The Wave, an area of fantastic eroded sandstone featuring beautiful swirls, wild colors, countless striations, and bizarre shapes set amidst the dramatic surrounding North Coyote Buttes of Arizona and Utah. The sandstone formations of the North Coyote Buttes, including the Wave, date from the Jurassic period. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the Wave is located in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness and is accessible on foot by permit only.
The Second Wave at Sunset, North Coyote Buttes. The Second Wave, a curiously-shaped sandstone swirl, takes on rich warm tones and dramatic shadowed textures at sunset. Set in the North Coyote Buttes of Arizona and Utah, the Second Wave is characterized by striations revealing layers of sedimentary deposits, a visible historical record depicting eons of submarine geology.
Waterfall at Temple of Sinawava during peak flow following spring rainstorm. Zion Canyon.
Extended High Mountain pose, Utthita Tadasana, sunrise on Mesa Arch, Utah. An exuberant hiker greets the dawning sun from atop Mesa Arch.
Milky Way and Shooting Star over Delicate Arch, as stars cover the night sky.
Tiny hikers atop Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park, California. Near Stovepipe Wells lies a region of sand dunes, some of them hundreds of feet tall.
Hiker in North Window, sunset, western face. North Window is a natural sandstone arch 90 feet wide and 48 feet high.
Milky Way over the Watchman, Zion National Park. The Milky Way galaxy rises in the night sky above the the Watchman.
Light Beam in Upper Antelope Slot Canyon. Thin shafts of light briefly penetrate the convoluted narrows of Upper Antelope Slot Canyon, sending piercing beams through the sandstone maze to the sand floor below.
The Wave at Night, under a clear night sky full of stars. Photographer is illuminating the striated rocks with a small handheld light. The Wave, an area of fantastic eroded sandstone featuring beautiful swirls, wild colors, countless striations, and bizarre shapes is set amidst the dramatic surrounding North Coyote Buttes of Arizona and Utah. The sandstone formations of the North Coyote Buttes, including the Wave, date from the Jurassic period. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the Wave is located in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness and is accessible on foot by permit only.
The Tree of Eons, a spectacular dendritic formation in the Bentonite Hills of Utah. Fantastic colorful sedimentary patterns, ancient Bentonite layers are exposed through erosion in the Utah Badlands. The Bentonite Hills are composed of the Brushy Basin shale member of the Morrison Formation. This layer was formed during Jurassic times when mud, silt, fine sand, and volcanic ash were deposited in swamps and lakes. Photographed just before sunrise with soft pre-dawn illumination. Aerial panoramic photograph.
A hiker admiring the striated walls and dramatic light within Antelope Canyon, a deep narrow slot canyon formed by water and wind erosion.
Tracy greets the dawn, with Turret Arch in the distance viewed through North Window at Sunrise.
Light Painting and the Milky Way and Stars over Delicate Arch, at night, Arches National Park, Utah.
Dune Evening Primrose bloom in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, during the 2017 Superbloom.
The Wave, an area of fantastic eroded sandstone featuring beautiful swirls, wild colors, countless striations, and bizarre shapes set amidst the dramatic surrounding North Coyote Buttes of Arizona and Utah. The sandstone formations of the North Coyote Buttes, including the Wave, date from the Jurassic period. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the Wave is located in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness and is accessible on foot by permit only.
Owachomo Bridge and Milky Way. Owachomo Bridge, a natural stone bridge standing 106' high and spanning 130' wide,stretches across a canyon with the Milky Way crossing the night sky.
Panorama of the Milky Way over Mesa Arch.
Mesquite Dunes sunrise, dawn, clouds and morning sky, sand dunes.
The Second Wave at Sunset, Vermillion Cliffs. The Second Wave, a curiously-shaped sandstone swirl, takes on rich warm tones and dramatic shadowed textures at sunset. Set in the North Coyote Buttes of Arizona and Utah, the Second Wave is characterized by striations revealing layers of sedimentary deposits, a visible historical record depicting eons of submarine geology.
The Virgin River flows by autumn cottonwood trees, part of the Virgin River Narrows. This is a fantastic hike in fall with the comfortable temperatures, beautiful fall colors and light crowds.
Landscape Arch and Milky Way, stars rise over the arch at night.
Milky Way at Night over Arch Rock, Joshua Tree National Park.
The Virgin River Narrows, where the Virgin River has carved deep, narrow canyons through the Zion National Park sandstone, creating one of the finest hikes in the world.
West Temple, The Sundial and the Altar of Sacrifice illuminated by soft alpenglow, about 20 minutes before sunrise.
