Arches Natonal Park - Park Avenue Sunset

You can plan for months and still get lucky.

Park Avenue sits right at the entrance to Arches National Park. Most people drive past it on their way to Delicate Arch or the Windows section. I've done it myself a dozen times. The formations are impressive, these towering sandstone fins that earned the name because they resemble Manhattan skyscrapers, but they face west. Harsh light most of the day. Easy to skip.

I stopped this time because the sky looked interesting. High clouds moving fast, the kind that can either fizzle into nothing or catch fire at sunset. I had nowhere else to be, so I pulled into the viewpoint and set up.

The show started slow. Some color along the horizon, nothing special. I almost packed up. Then the clouds ignited.

Orange and pink and yellow streaking across the entire sky like brushstrokes. The formations went from flat red to glowing. That light only happens a few times a year when everything aligns. High clouds at the right altitude, moisture in the atmosphere, sun angle hitting the sweet spot. You cannot predict it. You can only be there when it happens.

I shot fast. Panorama frames to capture the full sweep of sky. The color shifted every thirty seconds, cycling through variations I had never seen before. The whole display lasted maybe fifteen minutes before fading to purple and then gray.

Park Avenue gets overlooked because the famous arches are further into the park. But on the right evening, this spot delivers as well as anywhere in Utah.