Tucson in November

<p>Going to Tucson for a week in November. I really love the northern part of Arizona but won't have time to make it up there. Looking for suggestions around Tucson, especially anything around Kitt Peak or within a few hours. There is a lot of info in the forums but it is a little dated. Would love to do a hike if it leads to some worthwhile landscapes. Really would love to see rock formations/ canyons/ needles etc. Thanks<br>

Tom Lozinski<br>

<a href="http://www.tomlozinski.com">www.tomlozinski.com</a></p>

<p>A couple of suggestions to get things going, Thomas. There are nice hikes at Catalina State Park, which is north of Tucson in Oro Valley, with some good views of the Catalina mountains. Also, Saguara National Park is right nearby, and we went there several years ago. I don't know if its available with the government shutdown - hopefully that's behind us by then.</p>

<p>We're going back to Tucson in March, and we'll definitely hit the Pima Air and Space Museum with the airplane graveyard tour, and Mission San Xavier del Bac is special, both for the architecture and the history behind it. Last time we went there on a Sunday morning, when a full complement of outdoor stalls are setup, which made it even better</p>

<p>A few years ago I drove to Kitt Peak and went on a guided tour of the telescopes including going inside a couple of them. Very interesting if you like astronomy.</p>

<p>Saguaro National Park is divided into a west and east section. Both are basically next to the city. On the western side there is also the Sonoran Desert Museum which I liked. On the east is Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The Pima Air Museum is next to it and you can take a bus tour through the "boneyard" on the AFB of old aircraft. </p>

<p>I'm sure there is more but I only had 2 days.</p>

<p>One of the best places in the world to get great sunrise and sunset shots with saguaro cacti in the foreground. They're everywhere, but the National Park is great. (Hopefully the state has it open now or the Feds will open it before your trip).</p>

<p>The Tucson Mountains (west side of town): Saguaro NP West, petroglyphs, Sonoran Desert Museum, Gates Pass (excellent for sunsets - get there before the crowd), abandoned mine shafts.</p>

<p>The Catalina Mountains (northeast): Catalina State Park, Mount Lemmon (Mount Lemmon highway starts in Sonoran Desert and winds it's way up through high desert, woodlands, junipers, and into ponderosa forest, with plenty of pullouts, scenic views, and hiking trails all along the way), Sabino Canyon, Peppersauce Cave.</p>

<p>The Rincon Mountains (east/southeast): Saguaro NP East, Colossal Cave.</p>

<p>Another cave, Karchner Caverns, is southeast of town, as is Tombstone and our local wine country (several vineyards around Sonoita and Elgin). For really cool rock formations travel east on I-10 to Texas Canyon/The Dragoon Mountains.</p>

<p>PM Me. I live here and can hook you up with some astronomy folks. </p>

<p>Early in the month is the Day of the Dead Parade. Huge and fun. As others have said, there are tons of things to photograph here. </p>

What specific week?

There are some wonderful Fall Colors sites within a few hour's drive of town. Most peak during the first week to 10 days of the month.

Here's an example... http://desertsirena.wordpress.com/2012/11/12/fall-colors-in-ash-creek-galiuros/

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Sabino Canyon is a pretty hike, with plenty of gnarly gneiss boulders and cascades to shoot.<br><br>

 

The Catalina Highway, just outside town, has some nice hoodoos, but if you really want fun rocks, head for Chiricahua Nat. Monument, about 2.5 hours away. Hike all day in the hoodoo forests... <br><br>

 

Depending on which end of town you find yourself, the above mentioned Saguaro NP offers plenty of rugged, scenic desert terrain. Visit the NP site and DL some maps.<br><br>

 

Mt. Hopkins offers a nice half day tour of the observatory. $6 gets you a bus ride from the visitor's center east of Green Valley. http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/facilities/flwo/visit_center.html There are also observing sessions held atop Mt, Lemmon http://skycenter.arizona.edu/programs/public/skynights <br><br>

 

Can you be a bit more specific as to your interests?

<p>I'm attending a workshop at kitt peak on astrophotography Nov 1 to Nov 3rd and will have a few days after that. Still not sure if I'll fly into tucson or phoenix (leaning towards phoenix although rental cars are twice as much there) My interests might be better observed by looking at my site (<a href="http://www.tomlozinski.com">www.tomlozinski.com</a>) but particularly landscapes /waterfalls lately lots of astrophotography esp with widefield milky way and land, long exposures via ND, aerial kite shots, etc. Thank you for the tips so far. </p>

Chiricahua is very dark, with lots of hoodoos to serve as foreground material.

<br> The Dragoon Mountains are closer and also offer plenty of neat foreground subjects. Take Middlemarch Road NE from Tombstone to the Sheep's Head area. http://goo.gl/maps/epBMN (The road, while dirt, is very well maintained. Google's 48 minute estimate is rather pessimistic.) There's a big camping area at the end of the road.

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Ash Creek or Cave Creek (the one outside Portal) will be at or near peak color.

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If you want water, Sabino Canyon should have a trickle. Beyond that, well, this is southern Aridzona...

<p>I've lived in Tucson since 1978, there are many good photographic opportunities depending on your specific interests. Here are some that may appeal.<br>

1. Arizona Sonora Desert Museum<br>

2. Saguaro National Park West and East<br>

3. Mission San Xavier del Bac<br>

4. Mount Lemmon<br>

5. Catalina State Park<br>

6. Sabino Canyon<br>

7. Tanque Verde Guest Ranch<br>

8. Tubac<br>

9. Tumacacori National Historical Park<br>

Farther afield (Southeastern Arizona)<br>

1. Kartchner Caverns State Park<br>

2. Fort Huachuca Historical Museum<br>

3. Sonoita/Patagonia/Empire Ranch/Elgin Wineries<br>

4. Tombstone<br>

5. Bisbee<br>

6. Cochise Stronghold <br>

7. Fort Bowie National Historic Site<br>

8. Chiricahua National Monument</p>

<p>You could spend many months (or years) in this area and never exhaust the photographic possibilities. It all depends on your specific interests...</p>