Mesa Arch is a Mesa Arch is a spectacular stone arch perched at the edge of a cliff with vast views of canyons, rock spires, and the La Sal Mountains in the distance.  It’s on the eastern edge of the Island in the Sky mesa in Canyonlands National Park in northern San Juan County, Utah, United States.

This hike to Mesa arch is level, easy and only 1/2 mile long.

Canyonlands is adjacent to Arches National Park. The drive from Moab, Utah to the arch takes about 50 minutes per Google and about 40 minutes if you drive like me.

The nearness to Moab and the short easy nature of the hike makes this an extremely popular site.  You will not have this location to yourself except maybe at 2:00 AM and perhaps not even then if Milky Way shooters are out and about.

Plan the Shot

To get this shot, you need to be at the arch no later than 45 minutes before sunrise and that’s likely cutting it close.  There are 5-7 prime spots (elbow to elbow) and there may be 25 people or more at the arch at sunrise. If there is a photography workshop going on, forget about it, unless you beat them to the spot.

Assuming you get to Mesa Arch in time to get a good spot, you still need clouds. And you need to have an idea of what exactly you will be doing. You might have a minute or two to get it done, at most.

I was there in the dead of winter almost one hour prior and before sunrise there were 30+ photographers.

Turret Arch, located in Arches National Park, Utah. An easy climb up a gravel loop trail leads to three massive arches (North and South Windows, and Turret Arch). An alternate return, is by way of the primitive loop around the back of the two Windows, offering a different perspective of the rock formation. The primitive loop trail starts at the South Window viewpoint.

 

This image was captured at sunset and immediately after driving from the Durango CO airport.  The sunset presented this dramatic composition the moment we arrived.  Scouting locations online was very helpful and helped get this image with only minutes to spare.

These images were created at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in February 2020.

The first image I call “Turbulent Steam & Soft Stream is at the “Cement Wall” , this is an area that the railroad has nicknamed due to the very narrow confines of the river through this stretch.  The tracks were severely washed out during the September 1970 flash flood.  When the D&SNG rebuilt the roadbed, they poured this cement retaining wall to stabilize and protect the roadbed during future high-water events.

“All Tracks Lead To Home”

Thsi image was taken at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge train yard in Durango Co.

Here are some other images available from the Durango & silverton Shoot

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Monhonk Mountain house sits in the heart of the magnificent Shawangunk Ridge, named one of “Earth’s last great places” by the Nature Conservancy.

A deep respect for history surrounds you at Mohonk Mountain House. In 1869, our founder Albert Smiley purchased a ten-room inn on Lake Mohonk and expanded it into the sprawling, marvelous Mountain House we see today—now in its fourth and fifth generations of Smiley family proprietorship. Albert Smiley’s vision was to preserve a natural paradise for guests, a place to rejuvenate away from the stresses of work and city life. But Albert was more than just a hotel proprietor. In 1895, he convened the first of many Conferences on International Arbitration at the Mountain House, bringing together leaders to meet and discuss world issues. Sky Top Tower, the signature stone landmark at the top of our ridge, was erected in his memory in 1923.

Over the decades, distinguished visitors to the Mountain House have included five U.S. presidents, naturalists, theologians, business leaders, actors, artists, musicians, and more.