Hi NPN-friends,
I will visit western Canada and the US (Washington, Oregon and California that is) in the first three weeks of September this year.
I am so excited about this! I see all the great images here from some of these stunning locations and finally I have the chance to witness this with my own eyes and to try my best at capturing the scenery.
We will go to:
Banff&Jasper(8 days)
Vancouver (and Vancouver Island) (3 days)
Mt St. Helens/Salem (1day)
Crater Lake/Klamath Falls (1day)
Redwood National Park/Crescent City (1 day)
San Francisco (3 days)
Some "bridging-days" in between as well.
Let's hope this family-trip(Girlfriend, Parents&Sister) will leave me the time to do some serious shooting, it can get frustrating - the schedule is tight. At least we have a full week in Banff/Jasper so this hopefully will yield something. In some other locations the short time will be painful for me, but this is a one "size-fits-all" kind of trip with the whole family so one gotta make some compromises...
First of all, if some of you guys happen to be somewhere around where I will be - let me know - maybe we can meet in person (for a chat, a beer, a coffee, a shooting) would be a great thing.(I can give more info on timing and exact location)
Second: suggestions regarding spots&locations, tips and whatever advices you can think of are greatly appreciated. Some of you guys here are well experienced with these locations, some pointers would be great.
Are there any galleries along that route I should visit?
Thanks for any kind of advice!
Dietrich
(The trip is also the reason why I asked for opinions on the TS-E 45mm lens - I have to get some additional equipment for this )
Hey Dietrich, sounds like an awesome trip!
Good that you have time in Banff, Jasper--in my opinion the most scenic area in N America. If you have time, make sure you take a side trip up to Mt Robson, the most spectacular peak in the area, better than Rainier in many respects. You could spend a lifetime in Banff, Jasper, but if i were on limited time i would definitely hit Robson (and if hiking, even a couple miles up the main trail can get you outstanding photo ops), and rather than more time in Banff, id spend more time in Yoho Ntl park to the south, which is a smaller park but has some of the most spectacular scenerey, IMO.
St Helens is a cool place (though it depresses me) but very challenging to get any decent photos. On the other hand, Mt Rainier is not too far north of St Helens, and is an easy place to get great shots.
Vancouver Isle is an interesting place, if you have time get up the coast as far north as possible, maybe a stop at Strathcona park is in order (last time i was there, the ski lodge had great beer and food!) The colors should be getting awesome in September.
Rather than spend time inland at Crater lake in Oregon (a beautiful place, dont get me wrong) i would spend more time on the coast--the southern Oregon coastline has the best seascapes of the whole west coast IMO. Too bad you dont have more time for the redwoods--i lived not far from the ntl park for 3 years and there is plenty to see. With one day, youll barely have time to see the main groves. If you have the time, i would recommend the hike (a few miles) in the park to Fern Canyon, a small stream in a canyon surrounded by moss. If you need details, just let me know.
I sent you an email. I definitely second Stan on Mt Robson. It's only a one hour drive west of the Jasper townsite. Robson is apparently famous for keeping it's peak hidden due to the tremendous change in elevation of the peak above the Fraser R valley forcing air upward very sharply. I hit it lucky on a morning visit in April'06 during a one week trip when the early clouds cleared out to reveal the mountain in all its glory. I'm really looking forward to a return trip.
Thanks Stan and Brad, I will certainly try to incorporate some of the ideas. The flexibility is limited as the whole thing is pretty much planned in advance, we will have one rental car, one crazy photographer on board and 4 ordinary people. Plus my father is a stubborn old man () not open for much variations of the route, but lets see...
Not having much time in the Redwood Park is already something that bothers me, but you can't have it all...
Brad, thanks, sent you a mail.
My wife and I have visited the Banff-Jasper-Yoho area two Septembers in a row now. It's our favorite place to vacation. It's hard to force ourselves to go somewhere else this year.
The first year we went I had Darwin Wiggett's How To Photograph The Canadian Rockies and found it to be an outstanding guide to the best places to photograph. One morning at sunrise we met another photographer couple who also had the book. They had had a hard time finding a copy and I noticed it's out of stock on Amazon.com. You can order a copy on Darwin's website - http://www.darwinwiggett.com/books.html
I hightly recommend finding a copy before your trip and use it to plan your days, or at least as much as the family will let you get away with
Get out from the crowds and enjoy the scenery -- it's hard to take a bad picture there!
Thanks Peter and Richard! I was seriously thinking about the book, at least I will get it for inspiration. As you correctly mention Richard, it might be hard to follow the guide because of the family...
Whoa, quite a tight schedule here Dierich!!!
