sabino canyon recreation area

Magnificent Beast – 6/20/2018

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
Sonoran Desert Toad - the true master of the desert... June 2018.
Sonoran Desert Toad – the true master of the desert… June 2018.

I kneel on the hot pavement in front of the magnificent beast, any Sabino Canyon walker could see I am taking photos, but would they guess that I am also paying deep respects to this small master? Hardest of the hard core it spends the cool winter days dreaming underground, only interested in the black hot summer nights, gambling on the southwest’s fickle supply of water for life. I wonder how many summers this one has seen – some sources that say they live 4-5 years in the wild, others guess 10-20 years – could this toad have been here for the massive 2006 floods in Sabino Canyon? Maybe it was stalking beetles by moonlight before every walker had a cell phone camera to flash at it. Silence and an intense stare are all it shares tonight – not impressed by my winters in the desert I guess…

Moon, headlamp and reflection - watching the Sonoran Desert Toads in Sabino Canyon. June 2018.
Moon, headlamp and reflection – watching the Sonoran Desert Toads in Sabino Canyon. June 2018.

Bear Canyon, Night – 5/2/2018

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
Saguaros and stars from the Bear Canyon Trail. May 2018.
Saguaros and stars from the Bear Canyon Trail. May 2018.

Night, stars, saguaros, night creatures and small pools in Bear Canyon – I’ve seen all of these before, many times, and look forward to seeing them many many many more times…

Scorpion. May 2018.
Scorpion. May 2018.
Centipede. May 2018.
Centipede. May 2018.
Looking up Bear Canyon from the Bear Canyon Trail. May 2018.
Looking up Bear Canyon from the Bear Canyon Trail. May 2018.

November Flowers, Sunset, Moon – 11/20/2017

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
November flowers in Sabino Canyon! November 2017.
November flowers in Sabino Canyon! November 2017.

Flowers in Sabino Canyon lingering boldly into November – it is hard at the moment to imagine the top of the Santa Catalina Mountains turning a winter white, and while I know winter will come part of me feels like this this warm always-summer season will roll right into next year…

November flowers in Sabino Canyon!! November 2017.
November flowers in Sabino Canyon!! November 2017.
Sunset and Saguaro in Sabino Canyon. November 2017.
Sunset and Saguaro in Sabino Canyon. November 2017.
Saguaro and sliver moon in Sabino Canyon. November 2017.
Saguaro and sliver moon in Sabino Canyon. November 2017.

Sabino Canyon Nights – 2/26/2017 and 3/25/2017

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
Trees over the Sabino Canyon Lake. February 2017.
Trees over the Sabino Canyon Lake. February 2017.

With (seasonal) water and fast/easy access to interesting destinations Sabino Canyon is an easy choice for night photography.  You won’t escape the glow of the city here – if your only goal stunning images of the stars and Milky Way there are better destinations. But we have never failed to find something interesting to photograph and visiting Sabino Canyon at night is a chance to enjoy the canyon without the crowds – an increasingly rare treat!

Capturing Images at night in Sabino Canyon. March 2017.
Capturing Images at night in Sabino Canyon. March 2017.
Water over the Dam. February 2017.
Water over the Dam. February 2017.

Esperero Trail – 2/13/2017

Updated - Posted - Charles Miles
February 2017.
A phainopepla near the Tram Road in Sabino Canyon. February 2017.

The Tram Road in Sabino Canyon is not always my favorite – but today… Clouds and beautiful colors in the sky – Phainopepla in the trees – easy walking.

Good light makes it easy to see the grey color of the female Phainolpepla and the shiny black of the males – sometimes perched, calling, at the top of the trees, sometimes flying, flashing the light patches under their wings. The Phainopepla are here for the Mistletoe berries – they eat the outer layers and expel the the sticky seed giving the parasitic Mistletoe a chance to spread. 

The easy walking on the tram road is appreciated today – with limited time I tried, and failed, to get to Bridal Veil Falls and after turning around under a just-out-of-reach deflated balloon stuck in a tree in Esperero Canyon (the first trash I had seen in miles) I was exhausted and happy to reach the tram road… 

February 2017.
Flowing water – one of many crossings on the Esperero Trail – still well below Bridal Veil Falls… February 2017.
February 2017.
A balloon stuck just-out-of-reach in a tree – Esperero Canyon. February 2017.
February 2017.
Looking up Bird Canyon from the Esperero Trail. February 2017.