Grand Staircase Escalante

"Into the Corral"

September 2012, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah

After spending the morning hiking to Lower Calf Creek Falls, I decided to drive around and explore the Grand Staircase. I got in my Xterra and ventured out onto Hell's Backbone Road and drove all through the mountains of the Dixie Forest. After a couple of hours of this I was heading south towards my home base of Escalante. About 10 miles from my motel an old rustic corral caught my eye off to the left. It was out in the middle of nowhere and appeared to not have been in use for some time.

By now late afternoon storm clouds were filling the sky, creating perfect conditions for photography. After shooting the corral from numerous angles without satisfaction, I finally got some inspiration and took this shot looking straight down the entry chute. It has become one of my favorite images.

CorralGrand Staircase Escalante National MonumentHell's Backbone RoadRanchUtahWesternZeiss 28mm