You will leave out Olympic Ntl Park? What about the Oregon coast? Just 1 day in Redwood Ntl Park? (I'd suggest to check out Prairie creek area. (hike down all the way to Fern Canyon) Lady Bird Johnson grove is right there, too. (short walk)
8 days in the Canadian rockies is short but sounds ok. (maybe one easy shooting location might be Valley of the ten peaks - but there are plenty of easy-to-reach- locations and Darwins book is really good)
3 days Vancouver Island - my guess is, you will not get much landscape photography done, more of Victoria sightseeing?!) If there is a chance, check out the Orca watching tours in Telegraph Cove up in the north of the Island - this is one of the best spots in the world to see Orcas)
So, family or not, I would skip Mt. St Helens and Vanc. Island and Crater Lake , too with such a short timespan in favour of the Oregon Coast, Olympic Ntl Park or a couple more spots which I will not mention here... - so, at least I told you...
After all, you can use the trip like a scouting tour and return another year with enough time on hand...
If you want to have any detailed infos, give me a call.
Georg
Hi Dietrich!! I just wanted to write that I am VERY envious of your trip and hope you have a blast even with time constraints!! Just to SEE the grandeur would be awesome!!
Let me know when you plan to be in Jasper/Banff area as I will be shooting there in September. I can show you some 'secret' spots (where beer flows out of the hills and chocolate avalanches roll off glaciers). Darwin
Posted by Dan Baumbach on April 2, 2008 at 10:18 AM
Dietrich,
I'm 20 miles north of San Francisco. Email me if you want to get together while you're here.
Sounds like a great trip Dietrich. You may seriously think about renting an extra car (a hybrid of course ) while you are in the Canadian Rockies so you can break free at sunrise and sunset.
Thanks again for all the suggestions! I will certainly think about all this and eventually ask for some more specific info.
@Georg - thanks, well, you know, my dad is inviting us to this - you know the saying "einem geschenken Gaul schaut man nicht ins Maul" - I do not have much control and I certainly cannot mess up the planned schedule. I am grateful to get to some great locations. But I know we have some ridiculous shortage of time in some locations. This is a once in 5 years trip - so one gotta make the most out of this is terms of different locations.
Darwin, Dan, thanks, awesome, I will send you a mail!
Add another tally to the recommendation for Mt. Robson. You get an incredible variety of scenery in a relatively short distance. I'ts traditionally a multi-day hike up to Berg Lake at roughly 40-45km roundtrip, but I've done it in a single day. Even if you only go as far as Kinney Lake, it's a nice trip.
Also, I find Yoho packs a little more punch into its scenery than Banff, especially if you/your fellow travelers don't want to wander too far away from the car. Within Yoho, the Lake O'Hara area offers some great fall colours with its larch trees at that time of year. O'Hara is also great due to its trail networks, so if somebody with you isn't as keen as you, you can easily split up and meet back up again later in the day.
The Iceline trail also offers some great photo ops.
My plans are still in flux, but it's a good possibility that I will be in the Banff-Jasper area when you are there. Keep in touch on your timing. Now that my father has passed, I miss not hearing the Austrian dialect.
...."einem geschenken Gaul schaut man nicht ins Maul".... OK, enough said about flexibility.
But I'm certain you will be able to find a few good shots.
Kenn and Bill thanks for your replies.
Thanks also for the Yoho-suggestion. I heard it offers even more stunning scenery. I will try to get there, I am in constant negotiation
Bill, If we could meet, this would be great, and i hope I wont dissapoint with my austrian accent. Seriously, I had quite a few comments that I sound like a Schwarzenegger-Joke! Or like someone from the US trying to impersonate the austrian accent. Hmm, I guess there are more charming complements, but at least I do not sound like an austrian trying to speak english, haha (Arnie is not austrian either...)
Dietrich
Discussion
15 repliesI will visit western Canada and the US (Washington, Oregon and California that is) in the first three weeks of September this year.
I am so excited about this! I see all the great images here from some of these stunning locations and finally I have the chance to witness this with my own eyes and to try my best at capturing the scenery.
We will go to:
Banff&Jasper(8 days)
Vancouver (and Vancouver Island) (3 days)
Mt St. Helens/Salem (1day)
Crater Lake/Klamath Falls (1day)
Redwood National Park/Crescent City (1 day)
San Francisco (3 days)
Some "bridging-days" in between as well.
Let's hope this family-trip(Girlfriend, Parents&Sister) will leave me the time to do some serious shooting, it can get frustrating - the schedule is tight. At least we have a full week in Banff/Jasper so this hopefully will yield something. In some other locations the short time will be painful for me, but this is a one "size-fits-all" kind of trip with the whole family so one gotta make some compromises...
First of all, if some of you guys happen to be somewhere around where I will be - let me know - maybe we can meet in person (for a chat, a beer, a coffee, a shooting) would be a great thing.(I can give more info on timing and exact location)
Second: suggestions regarding spots&locations, tips and whatever advices you can think of are greatly appreciated. Some of you guys here are well experienced with these locations, some pointers would be great.
Are there any galleries along that route I should visit?
Thanks for any kind of advice!
Dietrich
(The trip is also the reason why I asked for opinions on the TS-E 45mm lens - I have to get some additional equipment for this
Good that you have time in Banff, Jasper--in my opinion the most scenic area in N America. If you have time, make sure you take a side trip up to Mt Robson, the most spectacular peak in the area, better than Rainier in many respects. You could spend a lifetime in Banff, Jasper, but if i were on limited time i would definitely hit Robson (and if hiking, even a couple miles up the main trail can get you outstanding photo ops), and rather than more time in Banff, id spend more time in Yoho Ntl park to the south, which is a smaller park but has some of the most spectacular scenerey, IMO.
