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Home → Tours and Travel

Utah – America’s Hidden Gem

and the land of breathtaking views

By Talha Najeeb 37 Comments
Last Updated On January 4, 2021

Have you been to Utah yet? If not, why not? It is, after-all, the most beautiful state…

The Virgin River
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 14mm, ISO 64, 1/100, f/4.0

I had no idea what to expect but I fell in love with Utah from the moment I first set foot there. It’s different. The people are very nice, friendly and polite. The towns are beautiful. And the landscape is unlike anything I’ve seen anywhere else.

The Martian
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 26mm, ISO 64, 1/25, f/22.0

Consider the Mesa Arch in Canyonlands for a second. If it’s your first time and you arrive before sunrise, you have no idea what’s in front of you. And then the first light hits and boom, this jaw-dropping scene reveals itself.

Mesa Arch
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 29mm, ISO 64, 6/10, f/8.0

Take a few (very, very) careful steps towards the edge of the base of the Mesa Arch and have your mind blown:

Mesa Arch View
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 30mm, ISO 64, 1/60, f/8.0

But let’s rewind for a second and start with Zion, considered Utah’s (and perhaps the country’s) top national park. The pale blue Virgin River carving its way through the towering red cliffs of the canyon provides one stunning vista after another.

Virgin River Overlook
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 25.5mm, ISO 64, 1/60, f/4.0

In the absence of the tourist crush – off-season, early morning – it is hard to imagine a more peaceful place: the canyon cradles you and soothes you with the hushed trickle of the river that occasionally turns into the gush of the rapids.

The Virgin River II
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 14mm, ISO 64, 1/80, f/4.0
This is Zion
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 24mm, ISO 64, 1/125, f/4.0

I don’t know whether it’s because nature has healed or there are fewer visitors but I see a lot more wildlife – deer, elk, etc – in the national parks now. In Zion, it was sunrise and I was pretty much by myself and I had quite a few deer encounters.

Wildlife in Zion National Park
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 30mm, ISO 400, 1/40, f/4.0

I mean, just when you think it can’t get any better, you get a surprise like this…

Deer Walking in Zion National Park
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 30mm, ISO 400, 1/20, f/4.0

Rise early enough and you’ll be rewarded with a stunning display where the soft light of the rising sun bathes the canyon summits in a deep orange hue that is perfectly complemented by the natural colors of the landscape.

The First Light
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 17mm, ISO 400, 1/8, f/4.0
Virgin River
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 14mm, ISO 64, 1/100, f/4.0

2000+ feet of rock vertically rising to the sky in all directions and glistening in the light of the full moon. Frankly, it’s a moving, humbling experience. (The wide-angle capture does not do justice to the scale of this scene.) 

Great White Throne
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 14mm, ISO 250, 20/1, f/4.0

I found some beautiful bluebirds nesting by the bank of the Colorado River in eastern Utah:

Blue Bird
NIKON Z 7 + 70-200mm f/4 @ 200mm, ISO 64, 1/125, f/8.0

Speaking of the Colorado River…

Colorado River Sunset
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 24mm, ISO 125, 1/5, f/5.6
Icy Colorado
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 23.5mm, ISO 64, 1/30, f/16.0

Back to Canyonlands: The view from Dead Horse Point, particularly at sunset, is one of my favorites. The magenta hue and the glow in the image below are from the setting sun. There is a point to the south of here (not shown) where the Colorado river does a full u-turn.

Dead Horse Point
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 35mm, ISO 125, 1/10, f/5.6

La Sal Mountains, as seen from Dead Horse Point (I really love this place, the views are amazing and the combo of sunset and snow takes things to another level):

View of La Sal Mountains
NIKON Z 7 + 70-200mm f/4 @ 72mm, ISO 64, 1/40, f/16.0

There’s an endless buffet of photo ops in Canyonlands, in general.

Long Shadows of Canyonlands National Park
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 21.5mm, ISO 64, 1/400, f/5.6

Don’t even get me started about the insane arches around Moab:

Window Arch
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 57mm, ISO 64, 1/250, f/5.6

Finally, right at the border with Arizona, in Navajo Nation land, is the familiar and weird but striking landscape of Monument Valley. I say “familiar” because so many movies and TV shows have been filmed here.

Glorious MV Sunrise
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 70mm, ISO 64, 1/50, f/5.6

The 17-mile loop was closed due to the pandemic but I was still able to pull off some interesting shots from a distance.

Monument Valley sun burst
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 34.5mm, ISO 64, 1/8, f/22.0
Monument Valley Sunrise
NIKON Z 7 + 70-200mm f/4 @ 185mm, ISO 200, 1/25, f/4.0

If you’re ever in the area, don’t skip Goose Neck State Park, where the Colorado river does some truly head-spinning twists and turns:

Goose Neck Bend
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 17.5mm, ISO 64, 1/2, f/8.0

I never realized that the roadrunner/coyote setting was actually based on real-life places such as this one…

Mexican Hat
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 70mm, ISO 200, 1/4, f/4.0

I still can’t believe I was able to capture this next shot. We were on the open road at dusk when my wife noticed a silhouette in the distance. I mounted my zoom lens and fired away as soon as we realized what it was and caught the magnificent creature just when it looked up:

