Pioneering ornithologist Florence Merriam Bailey is shown in an undated portrait. Bailey’s method of quietly observing her subjects helped usher in the modern approach to birding and birdwatching. | Smithsonian Institution
Latest Feature

Standing Perfectly Still

ON A LATE-SUMMER DAY IN 1929, all manner of visitors came to Bright Angel Lodge, the rustic hotel perched on the South…
Thunder River Falls pours from an opening in a steep cliff in the Grand Canyon. From here, the Thunder River — referred to in this story as Thunder Creek — flows for only half a mile to its intersection with Tapeats Creek, making it one of the world’s shortest rivers. By Rich Rudow
Latest Feature

Thunder River: An Adventure in the Canyon

Editor’s Note: The celebration of our centennial continues with another wonderful piece from another wonderful writer.…
A close-up of a light purple flower cluster against a green background reveals a camouflaged caterpillar with subtle orange hues.
Photo Editor Forum

Bruce D. Taubert: This Is My Story

Many landscape and nature photographers will tell you not to go out for a shoot with only one possible subject in mind…
Joseph Specter is pictured in the living room of Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West, in Scottsdale.
Around Arizona

Joseph Specter

Frank Lloyd Wright had no regard for the tall. That’s a reminder many visitors receive when they explore Taliesin West…
Bruce Simballa (on oars) and Kenton Grua (steering) guide an authentic Whitehall boat, the kind used by John Wesley Powell’s party, through the Grand Canyon’s Granite Rapids for an Imax film in 1984. Powell’s group portaged these rapids, but modern boatmen have the skills and experience to run these boats through the Canyon’s largest rapids. By Rudi Petschek
In Depth

Whatever Boats You Float

The rapid we started with this morning gave us to understand the character of the day’s run. It was a wild one. The…
The San Francisco Peaks, Arizona’s highest mountains, loom over a hillside of evergreens and wildflowers at sunset. The Peaks are sacred to several of Arizona’s tribes, adding deeper meaning to an effort to rename one of the summits. By Michael Wilson
Latest Feature

Home of the Clouds

You don’t need a Ph.D. in anthropology to decipher the names of many of Arizona’s landmarks. The Grand Canyon is just…
Reddish ponderosa pine trunks contrast with green pine, spruce and Douglas-fir needles on the Kaibab Plateau, north of the Grand Canyon. Featuring elevations of up to 9,200 feet, the Kaibab Plateau is known for mild summers and snowy winters. By Tom Bean
Latest Feature

Forested Highlands

Remembering gives a place life. Think back to plum-colored storms in summer and the sound of thunder booming through…
Aspens mingle with ponderosa pines in Sandys Canyon, a scenic hiking destination southeast of Flagstaff. This view is from an overlook west of Canyon Vista Campground, which is just off Lake Mary Road (Forest Highway 3). By Tom Bean
Latest Feature

Headed for Higher Ground

At Sheeps Crossing, in the White Mountains of Eastern Arizona, grasses and flowers grow…