What to bring to Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion!

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

03/29/2013 01:23:39 AM · #1

I'm going on a hiking trip (day hikes) to the Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion this spring. I've never been there.

What focal lengths are the most useful there?

I will of course bring my 10-20 DX (or my 16-35 FX if I decide to bring the 600).

What else...my fisheye? Are long lenses very useful? I can bring my 18-200 DX or (28-300 FX)...

Is something longer useful? I could bring my new G5 and a 200-600mm effective lens.

While hiking, will a tripod be very useful? Watching my carry weight.

ALSO ETA: while we're on a structured hike in the GC, we are on our own at Zion and Bryce...so if you know good trail suggestions, please share! (We are only at each for one day.)

Message edited by author 2013-03-29 01:24:58.

mariahdc

Canon EOS-50D

03/29/2013 01:35:24 AM · #2

I don't know if I have much to offer in terms of suggestions. But I just have to say -- we visited the GC for the first time last summer. I really wasn't expecting much, since visiting the GC is so... cliche? So I was very surprised when I walked up to the edge and before I knew it, I had tears running down my face because of the intense beauty. I have never cried at something just for its beauty in my entire life. We met a young couple there, and the guy said the same thing... that he was overwhelmed by it.

If I could offer any advice, it would be the widest angle lens and the largest telephoto you want to haul around. And for the telephoto you'd obviously want a tripod or a way to steady it. Do you have a 'base', such as a rental car, where you can leave extra lenses/gear that you don't want to hike around with?

I'm envious - you'll have a great time! And even better pictures, I'm sure. Have fun. :)

Message edited by author 2013-03-29 01:36:06.

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 35-135mm f/3.5-4.5

03/29/2013 01:44:13 AM · #3

Yes, we'll have both a rental car and a hotel room. So if I don't need the longer lenses or tripod during the hike in the Canyon, I can leave them in one of those places. (and that would be good, because I don't want to carry more than 12-15 lbs on a 7 mile hike!)

Though my 200-600 is a micro four thirds lens, and very svelte (camera + lens = 2 lbs). I am thinking of bringing the D7100 rather than the D600 to save the lens weight.

I haven't figured out how to carry during the hike. I have a lowepro 350AW backpack which weighs over 5 lbs by itself. I need to carry water, lunch, jacket, and who knows what else. Plus my camera(s). I bought a Cotton Carrier to make it easier to hike with the camera out. But I'm tempted to try and adapt a lighter hiking backpack. I wore the 350AW around the house for a while loaded with camera stuff and my back hurt. I won't have a problem with the aerobic parts of the hike, but I am worried about muscle and joint aches.

C_Steve_G

Apple iPhone 12

03/29/2013 01:48:02 AM · #4

Originally posted by Neil:

... and my back hurt. I won't have a problem with the aerobic parts of the hike, but I am worried about muscle and joint aches.

For all-day (and all-weekend) motorcycle rides, I've found that Motrin is my friend. Just a thought...

03/29/2013 01:57:21 AM · #5

Hey Neil! I'm back in contact with civilization. I've done all three now and here are some thoughts.

Wide is going to serve you best. You know this already, but you will clearly use a wide lens most in all three locations.

With that said, there is a place for a large zoom. After a hike on Wednesday we got down to the shuttle in Zion just as the moon popped over the canyon wall. The 400mm was perfect for snapping a giant full moon with a shoulder of rock in the picture. Another day I decided to not carry it and then that day we saw rock climbers easily 800-1000 feet up on the rock face. Doh! You won't need one for the pictures you imagine you are going to get, but you might need one for the pictures you don't know about yet.

Tripod could probably be left at home to save weight. HDR is doable handheld these days, but if you want to do it "right" or to do a panorama "right" you might need it after all. :)

Here are the hikes I did at Bryce:
Navajo Loop, Queens Garden, and Faryland Loop. I highly recommend all three.

At Zion:
Angel's Landing. Yes, gather the courage and go all the way to the top.
Hidden Canyon.
Canyon Overlook Trail(east of the tunnel)
Riverside Walk (Gateway to the Narrows)
I didn't do any of the Narrows and you may not have the opportunity as the river gets higher/faster as the weeks go on.

I don't have certain hikes to recommend at Grand Canyon. I think most of the hikes will give you a similar experience. (I could be wrong though).

If you are driving along the 89 to get from Grand Canyon to Zion (via Page, AZ) two things. 1) There is a 60 minute detour between Tuba City and Page. 2) Don't forget to consider Horseshoe Bend (4 miles south of Page) and Antelope Canyon (10 minutes from Page).

My pictures are still all sitting on my cards so nothing to share yet. I bet you will have a great time!

03/29/2013 04:12:38 PM · #6

Thanks Jason!

How far did you hike on those?

Out of curiosity, how many pounds were you carrying, and in what...a backpack?

Since I'm not bringing a laptop--I think--I'm going to load up on memory cards. How many pics did you take?

