Photographer's Guide to Four Corners USA - Part 2

By Ron Wolfe and Will Keener

Planning Your Trip

The moderate temperatures and wildflowers of spring (March to May) with the changing fall colors (September and October) make these the most desirable times to visit most of the Four Corners sites. Even in the busier summer season, the remoteness of Hovenweep and Chaco Canyon mean that they will be less crowded options for your photography.

Maps of your chosen sites are always a good option as well as detailed driving directions. There aren’t a lot of places where you can stop and ask directions. Food, water and snacks are always a good backup for traveling in this country. It’s a good idea to take advantage of gasoline stops/restroom breaks when they arise.

Consider the weight of the gear you want to carry when hiking. Remember a lot of this terrain is in the mile-high elevations and above. Quick changes in temperatures and weather conditions dictate layers of clothing and sturdy hiking shoes. Some shooters opt for monopods rather than tripods to keep the weight down. Walk-around lenses, with a range of focal lengths in one utility lens, also come in handy. Remember, it can be gritty out there, so protect your gear and be prepared to clean it often.

Hovenweep National Monument

Hovenweep, from a Paiute word meaning “deserted canyon,’ rivals Chaco Canyon in its remoteness and in the sense of awe that comes with seeing its structures, including a number of towers. Ancestral settlers began living and farming in the area, along the present-day Utah-Colorado state line, in about 900 AD. The tower structures marked the apex and final stage of occupation in the 1200s.

It’s a drive to get to Hovenweep from Cortez, on the Colorado side, or from the not-so-nearby town of Bluff, in Utah. The visitor center offers restroom facilities, a small museum, and a picnic area. The Square Towers loop trail from the visitor center is by far the most popular hike and offers many photo possibilities. There are also outlier structures in several locations, some reachable by hiking and others with four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Most of the trails close at sunset, but Hovenweep is one of the darkest of the dark sky locales. Unfortunately, the process to secure an astro photo permit is awkward and requires photographers to choose a date well in advance of their visit and pay a fee for the required park service escort to their chosen location.

Angel Peak Scenic Area

The nearly 7,000-foot Angel Peak is a sandstone capped landmark, visible for miles in any direction. To see the bands of colors in the badlands and the deep canyon at the base of Angel Peak you need to drive up to the rim road. From there a fascinating view of much of the Four Corners is unveiled to the northwest.

Along a rim drive, with a campground and picnic sites, the landscape opportunities are plentiful. The area offers another insight to the Four Corners. It lies within a large natural gas field. Occasionally, you will spot gas wellheads and other equipment in the canyons below, mostly well colored to blend into the landscape. There are also wellhead locations along the rim. Photographers will wisely give them a wide berth.

Angel Peak is an accessible location for landscape photographers who are unable to hike for longer distances. Many of the overlooks are steps away from vehicle parking.

Mesa Verde National Park

Last but not least, Mesa Verde is likely the most photogenic and popular of the Four Corners attractions. Cortez and Durango, Colorado and Farmington, New Mexico, all offer reasonable service and lodging options for Mesa Verde.

Atop a wandering mesa, with steep canyons below it, you find an amazing collection of cliff dwellings along a ridgeline road offering views across the Colorado Plateau. Some sites, however, are more accessible than others. If you want to see Cliff Palace, the largest known cliff dwelling in North America, or Balcony House, or Square Tower, you will need a reservation. Rangers take groups to these sites daily, so it is best to plan ahead.

Mesa Verde offers a large visitor center, a museum, and a lodge where you can book rooms from May to October. The aptly named Far View Inn also offers a cafeteria and gift shop. The lodge and the Morefield Campground offer ranger-led evening programs and astrophotography opportunities. While the various ruins are closed at sunset, overlooks along the main park road offer expansive views of the night sky and remain open to public access throughout the night.

Wildlife

You can see a variety of life on the Colorado Plateau, or none at all, depending on the time of day or season you visit. Rodents, living underground, and bats, roosting in wall crack, are some of the most often seen animals in the desert. Larger mammals include mule deer, coyotes, bobcats, and the occasional mountain lion are rarely seen close to sites where human activity is frequent.

Wolves have recently been introduced into the area in an attempt to save this endangered species. Reptiles – a variety of lizards and snakes – thrive on the plateau and make use of sunshine to keep themselves warm. Look for smaller birds in the vegetation near water sources. Ravens can often be found watching you and raptors can be seen soaring overhead

Be Respectful

One final thought on the Four Corners. This country has sacred and very personal meaning to many of the indigenous people who visit here not as tourists but in the practice of religious activities and native traditions. Step carefully. The ancient ones, with their cultures and their craftsmanship, have earned our respect.

RESOURCES:

-Hovenweep National Monument

https://www.nps.gov/hove/index.htm Overview of the monument sites.

-Angel Peak Scenic Area

https://www.blm.gov/visit/angel-peak-scenic-area

-Mesa Verde National Park

https://www.nps.gov/meve/planyourvisit/cliff_dwelling_tours.htm Information of tours

https://www.visitmesaverde.com/lodging-camping/morefield-campground/ Campground information.

https://www.nps.gov/meve/planyourvisit/lodging.htm Far View Lodge information.

Original Publication Date: July 19, 2024

Article Last updated: July 23, 2024