Lighthouses of the Grand canyon
An adventure like no other, combining the grandeur of Grand Canyon landscapes with the visual nostalgia of the beacons that have kept rafters safe for over a century. Both day and night we'll explore the unique lighthouses of this diverse national park, both at the rim and at the canyon floor along the banks of the Colorado River. From short hikes the first few days to a five-day rafting and camping adventure to end the trip, we'll explore, see and photograph all 12 lighthouses in the park.
Workshop Details
April 31-May 10, 2024 — 1 Spot Left
This is a 10-night, 11-day workshop. Your adventure begins on the morning of the first day, and ends after a miserable hike back up the canyon wall on the morning of the last day.
$4,895 + applicable taxes.
Skill level
Intermediate and above. Participants should have a firm grasp of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras, and have a comfortable understanding of lighthouse nomenclature.
Group size
10, with 2 instructors — 5:1 ratio
NPS website
Grand Canyon Gunnison National Park
Workshop Leaders
Registration
| • Deposit of $1,000 is required to reserve your spot at the workshop. |
| • Balance of $3,895 is due on December 31, 2024. → Pay balance here. |
| • You may choose the “Pay in Full” ticket if you desire to pay all at once. |
| • Last day for a cancellation request is December 30, 2024. (see cancellation and refund policy) |
| • The workshop fee does not include lodging, entrance fees, theater tickets, parking fines, barista tips, SCUBA lessons, Spotify subscriptions, tea filters, moleskin, or transportation to or during the workshop. |
The Lighthouses of the Grand Canyon Experience
The Grand Canyon is best known for its magnificent views and impossibly distant horizons, not to mention the eons of stories told by its geology. What’s not often paid attention to is the area’s network of 12 lighthouses that have been serving as a navigational aid to rafters, keeping them safe and on course for over a century.
The nautical history of the Grand Canyon dates back 10,000 years, to the first signs of human existence among these inspiring landscapes. Native Americans inhabited the area for millennia, hunting wild and semi-wild game, as well as cultivating prickly pear cactus for sustenance. They also well utilized the canyon’s famous stretch of Colorado River, as both a fishery and a bustling highway for canoes and primitive riverboat cruises.
While the Native Americans used the river as part of the lifeblood of their society, modern humans have used it for recreational rafting along the floor of the one of the country’s most awe-inspiring and expensive national parks. And while the Native Americans navigated the canyon’s waters by starlight and ancient constellations, they did miraculously build a primitive lighthouse! Multiple pictographs on walls of the canyon depict a tall stone tower with a bonfire burning on top. The pictographs—which are estimated to be about 1,000 years old—show the tower at a junction of the river with canoeists avoiding nearby rocks.
The creation of modern lighthouses in the area came about like most other networks of beacons: because of the maritime disasters that pre-dated and necessitated their existence. Though tales of raftwrecks and route changes abound, the early days of the national park saw an unfortunate rash of sinkings and strandings that prompted action. In fact, over a 3-year stretch, over 140 vessels were reported damaged, lost or meandering. So on April 1, 1921, Congress approved construction of 14 lighthouses in the park, 12 of which remain standing today (including two that are still actively lit, maintained by the Arizona Coast Guard).
Those dozen lighthouses will be the focus of this photographic adventure.
During our 11-day exploration of the lighthouses of the Grand Canyon, we will explore:
all five lighthouses of the rim, including …
the famous Bright Angel Light, which also guides rim-to-rim hikers finishing their trek in the dark
Mather Point Light, named for the first director of the National Park Service, who himself once fell off a raft in the Grand Canyon
a ranger-guided tour of the attic of Mile-High Ledge Light
on a five-day rafting adventure, all seven lighthouses on the floor of the canyon, including …
Havasupai Light, which marks the trail head to the famous turquoise waterfall (where we’ll swim!)
the hard-to-find Phantom Light
Lucky Light, which has survived three fires, 22 floodings and 12 recorded lightning strikes
What You Should Know
This workshop caters to knowledgeable photographers with an intermediate or higher skill set. Participants should have a firm grasp of the principles of lighthouse photography, and have a comfortable understanding of the basics of shift lenses and how they impact perspective distortion and diverging and converging lines and arcs. We will be happy to offer advice and answer questions about both lighthouse and regular-house photography, but the focus of the formal education will be on photographing lighthouses in a canyon environment.
