One place in America where you can be assured of warm and clear weather throughout the winter is Death Valley.

Plan an Autumn or Winter Photography Trip

It's not too early!!

By Robert Hitchman

As I plan my photography trips for the coming months of the year, there are many things that I must take into consideration--weather conditions, travel conditions, peak times for color, seasonal natural events. As I was driving north to Alaska last summer, I passed through California's Central Valley in 100F degree weather and listened to radio weather reports of hurricane warnings for the Outer Banks on the North Carolina Coast. There were also radio reports of a drought in New England. This would affect the autumn color, and 1995 was a poor year for fall color in New England, the Smoky Mountains, and in Colorado. The third week of October usually brings the peak of the best autumn color but it just didn't happen last year.

But this year could bring one of those great displays of fall color. It's not too early to start planning an autumn color photography field trip for 1996. Whether you live on the East Coast, the West Coast, or somewhere in between, there is autumn color to be found somewhere. The earliest autumn color starts in the north from Alaska, down through Canada, the New England States, to the Southern Appalachians, and the deserts of the Southwest. It takes about two months, from late August through the first few weeks of November.

Last August, I saw autumn color beginning to cover the mountain of Kluane National Park in the Yukon. By mid-September, aspen groves in the Canadian Rockies were all yellow. Autumn color in the Rockies is mostly yellow aspen. Aspen groves through the Tetons reach their peak color during the third week of September. A week later, the color has moved south into the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado. About the same time, aspen groves on the Monitor Pass, south of Lake Tahoe, usually reach the peak of their color. By the last week of September, the color of northern hardwoods, oranges and reds, are at their brightest in northern New York State, upstate Vermont and New Hampshire. The peak of the New England color usually moves south at a fairly predictable rate and reaches Massachusetts by the end of the first week in October. About the same time, Acadia National Park on the coast of Maine is most colorful. Perhaps because of the tempering effect of ocean currents, the color reaches its peak in Nova Scotia along the Lighthouse Trail, as late as mid-October.

The middle of October is also the best time to photograph cottonwoods along the streams through the Owens Valley, south of Bishop, California, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada. All the cottonwoods along Chinle Wash in Canyon de Chelly are usually at the peak of their color by the last week of October and the first week of November. That is also when the deepest reds are seen in the hardwood forests of the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. Late October is also the peak of the autumn color in Zion National Park. Cottonwoods lining the Virgin River in Zion Canyon turn yellow almost a month after the aspen groves on the higher mountains in the northern sections of the park are at the peak of their color.

My favorite place for winter photography is in Yellowstone National Park. The third week of January is my favorite time to photograph the wildlife and the geyser basins of Old Faithful. Winter is also the best time to photograph the migratory bird refuges of Bosque del Apache in New Mexico or Tule Lake on the California-Oregon Border. You may prefer a winter sea-kayaking trip through the Sea of Cortez to photograph marine mammals on desert islands. Yosemite Valley is usually very quiet in January; it's especially beautiful after a snowfall.

One place in America where you can be assured of warm and clear weather throughout the winter is Death Valley. Daytime temperatures usually reach the seventies, and December highs in the low-eighties are not unusual. If you are not going to Sanibel Island or the Everglades this winter, fly into Las Vegas, rent a car and make the three-hour drive to Death Valley. The clear skies mean great sunrise photography on the sand dunes. The Southwest deserts of Utah and Arizona can be wonderful destinations in winter. Bryce Canyon is at a fairly high elevation and is often under a blanket of snow. Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Arches, and Zion National Parks receive several dustings of snow each winter but the main roads are seldom closed. It's too early for wildflowers or cactus blossoms, but the deserts of Southern Arizona are good winter destinations for photographers.

Winter is my favorite time of year to photograph the Hawaiian Islands. Pick a location and cash in some of those frequent flyer miles you've been accumulating. Airfares and hotel rates have been low to attract needed tourists. Visit Kauai, Maui, or the Big Island of Hawaii and divide up your time, staying a few days on the Kona Coast, several days on the north end of the Island exploring the isolated Waipio and Pololu Valleys, and then stay two or three nights on the edge of the volcano.

White sandy beaches covered with sea shells and thousands of migratory birds are a great incentive to visit Florida and the Fort Meyers area in mid-winter. After shooting the shell-covered beaches of Sanibel Island, stay on a few days more and explore the Everglades. If you have the time, add an extra week and visit southeastern Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp.

If alligators and swamps are not your favorite subjects, Death Valley enjoys some of its best weather during the months of December, January and February. Big Bend National Park and many other southwestern locations are also great winter destinations. The high desert locations like Arches and Zion National Parks make wonderful subjects for photography while they lie under a dusting of snow. Yellowstone offers a fantasy of snow, wildlife, and geyser activity under a deep blanket of snow. The winter snowfalls start early in Colorado and across the Sierra Nevada Range. Stay tuned. I have more great locations planned for the pages of Photograph America Newsletter. It's going to be another great year for nature photography.

Copyright © 1996 Robert Hitchman

For the past seven years Robert Hitchman has published the Photograph America Newsletter. Click Here to learn more about where, when, and how to discover the best nature photography in America.

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