8 Great Photography Spots in the American West
National Parks are rightfully known as America’s Greatest Idea — and they are always worth a visit. But outside of national parks, there are plenty of incredible places for photography in the American West.
In recent years, many national parks have seen a massive influx of visitation, and many places have even begun to require timed-entry reservations, making a spontaneous trip to your favorite park a lot more challenging.
Thankfully, the landscapes of the American West are still chock-full of amazing vistas outside of national park boundaries, begging to be photographed.
Here are eight less popular places close to your favorite national parks that will make any landscape photographer’s heart beat faster!
Read more: How to Find Great Locations for Landscape Photography
1. Dead Horse Point State Park, UT (near Canyonlands National Park)
In an area where you have stunning canyon views wherever you turn, Dead Horse Point State Park stands out.
As blasphemous as it may sound, in my humble opinion, the view here of layer upon layer of rock carved by the bending Colorado River equals and exceeds any view you find downstream in Grand Canyon National Park, the crown jewel of the Southwest.
Certainly, Dead Horse Point State Park can more than hold its own in competition with nearby Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.
Come to this lookout during monsoon season (late summer) and keep an eye on the weather forecast, looking for a clearing storm around sunset, and you just might be greeted with an incredibly dramatic wide-angle scene that lends itself well to black-and-white processing.
Read more: The Best Settings for Landscape Photography
2. Bears Ears National Monument (near Arches & Canyonlands National Parks)
Another place you shouldn’t skip on your trip to Moab when you visit Arches & Canyonlands National Parks is Bears Ears National Monument, just to the south.
Its canyons are riddled with mysterious ruins of Anasazi dwellings, a group of Native Americans who used to call the Four Corners Region home.
Two stunning places to photograph are the House on Fire Ruin in Mule Canyon and nearby Fallen Roof Ruin (pack a wide-angle lens to show the desolate surroundings of these structures).
If you set out to capture these places, make sure you have an offline map since most trails here are poorly marked at best and often lead over sheer rock, bring more water than you think you need, watch out for flash flood conditions, and avoid the excessive heat of summer.
Read more: 8 Best Lenses for Landscape Photography
3. Gros Ventre River, WY (near Grand Teton National Park)
Grand Teton National Park is my favorite place in the American West — and that’s saying something, given the density of incredible landscapes in this part of the world.
But there is just something about the jagged peaks of the Teton Range, which also inspired Ansel Adams to make one of his most famous photographs, “The Tetons and the Snake River.”
For a long time, the Tetons somewhat flew under the radar, with most crowds flocking to nearby Yellowstone National Park. Lately, the wildlife-filled meadows of Grand Teton National Park have gotten a lot busier with visitors.
To avoid some of those crowds, one often-overlooked place that I never skip on any trip to this beautiful part of the world is the Gros Ventre River just to the southeast of the park.
The Gros Ventre Campground is a great place to stay, especially during the fall, when the yellow cottonwoods turn the whole place into an autumnal wonderland, and moose regularly wander right through the campground.
The Gros Ventre River is known among wildlife photographers — including local legend Tom Mangelsen — as a great place to capture stunning moose photographs engulfed in a sea of yellow leaves.
Just make sure you always keep your distance from these majestic animals, especially during the fall rut!
Read more: How to Use Water in Your Landscape Photos
4. Devil’s Tower, WY (near Mount Rushmore National Memorial)
Granted, Devil’s Tower is a bit of an extra drive from places like Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Badlands National Park in neighboring South Dakota. But oh, is that two-hour detour worth it!
Devil’s Tower, situated in northeast Wyoming, is definitely flying under the radar for how breathtaking it is.
The surrounding meadows and dirt roads provide ample opportunities to compose a stunning landscape photograph that puts this otherworldly 1,267-foot butte, which is sacred to more than 20 Native American tribes, front and center.
In fact, the Tower is so otherworldly that it featured prominently in the 1977 movie, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”.
Read more: 8 Ways to Improve Your Landscape Photography Workflow
5. Chapel on the Rock, CO (near Rocky Mountain National Park)
The iconic St. Catherine’s “Chapel on the Rock” at Camp St. Malo is a must-stop during any visit to the nearby Colorado adventure town of Estes Park and the bordering Rocky Mountain National Park.
The photogenic, nearly 100-year-old Catholic church, built both daringly and scenically at the foot of Mount Meeker, is a sight to behold in all seasons.
It is also a great spot to sharpen your astrophotography skills at night, when the stars come out to play and the Milky Way lines up nicely during the summer months.
The chapel isn’t hard to find either — you won’t be able to miss it coming down the highway.
6. Cape Disappointment, WA (near Olympic National Park)
On the very southwestern tip of the Olympic Peninsula, within spitting distance of the Oregon state border, sits Cape Disappointment State Park, tucked away in the shadow of the dramatic shorelines and old-growth forests of Olympic National Park.
If you visit the area during spring or fall when storms are frequent — maybe even aligned with a King Tide event — you’ll witness a truly stunning show of the rugged force of the Pacific Ocean.
A great place to shoot the colliding waves from a safe and (somewhat) dry distance is the parking lot at Waikiki Beach (yes, it’s really called that).
This is definitely a zoom lens shot, whether you choose to include the lighthouse perched atop the cliff in your frame or solely focus on the raw power of the waves, as I did here.
A word of caution: On days when the Pacific is particularly rowdy here, the parking lot is prone to flooding — so always be aware of your surroundings, be smart, listen to the rangers, and never turn your back on the ocean!
Read more: Why You Should Use a Telephoto Lens for Landscape Photos
7. Del Norte Coast Redwoods SP, CA (near Redwoods National Park)
The stretch of the fabled Highway 101 south of the Northern California coastal town of Crescent City is like taking a drive through time. Towering redwoods line the road that leads down to Redwoods National Park (and continues down the coast from there).
Easy to miss but oh-so-worth the stop is Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park near Mill Creek Campground. During the summer months, you’ll find the stark and stunning contrast of blooming rhododendrons set against massive old-growth trees.
And as if that weren’t enough, late in the morning, the ever-present coastal fog often begins to burn off, with rays of light piercing through the lingering mist, creating an opportunity for ethereal, dream-like images.
Read more: How to Use Mist to Improve Your Landscape Photos
8. Lake Powell, AZ (near Grand Canyon National Park)
Lake Powell’s stunning beauty may be the worst-kept secret in the West, but it merits inclusion on this list no matter what.
Not only are the roads around the lake dotted with easy-to-access pullouts that provide great photographic opportunities (bring your zoom lens and experiment with stitched panoramas), but the town of Page, Arizona, on Powell’s shores is also the perfect adventure basecamp for an overdose of Desert Southwest beauty.
It has quick access to bucket-list locations like the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, the iconic Horseshoe Bend, the famous “The Wave,” Antelope Canyon, Zion National Park, and so many more!
Read more: How to Improve Your Lake Photography
In conclusion
So there you have it! Eight under-the-radar additions to your next visit to one of your favorite national parks across the American West.
You’ll skip a lot of the crowds but still find incredible photo opportunities.
Happy shooting!
