Pristine Places

A PORTFOLIO PRISTINE PLACES

Our Photographers Share Their SECRET SPOTS, Far From the Public Eye

"Set at the end of a washboard dirt road, Toroweap is the most isolated destination in Grand Canyon National Park. No place I have visited underscores the fragility of life and the mortality of man like the precipice here. It is here that gravity becomes the most urgent of all physical laws, and the consequence of a misstep looms large."

ARIZONA ENCOMPASSES A VAST LAND, NEARLY 114,000

square miles, divided generally into two parts by the Mogollon Rim. North of the Rim, snowcapped mountains and thick pine forests dominate; southward lies the desert basin, but with its own brand of mountains, called sky islands. Mix in the remnants of long-ago volcanoes, sandstone cliffs and arches, sprawling grasslands and millennia of erosion caused by our great rivers-even the impact of a giant meteorite-and Arizona presents a face to the world that no other state can match. Locations like the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, the rocky monoliths of the Chiricahua Mountains, Meteor Crater, Kartchner Caverns, Sedona's red rocks, Havasu Falls, Sunset Crater and Oak Creek Canyon have become Arizona icons. And these places draw millions of visitors each year. But because of the size of Arizona and the variety of its geography, many other places of exquisite beauty and solitude have yet to be discovered by the masses, and most of the sites will never draw big crowds. That's because some are in remote locations, some are difficult to get to and some are just hidden away. Our photographers know these spots. They spend their working hours seeking out little-known scenes. They all have their favorites, and we asked them to share a few unspoiled places with our readers.

"This canyon in the Pajarita Wilderness near the U.S.-Mexico border seems strangely familiar. But when I arrive at its narrows, familiarity vanishes. I step out of civilization and into an unspoiled, primeval world. Thoughts of jaguars, known to roam this area, give each snapping twig new significance."

"My most memorable trip to this pristine drainage issuing from the base of the Mogollon Rim near Payson was with a friend and his 8-year-old daughter. I remember her discovering the delight of sticking her wrists in the frigid spray of the spring. Hunkered down on all fours, she intently watched an autumn leaf swirling in a pool. What a wonderful thing to experience, the imagination of a child at play along this unspoiled creek." To order a print of this photograph, see page 1.

Jerry Sieve on MARBLE VIEWPOINT

“Driving through miles of heavy tree cover on back roads north of the Grand Canyon, I burst into an opening that provides me one of the best panoramas in the state. The view from 9,000 feet looks down on House Rock Valley, Vermilion Cliffs, Echo Cliffs and Marble Canyon. Primitive and hard to find, Marble Viewpoint presents a vista best described as ‘miles and miles of miles and miles.’”

RED MOUNTAIN GEOLOGIC AREA

This eroded volcanic cinder cone in the Coconino National Forest northwest of Flagstaff is a remarkable place. It lies at the end of a short trail, yet it fosters a real sense of remoteness. As I enter its amphitheater, I am completely surrounded by a stunning variety of red-hued layers of cemented cinders. The steep walls are deeply incised and studded with tapering pinnacles. Ponderosa pines, junipers and shrubs accent this geologic wonder.

FOSSIL SPRINGS

There is magic in flowing water, and nowhere more so than at Fossil Springs west of Strawberry. I am amazed by the mystery of where all that water comes from. Springs emerge in incredible variety. Some burble up from the ground. Some drip down walls of maidenhair fern. Others boom out from raspberry thickets as though shot from a cannon. It makes me think of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Xanadu and the sacred river Alph that 'ran through caverns measureless to man.'

"This canyon on the Mogollon Rim north of Pine has maintained its pristine appearance because of the rugged conditions hikers are confronted with in getting there. The payoff, however, is well worth the effort. The canyon's quiet solitude, constantly changing geology and the clarity of West Clear Creek's flowing water and deep pools combine to make this place special."

CIBECUE CREEK

"The difficult climb getting here lends an air of primitive solitude to this canyon on the White Mountain Apache Reservation. Enormous bear and mountain lion tracks, just yards from my camp, remind me I'm not completely alone. Hiking, swimming and photographing for three days, I encounter no one until the hike out. Human voices, offering a surprised greeting, seem oddly out of place in this canyon."

"I arrive at Fremont Saddle along the steep trail. Heavy camera gear slows me down, but the view of imposing Weavers Needle in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix quickly dissipates my lingering fatigue. A short hike traversing a ridge, and I arrive at the edge of the escarpment where I will photograph the monolith. I am so close to a major metro area, yet there is no hint of human structures in this amazing place."

