National Parks – Dan Bourque Photography

Archive by category "National Parks"

Dawn Breaking at the Bend

The morning sun bathes the rim of Horseshoe Bend in orange light as the Colorado River passes by in the shadows below.

Details: Horseshoe Bend is an icon of the American West, and like many places, its glory is really on display at sunset and sunrise. After spending an evening here to catch the sun setting behind the bend, I set out before dawn the next morning to catch the sunrise. It was amazing watching the first beams of light break the horizon and turn the Vermillion Cliffs in the background a beautiful bright orange. I love how the still water reflects the sliver of the bright edges of the rim.

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Snowcapped Hoodoos

Brilliant orange hoodoos reach through the snow to glow in the springtime sun at Bryce Canyon National Park.

Details: Bryce Canyon National Park is just one of those places that so unique it’s tough to describe. This image zooms in to capture the details of a few of the tens of thousands of “hoodoos” carved by the elements over time. Each section of hoodoos has a unique feel and coloration from white to orange to red making it a photographer’s dream. This image was captured from the Rim Trail near Inspiration Point.

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Last Light Over Horseshoe Bend

The last rays of the setting sun retreat behind the vermillion cliffs surrounding iconic Horseshoe Bend.

Details: Horseshoe Bend, part of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Arizona, is an iconic American landmark for good reason. The bend in the Colorado River 1,000 feet below is dramatic, the cliffs are steep and carved, and the color is simply sublime. A couple times a year, in early spring and fall, the sun sets directly down the peninsula in the center of the horseshoe, and if you catch it at the perfect moment, it douses the camera with a perfect diminished light that still allows the details of the canyon to shine through. I felt blessed to be there at just such a time!

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Teton Morning Mirror

The calm, shallow waters of String Lake reflect the morning light on Teewinot and the Teton Range.

Details: the long and shallow String Lake lies to the north of popular Jenny Lake. The waters are sheltered among the trees making it not only a great place to catch reflections of the jagged peaks but also a great place to find gnarled bits of driftwood among the granite rocks that surround the lake. This image was taken about an hour after sunrise when the eastern bank still lies in shadow.

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Rustic and Regal

An old homestead barn is dwarfed by the majesty of Grand Teton on a late summer morning.

Details: The Moulton Barns are icons of Grand Teton National Park. They stand as a reminder of the early Mormon settlers to the area, and the surrounding terrain and vegetation shows why the farms and ranches ultimately gave way to preservation and tourism. While others have certainly captured this scene in more dramatic conditions, I still love this image – taken with a zoom lens – because it puts the lonely John Moulton Barn in perspective with its surroundings and majestic backdrop.

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Walls of Mordor

The last rays of the setting sun illuminate the cloud-topped jagged peaks of the Teton Range.

Details: when my son first saw the Teton Range, he said “they look like fairy tale mountains,” and this image shows why. Like something out of an epic fable, the glacier-carved peaks of the range rise at dramatic angles showing off their jagged edges and deep valleys. This shot captures Teewinot, a cloud-topped Grand Teton, and Mount Owen on the far side of Cascade Canyon from Jenny Lake. The Ansel Adams inspired black-and-white just seemed fitting for this picture.

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Portrait of Lower Falls of the Yellowstone

Morning light captures the green waters of the Yellowstone River cascading over the Lower Falls in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Details: The Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River is perhaps the most beautiful and iconic scenic feature in Yellowstone National Park as tremendous volumes of water cascade hundreds of feet into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone whose rocks give the park its name. The canyon walls are steep, and the falls face just north of due east making late morning a perfect time to capture the brilliant white waters and mist of the falls.

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Barn and Beauty

A tired homesteader’s barn sits quietly in the morning light with Grand Teton as a backdrop.

Details: The Moulton Barns in Grand Teton National Park are somewhat legendary in the photography world, so while I’m not breaking any new ground photographically here, it’s a right of passage to add my image to the mix. I love how the morning light brings out the texture in the old wood on the T.A. Moulton barn, and I love how the crystal clear blue sky contrasts with the yellowing grass of August.

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Reflections of Light and Shadow

Glassy waters of a beaver pond reflect playful morning clouds painting the Teton Range in light and shadow.

Details: This image is a good reminder of why patience is required in photography. I joined three other photographers at Schwabachers Landing in Grand Teton National Park to catch the first light on the Tetons. Conditions were iffy as a layer of clouds threatened to block the sunrise, and sure enough, we got just a few seconds of pink alpenglow before the range was engulfed in shadow. The other three photographers packed up an left, but I thought “just maybe” as the clouds were rapidly shifting. It took about 30 minutes of waiting, but the sun peeked through, and soon the clouds were providing this amazing display of light and shadow on Grand Teton.

