Kanab Point for Sunrise over the Grand Canyon

Kanab Point at the exact moment of Sunrise

Kanab point has everything I'd want in a Grand Canyon viewpoint.  It's remote.  My family had it all to ourselves.  It's got great views at sunrise and sunset.  It's got towering rock pillars and distant twisted dark canyons.  It overlooks the confluence of two huge canyons:  the Grand Canyon and Kanab Canyon.  You can see all the way down to the water far below.  It's pretty undiscovered as far as photography goes.

After camping there overnight, I got up before sunrise and went to the point looking east.  The sun will rise over Kanab Creek to the east and the main Grand Canyon with the Colorado is slightly to the southeast.  You can include views in any direction except northwest.  It drops off in sheer cliffs in all those directions.

I shot with a variety of lenses to bring some specific things into focus, such as the Golden Rocky Towers with a 70-200 mm lens.  I used the 17 mm tilt-shift lens to make the Kanab Creek panorama.  I also used multiple exposures and HDR processing for the first photo which includes the sun.  I hoped to capture the glorious glow on the towers below Kanab Point and also see the darker depths of Kanab creek and see the sun simultaneously.  I did some manual local adjustments to get things exactly right.

Golden Rocky Towers over the Grand Canyon

Kanab Creek drainage:  a panoramic photo

Driving to Kanab Point takes patience.  Before you even get on the dirt, you've driven quite a ways from some small towns.  Once you are on the dirt road, you're only halfway.  Although the path is not particularly difficult, the road quality is lacking.  This path goes around every small shrub and tree, sometimes twice around the same bush, or so it seems.  You won't drive straight for more than 2 feet before another turn.  So, it's slow.  Got it?

Kanab Point:  the view to the west

Gordon's hike rating:
Hike Difficulty:                   ★★ Mild
Trail Condition:                   ★★★ Flat but unmaintained
Trail Hazards:                      ★★★★ Mild:  steep drop offs
Road Conditions:                 ★ Poor and slow-going with no signs
Time Required:                     All day from Pipe Springs
Distance round trip:              n/a
Off the Beaten Path:             ★★★★★ Yes, 5 Stars
Scenery:                                ★★★★★ Spectacular, 5 Stars
Photographic Potential:        ★★★★★ Spectacular, 5 Stars