12 incredible US national parks for landscape photographers you simply have to tick off your bucket list

When it comes to landscapes, the United States goes big. From the Grand Canyon and other must-see high desert, red rock parks on the southwest’s Colorado Plateau to Wyoming’s Yellowstone, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of Tennessee and North Carolina, there are incredible photographic opportunities abound. So vast and diverse is the USA’s landscape that it can be a little overwhelming trying to whittle down a seemingly never-ending list of locations.

That’s why I’ve curated this guide featuring 12 incredible US national parks for landscape photographers, so you know the best places to head with your camera, once you’ve memorized the required landscape photography tips. Should your landscape photography exploits ever take you overseas, you can check out the best places for photography around the world.

1. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Is this national park and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World a cliché or a classic? If you've only seen this giant tear in the Earth’s surface on postcards, it might be tempting to view it merely as one for tourists trying to tick off the biggest attractions. But I implore you to pack away your preconceptions and get yourself to the South Rim’s Yavapai Point for spectacular panoramic views, and Mather Point to see the Vishnu Temple rock formation, before spending time at the other viewpoints on Desert View Drive, including the nearby Horseshoe Bend.

2. Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Crater Lake is the result of a tall volcanic peak collapsing 7,700 years ago to form the United States’ deepest body of water. The state of Oregon’s only national park offers the landscape photographer some of the bluest water it’s possible to see. The Rim Road goes around the entire caldera and boasts vistas galore from its multiple viewpoints. In the west is Wizard Island, which helps create an interesting composition, as do clouds reflecting from the water, though it’s not always calm enough for reflections. Surrounded by the Cascade Mountain Range, it’s a four-hour drive from the city of Portland.

3. Arches National Park, Utah

Don't mind hiking with your camera equipment? There are few better playgrounds for the adventurous photographer than Arches National Park in eastern Utah, where over 2,000 natural sandstone arches vie for your attention. The huge Delicate Arch in the east requires a short hike and is probably the area’s most famous attraction, but be sure to head to Devils Garden in the north to photograph the incredibly long and slim Landscape Arch. The more remote Private Arch, Double O Arch and the Dark Angel monolith require a bit of a hike, unlike the bizarre Balanced Rock on the park’s main road; it's not an arch, but it's incredible in the changing light.

4. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

The volcanic hotspot of Yellowstone has canyons, rivers, forests and hot springs galore. If you want to photograph top tourist site, the Old Faithful geyser, get there very early in the day to avoid massive crowds. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is a spectacular location for photographers, and can easily take up half a day, but again, get there early. However, the real gem is the Grand Prismatic Spring, but be careful as Google Maps will direct you to an area where you can walk up to it. That makes a great shot, but find the turn about a mile to the south and you can walk to a platform from where you can also photograph it from above.

5. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

This one’s all about the hoodoos, finger-like rock formations that are at their most magical at dawn and dusk. The incredible reds and deep shadows created in the golden hour mean they’re best photographed from the aptly named Sunrise Point at the northern edge of the fabulous Bryce Amphitheater. It’s also a great place for sunset, as are Sunset, Inspiration, and Bryce Points.

6. Zion National Park, Utah

The steep and often overhanging red sandstone cliffs enclose some of the most iconic natural photographic subjects anywhere in the US. Though the Watchman is one of the most photographed peaks in Zion, you'll find a flurry of photographers hanging around the Zion Human History Museum before sunrise to capture first light hitting the Towers of the Virgin. Another must-see sight is the sunset view towards the Watchman down the Virgin River from a bridge near the Canyon Junction shuttle stop. Also, don’t miss the white water on the North Fork of the Virgin River, and The Narrows, a walk up an increasingly narrow slot canyon.

7. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Right below Yellowstone, the Grand Teton National Park is just as impressive as its more famous neighbour for the landscape photographer. That’s mostly thanks to the centrepiece: the jagged Teton Range of the Rocky Mountains, which forms a majestic backdrop against iconic photography stop-offs at Jenny Lake, Schwabacher's Landing, Mormon Row, and the Snake River Overlook. Black and grizzly bears, moose and bison can all be spotted in this area. Many a landscape photographer’s career has been made here.

8. The Wave, Paria Canyon, Arizona

All the best photographic expeditions take careful planning and incredible luck, and both of those apply in spades to The Wave. Visiting this ecologically sensitive sandstone rock formation on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness is by permit only, and since only 20 are issued each day, it’s something of a lottery, literally. You can apply at the Bureau of Land Management four months in advance of the month you want to visit, but you can’t be more specific than that.

9. Canyonlands National Park

A short drive from Arches National Park is an entirely different landscape. Bring a telephoto lens and a wide-angle lens to Canyonlands’ Island In The Sky area, and specifically to Grand View Point Overlook for expansive views over an extraordinary sculpted landscape far below, with The Needles in the distance. However, despite those stunning vistas, it's just as famous for its incredible Mesa Arch perched on the side of a vast landscape beneath. Right beside Canyonlands is the lesser-known Dead Horse Point State Park, whose main observation point’s aerial view of a turn in the Green River is just as jaw-dropping.

10. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee & North Carolina

It’s the most visited national park in the US for a reason, and though it’s a playground for hikers, you can get to some excellent locations without walking too far. A great vantage point is Clingmans Dome, the park’s highest point at 2,025m and the tallest mountain along the 3,499km Appalachian Trail. It also boasts a circular concrete observation deck built in 1959, which gives a 180-degree panoramic view.

11. John Day Fossil Beds National Monument – Painted Hills, Oregon

The reason to venture out into remote Oregon is for one section of the John Day Fossil Beds, the magnificent red, yellow and black Painted Hills. With beautiful shapes and patterns, its delicate colours change in hue in the soft light of the golden hour, and become more dramatic after rain. These 35-million-year-old rocks are in a relatively small area covered in short trails, but they’re not easy to get to. The area is accessed on a road nine miles north-west of Mitchell, off Highway 26.

12. Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Arizona

You've seen it on TV and in countless images, but now it's time to photograph the famous 'mittens' for yourself at Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park in the Navajo Nation Reservation. There are dozens of guided tours to see the massive sandstone buttes, a fine two-hour hike on Wildcat Trail, and plenty of rock art to see. Situated on the Colorado Plateau, it’s close to Four Corners if you want to visit Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico in one place.

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