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Grand Prismatic Sunset

The shallow ridged pools surrounding Grand Prismatic Spring reflect the sunset in Yellowstone National Park.

Details: Grand Prismatic Spring is one of the main attractions of Yellowstone National Park. While its amazing colors (including the turquoise reflected in the steam in this image) can only truly be seen from above, a ground-level view reveals the intricate details in the colorful shallow pools surrounding the main spring. Sunset adds another layer of light and shadow that really brings out the details.

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Alpenglow at Oxbow Bend

Oxbow Bend of the Snake River reflects the early morning alpenglow of Mount Moran in the Teton Range.

Details: The Snake River meanders through Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Oxbow Bend is known for its wildlife, still waters and beautiful reflections of stunning Mount Moran, all of which can be seen in this image. An American white pelican swims lazily across the serene waters, and in the full-size image, a sandhill crane can be barely spotted against the flanks of Moran. The Tetons are distinctly gray, but for the first few minutes of sunrise, the red-shifted light of the sun on the horizon paints them a distinctive red, an effect known as “alpenglow.”

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Giants and Still Waters

The craggy peaks of the Teton Range are reflected in the still alpine waters of Taggart Lake.

Details: Grand Teton National Park is full of wonderful alpine lakes, and the calm of morning makes for some incredible scenes of majestic mountains reflected on still waters surrounded by beautiful forest. Taggart Lake, on the southern side of the park, is one such body of water that can be reached by a hike that is well worth the effort on a still day like this beautiful clear day in August. The peaks from left to right are Nez Perce, Grand Teton and Teewinot.

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Majesty Unveiled

Morning mists part to reveal the Teton Range in all its glory reflected in still waters.

Details: The Teton Range in Wyoming is one of the most spectacular mountain ranges in North America. The peaks rise 7,000 feet above plains dotted with lakes big and small. This image of Grand Teton was captured from an inlet of Jackson Lake near Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park just after dawn on a cool August morning. The prominent peak is Grand Teton with Teewinot to the left. The shoulder of Mount Moran climbs into the clouds on the right edge of the image. The lake water level was dropping, and just two days after this image was taken, this picture was no longer possible.

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Black Hills Silhouettes

Sunset reveals purple layers of the Black Hills of South Dakota with the faces of Mount Rushmore looking on.

Details: the Black Hills are a beautiful place, and when you get a chance to sit high up on a ridge and enjoy the sunset, they get even more beautiful. This image was taken about 10 miles east of Mount Rushmore, and I love how the long lens accentuates the colorful layers of the hills.

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Cherry Trees in Bloom

Perfect blooms line the branches of cherry trees in Washington D.C.

Details: the cherry trees surrounding the tidal basin in Washington D.C. are legendary for good reason. They blossom for only a couple of weeks each year, and when they do, walking through them is like walking through a world of pink punctuated by the blues of sky and water. It truly has to be experienced to be appreciated, and I can only hope my work to capture them in a photo does even a hint of justice to their beauty.

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Circle of Blossoms

Cherry Blossoms surround the serene waters of Washington D.C.’s tidal basin as the Washington Monument looks on.

Details: The cherry trees in Washington D.C. bloom for only a couple weeks each year at the end of March and early April. I was lucky enough to catch them in early April just as the blossoms were beginning to drop. Despite clouds and rain earlier in the day, the skies opened into sunshine just before sunset, and the shadows of the clouds danced on the Washington Monument as seen here.

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Chimney Rock

The twin spires of Chimney Rock stand against a deep blue sky on a summer day in Colorado.

Details: Chimney Rock National Monument is a little-known site in the southern San Juan mountains of Colorado. It was home not only to these unique spire rock formations for which it was named, but it’s home to ancient puebloan ruins set atop a high ridge and surrounded by incredible scenery. While I love how blue the skies in Colorado can be, I love the drama created by the storm clouds that were just starting to roll in.

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Potomac Peace

The sun sets behind a clearing storm over a peaceful and reflective Potomac River.

Details: The Potomac River, which divides Virginia from Maryland can be a very peaceful place even a few miles from downtown Washington, D.C. This image was captured from Piscataway Park, a National Park Service site on the Maryland side of the river. Conditions just an hour earlier were horrendous for photography with complete overcast and walls of rain, but this image is evidence that sticking it out through the bad weather sometimes (not always) yields the most spectacular results.

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Pier on the Potomac

Wispy evening clouds paint the skies above a calm Potomac River and the fishing pier at Piscataway Park.