Lunar Eclipse and blood red moon sequence over Arch Rock, planet Mars above the moon, composite image, Joshua Tree National Park, April 14/15 2014.
Delicate Arch at Sunset, Arches National Park.
Fall Colors in the Virgin River Narrows, Zion National Park, Utah.
Wildflowers bloom across Carrizo Plains National Monument, during the 2017 Superbloom.
Cholla cactus, brittlebush, ocotillo and various cacti and wildflowers color the sides of Glorietta Canyon. Heavy winter rains led to a historic springtime bloom in 2005, carpeting the entire desert in vegetation and color for months.
Mesa Arch spans 90 feet and stands at the edge of a mesa precipice thousands of feet above the Colorado River gorge. For a few moments at sunrise the underside of the arch glows dramatically red and orange.
Rainbow and clearing storm clouds, sunrise light on Manly Beacon, Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California.
Milky Way over the Watchman, Zion National Park. The Milky Way galaxy rises in the night sky above the the Watchman.
Archangel Falls in autumn, near the Subway in North Creek Canyon, with maples and cottonwoods turning fall colors.
Spectacular Horseshoe Bend sunrise. The Colorado River makes a 180-degree turn at Horseshoe Bend. Here the river has eroded the Navajo sandstone for eons, digging a canyon 1100-feet deep.
Milky Way and Stars over Broken Arch, Arches National Park, Utah.
Brittlebush blooms in spring, Palm Canyon, Anza Borrego Desert State Park.
Sailing stone on the Racetrack Playa. The sliding rocks, or sailing stones, move across the mud flats of the Racetrack Playa, leaving trails behind in the mud. The explanation for their movement is not known with certainty, but many believe wind pushes the rocks over wet and perhaps icy mud in winter.
Sunset at Dead Horse Point Overlook, with the Colorado River flowing 2,000 feet below. 300 million years of erosion has carved the expansive canyons, cliffs and walls below and surrounding Deadhorse Point.
The Virgin River Narrows, where the Virgin River has carved deep, narrow canyons through the Zion National Park sandstone, creating one of the finest hikes in the world.
Dawn over the Skyline Rim, Factory Bench and Lower Blue Hills, Utah. The Henry Mountains are in the distance.
Aerial photo of the San Rafael Reef at dawn. A fold in the Earth's crust leads to this inclined section of the San Rafael Reef, at the eastern edge of the San Rafael Swell. Clearly seen are the characteristic triangular flatiron erosion patterns that typical this formation. The colors seen here arise primarily from Navajo and Wingate sandstone.
Dune Evening Primrose bloom in Anza Borrego Desert State Park.
The Wave, an area of fantastic eroded sandstone featuring beautiful swirls, wild colors, countless striations, and bizarre shapes set amidst the dramatic surrounding North Coyote Buttes of Arizona and Utah. The sandstone formations of the North Coyote Buttes, including the Wave, date from the Jurassic period. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the Wave is located in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness and is accessible on foot by permit only.
Snow geese at dawn. Snow geese often "blast off" just before or after dawn, leaving the ponds where they rest for the night to forage elsewhere during the day.
Joshua Trees in early morning light.
Sand verbena wildflowers on sand dunes, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
Teepee rocks at sunrise with the Vermillion Cliffs in the distance.
Wildflowers bloom across Carrizo Plains National Monument, during the 2017 Superbloom.
Wildflowers bloom across Carrizo Plains National Monument, during the 2017 Superbloom.
Full moon with 22-degree lunar halo, Joshua Tree National Park. The lunar halo (not to be cofused with lunar corona) forms when moonlight refracts through high altitude ice crystals. As no light is refracted at angles smaller than 22-degrees the sky is darker inside the halo.
Wildflowers bloom across Carrizo Plains National Monument, during the 2017 Superbloom.
Wildflowers bloom across Carrizo Plains National Monument, during the 2017 Superbloom.
Eureka Valley Dune Evening Primrose. A federally endangered plant, Oenothera californica eurekensis is a perennial herb that produces white flowers from April to June. These flowers turn red as they age. The Eureka Dunes evening-primrose is found only in the southern portion of Eureka Valley Sand Dunes system in Indigo County, California.
Sunrise in Joshua Tree National Park.
Sunset on the Last Chance Mountain Range, seen from Eureka Valley Sand Dunes.
The Virgin River flows by autumn cottonwood trees, part of the Virgin River Narrows. This is a fantastic hike in fall with the comfortable temperatures, beautiful fall colors and light crowds.
Water rushes through a narrow crack, in the red sandstone of Zion National Park, with fallen autumn leaves.
Sunset and boulders, Joshua Tree National Park. Sunset lights the giant boulders and rock formations near Jumbo Rocks in Joshua Tree N.P.
