The Wave and Beyond 
August 2025

Kanab, Utah offers a perfect base for a “sandstone grand slam” that mixes intimate abstracts with epic scale landscapes. The Wave, Coyote Buttes South, Zion National Park, the Great Chamber, Inchworm Arch, White Pocket, and Toroweap Overlook are all within (long) driving distance.

The Wave in Coyote Buttes North is the ultimate line-and-light subject: flowing bands of sandstone reward careful framing and patience as constantly changing sun angle also alters contrast and saturation. It’s a fragile, undeveloped backcountry area with no improved trails or facilities, and access is limited by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM): getting a permit is like drawing Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket.

Coyote Buttes South offers an entirely different type of landscape: more spread out with long views and lots of sunset possibilities.

For a totally dissimilar look, Zion National Park offers craggy peaks, precipitous drops and great scenery.

The Great Chamber is a massive photographic “amphitheater”—an enormous sandstone alcove with a sand dune at its entrance. A wide lens is necessary to capture the full curve-and-shadow sweep.

Located east of Kanab in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Inchworm Arch resembles an inchworm slowly crawling its way down the rocks.

Back on the plateau, White Pocket is pure exploration: the BLM notes there are no set trails and visitors are encouraged to roam. That freedom is ideal for hunting clean abstracts, swirls, and pockets of reflected light after storms.

Finally, Toroweap Overlook is a jaw-dropper: the NPS calls the area remote, and they are right: no gas, water, food, or cell service. Access is only via high-clearance dirt roads with advance permits. At the rim, Toroweap Overlook delivers a sheer 3,000-foot drop to the Colorado River and a dramatic inner-canyon view that’s tailor-made for sunset, storm light, and star photography.

There is no doubt that the Kanab area offers a plethora of photographic opportunities.