early November, my wife and I hit the road for two weeks of warmth, camping, and hiking in the Mojave Desert of western Arizona and southeast California. During this trip we returned to the Black Mountains, camped at Kelso and Cadiz Dunes, spent a few days exploring The Needles along the Colorado River, and returned to the Turtle Mountains...

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Southern Utah Getaway — Southern Utah Getaway

April 2021 | Southern Utah

Usually in the wintertime my driving force is to ride my snowboard/splitboard as much as possible whenever I'm not riding my office chair. But every year by about March or April cabin fever sets in and my powder lust wanes as I start to dream about warm weather and dry ground backpacking...

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Into the Black Canyon — Into the Black Canyon

September-October 2020 | Colorado

With sheer walls towering over 2,000 vertical feet above the Gunnison River, there's no easy way to visit the bottom of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison; every possible hiking route is a steep, rugged scramble...

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Canyons Close to Home — Canyons Close to Home

April 2020 | Southwest Colorado

Yearning for some closer-to-home adventure this spring, we ventured out for a few quick overnight backpack trips to explore some canyon and desert areas along the Dolores and Gunnison Rivers, both major river drainages of the San Juan Mountains where we live in southwest Colorado...

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2 Weeks in Grand Staircase Escalante — 2 Weeks in Grand Staircase Escalante

September 2019 | Escalante, Utah

In the second half of September Claudia, her father Gundolf, and I spent two weeks in one of our favorite canyon areas of southern Utah - Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument*...

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Rainy Day Hike in the Needles District — Rainy Day Hike in the Needles District

May 2019 | Canyonlands National Park, Utah

In mid May we met up with family from Germany in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in Utah for a couple days of camping and hiking. Our timing wasn't great, as it rained more than I've ever seen in the desert! But we did get one somewhat dry-enough day for my brother-in-law and I to do the ultra-classic hike to Chesler Park and Druid Arch...

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Explorations in the Mojave Desert — Explorations in the Mojave Desert

March 2019 | Nevada, California, Arizona

As is usual in late winter, Claudia and I have been itching for some desert hiking and backpacking time, so this March we spent three weeks camping and backpacking in various mountain ranges and wilderness areas in the Mojave Desert in Nevada, California, and Arizona...

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Roaming Around Southeast Utah — Roaming Around Southeast Utah

October/November 2018 | Utah

In late October and early November we spent a dozen days camping and backpacking around in the deserts and canyonlands of southern Utah, including the San Rafael Swell, Robbers Roost/Dirty Devil area, and Cedar Mesa...

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Candyland, Arizona — Candyland, Arizona

April 2018 | Arizona

After our trek through nearby Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon, we made the long, sandy drive to Coyote Buttes South (also within the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness) which we had permits to explore for a couple days...

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Buckskin Gulch/Paria River Backpack — Buckskin Gulch/Paria River Backpack

April 2018 | Utah/Arizona

With 15 miles of continuous narrows, Buckskin Gulch in southern Utah is renowned as the longest slot canyon in the world. Buckskin flows into the even longer Paria Canyon and hiking through both these canyons forms a famous backpacking trip requiring permits reserved months in advance...

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Narrowing Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah — Narrowing Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

April 2018 | Escalante, Utah

In mid April we hit the road again for more desert time, and spent a week camping and hiking through various narrows and slot canyons in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in central southern Utah...

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Saguaro National Park — Saguaro National Park

March 2018 | Arizona

Our final destination for our desert road trip in late March was Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Arizona. We spent two nights at the campground near there and enjoyed visiting the "forests" of saguaro cacti (pronounced like "sa-waro"), as well as a bit of touring through the city of Tucson...

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Backpacking in the Superstition Mountains — Backpacking in the Superstition Mountains

March 2018 | Arizona

After our time in the Kofa Mountains in March, we drove east through Phoenix and immediately embarked on a two-night backpack trip through part of the Superstition Mountains. We hiked a clockwise loop from the Peralta Trailhead around the prominent Weavers Needle spire via the Peralta and Dutchman's Trails...

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Kofa Mountains — Kofa Mountains

March 2018 | Arizona

In the remote Sonoran desert of southwest Arizona rises a rugged volcanic mountain range called the Kofa Mountains. The mountains are named after the King of Arizona mine located in the center of range, from which millions of dollars worth of gold and silver were extracted in the early 1900s...

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Colors of Southern Nevada — Colors of Southern Nevada

March 2018 | Nevada

While the vast majority of visitors to southern Nevada only see the bright lights of Las Vegas, there is actually an abundance of wonderful wild desert lands surrounding the city which will please any nature lover...

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Backpacking through Salt Creek — Backpacking through Salt Creek

November 2017 | Canyonlands National Park, Utah

In early November a friend and I backpacked about 30 miles through Salt Creek and the Peakaboo Trail in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, Utah. This canyon is renowned for its numerous Ancient Puebloan ruins and pictographs; in fact I've never seen so many ruins outside of the Cedar Mesa area!

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Backpacking in Grand Gulch — Backpacking in Grand Gulch

May 2017 | Cedar Mesa, Utah

At the end of May we spent three days hiking through the upper portion of Grand Gulch, in Cedar Mesa, Utah. This was the third time I’ve backpacked in Grand Gulch, but the first since the area was designated as part of Bears Ears National Monument by President Obama in 2016...

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In, On, and Around the San Rafael Reef — In, On, and Around the San Rafael Reef

April 2017 | Utah

The San Rafael Reef is the jagged uplifted eastern edge of the greater San Rafael Swell, a giant dome-shaped anticline rising to the west of the Green River in central Utah. People who have driven Interstate 70 west of Green River will likely remember the incredible highway route that cuts right through the vertical red walls of the San Rafael Reef...

