Arizona and New Mexico tips? - DPChallenge Forums

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

01/23/2006 03:36:46 PM · #1

We're taking a family springtime road trip to Arizona and New Mexico. I was wondering if anybody had any tips on what to see, etc? Initial plans so far are: first stop in Sedona for 2 nights, Santa Fe 2 nights, down to White Sands for 1 quick night, then thinking Tuscon area for 1-2 nights then back home.

I'm thinking of an indirect route from Santa Fe to Alamogordo through Roswell to see some alien touristy stuff. Tuscon seems a good half-way point back to home and looks like there's some neat stuff around there. Is Tombstone worthwhile?

My 5 y/o boy is coming, so any kid stuff would be helpful. I have the X-Box, PS2, and Dvd in the car plus his Nintendo DS to keep him occupied on some of the long stretches.

Any interesting photo ops/sites along the way, cool restaurants, or other tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! :-)

thegrandwazoo

Nikon D750

01/23/2006 03:46:02 PM · #2

I live in Phoenix and was born in Tucson. Sedona is a huge exposure waiting to be taken IE. slide rock, bell rock the river and jerome is cool too. In Tucson the places to go are Sabino Canyon, Saguaro National Monument East, Sonora Desert Museum and San Xavier Mission.
In Santa Fe (My Dad lives in New Mexico) the whole town is great but make sure you go to the square where all the artisans set up on the ground to sell their wares. Also the old mission church.

Hope this helps and have a great trip.
Best Regards

P.S. Tombstone is cool I dont think as many photo ops as the others and quite a bit south of tucson.

Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS for Canon

01/23/2006 03:49:44 PM · #3

When are you going and what are you interested in?

ElGordo

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

01/23/2006 03:56:21 PM · #4

Too many places, not enough time! The museums in Santa Fe are excellent, especially the Palace of the Governors, est. late 1600s. On the way to White Sands take Hwy 285 south to Highway 54 which will take you to Carrizozo and Lincoln (East of 54 about 30 miles), home of Billy The Kid. Continuing South on Hwy 54 you will pass through Tularosa and Alamogordo before reaching White Sands. In Alamogordo is the Space Hall of Fame with superb exhibits of various space related missions, lots of rockets, and an IMAX theater. White Sands is well worth the trip and offers many photographic opportunities. West of Tuscon don't miss the Desert Museum and 'Old Tuscon' exhibits. Old Tuscon usually has a shootout staged in the street for the benefit of tourists. The desert west of Tuscon is probably one of the most beautiful in the world and is surprisingly green for a desert!
Lot to see and enjoy!

strangeghost

Canon EOS-7D

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

01/23/2006 03:58:07 PM · #5

In Alamagordo, your son will like the Space History Museum (or similar). White Sands is awesome but try to get there near sunset so you can get low sun for great contrasty pics.

Santa Fe is a treat. The downtown is very friendly for walking so once you park your car, don't worry about it and just set off on foot. The plaza mentioned above is excellent with the St. Francis cathedral just a block away. Lots of traditional southwestern architecture to shoot.

Don't neglect the landscapes and geology while you're in the southwest. This is a geologist's paradise, and much to reward the eye (and camera) for the patient explorer.

thegrandwazoo

Nikon D750

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

01/23/2006 03:59:28 PM · #6

Yeah I forgot Old Tucson that is fun and it just down the way from The Sonora Desert Museum.

Message edited by author 2006-01-23 16:00:48.

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4.0-5.6G ED

01/23/2006 04:32:39 PM · #7

Here is my what to do in Sedona Guide; first off, welcome to the Red Rock pass. When you get in to Sedona, get one. Itâ��s required if you want to get out of your car anywhere. They are $5 per day. Then go to Crescent Moon Park just before sunset and bring a tripod. I think itâ��s a state park and theyâ��ll charge you $7 more to get in. Itâ��s a short walk to the creek and from there and youâ��ll get a great view of Cathedral Rock. There will probably be a few other photographers there with you.
Also be sure to drive up Oak Creek Canyon on 89A. The drive alone is great, but about half way through, after you pass Don Hoeâ��s cabins, there is a trailhead on your left. Pull in there and hike as far as you chose. Get there early on the weekend because they fill up and close the lot. This is the famous â��West Forkâ�� trailhead, one of my favorite hikes in the state. In the first quarter mile alone youâ��ll pass by the ruins of an old resort (with lots of photo ops) and then come to a very nice little red rock creek scene. The rest of the hike is along the creek and includes many rock hopping creek crossings and amazing photo ops. Kids absolutely love this hike and so will your camera.
If you have a rental car or a truck, take Schnebly Hill road out of Sedona and stop anywhere along the road you chose. If itâ��s your car you may want to drive slowly as the road is not paved and can be quite rough (no worries of getting stuck though). About 3-4 miles in there is a little parking area by a gate (which may or may not be the end of the road). Stop here, hike up the small hill and enjoy the view.
Restaurant wise in Sedona, Troiaâ��s is fantastic and is my favorite!!! Pizza Picazzo next door is suppose to be really good but I have not eaten there yet. For breakfast, the dinner at the airport is great. Eat outside if the weather is okay and enjoy the view.
Also, save some money and avoid the jeep tours.

