Tucson Tom

No donkey rides, but you can ride mules from either rim: https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/mule_trips.htm

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

I drove from Connecticut to the California coast twice. The first time I took US 40 through Ohio, Indiana, and Illinoise (as opposed to I-70). That section of US 40 is lightly traveled and very photogenic. Take the interstate when going through cities! I stayed off of the interstates as much as possible and had great photo opportunities all the way. I especially fell in love with Utah.

As to the Grand Canyon, I strongly recommend staying in Williams, Arizona. It is about an hour trip from Williams to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. A long the say you will see elevations signs; thinking about these makes the Canyon all the grander. There is ample parking at the Canyon and the parking lot is within easy walking distance of the rim of the Canyon.

anotherview Loc: California

The twilight shot stands out for its lighting and subject drama, with the stars impressively filling the sky. Thanks for sharing. Now I want to go there myself. The monuments attract my eye.

gwilliams6

You are welcome, thanks for liking my shots.

Sedona is wonderful.
https://www.top-ten-travel-list.com/blog/sedona/5-places-enjoy-views-sedona-without-hiking/


Antelope Canyon is part of the Navajo Tribal parks and all tours must be guided by Navajo guides as the area is Navajo sacred territory. You can make reservations in advance. Totally worth the cost.

Monument Valley is also Navajo Tribal parks, but you can choose to tour there on your own or with a tour guide. There is a small fee if you want to drive on the 17-mile inner loop tribal road through Monument Valley, worth it. But you can also see much of Monument Valley from the public highways that run through it.
https://navajonationparks.org/tribal-parks/monument-valley/

For Lower Antelope Canyon, I recommend the original and still the best tour guides IMHO, Ken's Tours. Their guides are the most knowledgeable and know all the angles and tips for you to get the best photos, very helpful even for this longtime pro. Here is their link:
https://www.lowerantelope.com/

If you choose to stay overnight in Monument Valley, the best place is the Navajo-owned "View" hotel right in the park. Make reservation in advance and tell them you are a photog so you get the best upper floors room with the views. They also have cabins with views there. You can also stay for less money in motels in nearby towns if you choose.
https://monumentvalleyview.com/the-view-hotel/

Here a shot from Sedona, where we had stopped and had a great lunch at resort "Enchantment" which has great views of the beautiful rocks. We couldn't afford to stay there, but could afford lunch there . A shot of friend Brooke at the entrance of the spa at Enchantment .

Cheers

(Download)

gwilliams6

vanderhala Loc: Los Angeles, CA

Re williams pictures)
Just got back from same. Your shoots are terrific - and you had clear skies which unfortunately we did not . I did get partial moon eclipse shots (to be posted later). Thanks. Andre

vanderhala Loc: Los Angeles, CA

[quote=gwilliams6]r
And late afternoon at Horseshoe Bend and the Colorado River
Couldn't find exif data: what lens (how wide) was used. It looks wider than my widest shot with Tokina 11-20

gwilliams6

My Lower Antelope Canyon shots were with my Sony A7RIV, Tamron 17-28mm f2.8 lens, mostly at 17mm, but the more detail shot was at 28mm. ISO 400, f4 to f5.6, usually 1/60 sec. handheld. No tripods allowed anymore there.

Cheers

gwilliams6

[quote=vanderhala]

Horseshoe Bend shot. Sony A7RIV, Tamron 17-28mm f2.8 lens. This is an HDR image of five exposure-bracketed shots, merged in LR. 17mm, ISO 100, f8, on a tripod. The camera was set to automatically take five exposure-bracketed shots (varying the shutter speed) in quick succession. Kept the same aperture for all shots so all would be in same focus. Camera shutter was triggered by the camera's self timer, or you could use a remote. Didn't want to introduce any camera shake.

It is about a 3/4 mile walk out to Horseshoe Bend from the parking lot. There are places to sit along the route. I made sure to take a minimum of equipment and a lighter travel tripod. You could make the shot without a tripod, but I wanted the most dynamic range possible.

I did my research to know the sun position I wanted in the shot, so my shot was late afternoon, facing west. I checked out these shots before I went.
https://horseshoebend.com/brian-klimowski-photography-tips-from-the-pros/

Cheers

vanderhala Loc: Los Angeles, CA

Your camera is full frame, mine is D7200 crop sensor for 11 mm (crop factor makes that 16.5) , could not get it that wide. What did you use for Sun calculation: (I saw people use moon position using a software app on phone but forgot what it was).

gwilliams6

There are a few different spots where you can get closer to the edge of rim. Your effective 16.5mm would be almost exactly the same as my 17mm wide view.

As I linked above, I just went online before my trip and looked up the photo (posted above) with sun positions there . There will be some slight differences depending on time of the year, but it was a good guide.

Cheers

horizonphototours Loc: From Montana but living in Southern Utah

There's lots of great info already posted about AZ and monument valley and the Grand canyon. If your travels take you into Utah and want some info, I'm happy to help. I think you mentioned you'd already been but there's always more to explore here:) Have fun!