Santa Rita Lodge

From the shaded back deck of my cabin at Santa Rita Lodge, I listen to the tap, tap, tapping of an Arizona woodpecker. Beyond the dense tangle of oaks and junipers, I can just make out the smooth, white bark of sycamores along Madera Creek. I drift off to sleep to the gentle shushing of the seasonal stream and awaken to birdsong and cicadas. The cabin is wood-paneled and comfortable, with a kitchenette and a front-porch swing.

Check-in came with an excellent map of Madera Canyon and news of the latest bird sightings. I had just missed a rare plain-capped starthroat, a hummingbird that had been frequenting the gift shop’s porch feeder. But six other species of hummingbirds darted between the feeders at the viewing station, where birders — another species that has sought shelter here since the 1920s — gather for little more than a song.