AzCKelly

Nikon D70s

01/23/2006 04:45:21 PM · #8

another unusual site is Colossal Cave on the east side of town just past Saguaro National Monument East mentioned by thegrandwazoo. There is also the Pima Air Museum on the south end of town. There are a ton of older airplanes and offer tours. On the North side is the Biosphere 2 facility and the Titan Missle Museum.

Postgate1

Canon 2000D

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

01/23/2006 05:03:21 PM · #9

wow dont forget the Canyon you wont be to far from it.

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

01/23/2006 05:17:00 PM · #10

Wow, thanks for all the replies! Lots of good information here, I'll be sure to talk it out with my wife and show her the great ideas mentioned. We're going mid-April, so I'm hoping some wildflowers will be out too. I have an all-wheel-drive SUV, so some (light-duty) off-roading shouldn't present much of a problem. I wanted to go to the Grand Canyon, been there once with my wife before, but with the kid we're worried about him possibly running off and getting too close to the edge. Lot's of places to lose him there. Definitely when he gets a little older though, and he might appreciate it more when he's older.

Thannks again for all the help.

sprite777

Nikon D700

01/23/2006 05:29:19 PM · #11

I live in Mesa, and go to school in Tempe.

I think we should all take a road trip to Sedona together, maybe give each other tips, break out our nice gear, etc.

Just a thought. :)

Mary Ann Melton

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 EX APO IF HSM for Canon

01/23/2006 05:47:45 PM · #12

I did not like Tombstone -tourist trap old town, nothing creative in the "gift shops", - but if you are going - the largest rose bush and the house that goes with it are worth seeing. The cemetery is sad - so many violent deaths - and, of course, you must go through the gift shop to walk through the cemetery . . . . . . lots of history - but it was a violent town . . . . .

Tucson - Sweetwater Wetlands has some nice waterbird photography. At Tucson Mountain Park (or at any of the picnic areas at Saguaro) lots of desert birds. Gates Pass is a nice place to be for Sunset. And La Placita downtown has lots of colorful doors and windows to photograph. Also mentioned - the Sonoran Desert Museum is wonderful - humingbird house - at certain season's Raptor Programs and other desert animals to view and photograph. Also in Tucson - Sabino Canyon - talk about symbolism - beautiful flowing stream with waterfalls surrounded by Saguaro cactus.

Phoenix area - Papago Park at Sunset is lovely (there is a natural window in the rock) - as is the Desert Botanical Garden (well worth a stop!!!!!!) The Botanical Garden is also nice at night - they have it lit beautifully. There are birds nests, blooming plants, a Desert Indian living interactive museum area (your kids will love that)

On your way down I-25 between Alamagordo and Albuquerque is Bosque del Apache. I suspect that the large flocks of birds will have already migrated north.

Out of Taos is the Rio Grande Gorge - amazing canyon crossed by an amazing bridge - plenty of chainlink fence - your child will be safe!

Artifacts

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

01/23/2006 06:45:03 PM · #13

Originally posted by Telehubbie:

A few other Sedona possibilities:
If you are into petroglyphs there is a nice site just west of Sedona called the Palatki Heritage Site:
//www.pbase.com/azleader/palatkira
And The Chapel of the Holy Cross:
//www.pbase.com/azleader/sedchurch
And The Devil's Bridge:
//www.pbase.com/azleader/devilbr

Though Tombstone did not get a positive review from Mary Ann I'd give it a huge thumbs up if you are into authentic old west history.
//www.pbase.com/azleader/tombstone

The Bird Cage Theater is perhaps the most fascinating single building where real old west history was lived than any other location anywhere in the west and it is the best preserved. It is more than worth the $5 to take the self guided tour. Among other things there is an original license issued to "Josie", who later became Wyatt Earp's wife, to work as a prostitute there and it is signed and authorized by non-other than Wyatt Earp himself.

In the Tucson area:
Suguaro National Park west of Tucson looks like this:
//www.pbase.com/azleader/suguaro_park

And the mission San Xavier Del Bac south of Tucson looks like this:
//www.pbase.com/azleader/sanxavier

The "Old Tucson" movie location is good if you are into old western movies and TV shows but I don't have any pictures of it.

