Winter has finally arrived in Moab! Three to four inches of snow fell overnight in town and reports from Dead Horse Point State Park as well as Canyonlands - Island in the Sky District indicate over 7" on the ground...and it's still snowing lightly at 0900.

The Island in the Sky Scenic Drive is currently closed due to the snow so if you're interested in visiting the park you'll have to hike/snowshoe until the road has been cleared.

I don't have any reports from Arches National Park or Dead Horse Point with regard to the road conditions. In my experience, the snow is cleared from the roads in Arches first and I-Sky second. Dead Horse Point SP is usually on-point when it comes to clearing their roads and I would expect them to be open very soon, if they aren't already.

With high temperatures over the next couple days hovering at around 30 degrees it's likely this snow will be in good condition for photography through at least Thursday. Once it starts to melt off and become patchy it isn't as attractive in photographs. However, the melting snow can create interesting opportunities for waterfalls where there usually are none.

Camera batteries don't last long in the cold so be sure to keep a couple extras in a jacket pocket where your body heat will keep them warm and ready for use. Know that moving in and out of your vehicle with your gear will result in lenses fogging over and in the winter it takes quite a while for them to de-fog. Remember that the light meter in your camera will underexpose because of all the white snow so be sure to dial in a little exposure compensation. I usually start at around +1 stop and make adjustments as needed.

Now, throw on a down coat, some warm gloves and boots and hit the high desert for some exceptional landscape photography!