A Photographer’s Guide to Colorado’s National Parks and Monuments

By Bob Maynard and Cindy Maynard

Few states in the continental United States offer the range of geography and topography that Colorado does. The variety of scenic locations draw millions of annual visitors, most hoping to document their visit in photographs.

This guide offers aid to photographers who wish to do their own exploring rather than engage the help of a guide. It provides all the information photographers need to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right lens. Each chapter introduces the special features unique to each location, providing in-depth and reader-friendly details on geology, history, and more, to enhance your understanding and add to your sense of wonder. Along with this vital information, photographer Bob Maynard and naturalist Cindy Maynard share their extensive personal experience, entertaining anecdotes, and a selection of Bob’s photographs.
This guide can help you turn your next visit to Colorado into an adventure in learning.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Mar 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9781483426518

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Maynard

Copyright © 2015 Bob and Cindy Maynard.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-2779-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-2652-5 (sc color)

ISBN: 978-1483-42651-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015902632

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 05/18/2015

Table of Contents

Endorsements

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Rocky Mountain National Park

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Introduction to Anasazi Sites

Mesa Verde, Chimney Rock, Yucca House, Canyons of the Ancients, and Hovenweep

Chimney Rock National Monument

Hovenweep National Monument

Canyons of the Ancients

Mesa Verde National Park

Yucca House National Monument

Dinosaur National Monument

Colorado National Monument

Author Bios

Endorsements

Iconic photos … have you ever wondered how the pros do it? Bob Maynard has laid it all out for you in his text. I’ve been privileged to accompany Bob on his Colorado Plateau Photo Tours trips. He knows just how to ensure that you get the iconic images you want. You go home with great photos to add to your own portfolio collection. Having done photography for many years, I have often wondered where the wonderful places described in this book are, how to compose the shots, and the best times for shooting. If you are like me, my copy of Photographers Guide to National Parks and Monuments will have sticky notes all over it to mark the must-see spots. This is one book you probably will not lend out; it will be at your side all the time, right next to your camera.

Gary Clendening, photographer

Wow - this book is so much more than a photography guide! I have participated in a few Colorado Plateau Photo Tours trips, and nobody works harder than Bob Maynard. When the national parks closed during the government shutdown, Bob spent time researching and suggesting other options so I would not need to cancel my trip. He went out of his way to drive several hours back to Colorado so I could photograph the fall foliage. Bob is truly dedicated to his craft and tries to ensure that you walk away with great shots and an amazing experience. Bob has an incredible eye for detail and works with you to help you to see the shots. My photographic skills have greatly improved from working with Bob Maynard. I look to him as my mentor in the photography world.

Deane Nigro, photographer

Cindy Maynard paints a picture of these wonderful places. Her descriptive words set into motion in my imagination the long history, geology, and natural settings she portrays. This book brings to life the ancient and present-day mysteries of Colorado’s national parks.

Janet Chu, educator and author/coauthor of Butterflies of the Colorado Front Range

Far too often, visits to our national parks and monuments consist of driving around, pulling off at a few turnouts, and taking short nature walks. This beautiful, engaging book opens our eyes to the unique characteristics and origins of protected forests, dunes, grasslands, and marshes, gently guiding us ever deeper into the landscape. Spectacular photos and directions to photo destinations lead us to one wondrous place after another.

Stephen Jones, author/coauthor of The North American Prairie, The Last Prairie, and Butterflies of the Colorado Front Range

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the many people involved in the publication of this book.

Danielle Devereaux and Christine Salo provided careful editing of the manuscript and provided many insightful ideas for enhancements to the book.

Todd Caudle of Skyline Press in Colorado Springs provided useful guidance and encouragement.

Dean Sauskojus provided valuable insight into his own experience of bringing a similar book to fruition.

Kris Illenberger provided Time-sensitive images of Sand Dunes National Monument that eluded me for many years.

The many clients and guests of Colorado Plateau Photo Tours who provided endless energy and enthusiasm that kept me lugging my camera to the same sites over and over again - even when my injured back was telling me to stop carrying so much gear.

Special thanks go out to Deane Nigro and Anita Sedberry.

Introduction

Few states in the continental United States offer the range of geography and topography that Colorado does. The Sawatch Range, Sangre de Cristo Mountains, San Juan Mountains, Elk Mountains, and the Front Range each offer a unique canvas to the landscape and wildlife photographer. It’s no surprise then that Colorado is home to four national parks and seven national monuments. Within these parks and monuments, the landscapes vary from lofty 14,000+ foot high peaks to massive inland sand dunes, high desert plateaus, ancient fossil beds, and Native American ruins. The parks harbor a diversity of wildlife, from the large mammals (deer, elk, moose, bison) to the elegant sandhill cranes in the wetlands surrounding Sand Dunes National Monument. Colorado is a photographer’s paradise.

I founded Colorado Plateau Photo Tours in 2009. I worked only in Rocky Mountain National Park then, often getting up at two or three o’clock in the morning for the forty-five-minute drive to Estes Park to meet clients and guide them in the dark to Dream Lake at 9,910’ in time for sunrise photography. In the years since, I’ve secured permits and guided photographers in Rocky Mountain National Park, the Everglades, Canyonlands, Arches, the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, Cedar Mesa in Utah, Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and the slot canyons of Arizona.

The purpose of this book is to offer aid to photographers who wish to do their own exploring and don’t wish to engage the help of a guide or who don’t need instruction in the elements of photography. This book provides all the information the photographer needs to be in the right place, in the right season, with the right lens, and at the right time.

About the Photography

I’ve made no attempt to provide images of every spot described in the book. That would have resulted in a book far too large, heavy, and costly to be useful to anyone. With 125 images included in the book, it was not possible to be at each location in the right light to capture a great image. I’ve included some of these in instances where I thought it might be useful to give the reader an idea of the landscape. GPS coordinates are provided in cases where the precise shooting spots may not be obvious, but they are not provided on all locations. Signed pull-offs, for instance, shouldn’t require GPS coordinates.

I’m a Nikon user. All images in the book were shot with a Nikon D700, D800E, or D4. Whatever camera you are using, you’ll be able to get great images if you know how to work your camera.

About the Monument/Park Descriptions

Even if you are not a photographer, the descriptions of the parks and monuments will enhance your understanding of the beauty and diversity of these wonderful places. Whether you are a first-time visitor or an old hand, we hope this book will deepen your experience and enlighten your appreciation.

Rocky Mountain National Park

1PICHallettPeakMoonsetcopy.jpg

Dream Lake, 2010: Moonset coincides with sunrise on the autumnal equinox.

Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) is the park of superlatives and unexpected contradictions. Some of its many distinctions include the highest continuous road in the United States, the largest expanse of alpine tundra, a vast number of undeveloped acres, the most impressive display of testosterone-frenzied elk in full rut, and an inspiring carpet of exquisitely small alpine wildflowers. It is so special that it was named the twenty-first biosphere reserve in 1976. These reserves are established under a program sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the goals of a biosphere reserve is to preserve securely protected sites for conserving biological diversity, monitoring minimally disturbed ecosystems, and undertaking nondestructive research and other low-impact uses (such as education).

Although 415.25 undeveloped square miles may seem vast, this area is easily accessible from Denver, so