The American Southwest is known for many things such as being dry and hot, saguaro cactus, and very flat rock or cliff formations called mesas.  Most people, when picturing this region of the world, picture a hot and dry semi-red desert.  However, there are plenty of times when this is not the case.  Today, I’m sharing what happens when winter weather hits: snowy desert mesas.

There’s not a lot of snow which falls in this area of the world compared to other parts.  Still, when it does come and fall, the landscape in front of our eyes is transformed into something magical, if cold and miserable too.  All that I, as a landscape photographer, need to do is to be in the right place at the right time with my camera ready to go.  Thanks to recent snowfall, I made just such an opportunity.

I find that Bryce Canyon National Park is a great option for landscape photography on the spur of the moment.  So that’s where I went.  I wanted to try a different spot than most of my usual haunts so I went for Sunrise Point.

Now this particular viewpoint is a small hike to get to on normal days.  It’s far from terrible unless you have bad knees (I do know people).  However, thanks to several inches of recent snowfall, the hike became a bit more treacherous.  The trail is along the rim of the canyon and there’s no railing to prevent falls in most cases.  One wrong step on ice and that could be a painful slide and fall for me.  I’m very grateful that didn’t happen as I stayed a fair enough distance from the edge.

I had an amazing blue hour view of what is already a spectacular view.  The Boat Mesa features prominently in the view from Sunrise Point so I figured that I would incorporate it into my field of view.  All I had to do was find the right place to stand and shoot from.  I carefully hiked and bore out the cold of falling twilight for both of these photos.

I do enjoy the chance to get out and take some photos during winter.  It’s nice when I can come back with something so beautiful but very temporary.  Many of these views don’t make it all the way through winter let alone any other seasons of the year.  I’m glad that I can share these photos with all of you.  Share your thoughts about these new photos of snowy desert mesas in the comments section below.