I need some info from the Arizona members. I'm an East coaster and I'm going to be traveling to Goodyear, AZ for the entire month of October for work. I am an avid nature photographer and was wondering if anyone could recommend some good spots for a few day-hikes with plenty of good photo ops??? I've been to southern AZ before and LOVED it! I was also thinking of heading to Joshua Tree one weekend. Any suggestions??? Anyone up for some hiking in October??? Anybody need a good trail bitch/spotter to ride shotgun on any runs???

 

I am from New Mexico and have lived in and traveled Arizona, and photography is my second hobby (after Jeeping).

You will be thrilled by the photo opps of Northern Arizona.

Pick up a good map and:

Take Interstate 17 North form the Metro area and make plans to spend a few hours in the area aroung Sedona, then continue North to Flagstaff and then a quick side trip to Walnut Canyon.

If you have time to make it a weekend trip you will have to go to the Grand Canyon, I recomend the North Rim via Hwy 89 then to Hwy 67. Very good idea to make reservations to stay at the lodge there so you will be there for the golden hours of sunrise and sunset for the best photo opps.

Where ever you find yourself exploring in Arizona there are World Class photo opps there. I like the North part of the state but the entire state is stunning.

LOTS OF GREAT PLACES TO WHEEL TOO!

Enjoy your stay.

 

Cool. Thanks for the info!

 

I'm a photographer (people mostly) in Arizona. Lived here my whole life, and I have been off-roading and camping my whole life.

Some suggestions: Sedona for sure. GORGEOUS, and totally unique. Some fun off-road stuff. I also love the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon for fall pictures in Sedona. It's a hiking trail. The most well-known gnarly off-road trail is the trail that the Pink Jeep Tours follows. I bet you can find that online. It may be called Broken Arrow.

Peralta Trail East of Phoenix if you want to hike. There's great views of Weavers Needle from that hike. For off-roading, Four Peaks area is great. Not a rough road by any stretch, but gorgeous country. Same area of the state is the Apache Trail, which goes from the valley past Roosevelt Lake. Very deserty.

For a typical deserty scene, Oran Pipe Cactus National Forest. Not sure the off-road stuff down there.


Lots of dirt roads up in the Rim country (NE of Payson). We love Woods Canyon Lake and Potato Lake for picture taking.

A must for AZ photography: Monument Valley, but it's a drive from Phoenix. It is gorgeous up there. Antelope Canyon is a fave of photographers. I think you may have to pay for that one.

 

Very much appreciate the info guys! Thanks! I can't wait to get my gear out there and do some shooting. I'm going to be in town almost a week before my job starts so I will have some time for a few nice shooting sessions. Can't wait!

 

Do Sedona and Jerome -- it can be done in a day. If you are lucky enough to hit Jerome before a monsoon hits, stunning is the best word to describe some of the pictures you get.

To Sedona take the I-17 north and then get off at the Sedona exit and make a left going underneath the highway. If you want to do a little off-roading too, which offers some great pics, hit up the Broken Arrow trail -- it will be off to your right after some miles on the single lane sedona road (179 highway), the street is called Morgan that you want to make a right on and just follow it until Broken Arrow.

The touristy part of Sedona is when you make a right on the 89A, after you have been on that Sedona road for a while (179).

To get to Jerome from Sedona, instead of making a right on the 89A after being on the 179 (the Sedona main road), you want to take a left on the 89A. It's about a 40 minute drive or so to Jerome and you will drive through the town Cottonwood, which has some nice winery's around it.

Jerome is a small town, but it is historic and the view of N. Arizona is amazing when all ahead of it.

 

FYI, if you do not want to off-road the Broken arrow trail, do not worry. At the trail head is a parking lot for people who want to hike or mountain bike.

 

Oh man, I can't wait to get out there! Thanks for all the great suggestions!

 

I'm pumped about AZ! Definitely going to check out some of the sites suggested. Has anyone been out to Joshua Tree to shoot? I was wondering weather it was worth the drive out or if I should focus all my time in AZ.

 

Joshua Tree is a nice spot. I stopped and did some minor exploring/photos when I had my Frontier (she'll always hold a special place in my heart)

That said, to be perfectly honest, one of the things I love so much about Arizona is that there are SO MANY beautiful areas to drive/hike.

Good, easily accessible photo ops near the valley would be...

Superstition Mountains - Take the I-60 east to Idaho Rd., then north to the 88 (Apache Trail it's called at that point). I've not been far up into the mountains yet so I am not familiar with the driving/hiking trails out there. The Superstitions make for a BEAUTIFUL backdrop, especially at dawn or dusk. Someone mentioned Weavers Needle. There's a good range of difficulty in regards to the hiking trails out there. Something for everybody.

Lake Pleasant - There are trails you can reach via Castle Hot Springs Rd. that wrap around to the north and west of the lake (get a pass first) they take you to cliffs along the lake where you can park, camp etc. Lake is pretty low right now though and besides shots with the lake, the area is pretty boring as far as photos are concerned.

Someone mentioned Four Peaks. I second that big time.

You will be here for the best time of the year. October - February makes the summer heat worth it so take advantage.