Looks Like Winter, but..

..it's not. And, it's not Bryce Canyon either, for those who might think so. This is Cedar Breaks, similar to Bryce with it's characteristic red rock hoodoos and high country forest, but quite a bit smaller, although still huge and impressive by most standards. This is a single, large amphitheater carved out of the side of a mountain, about (I'm guessing here without checking the map) 60-70 miles west of Bryce and a bit north of Zion. It may look like a winter scene, but I actually shot this on October 1 of last year, during my annual "foliage hunt". The east side of the mountain is covered with aspen groves and lava fields that run 30 miles or so from here on the rim at 10,500 ft., down towards the Red Canyon and Bryce areas at somewhat lower elevation. You can see a bit of foliage if you look towards the top center of the frame. The day before this, I drove along the rim in near white-out blizzard conditions, and would not have gone considerably out of my way to get back here on my way home, except that I knew it had to be really beautiful after the fresh snow. Without the snow, this would probably be a pretty boring "viewpoint" shot, but I like the way the white creates a nice design against the darker shapes of the rocks and forest. The one open slope there in the middle was catching a bit of sunlight on an otherwise cloudy day.
I haven't been doing this, but for this post you can click the image for a LARGE view and enjoy the detail and textures in all their glory.