Nature's Layer Cake by Steve Bennett

The most remarkable scenes often appear just after you pack up your gear. Such was the case with this photo, which I took after hiking the Northgate Peaks trail in the Kolob Terrace section of Zion National Park. Throughout the day, the weather had cycled unpredictably through sunshine, drizzle, and downpours—and everything in between. By late afternoon, the sky was filled with a wild panoply of clouds ranging from layered stratus to wispy cirrus. I took a few more shots on the trail, packed up, and headed back to my hotel in Springdale, about 30 miles away. Five minutes after leaving the trailhead, I rounded a bend in the curvy road and hit the brakes at a pullover. So many elements of the...View all