I Photographed the Wonders of North America on a 15,000 Mile Trip

Back in September 2016, I decided to fulfill my dream of traveling and photographing North America. Without any set itinerary, I hit the road and ended up driving and flying more than 24,000km (~15,000mi), experiencing some of the most amazing scenery and adventures.

During my three months of travel, I photographed the wild west of Utah and Arizona, the beautiful lakes of the Canadian Rockies, the amazing fall colors of Colorado, and famous photography locations like Yosemite National Park.

I had the trip of my life, and am so glad I decided to pick up my camera and embark on it. I’d like to share the very best of my trip in 20 pictures.

Court House Mountain, Colorado was one of the most unique landscapes I have seen in my life. It was a hell of a climb to get to this viewpoint, but with all the peaking yellow aspen trees I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this!

Just an hour North of San Francisco is the famous Cypress Tree Tunnel. I was lucky enough to capture it on a clear day during sunrise so the light could shine through the trees illuminating the tunnel.

A popular spot on Instagram: Athabasca Falls. I decided not to risk standing on the edge of the cliff, but luckily a girl passed by and didn’t mind posing for the shot.

On one of the coldest nights of my trip, I was camping in my friend’s truck. But once I woke up and got to the lookout for sunrise I couldn’t help but to be amazed of the winter wonderland that appeared overnight.

The Lion of Antelope lower canyon. It’s a very popular spot so I had to fight through the crowds a bit, but it was well worth capturing in person.

The beautiful Emerald Lake of Yoho National Park, Canada. I just loved the little cottage and couldn’t help but think that I’d like to live here one day!

Near Lake Louise in Canada in found this epic train track next to the Bow River. The snow was already melting from the treetops so I figured it was now or never to take this shot. I set up my gear and waited for an hour in the cold for the train to pass. I was so happy once I got back to the warmth of my car with this image.

The super famous Horseshoe bend. When I arrived here I already had my shot in mind. Yes, the super famous starburst sunset! However, the weather was against me and it was misty and clouded. I was super lucky though for a brief thunderstorm to hit the area! It was raining super hard when I took this shot and I was praying to the weather gods to give me a lightning bolt behind the bend! That didn’t happen in the end, and for safety reasons maybe it was for the better.

When I visited Bryce Canyon I had the coldest sunrise I ever had. The night before it had snowed and made the landscape look magical, however the harsh wind was just unbearable! I had to hold on to my tripod or else my camera would have been a gone!

The first time I even heard of The Subway in Utah was in a museum in Washington DC. When I saw an image of this spot I knew I had to visit it. The hike to get here was brutal, but it was well worth it!

It took me four sunrises to finally see the back end of Lake Louise. Every time I visited this spot it was too clouded or foggy, so I decided to wait out the weather. It was frustrating but day four I finally got rewarded for the effort.

The most amazing lookouts I have seen must have been Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park. I was beyond stoked how much the moon lit up the scenery.

One of my favorite images of this trip. When I was taking pictures these two German guys decided to go on a morning fishing trip on Patricia Lake. I quickly snapped this shot of them under an enormous mountain.

The icon Mesa Arch, Utah during sunrise. A little truth to this shot not a lot of people realize; it was crowded! As it is a very popular place, don’t be surprised to see over 20 people for sunrise to get that perfect shot of the arch.

Then there’s the moment I found an ice cave at Athabasca Glacier in Canada. The blue hue in this cave was just beyond words and I couldn’t help but to take a quick self-portrait of this scene. However how beautiful this is, it made me even more aware how major the problems with accelerating climate change are. The declining of the glacier is easily visible!

The San Francisco icon. I can’t describe the feeling finally driving over this bridge.

Mobius Arch with the Alabama hills in the background. I just loved capturing the night sky behind it!

About the author: Guido Diana is a travel photographer currently based in Iceland. You can find more of his work on his website, Instagram, Facebook, and 500px.