Exploring the Earth and Sky of the West

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

  • A large waterfall dwarfs a hiker approaching for a photo.
    Lower Calf Creek Falls sits on a tributary of the Escalante River. It’s not everyday you find a waterfall this large in the desert!
  • Sitting on a rock looking at a waterfalls tumbling from the sandstone cliffs.
    Enjoying a peaceful and relatively uncrowded visit to Lower Calf Creek Falls.
  • Green moss clinging to a sandstone cliff beneath the waterfalls.
    Lower Calf Creek Falls
  • Various colors of brown, tan, and black desert varnish on the sandstone cliffs.
    Desert varnish is a common sight throughout the southwest, but the palette of colors on the cliffs flanking Calf Creek seemed especially varied.
  • The moon sets over white and yellow rock formations.
    The 3rd quarter moon sets over sandstone rock formations in the Upper Calf Creek drainage.
  • A bright red desert paintbrush flower in the sand
    One of the few wildflowers left standing in late September: a single desert paintbrush (Castilleja chromosa)
  • Multicolored mosses and other planets cling to the rock beneath a waterfall.
    Clumps and mats of moss and other plants coat the cliffs beneath Upper Calf Creek Falls.
  • Upper Calf Creek Falls plunges into a verdant green pool
    Enjoying the solitude at Upper Calf Creek Falls.
  • The Summer Milky Way sets over the southern horizon
    The summer Milky Way sets over the southern horizon near Escalante, Utah.
  • A small arch sits at the top of a colorful sandstone cliff.
    Streaks of light mud and dark desert varnish coat towering cliffs of Navajo Sandstone in the upper Escalante River canyon.
  • Streaks of mud and desert varnish coat a sandstone cliff
    Streaks of light mud and dark desert varnish coat towering cliffs of Navajo Sandstone in the upper Escalante River canyon.
  • Cliff dwelling in a cliff alcove surrounded by pictographs.
    A cliff dwelling and pictographs in a high alcove along the Escalante River.
  • A natural bridge spans a canyon wall above green cottonwood trees.
    Escalante Natural Bridge, more than 100 feet in length, blends in well with its surroundings.
  • Narrow sandstone canyon walls
    Narrows section of Willis Creek Canyon
  • A small stream flows between narrow sandstone canyon walls
    Narrows section of Willis Creek Canyon
  • white and black streaked sandstone canyon walls
    Narrows section of Willis Creek Canyon
  • Photo of the spring night sky with zodiacal light and Orion
    Three landmarks of the winter night sky, Sirius (left), Orion (center, in flashlight beam), and the Pleiades (right) make their way towards the western horizon, where the bright band of the zodiacal light juts into the sky.
  • Pink clouds and a band of pink rocky cliffs at sunset
    Sunset overlooking Kodachrome Basin
  • Alternating bands of white and red rock.
    Varicolored rocks of the Carmel and Entrada Formations line the road near the Cottonwood Canyon Narrows trailhead.
  • Orange and white spotted butterfly atop a yellow flower.
    A orangetip butterfly enjoys the wild mustard buffet in the Cottonwood Canyon Narrows.
  • Bright red desert paintbrush plant.
    Desert Paintbrush (Castilleja chromosa) growing in deep sand.
  • Yelow, red, orange, and pink swirls in the Navajo Sandstone
    Multicolored Navajo Sandstone at Yellow Rock, Cottonwood Canyon, Utah
  • Multicolored sandstone and a view looking north along Cottonwood Canyon
    Multicolored Navajo Sandstone at Yellow Rock, Cottonwood Canyon, Utah
  • Multicolored sandstone ridges on Yellow Rock
    Multicolored Navajo Sandstone at Yellow Rock, Cottonwood Canyon, Utah
  • Yelow, red, orange, and pink swirls in the Navajo Sandstone
    fgdsfgd