Details: many things I love combined to get this image – water, sunset, and a National Park site. This pier, found in Piscataway Park (a National Park Service site in Maryland) is a popular fishing spot for locals, and the calmness of the water and big, open skies make it a great place for photographers as well. A storm had rained on me just an hour before, and photos seemed doubtful, but the skies began clearing just before sunset. Yet another chance to learn the lesson “just stick with it!”

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Santa Monica Mountains Panorama

A brilliant blue sky hangs dramatically over the golden rocks of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Details: Some places really surprise you. The Santa Monica Mountains are just minutes away from greater Los Angeles, but their rugged beauty is a world apart from the bustling city. This panorama of the tallest peaks in the range was taken on the way to hike Sandstone Peak. The Pacific Ocean is just visible in the background.

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Grand Canyon Gold

The setting sun turns the Grand Canyon into shadows and streaks of rocky gold.

Details: The Grand Canyon is absolutely incredible. It’s even more incredible at sunrise and sunset. It’s even more incredible with unique streaking clouds. Patience paid off, and I was fortunate enough to have all the elements for this shot from the south rim just before sunset. The Colorado River is just visible in the shadows.

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Desert Contrast

A desert storm leaves a contrast of colors and climates at sunset over Red Rock Canyon, Nevada

Details: Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Nevada is one of my favorite places in the west because it’s a land of contrasts. In this scene, a storm has just covered the tall mountains on the right with a layer of snow, while the desert floor remains warm with color. This is a composite carefully stitched from six individual photos to capture this entire dramatic scene from east to west.

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Last Light in the Canyon

The last rays of the setting sun set the walls of the Grand Canyon ablaze in orange.

Details: The Grand Canyon is beautiful anytime but mesmerizing at sunset. As the sun sinks to the horizon, it turns the canyon walls from reddish white into brilliant orange and gold. This was taken about two minutes before the sun went below the horizon with the rim painted orange while the deep parts of the canyon fade into hues of blue and purple. A few small patches of snow in the foreground reveal that even though the scene is warm, it is still winter in the high Arizona desert. This is one of my favorite photos I’ve taken because of the great colors in the sky and canyon, the stark contrasts between light and shadow, and the composition of the walls, foreground and the line of the deep canyon far below.

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Canyon After Sunset

A pink sky overlooks the Grand Canyon filled with blue and red hues after a winter sunset.

Details: The Grand Canyon is a magical place any time of day in any season–it’s one of the seven natural wonders of the world for good reason! This image was taken on a February evening about 20 minutes after sunset. Just after the last light departed from the low clouds, the canyon turned from oranges to deep shades of purple and blue. At the center of the photo, a tiny reflection can be seen from the Colorado River far below. A tiny bit of snow still clings to the eastern wall of Pima Point to the left.

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Virgin River in Zion’s Shadow

The shallow waters of the Virgin River run cold and clear through Zion National Park, Utah.

Details: Zion National Park is one of the most beautiful places in the entire United States with its deep, narrow canyons and marbled red and white rock walls. Running through the main part of Zion is the Virgin River. The light conditions were perfect for this shot with the creek in shadow and the mountains in the later afternoon sunlight.

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High Desert Sunset

A world of contrasts is captured at sunset in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.

Details: This is one of my personal favorites because it captures the extremes of the high desert in beautiful Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Nevada. The passing storm has left a layer of snow over the peaks of the Red Rock Escarpment, but down below, the desert is still warm and dry. The sky seems to reflect this transition with the peaks covered in deep blues and the desert in the pinks and purples of sunset.

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Yucca Moon

A still yucca leans toward the moon and a fast-moving night sky at Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.

Details: I love taking long-exposure shots at night, but the conditions have to be just right to get the effect you’re looking for. In this case, something rare happened–the clouds were moving at a fast clip just above, yet there was no wind to move the yucca and make it blurry. The result is a tack-sharp foreground and surreal, swirling sky. The bright dot next to the full moon is Jupiter, and the orange glow is from Las Vegas.

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Gathering Storm over the Desert

Brooding storm clouds reflect the setting sun over Red Rock Canyon in Nevada.

Details: Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is an amazing place, especially when there’s a storm nearby adding an amazing sky to the amazing rocks. This one was moving fast, and the scattered clouds were an incredible mix of light and dark as they shadowed each other and reflected the sun with the red cast of sunset. The colorful rock formation is the area known as “Calico” for obvious reasons.

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Zion from the Edge of Space

The deep red canyons of Zion National Park as seen from miles above.

