Utah night sky: Experience the celestial wonders and Ancient Landscapes of hanksville
Over the course of Earth's history, Utah has worn many facesālush swamps, towering sand dunes, ancient coastlines, and vast lakes. Today, it stands as one of the most geologically and visually diverse regions in North America. Utah is home to the highest concentration of certified Dark Sky Communities in the world. As twilight fades and darkness deepens, billions of stars emerge to paint a breathtaking tapestry across the sky. With our cameras, we can capture what the naked eye alone cannot. Led by night sky photographer Kelton Johnson, this workshop offers hands-on instruction. Youāll learn a range of techniques to photograph the stars, Milky Way, and nightscapes, then dive into the editing process to bring out the full potential of your images.
General Information | Overview | Whatās Included | Reviews
Galleryā | Itinerary | Location & Accommodations | Tour Leader
Utah night sky
Dates: june 3-6, 2027
Location: salt lake city/hanksville, utah
Price: $2399 USD*
*Price per person, based on same-sex double occupancy accommodations. A limited number of single supplement rooms are available for an additional fee, which you may select at time of booking. If the single supplement rooms are sold out online, please contact us, and we will reach out to the lodging to see if we can accommodate more, though we cannot guarantee this is possible.
Fitness Level: LEVEL Three - MODERATE EXPLORER
Active and engaging, you should expect longer walks, uneven trails, and gentle hills. Ideal for moderately active adventurers comfortable with 2ā4 hours of activity per day. Good mix of activity and down time.
Group Size: 4 participants + group leader
Tour Highlights:
ā Enjoy Bortle Class 1 dark skies in the hundreds of thousands of acres of public land in Wayne County, Utah.
ā Explore a variety of landscapes including badlands of gray mudstone, bentonite hills, hoodoos, and Arches.
ā Experience the Cosmos not just with your camera, but also through the eyepiece of a telescope
ā Go beyond learning about outer space and learn about the natural forces that caused the magnificent landscapes of Utah
ā Throughout the workshop, you will receive instruction of how to approach photographing the night sky with a variety of techniques. Additionally, each day will include a post processing image review session where you can learn how to better edit your night sky photographs.
This experience goes far beyond just photography. Each participant will also have the option to observe the night sky through a telescopeāseeing Saturnās rings and deep sky objects like star clusters and nebulae. Kelton will guide you in understanding what you're observing and how they form and evolve.
During the day, weāll explore the geological history that shaped this region. Utah is a treasure trove for geologists and paleontologists alike. Youāll learn how millions of years of natural forcesāshifting seas, volcanic activity, and erosionācreated the landscapes youāll be photographing.
Youāll leave not only with memories and photos, but a powerful toolbox of skills to continue photographing the night sky wherever you go.
NOTE:
This location is heavily affected by weather. If needs be, we will drive away from the Hanksville area to more promising locations.
If weather is not permissible in any area that is realistically accessible to us, we can focus on landscapes. Then, I am working on an in-depth processing course for milky way/star trail images utilizing multiple programs. Even if guests can't photograph the night sky, they will spend that lost time on gaining a wealth of knowledge+tips and tricks when it comes to editing. Astrophotography processing can become extremely complicated.
Whatās Included:
Accommodation in Hanksville
Transportation to/from Salt Lake City and around Hanksville
Professional Guide
Photography instruction/photo review
Night sky telescope observations
Whatās Not Included:
Airfare to Salt Lake City
Hotel in Salt Lake City, if arriving early
Photography/personal Gear
Meals
This tour begins and ends at Salt Lake City Airport (SLC). Please make travel arrangements based on the itinerary below, or Contact Us for travel assistance.
DAY 0 (june 2nd)
Guests should fly into Salt Lake City International Airport.
Most hotels in the area offer free shuttle service, but our meeting place on June 3rd will be The Springhill Suites near Salt Lake City Airport. This hotel also offers complimentary shuttle rides 24hrs a day when called to reserve at +18015326633.
DAY 1 (June 3rd)
9:00am: Pickup from Airport or The Springhill Suites at 4955 Wiley Post Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84116
9:30am: Depart for Hanksville
1:30pm: Arrive in Hanksville. Rest if needed.
Daily itinerary
3:00pm: Welcome and introduction. Get to know your guide and group leader. Presentation on the basics of wide field astrophotography, safety out in the field, and night sky photography ethics.
Sunset: Optional Sunset photography: Catch some landscapes during sunset and scout out possible compositions for night sky imaging. Jupiter will be visible in the early nighttime skies.
10:30 PM: If weather permits, we will head out to photograph the milky way until the group wants to sleep. Saturn will be visible in the early morning skies
DAY 2-3 (June 4th-5th)
Morning: After a late night out the group will sleep in as necessary.
Lunch: Optional Image review and post processing instruction. Receive instruction and tools on how to process and edit a night sky image.
Afternoon: Free time and open critique
Sunset: Optional Sunset photography in the Hanksville area
10:30 pm: If weather permits, we will head out to photograph the milky way until the group wants to sleep. Saturn will be visible in the early morning skies
Early Morning: Return to Hanksville and catch up on rest.
DAY 4 (June 6th)
Check out of cabins and depart for home: Say goodbye and take home memories.
Dropoff location will be the same as pickup location: Salt Lake City Airport or The Springhill Suites at 4955 Wiley Post Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84116
location & accommodations
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Salt Lake City to hanksville, Utah
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SpringHill Suites by marriott Salt Lake City airport
Salt Lake City, Utah (If Arriving Early, Not Included in Tour Price)
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Muddy Creek Mining Co.
Hanksville, Utah
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Tour Leader: kelton johnson
Hello, my name is Kelton Johnson and I am currently 25 years old and a graduate of UVU earning my degree in aviation science with a commercial pilot focus! While I do have a passion for flying and plan on doing so for my career, I also love photography. Most of my free time is spent either out in the field, editing, researching, or working on this website. I think it all started with my interest in how things work and wanting to learn how to operate them. When I was in my childhood Iād often look up to the stars or rush outside at the sound of an aircraft just to stand, watch, and wonder. I liken this to when I first held and used a DSLR camera in my high school photography class. After seeing all the different ways I could manipulate the settings on a camera to take the picture I wanted immediately hooked me. Since that experience in 2018 I have been working on my skills and understanding almost daily.
My favorite types of photography consist of primarily wildlife, deep sky astrophotography (DSO), landscapes, and aviation. Images that take a long time to produce give me a wealth of satisfaction and these areas of photography seem to do just the trick for me.
I share my photography in a different way in that I only reveal my full work from the year on an annual basis in my annual galleries. I do this so I can spend as much time on my images as I need and to hopefully help myself stand out amongst the millions of photographers out there.