Southern Arizona in late December

[jeff_moag1]

I'll be in the Tuscon area for about a week over Christmas, and I'm

putting together a list of photo excursions. My primary interest is

landscape. I'll try to climb a liitle farther up the learning curve

with my 4x5 Speed Graphic shooting tri-x and tmx-100, and also shoot

some 35mm slides. I'll have a rental car with unlimited miles, and

expect to do most of my shooting in the hour around sunrise. I'll be

in Tuscon for about 3 days and the rest of the time will stay in

hotels or camp with no set itenerary. I like to drive, but time

constraints will keep me in southern Arizona and perhaps a little way

into Mexico.

 

I've read the Southern Arizona in February thread from last year, and

based on that my tentative list includes Saguaro Nat. Mon, Ramsey

Canyon, the Buenos Aires NWR, Sycamore Canyon Preserve and the ghost

town of Ruby. I won't necesarily hit all these, but would appreciate

any feedback on these choices, as well as suggestions for other

spots. Thanks -- Jeff

[robert_n._payne]

Consider Organ Pipe National Monument southwest of Tucson roughly two hours or so. Beautiful landscapes, interesting plants. The visitor center has some good photos of the park and is well worth a stop. In general, it is a wonderfully photogenic place.

[gwrhino]

Buenos Aries is a destination for wildlife more so than landscapes - for the most part. South of Sells, Baboquivari Tribal Park is wonderful. The eastern side of the state is great for landscapes, with the Chiricahua National Monument and Mountains, the Dragoon Mountains, along with Tombstone and Bisbee all being photogenic destinations.

 

george

 

http://www.georgestocking.com

[tyler_hawke]

Try looking into these sites: Sabino Canyon Recreation Area - Chiricahua National Monument - Duquesne (a ghost town) close to the Mexican border.

 

Also, go to Barnes and Noble or Borders and check out, The Most Scenic Drives in America (120 spectacular road trips)- Drive 50, The Colorado Trail looks very interesting and seems to be in the region accessible to you.

[michael_mutmansky1]

Jeff,

 

If you haven't seen it, the February edition of Backpacker has a good deal of information on some of the areas in Southern Arizona that you are considering, and some that maybe you should consider. I recevied mine yesterday in the mail, so I'm not positive it is available at the newstands yet.

 

I would be most attracted to the Sonoran Desert region, myself.

 

---Michael

[gferguson]

All the major places to consider were mentioned. I suggest

being careful if you consider doing the Coronado Trail drive in

December though.

 

The Coronado Trail is a narrow, twisting, mountain road, and in

some of the most remote areas of the state. It's very high and

snows in completely during the winter. Whether it is completely

open is a guess, even for the highway department sometimes.

:-)

 

Personally, I'd head toward Bisbee for an overnight trip - the town

is sure to be dolled up for the season and have lots of

opportunities.

 

I'd also look at San Xavier Mission, on the southern edge of

Tucson, and Tumacacori Mission, south of Green Valley.