Arizona or New Mexico?

[Sanjay Sen]

Hello folks,

Wish you all a very Happy New Year!

I am planning for a week-long trip to the Southwest United States in late January or early February. I am looking for suggestions in New Mexico and/or Arizona for the "grand landscape", the kind the West is famous for. :)

As yet, I'm not sure whether I will go to New Mexico or Arizona, and I am hoping your suggestions for easily accessible locations (*) will help me decide. I have never been to either state, so any experience will be new to me.

I will be taking my 8x10 camera (plus three lenses) along with a 4x10 back (and one MF or 35mm camera).


(*) Easily accessible = within a mile of the car/road, not much of a hiker with 8x10 gear.


Thank you for your suggestions.


Regards,
Sanjay

[Ed Kelsey]

I think northern Arizona has more photogenic spots. Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, the Wave, etc. Plus you are close to southern Utah which probably beats both Arizona and New Mexico.

But you are indeed looking for the cold eh?

[Richard M. Coda]

There's a Brett Weston/Sonya Noskowiak show at the Phoenix Art Museum (til April). with some events associated with it the first week of February. Search for posts on this for details.

[Thebes]

A lot of people think of NM and AZ and think "desert" then they think "hot". Northern AZ and NM, and Southern Utah will be cold and a 4x4 will possibly be needed, even on the highway, depending upon the weather. Last night outside of Taos we hit -20, which is unusual but it happens a few times a winter. That said, if you can deal with the cold and snow, it can look really amazing.

I am hoping to go to southern AZ again to escape winter and maybe hit that show in Phoenix. Oh, and a note on southern AZ, 6 weeks ago I was there and I have never seen so many cops or people pulled over in my life, if you can't watch your speed factor in the price of tickets.

[Sanjay Sen]

<...> But you are indeed looking for the cold eh?

Nooo! I am hoping to escape from the cold! :D I need to go somewhere warmer than NYC is in Jan/Feb.


A lot of people think of NM and AZ and think "desert" then they think "hot". Northern AZ and NM, and Southern Utah will be cold and a 4x4 will possibly be needed, even on the highway, depending upon the weather. Last night outside of Taos we hit -20, which is unusual but it happens a few times a winter. That said, if you can deal with the cold and snow, it can look really amazing.

I am hoping to go to southern AZ again to escape winter and maybe hit that show in Phoenix. Oh, and a note on southern AZ, 6 weeks ago I was there and I have never seen so many cops or people pulled over in my life, if you can't watch your speed factor in the price of tickets.

Indeed, that was my (incorrect) impression. :) I am hoping to visit warmer climes, at least places I can shoot outside without freezing my hands off.

BTW, I watch my speed quite carefully, learnt it the hard way on the New Jersey highways.

[DanK]

Nooo! I am hoping to escape from the cold! :D I need to go somewhere warmer than NYC is in Jan/Feb.


Indeed, that was my (incorrect) impression. :) I am hoping to visit warmer climes, at least places I can shoot outside without freezing my hands off.

BTW, I watch my speed quite carefully, learnt it the hard way on the New Jersey highways.


As fas as New Mexico.....maybe far south this time of year....50's or so around White Sands....still below freezing at night....

Up northwest, little cool weather coming through....we've been in the teens and twenties (F) daytime, negatives during the night....

Probably southern, or better yet southwestern Arizona may be a better bet for warmer weather....

Thanks,
Dan

[Sirius Glass]

I think northern Arizona has more photogenic spots. Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, the Wave, etc. Plus you are close to southern Utah which probably beats both Arizona and New Mexico.

But you are indeed looking for the cold eh?

What he said.

Southern Utah and Northern Arizona are red rock country covering the Escalante. That means the lowest levels are seen in Northern Arizona [North and South Rims of the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley]. In Utah the rock level go up the Escalante to Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park [also Bryce, Zion, Cedar Breaks, Escalante, Capital Reef National Parks]. A loop around these will take between seven and ten days plus many boxes of sheet film.

Steve

[Tim k]

If you don't want cold, stay south of Phoenix.
If you want the "grand" landscape go north of Phoenix.

It was -30 at the canyon a couple of days ago.

[Sirius Glass]

Oh, I forgot to mention that the North Rim of Grand Canyon is closed during the winter.

Steve

[Vaughn]

I have photographed around Tucson at that time of year in great weather, then driven the NM only to have it snow on me -- turned around and photographed more in the good weather of Tucson.

If you want warmer weather, or at least the chance of it, then southern Arizona and over to Death Valley, or Joshua Tree/Anza Borrego might be better!

[JoeV]

Sandstone Overlook at the El Malpais National Monument, in western New Mexico, south of Grants, on the highway between Grants and Quemado. Easy access via car where, along the top of the sandstone cliffs, you can view lava fields extending to the horizon.

http://www.f295.org/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=832&g2_serialNumber=2
5x7 pinhole camera paper negative image.

There are other scenic vistas such as these, but lots of driving miles in between. White Sands is great. As is Chaco Canyon, but they are hundreds of miles apart. For Chaco Canyon, be very sure of dry weather, since the road is +20 miles of dirt road. Do some internet research for the optimal touring route between destinations. Be advised of weather hazards during winter in the high desert of the mountain west.

~Joe

[Thebes]

I thought the road to Chaco was gravel? It makes a difference around here, gravel is normally passable in wet weather, bad dirt roads can become impassable to even well equipped 4x4s.

Also there is a lot off the freeway in most any direction, but it might just be forest service gravel and dirt roads w/ no services or towns. The freeways and major highways run mostly through boring flat open country where roads are easily built. 20 miles of nasty dirt roads is nothing, we sometimes have road signs for "places" down that. Everything is lots of miles apart in the southwest, the Navajo rez alone is bigger than New England they say. I've been awe inspiring places that tourists have never heard of, there are many.

[Nathan Potter]

The Chaco Canyon road is mixed well drained gravel with some poorly drained clay surface areas between. With reasonable care you will be OK in wet weather in a normal passenger car; in heavy rain not so.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[Sanjay Sen]

Thanks all for taking the time to reply. I appreciate it.

[dperez]

In northern AZ, you might also consider Chinle.

In the south look for Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Saguro National Park, Ironwood Forest National Monument.