St Helens is a cool place (though it depresses me) but very challenging to get any decent photos. On the other hand, Mt Rainier is not too far north of St Helens, and is an easy place to get great shots.
Vancouver Isle is an interesting place, if you have time get up the coast as far north as possible, maybe a stop at Strathcona park is in order (last time i was there, the ski lodge had great beer and food!) The colors should be getting awesome in September.
Rather than spend time inland at Crater lake in Oregon (a beautiful place, dont get me wrong) i would spend more time on the coast--the southern Oregon coastline has the best seascapes of the whole west coast IMO. Too bad you dont have more time for the redwoods--i lived not far from the ntl park for 3 years and there is plenty to see. With one day, youll barely have time to see the main groves. If you have the time, i would recommend the hike (a few miles) in the park to Fern Canyon, a small stream in a canyon surrounded by moss. If you need details, just let me know.
I sent you an email. I definitely second Stan on Mt Robson. It's only a one hour drive west of the Jasper townsite. Robson is apparently famous for keeping it's peak hidden due to the tremendous change in elevation of the peak above the Fraser R valley forcing air upward very sharply. I hit it lucky on a morning visit in April'06 during a one week trip when the early clouds cleared out to reveal the mountain in all its glory. I'm really looking forward to a return trip.
Not having much time in the Redwood Park is already something that bothers me, but you can't have it all...
Brad, thanks, sent you a mail.
The first year we went I had Darwin Wiggett's How To Photograph The Canadian Rockies and found it to be an outstanding guide to the best places to photograph. One morning at sunrise we met another photographer couple who also had the book. They had had a hard time finding a copy and I noticed it's out of stock on Amazon.com. You can order a copy on Darwin's website - http://www.darwinwiggett.com/books.html
I hightly recommend finding a copy before your trip and use it to plan your days, or at least as much as the family will let you get away with
Get out from the crowds and enjoy the scenery -- it's hard to take a bad picture there!
Richard
You will leave out Olympic Ntl Park? What about the Oregon coast? Just 1 day in Redwood Ntl Park? (I'd suggest to check out Prairie creek area. (hike down all the way to Fern Canyon) Lady Bird Johnson grove is right there, too. (short walk)
8 days in the Canadian rockies is short but sounds ok. (maybe one easy shooting location might be Valley of the ten peaks - but there are plenty of easy-to-reach- locations and Darwins book is really good)
3 days Vancouver Island - my guess is, you will not get much landscape photography done, more of Victoria sightseeing?!) If there is a chance, check out the Orca watching tours in Telegraph Cove up in the north of the Island - this is one of the best spots in the world to see Orcas)
So, family or not, I would skip Mt. St Helens and Vanc. Island and Crater Lake , too with such a short timespan in favour of the Oregon Coast, Olympic Ntl Park or a couple more spots which I will not mention here... - so, at least I told you...
After all, you can use the trip like a scouting tour and return another year with enough time on hand...
If you want to have any detailed infos, give me a call.
Georg
I'm 20 miles north of San Francisco. Email me if you want to get together while you're here.
- Dan.
@Georg - thanks, well, you know, my dad is inviting us to this - you know the saying "einem geschenken Gaul schaut man nicht ins Maul" - I do not have much control and I certainly cannot mess up the planned schedule. I am grateful to get to some great locations. But I know we have some ridiculous shortage of time in some locations. This is a once in 5 years trip - so one gotta make the most out of this is terms of different locations.
Darwin, Dan, thanks, awesome, I will send you a mail!
Also, I find Yoho packs a little more punch into its scenery than Banff, especially if you/your fellow travelers don't want to wander too far away from the car. Within Yoho, the Lake O'Hara area offers some great fall colours with its larch trees at that time of year. O'Hara is also great due to its trail networks, so if somebody with you isn't as keen as you, you can easily split up and meet back up again later in the day.
The Iceline trail also offers some great photo ops.
Enjoy your trip.
My plans are still in flux, but it's a good possibility that I will be in the Banff-Jasper area when you are there. Keep in touch on your timing. Now that my father has passed, I miss not hearing the Austrian dialect.
...."einem geschenken Gaul schaut man nicht ins Maul".... OK, enough said about flexibility.
But I'm certain you will be able to find a few good shots.
Thanks also for the Yoho-suggestion. I heard it offers even more stunning scenery. I will try to get there, I am in constant negotiation
Bill, If we could meet, this would be great, and i hope I wont dissapoint with my austrian accent. Seriously, I had quite a few comments that I sound like a Schwarzenegger-Joke! Or like someone from the US trying to impersonate the austrian accent. Hmm, I guess there are more charming complements, but at least I do not sound like an austrian trying to speak english, haha (Arnie is not austrian either...)
Dietrich