Uinta Reflections

The Uinta Mountains east of Salt Lake City are filled with several small lakes. Often in the morning and evening, when the air is calm, there are simply stunning reflections produced by the glass smooth surface of the lake waters of surrounding trees, mountains and sky in this high alpine area.

The Uinta mountain range is the only East-West mountain range in the US. It extends for 150 miles along the southern border of Wyoming with Utah. The range contains all of the peaks in Utah above 13,000 feet including Kings Peak, the highest elevation in Utah. The Uinta's differ from the Wasatch mountain range just east of Salt lake City and Provo Utah. Salt Lake City rests at an elevation of 4200 feet and the Wasatch mountain peak at around 11,500 feet. Consequently, the Wasatch range is spectacular as viewed from the west. The peaks rise over 7000 feet from the valley floor!

The peaks in the Uinta's are higher than those of the Wasatch mountains, but they rise only about 3,000 feet from the surrounding 9,000 to 10,000 ft high alpine 'Basins'. Spring comes late and everything remains green for the entire summer. The air is cool and clear because of the altitude. A great place of the study of reflection on glass like lake surfaces.

The Canoe and Rock at Moosehorn Lake

This is a photograph of Moosehorn Lake. The foothills of Bald Mountain are to the left. The glass like water surface was in this small cove. I chose a view which shows the details of the rock and the canoe with their reflections in the surface of the water.

Morning Reflections on Lilly Lake

Sunrise on Lilly lake which is located west of the Bald Mountain pass. My objective here was to capture this photograph when the sunrise had not reached the surface of the water. The crisp clear calm air enhances the natural coloring of this scene.

Reflection of the Sunrise at Pass Lake

Sunrise at Pass Lake in Utah's high Uinta mountains. Pass lake is located very near Mirror lake just east of the Bald Mountain pass. The glass smooth water was simply stunning. The stones at the shoreline and the reflections of the clouds at the water surface where what I was attempting to compose in this shot.

Hayden Peak at Sunset

An evening photo of Hayden Peak in Utah's high Uinta mountains. The clouds cooperated even though the sky was essentially cloudless at the lower elevations along the Wasatch front which is about 80 miles west of this location. Hayden peak is east of the 10,750 foot pass along the road from Kamas Utah up over to the Mirror lake basin.

Reflection of Hayden Peak at Sunrise

This is a reflection of Hayden Peak in the Utah's high Uinta mountain range. This photo was taken as the morning sun was about to peak over Hayden which is a 12,500 foot mountain in the Uintas. The lake is off the Mirror lake road at about an elevation of 10,000 feet at a place called Highline.

Sanpete County Utah Barn Skeleton

The barn skeleton is located just west of Manti in Sanpete County. Again, its a sky after and evening of storms. Fluffy clouds with deep blue sky. The black and white rendering was chosen to darken the blue sky. I like seeing the sky detail through the frame of the barn.