Milky Way during Full Lunar Eclipse over Arch Rock, Joshua Tree National Park, April 4 2015. The arch and surrounding landscape are illuminated by the faint light of the fully-eclipsed blood red moon. Light from the sun has passed obliquely through the Earth's thin atmosphere, taking on a red color, and is then reflected off the moon and reaches the Earth again to light the arch. The intensity of this light is so faint that the Milky Way can be seen clearly at the same time.
Fantastic colorful sedimentary patterns of Bentonite layers, seen as striations exposed in the Utah Badlands. The Bentonite Hills are composed of the Brushy Basin shale member of the Morrison Formation formed during Jurassic times when mud, silt, fine sand, and volcanic ash were deposited in swamps and lakes into layers, now revealed through erosion. Aerial photograph.
Erosion patterns in the Utah Badlands, aerial abstract photo.
Molly's Castle, aerial view, Goblin Valley State Park. Curtis Formation whiteish caprock is on top, with reddish Entrada Sandstone below, both of Jurassic era. Molly's castle lies in the San Rafael desert near Goblin Valley, and drains into the Colorado River watershed. Aerial panoramic photograph.
Self-portrait at dawn, Bentonite Hills, Utah.
Milky Way and Stars over Broken Arch, Arches National Park, Utah.
Lower Antelope Canyon, a deep, narrow and spectacular slot canyon lying on Navajo Tribal lands near Page, Arizona.
Radio Tower Rock at Sunset, Page, Arizona.
Hickman Bridge, Capitol Reef National Park.
Fremont Cottonwood Tree in winter sillhouette against red Zion Canyon walls.
Snow geese in flight, wings are blurred in long time exposure as they are flying.
Boulders and sunset in Joshua Tree National Park. The warm sunlight gently lights unusual boulder formations at Jumbo Rocks in Joshua Tree National Park, California.
Snow geese at dawn. Snow geese often "blast off" just before or after dawn, leaving the ponds where they rest for the night to forage elsewhere during the day.
Joshua Trees silhouetted against predawn sunrise light.
Balanced Rock and Milky Way stars at night.
Dawn breaks over the Bentonite Hills in the Utah Badlands. Striations in soil reveal layers of the Morrison Formation, formed in swamps and lakes in the Jurassic era. Aerial panoramic photograph.
Rattlesnake Canyon, a beautiful slot canyon that is part of the larger Antelope Canyon system. Page, Arizona.
Belt of Venus over Grand Canyon at sunrise, viewed from Hopi Point on the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The Belt of Venus, or anti-twilight arch, is the shadow of the earth cast upon the atmosphere just above the horizon, and occurs a few minutes before sunrise or after sunset.
Dune Evening Primrose bloom in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, during the 2017 Superbloom.
Brittlebush bloom in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, during the 2017 Superbloom.
Rising sun creates the photographers shadow on a sandstone wall.
Upper Antelope Canyon, a deep, narrow and spectacular slot canyon lying on Navajo Tribal lands near Page, Arizona.
The Organ at sunrise, Courthouse Towers, Arches National Park.
Brittlebush bloom in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, during the 2017 Superbloom.
Desert Sunflower Blooming Across Anza Borrego Desert State Park.
Sunset over Garden of the Gods, Arches National Park.
Yellow cottonwood trees in autumn, fall colors in the Virgin River Narrows in Zion National Park.
Arch Rock at sunrise, Valley of Fire State Park. Natural arch formed in sandstone. Sunrise with the full moon setting over mountains in the distance.
Fire Arch or Windstone Arch, also known as Fire Cave, is a tiny cave with a miniature arch and a group of natural pocket holes. Many people walk by this cave without realizing it is there!.
Parry's Nolina, or Giant Nolina, a flowering plant native to southern California and Arizona founds in deserts and mountains to 6200'. It can reach 6' in height with its flowering inflorescence reaching 12'.
Molly's Castle, aerial view, Goblin Valley State Park.
False Kiva at Sunset, Canyonlands National Park, Utah.
Wildflowers bloom in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, during the 2017 Superbloom.
Wildflowers bloom in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, during the 2017 Superbloom.
Sunrise in Joshua Tree National Park.
The Great Wall, Navajo Tribal Lands, Arizona. Sandstone "fins", eroded striations that depict how sandstone -- ancient compressed sand -- was laid down in layers over time. Now exposed, the layer erode at different rates, forming delicate "fins" that stretch for long distances.
Canyonlands National Park panorama.
Soda Springs Basin from Green River Overlook, Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park, Utah.
