Ray Urner Photography

10/16/2026

Somewhere between charming and questionable.

When you're exploring remote parks like Great Basin, you don't always get a long list of accommodation choices. Sometimes that's part of the adventure.

Straddling the Nevada/Utah border, this was my home for the night while exploring one of America's least-visited national parks.

Was it luxury? Not even close.

Was it memorable? Absolutely.

The older I get, the more I appreciate places with a little character. They may not have all the modern amenities, but they always seem to leave a stronger impression than another forgettable hotel room.

The food in the restaurant definitely over delivered, the staff was kickass, the patrons were friendly and chatty, and hey, any time my room has a fridge and a microwave, that's a huge win!

Honestly, it fit the Great Basin experience perfectly.

Would you stay here?!

Great Basin National Park

10/16/2026

Where is Great Basin National Park?

Most people can name Yosemite, Zion, Yellowstone, or Grand Canyon National Parks.

Before planning this trip, I could honestly barely even point to Great Basin National Park on a map. All I really knew was that it would be a pretty long and boring drive from Las Vegas. But would it be worth the effort?

A few days later, I was hiking among ancient bristlecone pines, climbing above 13,000 feet, and photographing some of the most underrated scenery and most gorgeous and intense fall colors that I've seen in the National Park system.

My ultimate goal was to climb 13000+ foot Wheeler Peak, to see how my body would perform at altitude. Even on the drive in, damn she looked intimidating.

Anyway, for the next few posts, I'm sharing highlights from one of America's least-visited national parks.

Have you ever heard of Great Basin National Park before today?

Great Basin National Park

10/01/2026

Fall colors in the alpine!

Climbed that beast the next day, and MAN it was humbling. Wheeler Peak stands just a hair over 13000 feet. Think my quads are still toast. 😂

Great Basin National Park

09/15/2026

Moody morning in Glacier National Park for this !

This is Grinnell Point, across from Swiftcurrent Lake.

I LOVE the drama of this scene!

Glacier National Park

09/03/2026

- THIS is how I’m remembering the area at the bottom of the . A life changing hike a year and a half ago.

Pretty hard to look at the devastation right now and think of the hikers who didn’t make it out. 🙏

Stay safe out there!

GrandCanyonNPS

08/25/2026

Finally had some time to sit down and do some damn writing!

Why some images earn a permanent place in your portfolio while thousands of others never make the cut. Every landscape photographer has experienced it. You wake up at 4 a.m., drive for hours, hike in the dark, survive an assault from mosquitoes, and arrive at a spectacular location just in time f

08/24/2026

It’s , and the NPS is turning 110 this year!
Here’s one of my fave images from the last park I visited - this was a stellar morning at Artists Palette in Death Valley last January. Literally had the entire area to myself to enjoy!

National Park Service Death Valley National Park

08/21/2026

Death Valley Sand Dunes at Sunrise

Most people look at this image and see a sand dune glowing at sunrise. I see the reward for getting up when the alarm feels unreasonable, driving through the darkness, and trusting that the light might do something special.

Photography gives me a reason to explore farther, hike higher, and experience places most people only see in pictures. Standing alone in Death Valley as the first sunlight spilled across the dune, I was reminded that the best moments are rarely accidental. They come from preparation, patience, and the willingness to show up before the rest of the world is awake. (And trust me, this was a HARD hike!)

The photograph is the souvenir, but it isn’t the reason. The reason is the experience of being there, watching a seemingly lifeless landscape transform into something extraordinary for just a few minutes. Capturing that moment allows me to bring home not just an image, but the feeling of witnessing it firsthand.

Death Valley National Park

08/19/2026

Wait, falls on ?
Hell yeah.

1. Marymere Falls, Olympic National Park
2. Vernal Fall, Yosemite National Park
3. Multnomah Falls, Oregon
4. Damn, can’t remember, Mount Rainier National Park (anybody know?)

08/10/2026

Ahhhhh, from Crater Lake a couple summers back.
Had this shot pre-visualized for years before that!

Crater Lake National Park