Kodachrome Basin State Park

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This was the last stop of a long day where I decided to stay for the night to catch the golden hour light. The late afternoon light was interesting, but the clouds moved in just around sunset, obscuring any colors on Kodachrome spires and fins. The sky at sunset was spectacular though. Morning color was nice, giving decent glows to the sandstones. However, I had imagined more than what I saw given the basin name coined by a National Geographic expedition team.

Among the most interesting geological feature of the park are tall sand pipes or chimeys standing against colorful Entrada sandstone. Some geologists believe these sand pipes are ancient geysers that solidified over time and subsequently left standing when the surrounding Entrada sandstone eroded. There were other theories such as intrusion as well (Source wikipedia)

The campground was great, with hot showers! Arrangement of campsites was confusing, making it easy to get lost at night even with headlights. When I was there, getting a campsite was quite easy. Cabins are available as well.

Photographic suggestions: Don't wait for the best light. The cloud might roll in and ruin a potentially great sunset. Graduated neutral density filters may come in handy. Polarizing filters may be good. Also bring headlights for safety. The sun rises quickly, so be at the desirable spot before sunrise. One good place for sunrise is Shakespeare Arch but I did not get to check it out. Angel's Palace Trail is a recommendation for photographers and for sunset. A normal range zoom lens ~ 24-105mm should be good for most purposes. 70-200mm lens would be nice to feature specific formations.

Getting There

The park is around 9 miles outside of Cannonville. The road is easy to get to. One possible way to see the park is to stay where you'd visit Bryce Canyon, and spare an afternoon to check out this place.

 

Additional Considerations

During good weather, drive another 10 miles on dirt roads to visit Grosvenor Arch, an interesting double-arch in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument perching high on a cliff. Be there early in the morning to have the whole place for yourself, both for photography and for breakfast in a beautiful setting.

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