Stone columns rising in the night sky, milky way and stars and clouds filling the night sky overhead.
The moon sets over the Fire Wave, a beautiful sandstone formation exhibiting dramatic striations, striped layers in the geologic historical record.
Sand verbena wildflowers on sand dunes, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
Grand Canyon at dusk, sunset, viewed from Grandeur Point on the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
Grand Canyon at sunrise viewed from Yavapai Point on the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
Grand Canyon at sunrise viewed from Yavapai Point on the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
Belt of Venus over Grand Canyon at dusk, sunset, viewed from Mather Point on the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The Belt of Venus, or anti-twilight arch, is the shadow of the earth cast upon the atmosphere just above the horizon, and occurs a few minutes before sunrise or after sunset.
Grand Canyon at dusk, sunset, viewed from Mather Point on the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
Lower Antelope Canyon, a deep, narrow and spectacular slot canyon lying on Navajo Tribal lands near Page, Arizona.
Pedestal rock, or hoodoo, at Stud Horse Point. These hoodoos form when erosion occurs around but not underneath a more resistant caprock that sits atop of the hoodoo spire. Stud Horse Point is a spectacular viewpoint on a mesa overlooking the Arizona / Utah border.
Pedestal rock, or hoodoo, at Stud Horse Point. These hoodoos form when erosion occurs around but not underneath a more resistant caprock that sits atop of the hoodoo spire. Stud Horse Point is a spectacular viewpoint on a mesa overlooking the Arizona / Utah border.
Dune primrose (white) and sand verbena (purple) bloom in spring in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, mixing in a rich display of desert color.
Natural arch formed in sandstone frames the setting moon.
The Fire Wave, a beautiful sandstone formation exhibiting dramatic striations, striped layers in the geologic historical record.
The Wave, an area of fantastic eroded sandstone featuring beautiful swirls, wild colors, countless striations, and bizarre shapes set amidst the dramatic surrounding North Coyote Buttes of Arizona and Utah. The sandstone formations of the North Coyote Buttes, including the Wave, date from the Jurassic period. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the Wave is located in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness and is accessible on foot by permit only.
Sunrise lights sandstone rocks, Valley of Fire.
Sunrise lights sandstone rocks, Valley of Fire.
Sunset at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, with sandhill cranes silhouetted in reflection in the calm pond. Spectacular sunsets at Bosque del Apache, rich in reds, oranges, yellows and purples, make for striking reflections of the thousands of cranes and geese found in the refuge each winter.
Hoodoos in Goblin Valley State Park, aerial panorama. The "goblins" are technically known as hoodoos, formed through the gradual erosion of Entrada sandstone deposited 170 millions years ago. Aerial panoramic photograph.
Erosion patterns in the Utah Badlands, aerial abstract photo.
The Great Wall, Navajo Tribal Lands, Arizona. Sandstone "fins", eroded striations that depict how sandstone -- ancient compressed sand -- was laid down in layers over time. Now exposed, the layer erode at different rates, forming delicate "fins" that stretch for long distances.
Upper Antelope Canyon slot canyon.
The Milky Way arching over Mesa Arch at night.
Hickman Bridge, Capitol Reef National Park.
Grand Canyon at dusk, sunset, viewed from Grandeur Point on the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
Grand Canyon at sunrise viewed from Yavapai Point on the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
Grand Canyon at sunrise viewed from Yavapai Point on the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
Grand Canyon at sunrise, viewed from Hopi Point on the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
Natural arch formed in sandstone.
Snow geese, and one of the "crane pools" in the northern part of Bosque del Apache NWR.
Striated sandstone formations, layers showing eons of geologic history.
Animal tracks in sand.
Setting moon over natural sandstone arch, sunrise.
Sarah's Swirl, a particularly beautiful formation at White Pocket in the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument.
Brilliant red striations around the base of this pinnacle are responsible for its name: the Lollipop.
Brain rocks and clouds, sunset, White Pocket.
Sandstone "fins", eroded striations that depict how sandstone -- ancient compressed sand -- was laid down in layers over time. Now exposed, the layer erode at different rates, forming delicate "fins" that stretch for long distances.
Brain rocks. Sandstone is curiously eroded through the forces water and wind acting over eons. Cracks and joints arise when water freezes and expands repeatedly, braking apart the soft sandstone.
The Great Wall, Navajo Tribal Lands, Arizona. Sandstone "fins", eroded striations that depict how sandstone -- ancient compressed sand -- was laid down in layers over time. Now exposed, the layer erode at different rates, forming delicate "fins" that stretch for long distances.
Hoodoo goblin rocks at dawn.
Hoodoos, walls and sandstone spires.