Stunning Photos of the World's Most Epic Adventures

Mooney Falls on Havasu Creek - photo by Dave Webb

Adventure.NationalGeographic.com has an interesting feature they call the "Extreme Photo of the Week." They showcase amazing photos of people involved in incredible adventures in photogenic spots. Many of them are mind-boggling. Many of them are from Utah, or spots just across the border.

This week's photo shows a stand-up paddleboarder on lower Havasu Creek (a tributary to the Grand Canyon). The water is turquoise, the canyon is very narrow, and paddleboarding looks like so much fun... (The photo at right is mine, showing Havasu Creek. I was tempted to poach one of the NG photos, but I respect their copyright.)

It's interesting that their Utah photos don't come from our famous parks and resorts. These are lesser-known locations that offer wonderful adventure and great scenery.

Here's a list of recent epic photos from our region:

• Skiing the Grand, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
• Backcountry Skiing Mount Superior, Wasatch, Utah
• Climbing the Priest, Castle Valley, Utah
• Skiing Jackson Hole's Sidecountry, Wyoming
• Skiing Mount Superior, Utah
• Mountain Biking Book Cliffs Near Green River, Utah
• Mountain Biking in Virgin, Utah
• Skiing at Dusk at Brighton, Utah
• Climbing the San Rafael Swell, Utah
• Climbing New Routes Along the Green River, Utah
• Rock and Ice Climbing in Santaquin Canyon, Utah
• Backcountry Skiing Prospectors Peak, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Here are some of the other photos from the NG list:

• Stand-Up Paddleboarding Havasu Creek, Grand Canyon, Arizona
• Climbing Biographie, Céüse, France
• Skiing Under the Aurora, Tombstone Range, Yukon, Canada
• Summer Skiing on Mount Hood, Oregon
• Climbing the Great Arch, China
• Surfing the Wedge, California
• Climbing the Wendenstock, Interlaken, Switzerland
• Kayaking the Dudh Koshi, Nepal
• Big-Wave Surfing at Teahupoo, French Polynesia
• Climbing in Yosemite, California
• Snowboarding the West Fjords, Iceland
• Climbing Monserrat, Catalonia, Spain
• Surfing the Margaret River, Australia
• Night Ice Climbing in the Cogne Valley, Western Alps, Italy
• Surfing Peahi, North Shore, Maui, Hawaii
• Kayaking Spirit Falls, Little White Salmon River, Washington
• Bouldering on Oahu, Hawaii
• Kayaking the Mekong River, Laos
• Mixed Climbing a New Route in Helmcken Falls, British Columbia, Canada
• Snowboarding in the Himalaya, Nepal
• Kayaking Waterfalls in Chiapas, Mexico
• Climbing Cliffbase, Hvar, Croatia
• Snowboarding Near Zermatt, Switzerland
• Ice Climbing Fearful Symmetry, Canadian Rockies, Alberta
• Free Climbing the Totem Pole, Tasmania, Australia
• Deepwater Soloing the Musandam Peninsula, Oman
• Stand-up Paddleboarding Jaws, Hawaii
• Climbing Superfortress, Near Vail, Colorado
• Snowboarding the Pemberton Ice Cap, British Columbia
• Climbing Hallucinogen Wall, Black Canyon, Colorado
• Ice Climbing in Hyalite Canyon, Montana
• Winter Surfing in Cook Inlet, Alaska
• Ice Climbing in Zirknitzgrotte, Austria
• Kayaking the Rio Santo Domingo, Chiapas, Mexico
• Climbing in Kootenay National Park, Canada
• Climbing in the Verdon Gorge, France