Looking forward to your pics!

03/29/2013 04:16:16 PM · #7

I suggest your best long lens and your best wide angle. Do you have one of those gorilla pods? might be able to use them on a tree or something...

As Jason said...your sooooooo close to Antelope Canyon...if you can go...here is the very best tour guide there is...Carol Bigthumb. I've been twice, and on the 2nd trip my family (16 of us) all took the tour (I took the photography tour with Vincent ???, he was amazing) buy taking the photo tour they (guides) will hold back the people (loads and loads of them) so that you can get your shots of the light coming through the slots. They make sure you are in the right places at the right time. PLUS, they took us to a couple of places that the "general tours" don't go...it was well worth paying for the photo tour. Carol lives on the property (if you see cows out on the range...they are her's).

[url=ttps://www.google.com/search?q=vermillion+cliffs+az&hl=en&newwindow=1&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=5PNVUfDsMYb49QTer4CoAQ&ved=0CE4QsAQ&biw=1280&bih=631]Vamillion Cliffs, AZ[/url] just off 89A

just food for thought

03/29/2013 06:21:13 PM · #8

Originally posted by Neil:

Of all the hikes I listed, Fairyland is the longest at about eight miles. Angel's Landing is about 5.4. With tripod my pack is probably in the 15 pound range. Yes, it's a backpack. Personally I did about 20 gig of photos in Zion, but a lot was 3-exposure HDR.

Message edited by author 2013-03-29 18:21:50.

Olympus 17mm f/1.8 M.Zuiko

03/29/2013 11:17:57 PM · #9

Would it be wrong to assume that "most of the best pics" are from the higher elevations--i.e., at the top of the canyons...that during the hikes themselves there are fewer pics? Or is that totally wrong?

PennyStreet

Olympus OM-D E-M1

03/30/2013 12:36:17 AM · #10

It's all amazing... like nothing you could even imagine... and so different from each other.

What Janine said, bring your best wide angle and your best long lens. You will not be disappointed.

03/30/2013 12:44:48 AM · #11

Originally posted by Neil:

You are probable more wrong than right. Bryce especially will have some hoodoo around each corner that you think is the new "best" hoodoo you've seen so far.

see

Canon PowerShot S95

03/30/2013 05:31:56 AM · #12

I'll add that when going into and leaving the Grand Canyon, I have my wife drive and have on my largest lens. There is lots of wildlife including.. Wild Turkey, coyote , deer, elk and both bald and golden eagles. Mornings and evenings are the best times. I live a little less than a hour away from there so we go often, I have yet left there without some shot of wildlife.

see

Canon PowerShot S95

03/30/2013 05:39:42 AM · #13

Also at the grand canyon you will want a lens with a polarizer, more often than not smog and smoke from as far west as California will settle in the canyon, a polarizer helps.

Message edited by author 2013-03-30 06:20:31.

03/30/2013 10:09:31 AM · #14

I created a packing list in the "What's in your bag thread". It's amazing how much ~~crap~~ stuff we have to carry around.

Here's what it is if I bring a "complete kit" (not everything I have, not my biggest, but still a lot of ~~crap~~ stuff

In my Backpack:

Sunpack Digi CS tripod for hiking...not the most stable but about 12" and 1.5 lbs and better than nothing.
Manfrotto Tripod for general use
Sony RX100 along too for quicker grab shots and panoramics (and carrying when I don't carry other stuff)
Nikon D7100
Sigma 10-20
Nikon 10.5 fisheye
Nikon 18-200
and either:
1) Panasonic G5 (m43) with 100-300 (200-600mm effective focal length) at m43 format 16 mpixels
2) Nikon lens adapter for G5
OR
1) Tamron 70-300 for the Nikon...giving me 105-450 effective at 24 mpixels and 140-600 at 12mpixels

Accessories:
2 Water bottles (may use bladder, but I'm a bit worried about leaking since the bladder is internal to backpack)
SD Cards - At least 6x32GB

B+W Kaesemann Polarizer
UV filter, each lens
Lens hoods (this is something I often leave behind, but I want to carry this time)
Smaller camera bag--Tamrac Velocity 6 or 7
67-77 Adapter (for 18-200)
Nikon Wireless Remote
Cokin Filter Holder and adapters
Cokin P GND filter
Cokin P ND filters
Several microfiber soft cloths
Rainsleeve Dry bag
Raincoat
Cotton Carrier Vest
Hex Wrench for above
Headlamp
Small First Aid Kit
Business Cards
Cell phone
Glass+Sunglasses+cases
Mini Tablet (still need to buy one..either Nexus or iPad mini!)

In backpack to travel but leave in hotel
Tablet charger
Cell phone charger
Chargers (G5, Sony, Nikon)

I have a Lowepro 350AW I might use for this, but alternatively I've been eyeing a Deuter Trans Alpine 30 Day Pack which gets pretty rave reviews.

