Yellow wildflowers surround a prickly pear cactus in this late-afternoon scene from the Coyote Mountains Wilderness, which stretches for 5,080 acres, 40 miles southwest of Tucson.
JONATHAN BUFORD
FUJIFILM X-T3, 1/40 SEC, F/20, ISO 160, 10-24 MM LENS
A gnarled juniper tree grows out of a sandstone butte overlooking Grant Creek and the Blue Range Primitive Area in Eastern Arizona.
JOEL HAZELTON
CANON EOS 5DS, 15 SEC, F/16, ISO 100, 16-35 MM LENS
Riparian vegetation thrives near a small waterfall in the Hellsgate Wilderness, beneath the Mogollon Rim in Gila County.
JONATHAN BUFORD
FUJIFILM X-T4, 1.3 SEC, F/16, ISO 160, 16-55 MM LENS
A small pool near a gathering of hoodoos mirrors the colors of sunrise in the Chiricahua Wilderness of Southeastern Arizona.
JONATHAN BUFORD
FUJIFILM X-T4, 1/6 SEC, F/14, ISO 160, 16-55 MM LENS
A red-capped butte arises from a wonderland of eroded mudstone in this otherworldly section of the Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area, in Eastern Arizona.
JOEL HAZELTON
CANON EOS 6D, 3.2 SEC, F/18, ISO 100, 16-35 MM LENS
Verdant grasses carpet the meadows of Escudilla Mountain under a summer sunset in the White Mountains of Eastern Arizona.
JOEL HAZELTON
CANON EOS 6D, 1.3 SEC, F/16, ISO 100, 24-70 MM LENS
Water sloshes through a narrow gap between imposing cliffs in the Salome Wilderness.The wilderness area sits within the Sierra Ancha range, in Gila County.
JONATHAN BUFORD
CANON EOS 70D, 1/5 SEC, F/7.1, ISO 100, 11-16 MM LENS
A vibrant barrel cactus grows near the edge of a 900-foot drop down to the Colorado River where it flows through Black Canyon, in Northwestern Arizona.
JOEL HAZELTON
CANON EOS 5DS, 0.4 SEC, F/16, ISO 100, 16-35 MM LENS
Sunset paints the sky over Theodore Roosevelt Lake, the Salome Wilderness and the Superstition Wilderness, as captured from the summit of Armer Mountain in the Sierra Ancha.
JOEL HAZELTON
CANON EOS 5DS, 6 SEC, F/18, ISO 100, 24-70 MM LENS
A sunlit slope in the Mount Logan Wilderness is awash with desert vegetation. The 14,650-acre wilderness area was designated in 1984.
JONATHAN BUFORD
FUJIFILM X-T4, 1/8 SEC, F/18, ISO 160, 16-55 MM LENS
To explore more of Arizona’s rugged backcountry, pick up a copy of our newest book, Arizona Wilderness: A Celebration of the State’s 90 Most Pristine Places, by photographer Jonathan Buford. It’s available at shoparizonahighways.com and at many Arizona booksellers.