"This is one of the few places I consider true wilderness. It is at the top of my list for its remoteness and unrivaled beauty. Every bend in this narrow gorge a hundred miles east of Phoenix amazes me with new surprises: a placid pool so clean and clear that you can see every pebble in the streambed; a profusion of monkeyflowers and columbines covering a limestone wall; a silky waterfall cascading into a mossy grotto. A wealth of natural beauty makes Sawmill Canyon a unique and special spot." To order a print of this photograph, see page 1.

"I enjoy the botanical diversity of this canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains southeast of Tucson. Winding through lush oak woodlands and cool mountain forests, I top out on the north end of the range's backbone. Beyond the trailhead are old facilities for a cattle-grazing operation, but little else here suggests the hand of man. This stately oak, a handsome specimen, adds to the natural setting that brings me back."

THE PARIA PLATEAU

"Remoteness, geology and a long drive over deep sand contribute to the pristine nature of this area west of Page. Because of the sandy terrain, it takes only a short time for tracks of intruders to be erased by the elements. On the other hand, one misplaced footstep on delicate sandstone strata can easily destroy fragile fins that took eons to form. Eroded by wind and weather into bizarre patterns, shapes and colors, the geology of the plateau is a unique wonder."

MUNDS MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS

"The wilderness is an island of serenity in the bustling Sedona area. Red rock formations contrast beautifully with the evergreen piñon-juniper forest. I have good excuses to visit here often. I come to capture images of the beautiful and dramatic landscape I find here, and to visit with family living in Sedona." To order a print of this photograph, see page 1.

"I love wet weather and crisp light. At Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southwest Arizona, I experience both when the rains come to this desert range. I count on the unspoiled landscape to be refreshed and sparkling in the clear air. Alone in this peaceful place, listening to the sounds of the living desert, I stand in awe, breathing in the freshness of the moment." To order a print of this photograph, see page 1.

[left] Jack Dykinga on VERMILION CLIFFS WILDERNESS

"The Colorado Plateau in extreme northern Arizona ranks high as one of America's last great places. It's a land of bedrock laid bare, exposed to forces of erosion and sculpted into an inexhaustible gallery of fine art. Yet, for all its stony harshness, the contents here are fragile and easily destroyed. I often wonder if my images will increase the human impact or increase the level of protection. Only selfless, far-thinking wisdom can keep this land pristine. My soul needs this wild land."

[above] Laurence Parent on PUSCH RIDGE WILDERNESS

"The rugged Santa Catalina Mountains rise spectacularly from the flat valley floor occupied by Tucson. Many of my earliest memories are of my childhood years growing up there. Although the city has grown immensely since then, Pusch Ridge is as wild and undeveloped as ever. I love the contrast between the dry desert in the lower elevations of the wilderness and the lush forest of its high peaks."

THE POST-SHOOT-OUT YEARS Wyatt Earp AFTER HIS INFAMOUS BLOODY GUNFIGHTS, HE MADE PEACE— AND DIED PENNILESS

When Wyatt Earp fled Arizona in April 1882, he left a trail of bodies in his wake. In his infamous vendetta ride, the lawman tossed away his U.S. deputy marshal's badge and gunned down Florentino Cruz, Frank Stilwell and Curly Bill Brocius, the men he believed had murdered his brother Morgan.

Then he rode clear of the Territory, righteous in revenge, glorious in defending his family's honor. But he also had an arrest warrant over his head. Loud voices within Arizona were demanding he stand trial for murder.

Those three killings meant that for all time, Wyatt Earp's name would be written in blood.

He understood that, but couldn't accept it. When he passed into his mid-50s and heard the train of celebrity still roaring at his back, he tried to outrun it. That effort brought him to lower Colorado River country, his part-time home the last 25 years of his life.

Wyatt spent winters there with his wife, Josie, working their mines in California's Whipple Mountains, just west of the Colo-rado. He often crossed the river, venturing back into Arizona to scare up a poker game or purchase mining supplies.

He found comfort in the region's remoteness, far from newspapers eager for another story and a bigger legend.

Contrary to the belief that he never returned to Arizona after his unceremonious departure, Earp spent considerable time around Parker, and in the early 1900s, he lived briefly in Quartzsite, according to historian Lee Silva.

Silva, author of Wyatt Earp: A Biography of the Legend, Volume 1, The Cowtown Years, published in 2002, says that Wyatt, a Republican, even ran for constable there in 1904, losing in a heavily Democratic town by a handful of votes, out of 57 cast.

"He came to the desert to avoid people and just live his life," says Silva. "The anti-Earp crowd said he liked to brag about what he'd done, but that's not true. After 1896, when he gave a series of