Details: I’ve been trying to get this shot for years. I fly between Denver and Las Vegas fairly often, and we always pass just south of Zion National Park. I’ve been thinking this would be a great vantage point for a picture because the canyons are so amazing from this height, and a vertical shot has a sort of “edge of space” feel. It’s taken several tries, but the weather, window, sun, contrails and route all worked out nicely for this one.

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Surreal Skies over Death Valley

Brilliant pink and purple clouds illuminate the skies at sunset over Death Valley National Park, California.

Details: Sometimes I have a hard time believing the beauty of what I’m seeing, and this June evening in Death Valley National Park was one of them. Looking at the skies an hour before, I didn’t think it was going to be a good sunset, but once the sun got under the clouds, it just kept illuminating more of them in brilliant pinks and oranges all around (this is looking south). My jaw was dropped for nearly 20 minutes before the color finally departed. The “rocks” in the foreground are actually salt formations in the area known as the Devils Golf Course which lies below sea level.

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Colorful Death Valley

The setting sun momentarily transforms mountain peaks and skies with splashes of bold color in Death Valley National Park, California.

Details: Just an hour before, the clouds completely obscured the sun (which was nice on such a hot day in June), but just before setting, rays of the sun lit the Death Valley’s eastern mountains in red and painted the clouds. The unique salt formations in the foreground belong to the so-called Devils Golf Course near Badwater, the lowest point in North America. This image was captured in HDR to preserve the delicate highlight and shadow detail in this scene.

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Milky Way over Death Valley

The Milky Way rises like a rocket plume over the salt flats of Death Valley National Park, California.

Details: I’m not much of an underwater photographer, but this is one of my first efforts below sea level ;-). Besides its low elevation, Death Valley is also known for its dark skies which make for excellent viewing of the Milky Way on moonless nights like this one in June–the glow on the horizon is from Las Vegas more than 90 miles away. In the foreground are the salt formations of the so-called Devils Golf Course near Badwater, the lowest point in North America. The formations are lit using a technique called “light painting” using a light source swept over the scene during the 30-second exposure. This shot was taken around 3 AM, and despite the time, it was still 99 degrees out!

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Galaxy Between Canyon Walls

The Milky Way rises like a spire into the night between the walls of Golden Canyon in Death Valley National Park, California.

Details: Death Valley is known for its dark skies, and summer is a great time to catch the brightest parts of the Milky Way. This photo was taken around 3:30 AM on a moonless June night from inside Golden Canyon near Furnace Creek. The mouth of the canyon opens to the south, so it made the perfect frame for the vertical galaxy. As you might expect, I had the park to myself at this hour–my only companions were a few bats zipping around the canyon.

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Storm Clouds over the Garden Wall

Dark clouds cast a tapestry of light and shadows over the Garden Wall at Logan Pass in Glacier National Park.

Details: a brief ray of light breaks through the clouds of a summer storm gathering over Logan Pass, Montana along Going to the Sun Road bringing out the color and detail of this stunning landscape.

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Brooding St Mary

Sun streams through stormy clouds over Upper St Mary’s Lake in Glacier National Park

Details: I visited St Mary’s Lake several times over the course of a week, and every time the lake displayed a distinctively different mood. On this summer day, the sun fights with storm clouds to illuminate the turquoise waters and majestic peaks.

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Avalanche Gorge

Brilliant turquoise waters tumble through the moss-covered walls of Avalanche Gorge in Glacier National Park

Details: a cloudy day was perfect for taking a long exposure of this distinctive cataract on the western side of Glacier National Park in Montana.

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All images and graphics are the property of the photographer and should not be used without permission. All Images copyright Dan Bourque

Category: National Parks

Dawn Breaking at the Bend

Snowcapped Hoodoos

Last Light Over Horseshoe Bend

Teton Morning Mirror

Rustic and Regal

Walls of Mordor

Portrait of Lower Falls of the Yellowstone

Barn and Beauty

Reflections of Light and Shadow

Grand Prismatic Sunset

Alpenglow at Oxbow Bend

Giants and Still Waters

Majesty Unveiled

Black Hills Silhouettes

Cherry Trees in Bloom

Circle of Blossoms

Chimney Rock

Potomac Peace

Pier on the Potomac

Santa Monica Mountains Panorama

Grand Canyon Gold

Desert Contrast

Last Light in the Canyon

Canyon After Sunset

Virgin River in Zion’s Shadow

High Desert Sunset

Yucca Moon

Gathering Storm over the Desert

Zion from the Edge of Space

Surreal Skies over Death Valley

Colorful Death Valley

Milky Way over Death Valley

Galaxy Between Canyon Walls

Storm Clouds over the Garden Wall

Brooding St Mary

Avalanche Gorge

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