According to national park surveys, the average visit to the Grand Canyon lasts between five to seven hours, with just 17 minutes spent actually looking at the canyon (versus driving from one spot to the next).

That can't be right, can it?

Ah, but it's true.

While the parks are heavily visited (with some nearly overrun during peak months), for most people a visit consists of not much more than a cursory once-over. Stop at a few overlooks, grab some lunch, and you're done!

Obviously, if your objective is to make good landscape photographs at a national park, you won't be one of these 17-minute wonders. Plan on staying a while. (I'd suggest a minimum of three or four days; if you can swing more than that you won't regret it.)

No matter how thorough your advance research, there's no substitute for actual feet-on-the-ground scouting. Build time into the schedule so you can familiarize yourself with the area once you arrive. Make a connection to what you're seeing; let nature begin to "speak" to you. Identify places and/or objects that peak your interest. Study the light. Determine how long it's going to take to get from one location to the next - not just the drive, but also the hiking. From this you can build a rough schedule.

Then there's weather. It can be your friend or make life maddeningly difficult. The more time you give yourself, the greater the odds of success. (If it's a particularly challenging forecast, additional time might be what saves you from walking away completely empty-handed.) Each additional day is another chance to wait out poor conditions. Another chance to capture the aftermath when a front passes through - or before one moves in. It might provide a chance to see the landscape in a variety of completely different ways. Storms. Fog. Clearing. And naturally, each additional day provides you with one more sunrise and sunset opportunity!

Linger. You'll be glad you did.