snowy desert

who knew there was such thing as a snowy desert???

In my mind snow and the desert do not go together!! Perhaps that is because anytime I have driven through or been to the desert it has been scorching hot and dry! However while on a road trip last week the desert had something very different to show me… Snow!!! When I left Denver it was a blizzard, but I didn’t expect that heavy now to be in parts of Utah and Arizona! I was wrong and boy am I glad I was. A snowy desert is truly magical. It could be that I have never seen the red rocks of these canyons covered with a thick layer or snow or just the fact that I love winter time… Whatever it was, I was loving it!

We stopped and hiked to the Betakin cliff dwelling. It was absolutely amazing! What an awesome peek into the history of the area!

The quiet stillness in the air with only the sound of the snow crunching below my feet was incredibly peaceful.

We stayed the night in Page, Arizona with the hopes of visiting Antelope Canyon. However, the weather had different plans for us and we were unable to do so. That didn’t stop us from finding something else amazing in this lovely little town! When the guide at the lower Antelope Canyon gave us a brochure I noticed an incredible image inside of Horseshoe Bend and we decided to check it out! OH MY GOSH! It was absolutely breathtaking!! It was 3/4 of a mile from the parking lot to the edge of a 1000 foot cliff! It was incredible and I was stoked that I brought my fish eye lens for this trip!!

Thank you Buffalo Heart Images for this awesome shot! I can’t believe I was standing so close to this insanely high cliff!

Our last stop for this part of the road trip was a lovely drive through Zion National Park! I would love to one day be able to visit all of the national parks that this beautiful country has… some day!! I have been to a handful of them and it is crazy how they are so uniquely different! Zion was gorgeous covered in snow! We went on another hike and as climbed higher and higher the view just kept getting better and better!

Be sure to check back next Travel Tuesday for some gorgeous images of Teton National Park from a trip I took there this last fall!!