Posted by Russ Shugart on February 20, 2012 at 9:44 PM
I'm heading to Phoenix in a couple of weekends and have a little time to do some shooting, Friday afternoon, maybe a little scouting/shooting and a Sunday morning for a sunrise. I'd like to be back in town by noon Sunday so that kind of defines a travel radius. Any recommendations? Thanks in advance!
I was once in the Phoenix area for work and got out to San Tan Mtn Park for one sunrise. I didn't get much for a sunrise there unfortunately, but the area is pretty cool. Lots of Saguaro out there, some interesting rock and mountain backgrounds, and not too far out of the city. The entry shack is at 33 10 04N 111 38 07 W. Check it out on Google Earth. Good luck!
Posted by Bill Bean on February 21, 2012 at 12:32 AM
My daughter lives about 5 minutes from San Tan Mtn Park and I tend to like it better for sunset than sunrise but that may just be me. For sunrises I've had better shooting by driving up the Apache Trail north of Apache Junction. Lots of Saguaro and Cholla and some really nice rock formations at the Bulldog Offroad area.
That said, I'm really looking forward to shooting an area Paul D posted a shot of in the AZ thread. I'll be there the weekend of March 17th.
Posted by Doug Koepsel on February 21, 2012 at 9:57 AM
The Superstitions are just outside Apache Junction east of Phoenix. For Friday sunset, you could access via the Lost Dutchman State Park.
Or you can keep going past the park along the Apache Trail as Bill mentioned.
I do not know the current conditions, but flowers near Bartlett Lake east of Carefree may be possible for a sunrise/morning. I have not seen the area mentioned in the flower reports yet.
A lot depends on what part of Phoenix you'll be staying in. All of the above recommendations are east of the city. If you are staying downtown this works fine. You are looking at 45 min to an hour drive one way. However, if you are staying in the northwest part of the city the locations are kind of far (over 1 hour each way.) One other place in the Supers worth checking out is the Peralta trailhead near Gold Canyon, especially if you want to get a hike in too. Another option is to drive east past the city of Fountain Hills on Highway 87 and follow the signs to Saguaro Lake. It's a scenic drive and there are lots of areas to pull out and grab shots. I haven't been to San Tan Park, but as Doug mentioned Lost Dutchman is probably the best and easiest place to grab compositions. Let me know if you need more help - send me an email.
Posted by Peter Coskun on February 21, 2012 at 1:44 PM
Good suggestions so far, the superstitions are definitely a must stop especially for any sunset shoot, but not just from lost dutchman sate park (though that is where the iconic scene of the mountains are). Traveling peralta road is a nice option to see another perspective of the mountains and cliffs, and if you like cacti especially saguaros, then this is the place. The apache trail leads to some great views and a few nice likes and worth the drive. You can go to the white tank mountain regional park in the west valley and hike the short waterfall trail (if there have been recent rains the payoff is indeed a waterfall) but along the way are tons of petroglyphs. I would suggest doing that for a sunrise shoot as the sun will face the trail. I would advise however that if you plan to park in a recreation site you do need a tonto pass (if in the tonto national forest lands). Again, depending on where in phoenix you will be staying, it's hard to say what will be the most convenient places to see. There are a ton of other options, but I think the superstitions will give you just about everything you can ask for especially with the wildflower bloom. Most of these locations will require a 45min-hour drive one way.
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I was once in the Phoenix area for work and got out to San Tan Mtn Park for one sunrise. I didn't get much for a sunrise there unfortunately, but the area is pretty cool. Lots of Saguaro out there, some interesting rock and mountain backgrounds, and not too far out of the city. The entry shack is at 33 10 04N 111 38 07 W. Check it out on Google Earth. Good luck!
That said, I'm really looking forward to shooting an area Paul D posted a shot of in the AZ thread. I'll be there the weekend of March 17th.
Or you can keep going past the park along the Apache Trail as Bill mentioned.
I do not know the current conditions, but flowers near Bartlett Lake east of Carefree may be possible for a sunrise/morning. I have not seen the area mentioned in the flower reports yet.
A lot depends on what part of Phoenix you'll be staying in. All of the above recommendations are east of the city. If you are staying downtown this works fine. You are looking at 45 min to an hour drive one way. However, if you are staying in the northwest part of the city the locations are kind of far (over 1 hour each way.) One other place in the Supers worth checking out is the Peralta trailhead near Gold Canyon, especially if you want to get a hike in too. Another option is to drive east past the city of Fountain Hills on Highway 87 and follow the signs to Saguaro Lake. It's a scenic drive and there are lots of areas to pull out and grab shots. I haven't been to San Tan Park, but as Doug mentioned Lost Dutchman is probably the best and easiest place to grab compositions. Let me know if you need more help - send me an email.