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Enchanted in New Mexico — Enchanted in New Mexico

December 2016 | New Mexico

Over the holidays my wife Claudia and I drove down to New Mexico for some desert time and to escape winter for a while. We spent a few days in Santa Fe, camped in the White Sand dunes, hiked in the Organ Mountains, explored the City of Rocks, and I even got to skate the famous ditches of Albuquerque!

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Two Weeks in the Utah Desert — Two Weeks in the Utah Desert

October/November 2015 | Utah

In late October/early November we headed out to Utah for a two-week road trip of car camping, hiking, and backpacking in the deserts of southern Utah. We basically drove a big counter-clockwise loop starting from Green River, heading southwards to Capitol Reef, southeast to Dark Canyon kind of near the north end of Lake Powell, to Natural Bridges National Monument, and finally to Cedar Mesa...

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Tapeats/Deer Creek Loop, Grand Canyon — Tapeats/Deer Creek Loop, Grand Canyon

April 2015 | Grand Canyon, Arizona

Last week we repeated a backpacking trip down into the Grand Canyon which we had done several years ago — a “lollipop” loop from the north rim down to Thunder River and Tapeats Creek, along the Colorado River, and up Deer Creek...

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Death Hollow Canyon — Death Hollow Canyon

April 2014 | Escalante, Utah

The morning after returning from our previous Escalante backpack, we embarked on another even more adventurous trek – this time into the slickrock country just east of the town of Escalante, Utah...

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Two Weeks in the Canyons of Utah — Two Weeks in the Canyons of Utah

April 2014 | Utah

Photos from two weeks of travel and hiking in the deserts and canyons of southern Utah, including the San Rafael Swell, Capitol Reef, Escalante, and Bryce Canyon.

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Backpacking in the Needles District — Backpacking in the Needles District

March 2014 | Canyonlands National Park, Utah

As winter drags on, there are times when no matter how good the snow is, all I can think about is getting out to the desert for some warm weather backpacking. Such was the case last week when Claudia and I drove over to Utah for four days of backpacking in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park south of Moab...

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8 Dayhikes in the Canyons of Utah - Escalante & Capitol Reef — 8 Dayhikes in the Canyons of Utah - Escalante & Capitol Reef

April 2013 | Utah

In mid-April we spent about 10 days car camping and doing some fantastic day hikes in the canyons of Utah - Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Capitol Reef National Park in particular...

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3 Week Desert Road Trip — 3 Week Desert Road Trip

October/November 2012 | CA, AZ, UT, CO

In late October and early November, we spent 3 weeks on a road trip through the deserts and canyons between California and Colorado. Highlights included camping in Death Valley in California, a backpack trek into the Grand Canyon, hiking through a slot canyon in Page Arizona, visiting the cliff dwelling of Mesa Verde in Colorado, and more!

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Backpacking into the Grand Canyon — Backpacking into the Grand Canyon

November 2012 | Grand Canyon, Arizona

At the beginning of November, Claudia and I were excited to go on a backpacking trip into the Grand Canyon, which neither of us has seen before. It was a great introduction to walk down all the way down into the heart of it, and WOW, we were impressed! Our loop route took us down from Monument Point on the North Rim, down the Bill Hall Trail, over the Esplanade, across Surprise Valley, down into Tapeats Creek, along the Colorado River, up the Deer Creek Trail, then back up to the top again...

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Coyote Gulch — Coyote Gulch

April 2012 | Escalante, Utah

In early April, we headed to Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in southern Utah for another backpacking trip into one of my favorite canyons of all – Coyote Gulch. It’s been about 12 years or so since I’ve been here, but I still remembered how awesome it was...

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Surprise Rocks — Surprise Rocks

October 2011 | Chile

To be honest, I expected the drive back from the altiplano highlands of Salar de Surire towards the coastal city of Iquique to be a barren, boring affair. So we were surprised when about 50-100 km west of Colchane we started seeing a plethora of incredible rock formations along the sides of the highway!

Some of more fantastic looking of these eroded geological sites proved to be inaccessible by roads and would have required a backpacking trek, along with leaving our truck unattended on the side of the highway – both of which we weren’t willing to do at the time...

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Salar de Surire & Las Vicuñas National Reserve — Salar de Surire & Las Vicuñas National Reserve

October 2011 | Chile

Stocked up with spare tanks of gas and plenty of water, we headed south from Lauca National Park through Las Vicuñas National Reserve, which gets its name from the many herds of wild vicuñas that roam the desolate landscape...

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Lauca National Park — Lauca National Park

October 2011 | Chile

Last week after our time in and around San Pedro de Atacama we spent several days in Lauca National Park. This area includes without doubt the most stunning landscapes we’ve seen in northern Chile, with the twin Payachata volcanoes rising above two broad lakes, all surrounded by well watered altiplano full of grazing vicuñas, llamas, and alpacas...

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San Pedro de Atacama — San Pedro de Atacama

October 2011 | Chile

After renting a 4×4 pickup truck in Antofagasta, we’ve spent the last week camping and touring in the Atacama desert of northern Chile, based around the oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama.

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Two Weeks in the Canyons of Utah — Two Weeks in the Canyons of Utah

April 2010 | Utah

In April I spent two weeks hiking, camping, and photographing in and around the canyons of southern Utah. I visited a lot of new places I haven't seen before, including Goblin Valley State Park, San Rafael Swell, Robbers Roost area, Capitol Reef National Park, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park...

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Grand Gulch Loop Hike — Grand Gulch Loop Hike

October 2009 | Cedar Mesa, Utah

Over three days and two nights this October I went on a ~25 mile loop hike through a portion of Grand Gulch in Cedar Mesa in southeastern Utah. The hike passes through dramatic canyon scenery with vertical cliffs and dramatic rock formations...

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