bryce canyon national park

American Southwest Trip, 2018: Panorama and HDR

September 12, 2021 Michael Rappa

This is a collection of panorama and HDR photos from Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, and Zion national parks, as well as Cedar Breaks National Monument. The vast majority of these were not originally shot as panorama or HDR, but were converted from separate photos that I felt looked better merged together. The two that were actually shot as HDR/panorama are captioned as “True Panorama” or “True HDR.”

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Grand Canyon – HDR

Grand Canyon – Panorama

Cedar Breaks – Panorama

Zion – Panorama

Zion – HDR

Bryce Canyon – True HDR

Bryce Canyon – Panorama

Bryce Canyon – True Panorama

Grand Canyon – Panorama

Grand Canyon – HDR

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American Southwest Trip, 2018: Bryce Canyon – Thor’s Hammer and Rim Trail

July 25, 2021 Michael Rappa

This final batch of photos from my visit to Bryce Canyon National Park consists of shots from the other leg of the Navajo Loop Trail, where I partially descended for a view of the famous Thor’s Hammer rock formation before climbing back up and starting my full descent into the canyon down the Wall Street leg. Additionally, there are photos from my walk along the Rim Trail between Sunrise and Sunset points.

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Navajo Loop

Thor’s Hammer on the Navajo Loop

Navajo Loop

Rim Trail

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American Southwest Trip, 2018: Bryce Canyon – Queen’s Garden Trail

July 7, 2021 Michael Rappa

These photos are from my ascent up the Queen’s Garden leg of my 3-mile hike down into and back out of the canyon. As I’ve mentioned before, a stroll through Bryce Canyon National Park is like a visit to another world, and there are definitely some otherworldly looking photos in this batch.

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Queen’s Garden Trail

Queen’s Garden Trail – The Clenched Fist of Truth

Queen’s Garden Trail

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American Southwest Trip, 2018: Bryce Point and Paria View

March 27, 2021 Michael Rappa

These photos are from two scenic lookouts, taken shortly after a massive rainstorm finally subsided. I had thought the entire day was going to be a washout and considered giving up, but I stuck it out and was rewarded with some beautiful scenery. The first few pics, shot at Paria View, feature multiple rainbows shooting down from the clouds, though one rainbow is most prominent.

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Multiple Rainbows at Paria View

Paria View

Bryce Point

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American Southwest Trip, 2018: Bryce Canyon Navajo Loop

October 4, 2020October 4, 2020 Michael Rappa

These photos are from my descent down the Wall Street portion of the Navajo Loop trail. The Wall Street name apparently comes from the high walls and narrow passageways (known as a slot canyon) characteristic of this part of the trail. A lot of these shots have that “alien planet” feel. Some of the more interesting pics depict tall trees rising up through the canyon walls to find the sun.

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Navajo Loop Trail (Wall Street Portion)

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American Southwest Trip, 2018: Bryce Canyon Lookouts

May 30, 2020October 4, 2020 Michael Rappa

These photos are from three different lookout points in Bryce Canyon National Park. The first few were taken at Piracy and Fairview Points as the sun finally peeked through the clouds toward the end of a dreary day. The majority of the remaining photos were taken on the following sunny day at various spots along the Inspiration Point trail.

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Piracy Point

Fairview Point

Inspiration Point

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American Southwest Trip, 2018: A Rainy Day in Bryce Canyon

March 15, 2020October 4, 2020 Michael Rappa

My first day in Bryce Canyon National Park was mostly a washout as it stormed heavily all day, but the skies did clear enough toward the end of the day for me to get some decent photos. I had tried waiting out the storm at my hotel but after a while I decided that I didn’t want to lose my entire first day (having already sacrificed my planned stop at Red Canyon) so I made my way out in the rain.

I started by driving all the way to the highest point at the end of the park, hoping the rain would be gone by the time I got there, but instead the rain turned to snow at the higher altitudes and the ground was covered in ice. I didn’t even bother parking the car after reaching the top since I was only wearing a windbreaker and also because I didn’t want to be stuck driving on icy mountain roads when it got darker, so I just turned around and drove back down the mountain. As I made my way down, the rain finally started to subside and I was able to hit some scenic lookouts.

The one good thing about driving through Bryce in a heavy rainstorm was that I practically had the entire place to myself. At some points it was eerily quiet, without even the sounds of birds or insects to break the silence. And some of the photos I took, while shot at a much lower than ideal aperture because of the gloomy conditions, have a unique look because of it.

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