Ponderosa pine trunks stand out in a landscape of white in the Flagstaff area. A quintessential winter tree species, ponderosa pines rely on moisture from snowmelt, along with monsoon rains, to provide water for their deep roots. | Shane McDermott

Ponderosa pine trunks stand out in a landscape of white in the Flagstaff area. A quintessential winter tree species, ponderosa pines rely on moisture from snowmelt, along with monsoon rains, to provide water for their deep roots.

Shane McDermott

NIKON D35, 0.8 SEC, F/13, ISO 200, 45 MM LENS

 

Low clouds and snow cloak the Mittens and Merrick Butte, three of the most photographed buttes in Monument Valley. This part of the Navajo Nation rarely sees this much snow — on average, less than 6 inches falls on Monument Valley each year. | Bruce D. Taubert

Low clouds and snow cloak the Mittens and Merrick Butte, three of the most photographed buttes in Monument Valley. This part of the Navajo Nation rarely sees this much snow — on average, less than 6 inches falls on Monument Valley each year.

Bruce D. Taubert

CANON EOS 5D MARK II, 1/125 SEC, F/18, ISO 200, 17 MM LENS

 

Yavapai Point, on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, offers a view across the Canyon to the North Rim during a winter storm. While the South Rim is open to visitors year-round, heavy snowfall typically makes the North Rim inaccessible for much of the year. | Paul Gill

Yavapai Point, on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, offers a view across the Canyon to the North Rim during a winter storm. While the South Rim is open to visitors year-round, heavy snowfall typically makes the North Rim inaccessible for much of the year.

Paul Gill

CANON EOS 5D MARK III, 1/80 SEC, F/13, ISO 100, 67 MM LENS

 

Snow sticks to tree branches, still clinging to their fall foliage, in the Sedona area. While most visitors come to Red Rock Country during warmer times of year, winter offers a different way to experience the area’s dramatic landscapes. | Suzanne Mathia

Snow sticks to tree branches, still clinging to their fall foliage, in the Sedona area. While most visitors come to Red Rock Country during warmer times of year, winter offers a different way to experience the area’s dramatic landscapes.

Suzanne Mathia

CANON EOS-1DS MARK III, 1/13 SEC, F/11, ISO 100, 70 MM LENS

 

The Four Peaks, covered with snow and shrouded by clouds, form the backdrop for a Sonoran Desert landscape of saguaro and cholla cactuses. Visible from the Phoenix area, the Four Peaks often display heavy snowfall in winter. | Rusty Childress

The Four Peaks, covered with snow and shrouded by clouds, form the backdrop for a Sonoran Desert landscape of saguaro and cholla cactuses. Visible from the Phoenix area, the Four Peaks often display heavy snowfall in winter.

Rusty Childress

SONY ALPHA 7R, 1/200 SEC, F/22, ISO 500, 130 MM LENS

 

Healthy saguaros and other desert flora wear a thick coat of white in the Owl Head Buttes, north of Tucson in the foothills of the Tortolita Mountains. Saguaros can tolerate snowfall and even brief periods below freezing, but prolonged freezes can damage or kill these cactuses. | Paul Gill

Healthy saguaros and other desert flora wear a thick coat of white in the Owl Head Buttes, north of Tucson in the foothills of the Tortolita Mountains. Saguaros can tolerate snowfall and even brief periods below freezing, but prolonged freezes can damage or kill these cactuses.

Paul Gill

CANON EOS R5, 1 SEC, F/8, ISO 100, 40 MM LENS

 

Snow adorns a barrel cactus after a January storm at Catalina State Park, near Oro Valley. This 5,500-acre site, a haven for countless Sonoran Desert plant and animal species, became a state park in 1983. | Jack Dykinga

Snow adorns a barrel cactus after a January storm at Catalina State Park, near Oro Valley. This 5,500-acre site, a haven for countless Sonoran Desert plant and animal species, became a state park in 1983.

Jack Dykinga

NIKON D800E, 1/25 SEC, F/16, ISO 100, 85 MM LENS

 

Merriam Crater, a dormant cinder cone volcano northeast of Flagstaff, emerges from a sea of fog and snow. This volcano last erupted some 20,000 years ago, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. | Bernhard Michaelis

Merriam Crater, a dormant cinder cone volcano northeast of Flagstaff, emerges from a sea of fog and snow. This volcano last erupted some 20,000 years ago, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Bernhard Michaelis

CANON EOS 40D, 1/100 SEC, F/18, ISO 100, 58 MM LENS

 

Light snow adorns the hoodoos of Southeastern Arizona’s Chiricahua National Monument. These hoodoos formed over tens of thousands of years via frost wedging, which involves water seeping into cracks in rocks and gradually widening them as it freezes and thaws. | Sean Parker

Light snow adorns the hoodoos of Southeastern Arizona’s Chiricahua National Monument. These hoodoos formed over tens of thousands of years via frost wedging, which involves water seeping into cracks in rocks and gradually widening them as it freezes and thaws.

Sean Parker

CANON EOS 6D, 1/200 SEC, F/7.1, ISO 100, 70-200 MM LENS

 

The frigid West Fork of Oak Creek, near Sedona, flows through a wintry landscape marked by snow-covered branches and a sandstone cliff. The popular hiking trail along the West Fork is accessed via a parking area along State Route 89A in Oak Creek Canyon. | Derek von Briesen

The frigid West Fork of Oak Creek, near Sedona, flows through a wintry landscape marked by snow-covered branches and a sandstone cliff. The popular hiking trail along the West Fork is accessed via a parking area along State Route 89A in Oak Creek Canyon.

Derek von Briesen

CANON EOS-1DS MARK III, 1/15 SEC, F/16, ISO 100, 21 MM LENS

 

Snow blankets yuccas and ocotillos in Parker Canyon, a remote canyon in the equally remote Sierra Ancha of Central Arizona. Known for its steep canyons and numerous archaeological sites, the Sierra Ancha is protected by a 20,000-acre wilderness area managed by the U.S. Forest Service. | Claire Curran

Snow blankets yuccas and ocotillos in Parker Canyon, a remote canyon in the equally remote Sierra Ancha of Central Arizona. Known for its steep canyons and numerous archaeological sites, the Sierra Ancha is protected by a 20,000-acre wilderness area managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

Claire Curran

CANON EOS 5DS R, 1/25 SEC, F/29, ISO 200, 50 MM LENS

 

Fog and snow-covered foliage combine to form a wintry scene amid the sandstone buttes of Red Rock Country. The formations seen in the foreground are part of Snoopy Rock, named for its resemblance to the Peanuts character. | Larry Lindahl

Fog and snow-covered foliage combine to form a wintry scene amid the sandstone buttes of Red Rock Country. The formations seen in the foreground are part of Snoopy Rock, named for its resemblance to the Peanuts character.

Larry Lindahl

CANON EOS R5, 1/400 SEC, F/11, ISO 200, 343 MM LENS