Photographing
the Southwest - Volume 1 Updates
Arches
Nat'l Park: Wall Arch is no more. It collapsed sometime
during the night of August 5 to 6, 2008.
Coyote Gulch: The
distance from
Redwell trailhead to the river is about 13 miles and 12 miles from the
Hurricane trailhead. The roundtrip hike is 24-25 miles, depending on
the trailhead selected. A previous print run incorrectly listed 23 and
50 miles, respectively, as the distances.
Canyonlands
Nat'l Park, Island in the Sky District, Aztec Butte:
Part of the wall of the granary in the main Aztec Butte Ruin has
collapsed and it is not nearly as photogenic as before.
Judging by
the footprints, it is believed that someone had tried to enter the
opening and perhaps got stuck or just used the wall for leverage. The
Park Service policy is not to rebuild once a structure collapses.
Factory Butte: It is about 5.5 miles to the "Red Planet" shot on page 183 (not 'less than 7'). A few miles down the road, near the Muddy Creek crossing, the Walt Dysney company is filming "John Carter of Mars" for release in 2012, so my Red Planet image is aptly named.
Wahweap Hoodoos: The alternate route (BLM 431) getting you within less than a mile from the hoodoos is currently closed. The only way to the Wahweap Hoodoos is now the long (but easy) slug from the Big Water area.
Photographing
the Southwest - Volume 2 Updates
General:
The "America the Beautiful" Pass supersedes the previous National Park
Pass.
Little Colorado River: A small fee is now
charged to enter.
Toroweap:
The
track deteriorates badly for the 5 miles past the Tuweep ranger station
and the last two miles are on very rough slickrock, with some moderate
steps in places. From here on, high-clearance is required and 4WD is
recommended.
Grand Canyon West: As of this writing,
you’ll have to pay a fee of $49 to see the viewpoints and the
Skywalk. Walking on the Skywalk proper will cost you an additional $25.
The Skywalk is not extending over the canyon as far as the brochures
would lead you to believe and the view is over a side canyon.
Photography is strictly prohibited on the Skywalk (you will even be
searched prior to entering). Cameras must be checked in lockers, for a
fee!
Sedona: If you have an "America the
Beautiful"
Interagency Annual Pass, Senior Pass, Access Pass or Volunteer Pass
from the National Park or U.S. Forest Service, you do not have to
purchase a Red Rock Pass for many, but not all, sites of Red Rock Country. Just place one of these cards in view on your
windshield. The three exceptions are: Call O' The Canyon (West Fork trailhead), Crescent Moon, and Grasshopper Point.
Sedona/Call O' The Canyon (West Fork trailhead), Crescent Moon, and Grasshopper Point: Your Red Rock Pass is not valid for these three areas. A new pass, called the “Big Three Pass,” is now being offered for $18, giving you free access for one week to these three locations. Daily passes continue to be available for each individual location. Admission has been reduced to $9 and remains at $8 for Grasshopper.
Sedona/Munds Mountain: The beginning of
the
Schnebly Hill Road is paved for about a mile, but the remaining section
to the Vista is no longer graded; it has become very rocky and hard on
the tires and it is no longer suitable to passenger cars.
Sedona/Fay Canyon: To reach Fay Canyon
from
Boynton Canyon, drive back about 0.2 mile to the last junction leading
to the resort and continue southwest on FR 152C aka Boynton Pass Road
for about 0.5 mile. This road is now paved and accessible to passenger
cars. Park on the left side for the trailhead to Fay Canyon (# 53).
Sedona/Doe & Bear Mountain: Back
on FR 152C,
continue southwest on the paved road for 0.7 mile and park to the left
at the car park serving both Doe Mountain Trail and Bear Mountain
Trail, just before the road becomes unpaved.
Palatki: Officially, Palatki must be seen
by reservation, but you may show up at the site and you'll get in if
there is room.
Coal Mine Canyon: Access to the canyon
from the top is closed as of this writing.
Petrified Forest: Page 153 4th paragraph,
read Chinde Point instead of Chinle Point in the Painted Desert
description.
Homolovi Ruins State Park: currently closed to the public but slated to reopen March 18, 2011 thanks to an agreement with the Hopi Tribe.
Tonto Natural Bridge State Park: New hours of operation are from 10 AM to 4 PM. The Park is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Hope Arch: A reader found an easier way. Go .9 miles north on US 191 from the traffic light in Chinle. Make a left turn on to Indian Route 8090 (the second road on the left after the shopping center), and follow it for 9 miles until you get to the power lines. From there, turn right onto the two-track trail along the power lines, until you get to another trail that crosses the trail and turn left. Go due west for 1 mile, stopping at the slick rock at the end of the trail.
