Trip of a lifetime - advice please

[lynnb]

I did a similar trip many, many years ago. Apart from the great places already mentioned, one standout memory was hiking down to camp in the Hapasupai reservation in the Grand Canyon. You need to book a camping permit long in advance, but it was memorable.
http://www.havasupaitribe.com/

Sorry to hear about your job, but I'm glad you're doing something very special with your time. Happy photographing!

 

[Jobin]

Visit the best place in the united states. California.

 

[PhotoMat]

With the exception of Chicago 😉, I've been to every place on your list. I live in Montana (approximately 50 miles north of Yellowstone Natl. Park) and have spent a considerable amount of time in the Southwest. A few points to consider:

Some of the most popular national parks will have a shuttle system during the high season -- Grand Canyon, parts of Zion and Yosemite. This may be an issue if you're the type who likes to be on location before sunrise and after sunset.

If you want to see wildlife, Yellowstone is tough to beat. If scenery is more to your taste, Glacier National Park is a better choice than Yellowstone, IMHO. (But Glacier is definitely more of a detour from your intended route.)

Moab and the surrounding area is a good place to set up base. Arches N.P. is right out of town and Canyonlands (Island in the Sky unit) is only 33 miles away. Campsites within Arches will be scarce. You can either stay in a commercial campground in Moab or you may have better luck in finding a campsite in Dead Horse state park or in Canyonlands. From Moab, you can head south toward Monument Valley and take detours to areas like Mesa Verde or Chaco Canyon, if desired. Then cut across northern AZ toward Page and hit Antelope Canyon (upper and lower). The slots are best at midday, which is great since the light is crappy for any other shooting at this time.

The areas mentioned will be busy. Yes, while it is great to get off the beaten path, since this is your first time out west, you just need to deal with the other park visitors and see these areas. You'll then know the areas you will want to revisit on your next trip.🙂

Regarding equipment, I think that you will probably benefit the most from a DSLR kit, and if shooting film, some medium format gear. I utilize both large and medium format film cameras for my landscape work. When mobility or time constraints are an issue, I have found my Mamiya 7II kit invaluable and this is often my "go to" camera.

Since you will be car camping, you won't have to skimp on comfort. Forget the thin, lightweight sleeping pads for backpacking. Go for something cushy. I have an LL Bean self-inflating "camp futon" that feels simply luxurious. Sometimes I have a tough time rousting myself from my sleeping bag for those sunrise shots!

My last bit of advice is that which I often tell myself -- either cut your itinerary in half or double the time spent on your trip. There is so much to see and do and you will only scratch the surface! Enjoy your trip -- you're going to have a wonderful time!

Matt


P.S. Here's a few pics to whet your appetite:

 

[Bingley]

I think, you should just take a couple of bodies, one with a 28mm, the other with the 50mm, and maybe take a 90mm lens for the odd tele opportunity. I would avoid bringing redundant stuff - if you like postcards, you can always buy them along the way. Take the kind of photos you are used to take, and maybe some environmental portraits of your family. It's not that when you go for a day to Yosemite, you can become the new Ansel Adams, just take it easy... I remember Ralph Gibson saying, that his photos were always looking the same, no matter if he took them in NY, Tokyo or Rio...

This is good advice. I keep coming back to the 50/28 combo of lenses for Yosemite and the High Sierra. Keep the gear simple and enjoy the trip.

 

[axiom]

- = t a g = -

Good references here
Will check back later

 

[Haigh]

I don't live in the US so no advice from me but enjoy your trip and good luck with any future employment.

 

[marcr1230]

Ok - getting closer to D-Day

Have the first part of my itinerary settled - badlands, glacier, Yellowstone, salt lake city, lake Tahoe , Yosemite, kings canyon/Sequoia. After that onward east to Utah

Questions now about carrying gear. I will be driving to these parks they day hiking and back country camping in them.

I'll be taking a DSLR and lenses, tripod and 2-3 film cameras and assorted lenses.

How would people pack/carry them for hiking and camping? I wouldnt take everything on ever trip away from the car, but would want the DSLR and a film camera. How do you carry with a backpack or daypack and keep stuff accessible yet somewhat protected?

 

[venchka]

Take a medium format camera.
Roads in Yellowstone & Glacier start closing soon after Labor Day. Don't tarry. Both are unique.
You could easily spend 2 months in the Four Corners area. Early October in the San Juans is not to be missed.
Everyone else hit the high spots.
If you are close, a morning or afternoon at the Custer battlefield is interesting.
Capitol Reef National Park. An overlooked gem.
Bon voyage. I'm totally envious.

Wayne

 

[ornate_wrasse]

If you are close, a morning or afternoon at the Custer battlefield is interesting.

I agree with Wayne's comment above. If you happen to be close to it, visiting the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana would provide an interesting glimpse into one of the most famous battles in US history. Although they didn't have it when I visited the Monument, they have a cell phone audio tour you can listen to on your phone.

Although you'll be at elevation (meaning cooler temperatures) in a lot of places you will visit, it still may get hot enough during the middle of the day that you should have some way to keep your film from getting overheated. Perhaps a check of the weather forecast would be a good idea.

Have fun on your trip!