Note: While we encourage the use of flashlights for safety and light painting, the park has a strict rule against flashlights that are brighter than the two active lighthouses, lest rafters get confused.
What You Will Learn
We hope to push you to step well outside your comfort zone. Lighthouse photography comes with challenges, all of which we will embrace.
TOPICS COVERED WILL INCLUDE:
balancing the exposure of a bright lighthouse in a dark environment
balancing the exposure of a dark lighthouse in a bright environment
light painting a lighthouse while avoiding lighting redundancy
short (and long) star trails with a lighthouse
lighthouse-beam trails with star points
and more …
Most of the instruction on this workshop will be in the field, as we don’t have classroom space at the hotel on the rim. We will, however, be able to run image reviews during the rafting portion of the trip, as one of the rafts is covered and has a power outlet.
Night Conditions
Logistics & General Info
Travel
Grand Canyon National Park is easy to get to, and just requires a long, long drive through the Arizona desert. You can stop for great pie along the way.
Nearby Airports:
Phoenix (PHO)
Transportation
You will need a rental car, but you don’t necessarily need to drive it yourself.
You will need a rental raft. We recommend not getting a motorized raft. While a motor will make traveling the river faster, it is heavier to carry on the hike down into the canyon, and especially back up again. If you wish to share the cost of renting a raft, let us know and we’ll connect you with a like-minded attendee.
Lodging & Food
Lodging
Canyon rim: We’ll be staying at the Grand Canyon Four Seasons Resort & Spa, east wing, second floor, rooms 208 to 222, except for room 213, which doesn’t exist. No pets.
Canyon floor: You may bring a tent, or you may sleep under a raft leaned against a large rock. Up to three attendees per upturned raft.
Food
Canyon rim: Varying food options are abundant, mostly at locally owned eateries, and as you might suspect, the local tofu is excellent.
Canyon floor: Beans and franks in a flashlight.
Weather
Expect daytime highs in the 60s F, lows in the 40s, averages in the 50s. At this time of year, each day historically has either sun or clouds.
Recommended Attire
Layers. Underpants, a base layer, a main layer, a wind-breaking layer, and insulation layer, an outer layer, and waterproof overalls.
A light jacket is always nice for going out to dinner, but evening wear is not required.
Definitely wear shoes. We recommend any color but black—black shoes make it hard to find your feet in the dark.
A wet suit for when we’re on or in the river.
Exertion Level
The exertion level of this workshop is Easy when we’re at the rim, Moderate at the canyon floor, and Miserable hiking back out of the canyon.
Vigorous activity will be required during the workshop, so please consider your physical abilities prior to registering. You should be comfortable carrying your own equipment over uneven ground in the dark, and stepping around rattlesnakes and scorpions.
A Convergence of Favorite Aesthetics …
“When I first rafted the park, I was of course drawn to all the wonderful aspects of the trip. … But I was especially mesmerized by the lighthouses. ”
National Parks are full of surprises. You have to look hard to find them, but Acadia has Eastern Venus Flytraps. Mesa Verde has wild cattle. Rocky Mountain has bioluminescent freshwater mussels. I spend a lot of time in national parks, so I’ve come across enough of these surprises to not be so surprised anymore. Some say that’s a loss of experiential innocence, but I’m just no longer surprised that there are so many things to surprise me.
The Grand Canyon’s biggest asset is no surprise at all: It’s really, really deep. At its deepest, the floor is over a mile below the rim. In prehistoric times, it was a really, really deep river. Much of the water receded long ago, but the remnants of the river still roar along the canyon floor, beckoning rafters from around the world to come brave its rapids and behold its beautiful glory.
When I first rafted the park, I was of course drawn to all the wonderful aspects of the trip. The flora, and the fauna. But I was especially mesmerized by the lighthouses.
As a young photographer growing up in New England, two of the top aesthetic loves I developed were lighthouses (because they were ubiquitous at home) and the landscapes of the Southwest (because they were so different than the scenes at home). Those two loves combined on that first Grand Canyon trip, and the lighthouses of the park have become some of my favorite to visit and to photograph.
From rim to rim, from river shore to river shore, these beacons of a bygone era continue to shine, if only in my heart.
