Let‘s go Southwest… Experience your personal wild west adventure in the usa! (part 2 - utah & arizona)
A travel report on the most beautiful national parks in the southwest of the USA. Images exclusively by mauritius images.
Arches National Park
The Arches National Park impresses with numerous stone arches and freaky rock formations on its approximately 310 km². The most beautiful arches are Balanced Rock and Delicate Arch. If you want to hike one of the many trails, you should definitely start before sunrise, otherwise it won't be fun even with enough water.
Recommended minimum stay: 1 day. Better: 2-3 days.
Personal highlight: A hike through the Devils Garden Trail. Devilishly strenuous, hellishly hot, but fascinating every minute.
Canyonlands National Park
Ever really looked into the abyss? You don't need a personal crisis for that in Canyonlands, just a few metres on foot - and you're already looking down hundreds of metres at a vast wilderness of rocks and stone.
Canyonlands National Park is 1,366 km² in size and divided into three areas: The Maze, Needles and the Top Spot: Island in the Sky - a wide mesa between the Green & Colorado Rivers with spectacular views of incredible dimensions.
Recommended minimum stay: 1 day. Better: 2-3 days.
Personal highlight: A hike through the Devils Garden Trail. Really strenuous, really hot, but fascinating every minute.
Dead Horse Point State Park
Right next to Canyonlands is the much smaller, but still extremely attractive Dead Horse Point State Park. The main attraction is the view of the Colorado River, but there are also a few easy hiking trails that invite you to take a short walk. For example, the trail to the Colorado River Overlook - just about 2 km long. At its end, another phenomenal view of the canyon and river awaits you.
Recommended minimum stay: 0.5 days. Better: 1 day.
Personal highlight: the sensational view from the Colorado River Overlook.
Monument Valley
For those who have ever wanted to experience the real, pure Wild West - just like in the Western films - Monument Valley is THE address. Located in the north of the Navajo Nation Reservation (Navajoland), it is one of the most remarkable landscapes in the USA.
Among others, films such as "Once upon a time in the West", "Until the last man" (1948) and "The Searchers" (1956) were shot here. Monument Valley was also the backdrop for Walt Disney's "The living desert", "Thelma and Louise" and "Back to the Future III" - not forgetting "Forrest Gump", which is even commemorated by Forrest Gump Point on the highway, just before Monument Valley.
Recommended minimum stay: 1 day.
Personal highlight: By off-road vehicle over the bumpy roads of the Scenic Drive - past a real Wild West landscape.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area / Lake Powell
Want a short break from all the deserts and the drought? Then off to Lake Powell. Here, 186 miles of the Colorado River were dammed behind one of the highest dams in the world, the Glen Canyon Dam. This created a paradise for water sports enthusiasts, anglers, hikers and campers. At Lone Rock Campground you can spend the night directly at Lake Powell - with fine views over the lake.
Recommended minimum stay: 2 days. Better: 2-3 days - incl. excursions to the Dam, Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon.
Personal highlight: Park on the beach and spend the night directly at the lake - and jump straight into the fresh water from the caravan the next morning.
Horseshoe Bend
One of the most photographed attractions in Arizona is Horseshoe Bend, a horseshoe-shaped curve of the Colorado River that winds around an orange-red rock. From the (unsecured) cliff edge, the view drops 300m into the depths - and takes your breath away. Definitely a must-see if you are in the vicinity and not afraid of heights.
Upper & Lower Antelope Canyon
The next destination in the immediate vicinity of Glen Canyon is the wonder world of Antelope Canyon: a so-called "slot canyon" that impresses with its bizarre shapes and bright colours.
Antelope Canyon is located in Navajo territory and can only be visited as part of a tour. But it is worth it, because if you are there at the right time and, with a bit of luck, can see the sun's rays ("beams") shining through the narrow openings in the canyon, it makes up for the fact that you are not alone in one of the two canyons.
Photos and text by Thomas Haensgen. The images can be licensed exclusively with mauritius images.
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THOMAS HAENSGEN AT MAURITIUS IMAGES
Photographer, author, flight courier, advertiser, digital nomad - Thomas Haensgen appears under many 'job titles'. But what he does not want to be is someone who spends his time exclusively in the office or at a desk. Instead, he is drawn out into the wide world most of the year, with the aim of capturing all the diversity of our planet to inspire viewers. Always on the lookout for unique stories, impressive moments and new perspectives - which the self-taught photographer, born in 1971 in Solingen, skilfully captures with both camera and notebook. "I am constantly looking for inspiration and want to convey inspiration. With images that reflect a slightly different perspective on the world and at the same time are an expression of a very personal view."
Take a look at the complete portfolio of Thomas Haensgen:
ns · 17.05.2021