Circle Cliffs, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Utah

The towering Wingate Sandstone ramparts known as the Circle Cliffs glow in the first rays of morning light in the northeast corner of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in this black & white photograph captured in the heart of the Colorado Plateau in southern Utah. An approaching storm with thick, dark clouds obscured most of the sky except for a narrow sliver of clear sky along the eastern horizon. As the sun rose into this narrow slit, it bathed the scene in bright light for several minutes before being swallowed by the thickening clouds. The Circle Cliffs form a large sweeping amphitheater at the western edge of Capitol Reef National Park. This panoramic black & white photograph was captured with a 6×17 panorama format camera.