Routes to Edmaier's Secret.
There are two routes into Edmaier's Secret. The first is to park at the trailhead to Buckskin Gulch (BG) and hike down BG about 2.5 miles, then head left (East) and make your way up to the interesting formations of "Brain Rock". I have not been in this way. The BG trailhead is 4.2 miles down House Rock Valley Road. You will need to pay $6 at the BG trailhead for day use as of 2010. There are no day use limitations. There is a barbed wire fence that needs to be crossed when exiting BG, I am not sure how hard it is to cross this. The advantage of this entry is that when it is time to exit it is very easy to get back to your car, just make your way to BG and turn right, then hike 2.5 miles in BG. The disadvantage is the $6 fee and the 2.5 miles of hiking you need to hike in BG at end of day.
The second route in is via Long Valley Road (also called Long Canyon Road). This road also goes to Cobra Arch. Long Valley Rd is the road heading South from Highway 89 at the signed "Paria Outpost". Paria Outpost is .6 miles West of the Paria Contact Ranger Station, and just west of where the Paria River runs under Highway 89. Take Long Valley Rd 4.5 miles and fork right onto a small sandy jeep trail. This road is a BLM "administrative road". It may not be "legal" to use it, it may not have been maintained recently, and it may not be maintained in the future. Follow this road .6 miles to a small water hole and bear left. Follow the small "Jeep Trail" 1.1 miles and park wherever you can. Mark your location so you can find your car at end of day. You are in a very flat treed area and it will be hard to see your car from any distance. Then hike .7 miles to the edge of the escarpment (cliff) and make your way down to the Brain Rocks. The advantage of this route is that there is less hiking, disadvantages are finding your car in the dark if you hike out at sunset, and the need for a 4x4 on the sandy jeep road. I strongly recommend you have and know how to use a GPS if you use the second route. Use it to mark the location of your car, and the point at which you descend the escarpment.
Edmaier's Secret is best photographed late in the day as the Sun will not hit it until several hours after sunrise.
The Nautilus.
Only a few references to this formation can be found on the web. Phillipe Schuler has some good photos but did not give the location as in May 2009 the rangers at the Paria Ranger station asked him not to disclose it. I was given the location in 2010 at the Paria Ranger station and was told it was okay to post the location. Since then I have been asked by the BLM to remove the location from my web site. The rock at the Nautilus is made of Page sandstone and is very fragile. The formation is small so even a few people a day could damage the rock. I have therefore removed the GPS coordinates and the directions to get to the Nautilus from this site. I will reinstate them if they should become common on the web. In the interim if you email me I will provide GPS coordinates. Alternatively you may be able to get them at the Paria contact station as I did. I have been to the Nautilus twice. The first time I was there on a clear day around 1PM, not the best time to see it as there are very deep shadows. The second time was on an overcast day with no direct light. The cloudy day worked better. Alternatively try photographing it late day or in "the blue" when it will be lit only by reflected light. Night time photography with star trails / light painting might also work very well here. Finally - the background is very busy so I would try to eliminate as much of it as possible.