Wild Horse at dusk
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 70mm, ISO 640, 1/4, f/4.0

Bonus shot: Horses grazing on an Indian reservation on the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona:

Horses of Phoenix
NIKON Z 7 + 70-200mm f/4 @ 200mm, ISO 64, 1/200, f/11.0

When you’re driving on the 70 freeway, pretty anywhere you can pull over, you’re greeted with a stunning view. Here’re a few scenes I captured along various viewpoints:

Utah Viewpoint
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 24mm, ISO 64, 1/400, f/5.6
Another view point in Utah
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 42mm, ISO 64, 1/640, f/5.6

I can go and on — everywhere you look in Utah, you see a photo. But I’ll end for now with this capture of Zion’s star attraction, the magnificent “Watchman”:

The Watchman
NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 40mm, ISO 64, 1/80, f/4.0

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Filed Under: Tours and Travel Tagged With: Landscape Photography, National Parks, Utah, Travel, Travel Photography

About Talha Najeeb

Talha Najeeb is a self-taught landscape, travel and street photographer. Please visit his website and his Flickr page to see more of his work.

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Marshall Byrd
Marshall Byrd
January 4, 2021 3:31 pm

Great shots Talha, you really captured the majesty of the US West.

4
Reply
Talha
Talha
Reply to  Marshall Byrd
January 4, 2021 9:50 pm

Thank you, sir

0
Reply
freeskieur73
freeskieur73
January 9, 2021 1:17 am

hello,
so nice shots, congrats !! :)
Z optics are great but unfortunately sunstar are so crap :(

2
Reply
Jim Widman
Jim Widman
January 7, 2021 1:11 am

Two 2-year assignments to NORAD, Colorado Springs.
If you’re ever in the area try some shooting in The Garden of the Gods.
Don’t pass through there without a great shot of Kissing Camels.

2
Reply
Allan Wood
Allan Wood
January 12, 2021 3:53 pm

During a work assignment in 2019 through part of 2020, the American SW taught me more about landscape, abstract and atmospheric photography than most places combined. Go there, explore get off the beaten paths; look, see, think.

1
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Jean Marshall
Jean Marshall
January 12, 2021 10:15 am

Stunning shots. Thank you. My husband who grew up in southern Utah–Panguitch, and loved taking photos (until digital technology and Alzheimer’s defeated him) would have been shocked not to see Bryce Canyon represented there–gorgeous at sunrise.

1
Reply
Talha
Talha
Reply to  Jean Marshall
January 12, 2021 1:29 pm

Thanks Jean. Expect to see Bryce and other parts of Utah in episode II of the series, dropping hopefully when things improve on the pandemic front.

0
Reply
Allan Wood
Allan Wood
Reply to  Jean Marshall
January 12, 2021 3:49 pm

Yes Jean; Bryce, a beautiful place which I fell in love with in January 2020. I loved everything about it especially in the bitter cold of sunrise. Photography there is simply … well what can I say! I also spent time in Zion at the start of winter. I am hooked!

0
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Bill Kendall
Bill Kendall
January 7, 2021 10:53 pm

WONDERFUL,WONDERFUL photos!! Thank you!

So many years ago I “chanced” upon the Valley of the Gods in southern Utah. I was taking State Hwy. 261 as a short cut south to Arizona when I came upon these road signs saying SLOW – CURVES AHEAD. I was on flat ground, but – WHOA!! So glad I slowed down because I was on top of a mesa! And what a scene in front of me. You owe it to yourself to go back and experience another wonder of Utah.

Thank again for sharing your adventure!

1
Reply
Talha
Talha
Reply to  Bill Kendall
January 7, 2021 11:06 pm

Thanks Bill, I really appreciate it. I’ve received so many great tips in the comments. I’ll add Valley of the Gods to the list.

0
Reply
Jon Kirshner
Jon Kirshner
January 7, 2021 8:16 pm

Beautiful tour..and makes me want to go back! And, all done with f/4 lenses!

1
Reply
Jim Widman
Jim Widman
January 7, 2021 12:50 am

Just planned my next trip.
Can I keep from drulng onto my lenses?
When in the service was Chief of Ops at National Observatory of Athens 73-77.
B&W Agfapan 100 for shooting everywhere/everything. NEEDED screw on lenses to keep marble dust out of camera. Pentax S-Series was perfect. Nikon, filthy!!
Had research quality d/room, fluids .1 degree temp controlled. No emulation movement.
Fell head over heels in love with B&W, even portraiture.
Load up 30-40 cartridges, 36 frames each and head out.
Still nave Pentax gear, 28 to 300 lenses.
Utah, here I come along with light weight Nikon D5600.

1
Reply
Jeff Shickele
Jeff Shickele
January 6, 2021 9:27 pm

Utah is a beautiful state.

1
Reply
Mike Mundy
Mike Mundy
January 6, 2021 9:14 am

Zion is a very small park (should have been much larger) and can get extremely crowded. Best way to avoid crowds is to visit in winter. Not autumn or spring, alas.

1
Reply
Allan Wood
Allan Wood
Reply to  Mike Mundy
January 12, 2021 4:00 pm

Yes, I would agree. I was there in early December 2019 and was blessed. Few people, stunning scenes, early snow storm. Magic! Oh yes, I got more than my fair share of beautiful images.

0
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