Kodachrome Basin State Park, Utah
September 14, 2022
Photographer: Rick Stankiewicz
Summary Author: Rick Stankiewicz
While touring the U.S Southwest a few years ago, my wife and I found many small but spectacular State Parks in our travels. One that stands out is Kodachrome Basin State Park in southern Utah, just 8 miles (13 km) from Cannonville along Hwy-12.
Its 2,250 acres (910 ha) is almost surrounded by the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and fits right into the beauty and grandeur of the region. Originally called “Thorny Pasture,” it supposedly got its current moniker from a National Geographic photographer in 1948, in honor of the latest (soon to be iconic) Kodak film. The park is aptly named, as its rich earth-toned colors draw a photographer’s eye in every direction. I haven’t shot Kodachrome for many years, but even “digital” can do it justice.
Sandstone spires and columns are common throughout the park and are thought to have formed by previous geysers and hot springs filling with sediments that solidified. When the surrounding Entrada Sandstone (Jurassic Period mudflats, beaches and sand dunes) eroded away, these structures were revealed. The “sand pipes”, as they’re called, range in size from about 6.5 ft. (2 m) to 170 ft. (52 m)
This park was designated as an “International Dark Sky Park” by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) in 2021. Photo taken on October 10, 2013.
Photo details: Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 camera; ISO 100, 1/400 second exposure; f/5.9; 22.8 mm.
Cannonville (Kodachrome Basin State Park), Utah Coordinates: 37.50056, -112.00056
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