Titus Canyon

Titus Canyon cuts a dramatic one-way route through the Grapevine Mountains, offering some of the most compressed and textural canyon walls you will find in Death Valley. The narrows section is the highlight, where the canyon squeezes down to just a few feet wide and the towering limestone walls glow amber, rust, and cream depending on the light. Shoot looking straight up to emphasize the scale and layering of the rock, or position yourself low and use the canyon floor as a leading line toward the slice of sky above. Early morning light catches the upper walls beautifully before the canyon floor falls into shade, so arrive at the narrows by mid-morning for the best color. The road is unpaved and requires a high-clearance vehicle; a wide-angle lens suits the tight spaces well, though a longer focal length works for isolating texture in the rock face. (Death Valley National Park, California, United States)