Big Bend National Park: Santa Elena Canyon

Since Zak had been such a good sport about coming on our spring break road trip, I decided to only make him get up to catch one sunrise. We chose Santa Elena Canyon for that honor, figuring we could then spend the rest of the day meandering gradually eastward through the rest of Big Bend National Park.

We timed our arrival at the trailhead in time to see the moon still shining above the canyon, with the sun still below the horizon.

Predawn can be stunning, and this morning was no exception.  The colors in the sky look almost like some crazy '70s blacklight poster.

We climbed the trail to get to a higher vantage point for the actual moment when the sun crested the horizon, with the Rio Grande down below us and the Chisos Mountains far off in the distance.

The warm light bathed the entrance to the canyon in gold.

Not surprisingly, contrast was a challenge in the canyon.  I tried blending two exposures together for this composite image -- my first time applying that technique.  I wish the saturation was a little better, and the western wall still not quite so bright.  I'll definitely be practicing this more.

On our way back out of the canyon I played peek-a-boo with the sun for a while, trying to get a nice star burst effect without letting the foreground and midground get too underexposed.  Mission accomplished!

One last look back into the canyon before continuing on with our day.  I like the three folks heading toward the canoe, who both provide scale and ramp up the "wilderness adventure" feeling of this shot.

The trail is a very manageable 1.7 miles roundtrip.  Your heart only gets pumping on a brief but steep ascent up the canyon wall.  But it's completely worth it to get in deep enough to where it's just you, the water and the cliffs.  A fantastic start to the day!