What Is Red Cliffs And Where Is This Waterfall?
Red Cliffs Recreation Area is located in southern Utah near the town of St. George. It is much less well known and less crowded than somewhere like Zion National Park but can still get pretty crowded. From the town of St. George, Red Cliffs is about an 18 mile, 30 minute drive.
The main hiking trail at Red Cliffs that features what one might consider slot canyons, is called the Red Reef Trail. This waterfall with the Moki steps to the side of it is located right along the Red Reef Trail. This Red Cliffs slot canyon view can be found along the same trail.
Red Cliffs Recreation area isn’t really enough of an attraction to travel a long way to see. It is best combined with other sights in the area like Zion National Park, Snow Canyon State Park, The Wave (if you can get permits) and other federal and state public lands in the area.
What Is It Like To Travel To Red Cliffs And The Red Reef Trail In Utah?
If you’ll be heading out to Zion National Park and flying into the Las Vegas Airport or the St. George Airport, Red Cliffs Recreation Area may be a place you hear or learn about but places like the Fire Wave At The Valley Of Fire State Park tend to garner more attention on social media than places like Red Cliffs.
When you go to Red Cliffs, there are plenty of places to camp in the area including a campground at Red Cliffs Recreation Area. There are plenty of hotels around St. George. Choice Hotels has a bunch and Wyndham Hostels has some too. As noted above the drive from St. George up to Red Cliffs is about a half hour. Since it has become more well known and more popular in recent years, you’d do well to get an early start if you plan to hike the Red Reef trail.
What Does It Take To Get A Wall Art Quality Photo Of The Waterfall At Red Cliffs?
If you want to get a wall art quality photo of the waterfall at Red Cliffs Recreation Area, you’ll want to have a decent DSLR or mirrorless camera. In my opinion, you’d want to try to head out there on a cloudy day. It could be a really bright cloudy day but at least some cloud cover helps to diffuse the light shining down. In an area like this that will probably never be in 100% sunlight, a sunny day would create really bright spots in the photo and some shaded areas.
A neutral density filter might be able to help compensate for that and software might be able to help dial back the blown out sections of the scene but simply shooting on a cloudy day solves all those problems. It will also make it possible to capture the silky look on the waterfall without needing to use a neutral density filter.
Since the exposure will be a on the long side to get the silky look in the waterfall the shutter will stay open for a fairly long time and you’ll want a tripod to keep the camera steady.
Since the Red Reef trail is the main and most popular trail in this area of Red Cliffs, going early or late, in the off season, or when the weather forecast isn’t particularly favorable may help you get the chance to photograph the area without a ton of people in your photo.
What Is The Best Gear For Photographing Red Reef Trail Waterfall?
When you hike up to photograph the waterfall along the Red Reef Trail at Red Cliffs Recreation Area you’ll want to take a decent camera. A DSLR or a mirrorless camera should do the trick. If you just want some photos for posting to social media or making small prints, then most any new camera these days should do the trick.
Along the Red Reef Trail, a wide angle lens with some degree of zoom is the best thing to take. The best all in one lens would be something with a zoom range of 24mm to 105mm or somewhere in there. A second lens to take would be something that goes even wider. A 17mm to 40m lens would be good for areas with large subject when you have no choice but to stand close to them.
A circular polarizer is a good accessory to have when photographing waterfalls. It can help tamp down glare (or enhance it) and let less light into the lens making it easier to give moving or falling water a nice silky look.
Since you’ll be shooting waterfalls, a tripod will help to get sharper photos if you’re going for the silky waterfall look. In order to get that silky waterfall look, the shutter will need to stay open for 1/10the of a second or more. It would be hard to hand hold a camera for that long and get a sharp shot.
What Is The Story Behind This Red Reef Trail Waterfall Photo Print?
During the spring of 2015, I was once again wandering around southern Utah. Every year of these extended national park road trips up until 2015 I’d spend some time out in southern Utah and get a permit to hike out to The Wave. In 2015 there were a ton of somewhat off the beaten path sites I’d found in a book that I made it a priority to see, experience and photograph.
Red Cliffs Recreation Area was one of those places. I spent a few days up at Yant Flat. went to Snow Canyon State Park and camped few nights there, checked out some other places, took the annual hike out to The Wave and of course spent a couple days at Red Cliffs. I spend a couple nights camping at the Red Cliffs campground as well. It’s the perfect location for exploring Red Cliffs and hiking the Red Reef Trail.
I spent a couple days in the Red Cliffs area and quickly determined that the best time to photograph the waterfall and the rest of the Red Cliffs area was on cloudy days. On cloudy days the diffused lighting made for much better photos of the waterfall and other sights along the way. Cloudy days with a threat of rain also seemed to help keep a lid on the crowds of people hiking the Red Reef Trail.
There were a number of good or even great photo opportunities in this area of Red Cliffs but the waterfall and the Red Cliffs slot canyon were the two best I came across. After a couple days of cloudy weather and some rain the day before I first went to Red Cliffs, I was satisfied with the photos from Red Cliffs and it was time to move on to more spectacular southern Utah sights.
In What Formats Is This Photo Print The The Red Cliffs Waterfall Available?
This photo print of the waterfall along the Red Reef Trail at Red Cliffs Recreation Area is available in sizes up to 40×60 inches on paper, canvas, metal, acrylic and wood. Any finish on any material will look great in areas with diffused lighting. Matte prints will be a bit more subdued in diffused lighting while anything with a shiny or metallic finish will be a bit brighter and more vibrant. Anything with a matte finish like a matte paper or canvas finish would look best in an area with bright or direct lighting including areas with exposed light bulbs.
This image comes on high quality shower curtains and Sherpa fleece blankets that made great decorative accessories for the bathroom, living room or bedroom. Matching bath towels are available to help complete a themed bathroom look.
If you need something to replace the plastic shopping bags that are vanishing from grocery and retail stores, heavy duty canvas tote bags are available that are great for shopping, general use and can even make great beach bags. Cel phone cases and a variety of apparel are also great for everyday use.
Most recently jigsaw puzzles became available. They come in 500 and 1,000 piece varieties and provide a nice challenge for those who like puzzles and brain teasers.
Leave a Reply