Photographing the Southwest - Volume 1 Updates
Arches Nat'l Park: Wall Arch is no more. It collapsed sometime during the night of August 5 to 6, 2008.
Coyote Gulch: The distance from Redwell trailhead to the river is about 13 miles and 12 miles from the Hurricane trailhead. The roundtrip hike is 24-25 miles, depending on the trailhead selected. The current printing incorrectly lists 23 and 50 miles, respectively, as the distances.
Photographing the Southwest - Volume 2 Updates
General: The "America the Beautiful" Pass supersedes the previous National Park Pass.
Little Colorado River: A small fee is now charged to enter.
Toroweap: The track deteriorates badly for the 5 miles past the Tuweep ranger station and the last two miles are on very rough slickrock, with some moderate steps in places. From here on, high-clearance is required and 4WD is recommended.
Grand Canyon West: As of this writing, you’ll have to pay a fee of $49 to see the viewpoints and the Skywalk. Walking on the Skywalk proper will cost you an additional $25. The Skywalk is not extending over the canyon as far as the brochures would lead you to believe and the view is over a side canyon. Photography is strictly prohibited on the Skywalk (you will even be searched prior to entering). Cameras must be checked in lockers, for a fee!
Sedona: If you have an "America the Beautiful" Interagency Annual Pass, Senior Pass, Access Pass or Volunteer Pass from the National Park or U.S. Forest Service, you do not have to purchase a Red Rock Pass. Just place one of these cards in view on your windshield.
Sedona/Munds Mountain: The beginning of the Schnebly Hill Road is paved for about a mile, but the remaining section to the Vista is no longer graded; it has become very rocky and hard on the tires and it is no longer suitable to passenger cars.
Sedona/Fay Canyon: To reach Fay Canyon from Boynton Canyon, drive back about 0.2 mile to the last junction leading to the resort and continue southwest on FR 152C aka Boynton Pass Road for about 0.5 mile. This road is now paved and accessible to passenger cars. Park on the left side for the trailhead to Fay Canyon (# 53).
Sedona/Doe & Bear Mountain: Back on FR 152C, continue southwest on the paved road for 0.7 mile and park to the left at the car park serving both Doe Mountain Trail and Bear Mountain Trail, just before the road becomes unpaved.
Palatki: Officially, Palatki must be seen by reservation, but you may show up at the site and you'll get in if there is room.
Coal Mine Canyon: Access to the canyon from the top is closed as of this writing.
Monument Valley: As of this writing, the self-guided Scenic Drive opens at 7 AM in summer (i.e. from May to September) and at 8 AM during the other months. It closes at 8:30 PM in summer (4:30 PM during the other months).
Antelope Canyon: To access the site, leave Page southeast via Coppermine Road (and not Copperhead as erroneously written).
Antelope Canyon: The $6 backcountry permit fee is deductible from the Lower Antelope Canyon fee. At the gate, you may also purchase a permit for Water Holes Canyon.
Antelope Canyon/Upper: A 2-hour limit is now imposed on photography tours at Upper Antelope Canyon.
Antelope Canyon/Lower: A 4-hour limit is officially in effect. However, it is not enforced in wintertime.
Water Holes Canyon: For a fee of $5 as of this writing, you can purchase a Navajo backcountry permit at the gate of the Antelope Canyon tribal park to visit nearby Water Holes Canyon.
Water Holes Canyon: Access to the lower part of the canyon is currently off-limits.
Coyote Buttes North: The web site for permits to the Wave is currently: https://www.blm.gov/az/paria/obtainpermits.cfm?usearea=CB
Coyote Buttes North/New rules: As of this writing, you can enter the lottery three months in advance to obtain a permit for some of the ten slots available online each day. For a $5 fee, you can apply for up to three entry dates for any given month. If you are planning a trip less than three months in advance, begin by checking the calendar on the permit page to see if some slots are still available. This is more likely to happen during the winter months.
If you couldn’t reserve a date on the Internet and are vacationing in the area, there is still a glimmer of hope: you can try to obtain a walk-in permit. The total number of permits varies by group size, but there is a total of twenty slots per day, ten permits being issued online as previously described and the other ten being issued as walk-in permits. Travelling as a group—a maximum of six per group is allowed—further diminishes your chances of finding your date of choice. Be ready to make some major scheduling concessions.
You can obtain a walk-in permit at the Paria Ranger Station from mid-March to mid-November, seven days a week. The station is located on US 89, about 30 miles from Page and 43 miles from Kanab, near milepost 21. From mid-November to mid-March, permits can be obtained at the BLM Kanab Field Office (see Resources in Appendix), five days a week. In both cases, you need to be there at 9AM MST (or 9AM DST in summer), but the drawing is not first come, first served. If there are ten persons or less seeking permits, you will be issued one for the next day; however; if all ten permits were not issued the previous day, a same day permit may be available. Competition is fierce during the warmer months and it is not unusual to see fifty bodies vying for the highly-prized permits. Someone reported counting 80 people on a recent June 08 day. If you’ve been lucky enough to obtain a walk-in permit, you may not participate in the drawing for another two weeks. Permits cost $5 per person as of this writing.
Coyote Buttes South: Permits can be reserved on the web at the same URL as for Coyote Buttes North (see above link). An additional 10 slots are also available as walk-in permits from the Paria Ranger Station on US 89 or fron the BLM office in Kanab, depending on the season.
White Pocket: There is no longer a windmill at Poverty Flats. The BLM seems intent on removing the ranch there, for reasons yet unknow.