Posted October 5, 2023
An often overlooked gem!
This National Park is located a few miles east of Montrose, CO. It could be easily missed, and possibly purposely passed by in the fall when aspens are changing colors in the fall.
I made my way to the Black Canyon well before sunrise. It was still dark, but I found a pull-out called the “Painted Wall”. I walked to the overlook, then waited in my truck until there was a hint of morning light. As it turned out, the “harvest moon” was going to set above the Painted Wall. All I had to do was wait and then be ready as the passing clouds began to light up.
I shoot most of these images as “stitched panos” using a Tamron 35-150mm lens on my Sony A1. A sturdy tripod was needed for long exposures in low light conditions. It was not crowded at all when I was there, but I saw several cars coming in as I was driving out.
Taken at the Painted Wall overlook as the first rays of light colorfully lit the light clouds. Luckily, the “Harvest Moon” remained visible for most of my early morning shots.
Photo Gallery
Images captured handheld with a Sony A1 and Sigma Sport 60-600mm lens and Tamron 35-150mm.
An informational sign at the Black Canyon illustrated how it is deeper than the 2,717 ft tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai. At it’s deepest point, the Black Canyon is 2,722 feet deep at Warner Point. The total length of the canyon is 48 miles, 14 of which run through Black Canyon National Park. At its deepest point, the Grand Canyon is approximately 6,000 feet.