Photographing winter landscapes in Utah

I recently went on a road trip from near Denver, CO to Moab, UT. The trip began on Monday morning and ended with a return on Thursday. This short duration would restrict my range to the parks within the Moab region. Fortunately, there are plenty of great winter landscapes within a one-hour drive. Goblin Valley State Park was also on my target list, as this would be my first time at the unique location. Snow in the weather forecast would provide an opportunity for unique winter photos.

With my car loaded up with all of the winter clothing, camera gear and food, our pet German shepherd hopped into the back seat at 4:30 a.m. and the adventure began. The early departure provided the opportunity to photograph sunrise at a popular location in the mountains of Colorado, followed by a drive through the Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction, CO.

Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park and Goblin Valley State Park

.mgl-tiles { display: none; } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c1dfd { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c1dfd .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } @media screen and (max-width: 768px) { #mgl-gallery-634ed414c1dfd { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c1dfd .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 460px) { #mgl-gallery-634ed414c1dfd { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c1dfd .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } }

Winter road trip considerations

It is particularly important to pay attention to the weather forecast during the winter season. Snow and ice storms can cause treacherous driving conditions throughout Utah. Driving over the high-altitude mountain passes in Colorado can be particularly challenging when storms pass through.

Fortunately, the forecast showed no snow for the drive through Colorado’s mountains and into Utah. However, I was happy to see that snow was expected to fall in the Moab region over the following couple of days.

Winter photography at these popular Utah locations requires careful planning for winter clothing, gloves, headwear and footwear. In addition to a good pair of hiking boots, it is important to bring along microspikes that strap over boots for traction when walking on the snow and ice-covered trails. My personal favorite brand of microspikes is Kahtoola. These have been far more reliable and durable than other brands I had used previously.

Benefits of visiting Utah’s parks in winter

There are several reasons why I enjoy visiting Utah’s popular national and state parks during the winter. The most significant benefit is that they are far less crowded than during the other three seasons of the year. Hotels have plenty of occupancy and restaurants are relatively uncrowded during the winter season. During my recent trip to Moab, there were often fewer than five cars in the most popular parking lots. It was nice to have many opportunities to photograph landscape scenes without people in them.

Another key benefit to photographing in the winter months is that the days are shorter than they are the rest of the year. Capturing sunrise photos still requires getting up early, but not as early as is required during the spring and summer months. Sunset photos can be captured early enough in the evening to allow time for dinner and sleep. It is quite easy to photograph both sunset and the following sunrise.

My road trip to Utah — February 21-24, 2022

Without a specific itinerary, I decided to make the journey to Goblin Valley State Park. Unlike most national parks, dogs on leash are allowed at many of Utah’s state parks including Goblin Valley. With only three cars in the parking lot, we had plenty of room to roam throughout the hoodoo-filled valley.

.mgl-tiles { display: none; } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c2b6e { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c2b6e .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } @media screen and (max-width: 768px) { #mgl-gallery-634ed414c2b6e { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c2b6e .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 460px) { #mgl-gallery-634ed414c2b6e { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c2b6e .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } }

While driving back toward Moab, I stopped at Dead Horse State Park and captured several interesting landscape images of the deep canyon. A couple was getting married on an exposed rock adjacent to where I was standing, and I was able to capture it with my Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens fully zoomed to 200mm.

.mgl-tiles { display: none; } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c3405 { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c3405 .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } @media screen and (max-width: 768px) { #mgl-gallery-634ed414c3405 { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c3405 .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 460px) { #mgl-gallery-634ed414c3405 { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c3405 .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } }

A storm was beginning to develop as I made the short drive from Dead Horse State Park to Canyonlands National Park. Mesa Arch, the most popular attraction at Canyonlands, was fun to photograph without the typical crowds.

.mgl-tiles { display: none; } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c4173 { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c4173 .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } @media screen and (max-width: 768px) { #mgl-gallery-634ed414c4173 { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c4173 .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 460px) { #mgl-gallery-634ed414c4173 { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c4173 .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } }

The following morning I woke up to a blanket of fresh snow. The snow was continuing into the morning. I made the short trek to Arches National Park and carefully drove along the curvy roads. Stopping along the way, I captured several winter landscapes. Then I decided to put the microspikes over my boots and take an early afternoon hike up the trail to the iconic Delicate Arch.

.mgl-tiles { display: none; } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c49b5 { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c49b5 .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } @media screen and (max-width: 768px) { #mgl-gallery-634ed414c49b5 { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c49b5 .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 460px) { #mgl-gallery-634ed414c49b5 { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c49b5 .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } }

Another round of snow fell through the night. I checked out of my hotel and made the drive back up to Arches National Park in the dark to capture a few final winter landscapes before heading home. Again, I was treated with beautiful winter conditions. I felt like I had the entire park to myself.

.mgl-tiles { display: none; } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c5280 { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c5280 .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } @media screen and (max-width: 768px) { #mgl-gallery-634ed414c5280 { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c5280 .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 460px) { #mgl-gallery-634ed414c5280 { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ed414c5280 .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } }