Wildflowers at Little City of Rocks

Horizontal orientation. Canvas prints are available with optional barnwood or hardwood floating frames hand-crafted by the photographer, making a truly unique and one-of-a-kind piece of art. Please see images for details.

Little City of Rocks, about 10 miles north of Gooding, is often confused with City of Rocks National Reserve on the Southern border of Idaho, but the rock formations are quite different and have beauty of their own. In many areas the rock columns stand in rows, looking like tall city buildings. I hiked up the hill to touch one of the columns, and it is much steeper and more massive than it appears from a distance. In the early spring as the snow melts, there is quite a lot of water flowing down the creek bed seen beside the flowers in this image, but by May it is usually dry. However, in the springtime several varieties of wildflowers line the creek bed, making for a very pleasant visit. By July everything is typically dead and dried up in the summer heat. This image features a drought-resistant range plant called sulfur Buckwheat in the foreground, with its tufts of lemon-yellow flowers. The sun had not yet crested the rocks to the east, and the clouds reflected the golden sunlight as it lit the valley. The composition includes all of my favorite elements of the area, in a way that draws the eye through the image.