windshoppe Loc: Arizona

Last winter my wife and I tried snowbirding for the first time. We spent the winter using Scottsdale, Arizona, as a base and traveled extensively for purposes of photography. We both loved the state and would like to return next winter. In that my main interest is photography, I'm wondering what notable places we may have missed and whether there are a sufficient number of them to occupy our time in the months of February and March.
Any suggestions for photo opps from those more familiar with the state would be most appreciated. Following is a list of the places we visited and photographed last year.

Apache Trail, Sedona, Verde Valley Canyon Railroad trip, Monument Valley, Canyon De Chelly, Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, Horseshoe Bend, Upper & Lower Antelope Canyon, Sonoran Desert Museum, Desert Botanical Gardens, Jerome, Glen Canyon Dam, South Rim Grand Canyon.

banjonut Loc: Southern Michigan

Tucson and the airplane graveyard.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

That would be a hard sell for the wife. :D

Jim S Loc: Barrington RI, DC now Hilton Head,

Jim S Loc: Barrington RI, DC now Hilton Head,

Try this again:

North Rim of the Grand Canyon - if it is open. Worth the trip.

windshoppe Loc: Arizona

Thanks, I would probably enjoy that.

windshoppe Loc: Arizona

I'm afraid that you're probably correct. :(

windshoppe Loc: Arizona

Yes, we were there several years ago during summer. Unfortunately, it wasn't open last winter during our stay.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

Prescott, Taliesin West. Also, what did you see in Sedona? In addition to the town and general scenery, there's great hiking, Oak Creek Canyon, and the Pink Jeep tour of the Mogolin Rim was spectacular.

traveler90712 Loc: Lake Worth, Fl.

Was there in May of this year.

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

http://azstateparks.com/Parks/TONA/

windshoppe Loc: Arizona

Spent quite a bit of time in Sedona. Did not do the jeep tour, however. Thanks for the suggestions. Will look into those.

windshoppe Loc: Arizona

Haven't seen that. Thanks for the link and suggestion!

Math78 Loc: Scottsdale, AZ

I'm sure you could find lots to photograph for two months. Here are a few places not on your list.

- Chiricahua National Monument for geological wonders. If you like birds, then Chiricahua Mountains in general and the Portal area, on the east side of the mountains.
- Tombstone
- For hummingbirds and other wildlife, stay in Ramsey Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains.
- Bisbee and the Queen Mine tour
- Kartchner Caverns State Park - Great cave but check on policy about photos underground, especially use of tripod/monopod since light levels are low
- Kitt Peak, lots of telescopes to photograph during the day
- Saguaro National Park, both east and west sections
- Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
- Sabino Canyon and the drive to the top of Mt Lemmon. There's another telescope on top.
- Biosphere 2
- Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park (MUCH more interesting than it sounds!)
- Saguaro Lake and the lower Salt River riparian areas
- Walk around the Arizona State University Tempe campus, Mill Avenue, Tempe Town Lake. Lots of activity always going on.
- Downtown Phoenix, and especially the area around the state capitol.
- Take tour of Cardinals stadium in Glendale, Diamondbacks stadium in downtown Phoenix. Go to spring training games, 15 teams and 10 new stadiums.
- There's lots of public art in Scottsdale, Tempe, Phoenix, which you could search out and photograph (one of my furture projects)
- Musical Instrument Museum in north Scottsdale (a must see which nobody has heard of)
- Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, many volcanos and lava flows
- Wupatki National Monument, well preserved prehistoric Indian ruins
- Meteor Crater

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

There is also the Sand Hill Cranes that winter near Wilcox. The Rex Allen Museum, the friends of Marty Robbins Museum; both of which are in Wilcox, AZ. Fort Bowie National Historic Site near San Simon, AZ. Case Grande Ruins in Casa Grande. Yuma Territorial Prison in Yuma. London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, AZ. The burros over in Oatmann.

These places you can get to in a car. If you have a high ground clearance 4 wheel drive there are a bunch more I can think of.

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

You can also go over part of old Route 66 from Kingman east to Seligman, AZ.