Ellen

 

[venchka]

Ok - getting closer to D-Day

Have the first part of my itinerary settled - badlands, glacier, Yellowstone, salt lake city, lake Tahoe , Yosemite, kings canyon/Sequoia. After that onward east to Utah

Questions now about carrying gear. I will be driving to these parks they day hiking and back country camping in them.

I'll be taking a DSLR and lenses, tripod and 2-3 film cameras and assorted lenses.

How would people pack/carry them for hiking and camping? I wouldnt take everything on ever trip away from the car, but would want the DSLR and a film camera. How do you carry with a backpack or daypack and keep stuff accessible yet somewhat protected?

In place of a medium format camera, give some serious thought to stitching images together to make panoramas. My friend Jeff Kohn does this with outstanding results. Look at the EXIF data. Jeff rarely uses wide angle lenses for his work. He tends to stay in the range from 45mm to 100mm.

http://www.pbase.com/jkohn/2012_san_juans

As for keeping your gear protected yet handy: When I was a lot younger and stupider, I carried a Pentax 6x7 around my neck on multiday backpacking trips. The camera was always ready. Ziplock bags will keep stuff dry in a backpack. You may need the larger sizes made for clothes, pillows, etc. Walmart sells them in the camping section. I use fly reel cases from the fishpond for my view camera lenses. They will also hold my zoom lenses for the DSLR. I would still place any lens case in a Ziplock bag - double bagged for better rain protection.

Wayne

 

[v_roma]

1. Any guidance with respect to must see places along the way?
2. Photo tips - traveling with gear, what types shots will resonate and be remembered, silly to try to out do Ansel Adams
3. Admonitions and warnings? Danergerous situations and places to avoid
4. General thoughts and suggestions
5. Weather issues and camping gear suggestions for the season

1. Having recently returned from a business trip to Cody WY, where I had only one day off for sight-seeing, I heartily recommend driving through the Bear Tooth Pass Highway and the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. Having less than a day for sight-seeing, the locals recommended that I bypass Yellowstone Park altogether and do this drive instead. Of course, you will have time for both. There are some many amazing places to stop and take pictures of along these two highways that, by the end of the day, you will think nothing of yet another amazing vista 10,000 feet up. From Cody, take 120, left on 296, which eventually turns into Chief Joseph Hwy. Take a left onto 212 (i.e., Bear Tooth) all the way up to Red Lodge then head back down through 308 and 72. You are basically doing a loop.

3. There are probably many things to be careful about when doing this kind of trip. Respect nature and the fact that you are out of your element in many, many ways. One I would mention from personal experience is that that some of these places are pretty high up and, if you're not used to high altitude, be careful not to over-exhert yourself or you might pass out. I did not but was close 🙂

 

[venchka]

...

5. Weather issues and camping gear suggestions for the season

The usual backpacking scenario:
1. Down bag. I have 2. One light for summer. One middle weight for true 3 season use.
2. Down vest. Wind blocking fleece. Gore-Tex outer layer. Long underwear. NO cotton away from the car.
3. Wide brim hat. Fleece gloves. You're from Chicago. You know what you need for snow, sleet, freezing rain, etc. That would be a normal September-October morning anywhere out west.
4. Good boots. Broken in.
5. Hiking poles. More than once they have saved me from broken legs, ankles, etc. Double duty as a makeshift monopod.
6. Sturdy 3 season tent. It gets windy in the mountains.
Have fun.

Wayne

 

[goamules]

You will enjoy your trip, I guarantee it. I decided to leave North Carolina for some adventure 22 years ago, and never went back. NM and AZ have been my jumping off points, to where you are going, which really are some of the best places to photograph in the US.

 

[rickp]

Yosemite and the Grand Canyon. Slot Canyons on the Navaho reservation near Page, AZ. Death Valley incl. Zabrisky Point. (terrific dunes). I've never seen it, but Monument Valley...

we got to death valley last april (between las vegas and highway 1 on the way to san francisco), and would certainly go again.

three humble suggestions: 1-2 nights in las vegas for R & R; a helicopter tour of the grand canyon, and something like a hasselblad SWC + slow film + polarizer to capture all the 'wide' grandeur of the parks you'll be visiting.

enjoy your trip

rick

 

[Duane Pandorf]

Heading that way too!

Heading that way too!

Ok - getting closer to D-Day

Have the first part of my itinerary settled - badlands, glacier, Yellowstone, salt lake city, lake Tahoe , Yosemite, kings canyon/Sequoia. After that onward east to Utah

Questions now about carrying gear. I will be driving to these parks they day hiking and back country camping in them.

I'll be taking a DSLR and lenses, tripod and 2-3 film cameras and assorted lenses.

How would people pack/carry them for hiking and camping? I wouldnt take everything on ever trip away from the car, but would want the DSLR and a film camera. How do you carry with a backpack or daypack and keep stuff accessible yet somewhat protected?

Looks like we will be in the same locations during the same time. I will be leaving with my family in our travel trailer August 24 and heading to the Badlands to begin with.

A link to our prospective trek: 2012 West of the Rockies Road Trip

If we're in the same place you won't be able to miss us as I will be towing a 34' Airstream TT with a big blue Ford truck. We'll be on the road for 9 weeks.