New River Gorge/Cuyahoga Valley Road Trip Gear Recommendations

[slpollett]

We have a road trip coming up to visit New River Gorge National Park, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Indiana Dunes, Mammoth Cave NP, Great Smoky Mountains NP and other NPS sites we'll pass along the way. I was planning to take only my new Canon R5 MKII and the 24-105 lens. I'm wondering if this will be sufficient or if I'll be sorry if I don't pack a zoom as well. I'm also still getting used to the new camera. It's great, but I'm not really comfortable with it yet. Do you think I should take my old 5D MKIII just in case?

Other than the bridge shot at New River Gorge, are there any other places I should be sure to see and photograph that don't require long hikes? I had foot surgery last year, so I'm good for maybe 2 miles or so before the foot starts complaining. If anyone has any "must see" spots at any of these locations, I'd love to hear them. We'll have 2 days in each park except Indiana Dunes where we'll just have one afternoon. I know there's a ton of stuff outside the parks, but we probably won't have time to do most of them. My daughter works for NPS and we all have the goal of visiting all of our national parks and as many other NPS sites as we can. The priority this trip is to see everything we can within the parks we visit, knowing that we won't be able to see or do it all.

We've been to Great Smokies several times, but this will be our first visit to the other parks. The only reason we're going to GSMNP this trip is that my daughter got married last year and her husband has never been, plus we will drive right through it on our way back to their home so why not,right? I know a zoom could be needed there, but we aren't planning to go to Cades Cove this visit and that is normally where we see the bears and most other wildlife. We're only spending a day there to give my son-in-law a taste of the park. We'll do the Roaring Fork motor trail (and probably one of the short hikes to a waterfall while there) and Kuwohi (formerly Clingman's Dome).

Photos from our last trip to Great Smoky Mountains:




Thanks!

 

[Dicky109]

We have a road trip coming up to visit New River Gorge National Park...I was planning to take only my new Canon R5 MKII and the 24-105 lens.

We were there last year, but I honestly don't remember any great views, other than the bridge. We also had mostly overcast/rainy weather so that literally dampened the experience.
I took this shot on my OM-5 with a Panasonic Leica 14-140 lens at 34mm. Since this is micro four thirds, it was a full frame equivalent of 68mm so perhaps you can make some judgements based on that. Can't speak to the other locations, but In my opinion, the 24-105 is fine for that.
Have a great trip.

 

[paddler4]

I can’t comment on the Smokies specifically, but it all depends on what you shoot. It may say something hat he shortest FL in the photos you posted is 158mm.

Again, it depends on what you shoot, but when I’m out in the woods and don’t mind the weight, I usually carry one of two lenses in addition to my 24-105: a 70-200 f/4 (half the weight of a 2.8] or a 100 mm macro. But that’s just me.

 

[Mr Roboto]

First of all, have a great time! The trip sounds like a lot of fun times to be had with family.

Secondly, I have a lot of questions! I was initially going to give an opinion one way, then I saw your sample images which made me re-read your post and made me confused. Here's what I read between (and in) your lines:

• Equipment should be limited due to foot surgery
• Most of the time will be "family time" vs "photography time"
• Locations on-site will be limited in duration
• Wildlife photography will not be a priority (despite the sample images)

If I'm reading this correctly, then "yes" the R5mkII + 24-105 would probably fulfill 90~95% of your needs. That zoom range is great on a full-frame camera as a walk-about. For a family intensive trip, I wouldn't have a problem taking just that, rigged, on a strap and be done with it - ready to shoot any time all the time.

But, if you can carry just a bit more gear or are planning to take a camera bag, then I would throw in a couple low light primes like the RF16mm or RF35mm or RF50mm (especially for Mammoth Cave). Again, I would make sure that your bag can keep the R5+24-105 always rigged and ready to go. I use a Think-Tank Turnstyle 20 v2.0 for trips like this (but it would be too large for what you're planning since it can hold quite a bit more gear).

 

[slpollett]

Thanks Dickie, Paddler, and Mr. Roboto for the responses. I guess I wasn't really clear on what I was asking. Sorry about that. Other trips we have made to national parks did include some time for wildlife viewing. Of course, I took my zoom lenses and extra bodies on those trips so the family could also shoot some. This trip will only include one park that I "think" might need the big zooms (Great Smokies), but due to limited time this go around we don't have a wildlife viewing day set aside there. I was thinking I wouldn't need anything except my 24-105 and maybe a macro lens. I was really wondering if a zoom lens would be recommended for New River Gorge or Cuyahoga Valley. From what I've seen and read on the websites and other groups, it's mostly scenery at those two places. I have room in my camera bag, I just didn't want to carry the extra weight if I didn't have to.

Thanks again.

 

[Scott M]

We stopped for a couple of days in the New River Gorge area in the autumn of 2022 on our way from Michigan to South Carolina. We used to white water raft in the area back in '90's (Gauley River), but had not spent time in the area since it became a national park even though we drive right by the area on our commute between MI and SC.

If your hiking limit is 2 miles, there are several short hikes that will fit that criteria. There is also an old mining town that can provide some interesting photos. The 24-105 should handle most of your needs there, although the first photo below was taken with the RF 16mm f/2.8.

For Mammoth Cave, you may want something wider than 24mm. I own the RF 16mm f/2.8 prime for such situations. It's small, light and inexpensive -- fits in my cargo shorts pocket. And I know you mentioned that you have been to the Smokies several times, but I would still pack a telephoto. We've encountered black bears in places other than Cades Cove, plus there are elk.

 

[slpollett]

I ended up taking my new R5 MKII and both of the lenses that I have for it-- the 24-105 and the 100-500. As I expected, I did not see a need for the 100-500 at all until we got to Great Smoky Mountains NP, which was our last stop. We did end up going to Cades Cove since my son-in-law had never been to the Smokies and he wanted to see bears. We did see bears along with lots of turkeys and deer. The 100-500 ended up being great for that purpose, but the Cades Cove morning was the only time the whole trip that I used that long lens. Still, I'm glad I had it and carried it around the entire trip.



Turkeys

 

[Mr Roboto]

Thanks for getting back to us, Sherry.
It's always informative to hear how the outcome/execution compared to the planning/expectation