Star Trails, Zion National Park

A spectacular view of the night sky is had by all travelers in the remote desert. Zion is hundreds of miles from any source of light pollution. Watchman Campground is as far inside the park as you can take a private vehicle nowadays. From here, the view is of a river supporting the trees (shade!), and abrupt cliffs. This is the canyon floor.

The red glow in the trees comes from a campfire underneath, and the dark blue in the sky is from shooting during the end of twilight.

Technical note: This is a nine-minute exposure, letting the stars leave longish streaks across the frame, showing their paths across the night sky. Using a slow shutter speed allows anything moving through the frame to blur; in this case, with no wind the trees were pretty still, but the stars and moon leave trails showing their movement. Other photos showing this technique:

• Car Camping, High Sierra
• Olympic Nightfall, Puget Sound, Seattle
• Pike's Place, Seattle