PhantomEWO

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

01/23/2006 07:14:45 PM · #14

Maybe Calsbad Caverns just outside Carlsbad NM. I wouldn't waste your time on alien stuff in Roswell. I've driven through there a thousand times and all ya see is everyu business with green big headed "things" in the window. If you are really into so be it . Maybe someone else will think different, but there are a lot of better "tourist" things to do in NM than Roswell.

bell

Casio Exilim EX-Z1000

01/23/2006 07:27:04 PM · #15

Don't forget Holbrook, AZ on old route 66, your son can sleep in a tepee, you also can sleep there, you can visit the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert both near by. And while you're there swing up to Monument Valley.

Mary Ann Melton

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 EX APO IF HSM for Canon

01/23/2006 07:59:13 PM · #16

I have to disagree about Roswell - while there IS a lot of "touristy" stuff there, the UFO Museum and Research center is worth an hour or so of your time. It has a lot of artifacts and photos from 1947. It tells the history behind the legend of the UFO crash, complete with copies of interviews from people who were there at the time. For me, being married to a science fiction writer, it was a fascinating place to visit.

To add to your list of restaurants - I have tried to look up a restaurant we really like in Tucson. The menu has items I've never seen anywhere else. (and I live in Texas and have eaten the Texas versions, the New Mexico versions, the Arizona versions, and the California versions of Mexican food) If I were in Tucson, I could drive right there . . . . I think it is:
Leruas Fine Mexican Food
2005 E Broadway Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85719

jdw91479

Olympus E-300 EVOLT

Olympus 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital ED

01/23/2006 08:42:03 PM · #17

I moved to Phoenix about a year ago and haven't been out shooting much. This thread is one I think I'll have to check a few times and plan some trips.

This weekend I drove a friend down to Eloy, AZ (about 8 miles east of Casa Grande) because he was going to go skydiving. If your into that at all it might be a good place to stop. You can also get pretty close to where everyone was "landing." It seemed like there were about 30 people in the air every 15 minutes. Unluckily enough, my old camera is pretty much broken but the UPS man is stopping by my house tomorrow with the dslr I ordered. It was interesting to see all the skydivers at least ;)

ElGordo

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS for Canon

01/23/2006 09:03:36 PM · #18

Originally posted by PhantomEWO:

The ONLY thing worth seeing in Roswell is the Goddard Museum. This museum, in addition to Goddard's Rocketry workshop, houses a first class Southwestern history section and a worthwhile art museum. Steer clear of the touristy ufo crap. My folks live in Roswell so I visit there often.

scrum8

Canon EOS-50D

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

01/23/2006 09:14:21 PM · #19

We just did the Grand Canyon (2 nights) and Tucson (6 nights) over Christmas. Definitely do the Sonora Desert Museum (zoo) while you're Tucson. Here is a link to my wildlife photos during the trip. The raptors were all taken at the Museum.

//public.fotki.com/scrum8/arizona_2005/

Regards,
scrum8

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

01/23/2006 11:47:47 PM · #20

Thanks everybody for all the info, links and photos. This is the kind of great stuff that you don't get from the tourist books, and is very helpful and much appreciated. I'm very jealous of you lucky people who live in these areas! Thanks again.

sprite777

Nikon D700

01/24/2006 11:41:27 AM · #21

Originally posted by sprite777:

I live in Mesa, and go to school in Tempe.

I think we should all take a road trip to Sedona together, maybe give each other tips, break out our nice gear, etc.

Just a thought. :)

jemison

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

01/24/2006 11:54:30 AM · #22

Personal opinion: why waste your time on southern NM, when you have beautiful northern NM? Taos, Bandalier Cliff Ruins, Chama, Tierra Amarilla, Rio Grande Gorge and bridge, Angel Fire, Chaco Canyon, Shiprock etc. Venture over the Colo border a bit through Chromo to Durango, Telluride, Mesa Verde...

01/24/2006 01:24:47 PM · #23

Sorry Sprite, was meaning to get back to you on that. I'd love to meet with people in Sedona, but we're only going to be there for one full day and not sure yet what the wife/kid wants to do. I'm not sure how much time I'll have to really shoot stuff, most of my "free time" will probably be in the early morning for sunrise shots which is what I'm really looking forward to anyways.

Jemison, those areas that I really want to see too, but that's probably going to be a whole other trip to really see it all. My wife has always wanted to see White Sands and I've always wanted to see Southern Arizona so for this one we choose a southern loop.

01/24/2006 01:25:26 PM · #24

Originally posted by sprite777:

Originally posted by sprite777:
I live in Mesa, and go to school in Tempe.

I think we should all take a road trip to Sedona together, maybe give each other tips, break out our nice gear, etc.

Just a thought. :)

:(

Sounds like a plan to me. We've done a few Arizona trips in the past. Just don't invite that Steve guy.