Sigma 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical HF for Pentax

03/30/2013 10:23:49 AM · #15

So another one for you canyon experts, something I haven't thought about yet...

We are going

0) Vegas (fly in)
1) Zion (Lodge)
2) Bryce (Lodge)
3) Marble Canyon (Lodge)
4) Grand Canyon South
5) Vegas (overnight and fly)

We've focused on hiking and shooting at the locations. But I know people have mentioned diversions, other places to shoot, e.g., horseshoe bend, etc. What might be the worthwhile scenic routes between this (that won't cost oom much in time).

Thanks again (and continuing in advance) for all the help! I'm really bad at travel planning!

Pug-H

Pentax K10D

03/30/2013 11:03:33 AM · #16

Grand Canyon North Rim is worth going to, and it's visited way less than the South Rim ... mostly due to it being harder to get to. You might be lucky to see kaibab squirrels there in the forests.

alanfreed

Nikon D6

03/30/2013 11:35:18 AM · #17

Lots of good advice here already... I would strongly agree with those who suggested that you don't miss the features in Page, AZ. You definitely don't want to miss Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend!

My brother and I hiked the Bright Angel Trail at the Grand Canyon last summer (spent a day hiking down... spent two nights at the Bright Angel Campground, and enjoyed time at the Phantom Ranch area... hiked back out the third day). I'm curious to know where your guided hike will take you. The first couple miles of the Bright Angel Trail are the steepest, most grueling!

If you're interested, my brother wrote an article for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette where he is a photographer. We had an amazing time!

alanfreed

Nikon D6

03/30/2013 11:47:14 AM · #18

Just a couple other thoughts...

Originally posted by Neil:

Sunpack Digi CS tripod for hiking...not the most stable but about 12" and 1.5 lbs and better than nothing.
Manfrotto Tripod for general use

Personally, unless you're planning to do hiking at night (or if you're going to have waterfalls to shoot with long exposures), I don't really see much of an advantage to having a tripod along. Seems like extra weight that you don't need.

Originally posted by Neil:

2 Water bottles (may use bladder, but I'm a bit worried about leaking since the bladder is internal to backpack)

If you're doing hikes of any significant length, I'd honestly stick with the bladder and trust it. We used Camelback 100 oz. bladders for our packs, and they were great. Obviously you want to be sure that you don't have pointy things jabbing into them in the pack, but they are well-built and didn't leak a bit for us. Carrying water bottles can be much more cumbersome. Having the bladder inside the backpack worked out really nicely. A full Camelback added about 5 pounds, but it's distributed on your back in such a way that you really don't even notice it.

Message edited by author 2013-03-30 11:47:57.

03/30/2013 12:19:54 PM · #19

Originally posted by Neil:

At Marble Canyon Lodge you are so freaking close to:

1) Page AZ...Antelope Canyons...YOU HAVE TO STOP!!! But it's not something that is done with a short stop...you HAVE to go on a tour and if you do...do the PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR that I told you about earlier....

2) Horseshoe Bend (just south of Page)

3) You are right by Vermillion Cliffs when you are staying at Marble Canyon Lodge....

https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Marble+Canyon+Lodge+map&ie=UTF-8&ei=fAxXUcryIoiw8AT9uoG4DA&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg

I can't seem to be able to enter Horseshoe Bend into the mix but as you can see it could be part of your "circle tour"

I listed out all your destinations on google maps but for whatever reason they will not transfer to here...sigh...truly the route can work together...

here is the list that I put in

Airport (Las Vegas)
Zion NP Lodge
Bryce NP Lodge
Antelope Canyon (Page, AZ)
Horseshoe Bend (South of Page, AZ)
Marble Lodge
Vermillion Cliffs
South Rim Grand Canyon (highly recommend North Rim over South...but it may not be open when you are going)
Airport (Las Vegas)

Message edited by author 2013-03-30 12:25:15.

03/30/2013 12:23:09 PM · #20

You are going to have such an awesome time! One more thing to keep in mind...Bryce has some of the darkest skies in the country. Don't forget to do some wide field astro stuff like the Milky Way. You can sleep when you are dead. :)

03/30/2013 12:26:16 PM · #21

Horseshoe Bend is a diversion at most. The hike is les than a mile one way, it isn't developed at all, and the best viewing this time of the year will be around 11:00 AM or possibly at sunset (HDR only). You could easily do Horseshoe in an hour or so.

03/30/2013 12:26:21 PM · #22

North Rim does not open until late May/Early Jun

03/30/2013 12:27:54 PM · #23

Antelope Canyon can either be a 1/2 day or a whole day...ditch something else for this!!! It is the most awe inspiring place I have ever been...totally amazing!!!

03/30/2013 12:30:20 PM · #24

Vermillion Cliffs

I'm not sure if it works the same way as "The Wave where it's a lottery system and it's a good luck if you only have one day that you can get on the list...I would be totally curious about the Vermillion Cliffs.