Utah: Cedar Breaks National Monument

When we were discussing our weekend plans, I was pretty much told I could either have sunrise photos or sunset photos. 🙂 I decided on sunset photos. That meant we could sleep in a bit and break up our journey on the way to Bryce Canyon National Park.

Of course, that means we had time to stop by Cedar Breaks National Monument, in Brian Head, Utah.

Point Supreme Overlook

The Point Supreme Overlook is very close to the entrance fee station and the park store, we headed there first. Patience was required to get the photos I wanted, as some clouds were not cooperating. I was eventually rewarded with the photo I wanted, with the canyon walls well lit by the sun.

Wildflowers and trees

Cedar Breaks has an annual Wildflower Festival in July, and we missed it by about 2 weeks. There were still wildflowers everywhere, though. They also have a wildflower talk, usually in mid-morning. Check their events schedule to see if it is scheduled that day.

I used the Sigma 105mm Macro 2.8 to capture these photos.

Sunset View Overlook

The other viewpoints are driving distance from the entrance fee station, so we headed back to our overflow parking spot by the park office and headed to Sunset View Overlook. Patience was required here too, as those pesky clouds were not cooperating.

Sometimes, the overlook area is full of tourists, so I looked for other views I could get without impacting anyone’s selfies or photos.

Chessmen Ridge Overlook

From the Sunset Point Overlook, the next viewpoint is the Chessmen Ridge Overlook.

Although there is one more viewpoint (North View Overlook) at Cedar Breaks National Monument, we decided to drive towards Bryce Canyon National Park via 143 to Panguitch instead of doubling back to 14. Red Canyon and Bryce Canyon photos will be posted tomorrow. 🙂