Monument Valley: As of this writing, the
self-guided Scenic Drive opens at 7 AM in summer (i.e. from May to
September) and at 8 AM during the other months. It closes at 8:30 PM in
summer (4:30 PM during the other months).
Antelope Canyon: To access the site, leave
Page southeast via Coppermine Road (and not Copperhead as erroneously
written).
Antelope Canyon: The $6 backcountry permit
fee is
deductible from the Lower Antelope Canyon fee. At the gate, you may
also purchase a permit for Water Holes Canyon.
Antelope Canyon/Upper: A 2-hour limit is
now imposed on photography tours at Upper Antelope Canyon.
Antelope Canyon/Lower: A 4-hour limit is
officially in effect. However, it is not enforced in wintertime.
Water Holes Canyon: For a fee of $5 as of
this
writing, you can purchase a Navajo backcountry permit at the gate of
the Antelope Canyon tribal park to visit nearby Water Holes Canyon.
Water Holes Canyon: Access to the lower
part of the canyon is currently off-limits.
Coyote Buttes North: The web site for
permits to the Wave is currently: https://www.blm.gov/az/paria/obtainpermits.cfm?usearea=CB
Coyote Buttes North/New rules: As of this
writing, you can enter the lottery three months in advance to obtain a
permit for some of the ten slots available online each day. For a $5
fee, you can apply for up to three entry dates for any given month. If
you are planning a trip less than three months in advance, begin by
checking the calendar on the permit page to see if some slots are still
available. This is more likely to happen during the winter months.
If you couldn’t reserve a date on the Internet and are
vacationing in the area, there is still a glimmer of hope: you can try
to obtain a walk-in permit. The total number of permits varies by group
size, but there is a total of twenty slots per day, ten permits being
issued online as previously described and the other ten being issued as
walk-in permits. Travelling as a group—a maximum of six per
group
is allowed—further diminishes your chances of finding your
date
of choice. Be ready to make some major scheduling concessions.
You can obtain a walk-in permit at the Paria Ranger Station from
mid-March to mid-November, seven days a week. The station is located on
US 89, about 30 miles from Page and 43 miles from Kanab, near milepost
21. From mid-November to mid-March, permits can be obtained at the BLM
Kanab Field Office (see Resources in Appendix), five days a week. In
both cases, you need to be there at 9AM MST (or 9AM DST in summer), but
the drawing is not first come, first served. If there are ten persons
or less seeking permits, you will be issued one for the next day;
however; if all ten permits were not issued the previous day, a same
day permit may be available. Competition is fierce during the warmer
months and it is not unusual to see fifty bodies vying for the
highly-prized permits. Someone reported counting 80 people on a recent
June 08 day. If you’ve been lucky enough to obtain a walk-in
permit, you may not participate in the drawing for another two weeks.
Permits cost $5 per person as of this writing.
Coyote Buttes South: Permits can be
reserved on
the web at the same URL as for Coyote Buttes North (see above link). An
additional 10 slots are also available as walk-in permits from the
Paria Ranger Station on US 89 or fron the BLM office in Kanab,
depending on the season.
White Pocket: There is no longer a
windmill at Poverty Flats. The BLM seems intent on removing the ranch
there, for reasons yet unknow.
Photographing the Southwest - Volume 3 Updates
Garden
of the Gods, CO: page116; If you take the Dakota trail to the north,
the top of the hogback to your left is separated from the trail by a
fence which has a dozen no trespassing signs hanging on it. So,
the viewpoint is no longer available.
Photographing
Oregon Updates
The Toketee Falls Trail in Umpqua National Forest has been repaired and is now open again. (Chapter 6 pg 116-117).
Highway 242, the Old McKenzie Pass route over the Cascades has opened for the season. Vehicular traffic can now easily get to Scott Lake, Dee Wright Observatory and the Proxy Falls trailhead. (Chapter 10)
At Punch Bowl Falls in the Columbia River Gorge (page 154), the fallen
log that partially obstructed the view is gone, making the view from
the creek the best angle on the falls again.
Redwood Nature Trail near Brookings on the southern Oregon coast (pg
81-82) has been closed to prevent the spread of the plant disease known
as sudden oak death into the area. The trail will probably be closed
until Spring 2010 while an extensive survey is performed.
The Portland Classical Chinese Garden has been "rebranded Lan Su Chinese Garden. They now offer a $150 annual photography membership offering special privileges. See http://www.lansugarden.org/ for details.
Directions to Larwood Bridge, page 127. The last sentence should say "Turn right...".