Towers of the Virgin, Zion National Park, Utah

Frosted with early-season snow, clouds begin to rise above the Towers of the Virgin as morning sun begins to heat the cliffs in Zion National Park. Soaring more than 3,500 feet above the valley floor, this enormous wall of Navajo Sandstone is often dusted with snow during a typical Zion winter. The high plateaus of Zion National Park form the headwaters of the Virgin River and these wnter snows provide most of the water which flows out of the canyon and through the rapidly growing towns of southwestern Utah. As the population of this region continues to explode, the demands on this small, desert River increase accordingly. This panoramic black & white photograph was captured with a 6×17 panorama format camera.