San Tan Mountain Regional Park

Author's Comments

San Tan does not announce itself. It sits at the southeast edge of the metro sprawl, and most people drive past it on their way to the Superstitions without realizing what they have skipped. That is part of what I like about it. On a Tuesday morning in March I have walked the San Tan Trail Loop and seen maybe four other people in five hours, which in this part of Arizona is something close to a gift. The saguaros here are old and densely packed in places, and the loop trail moves through them at a pace that lets you actually look. Spring is when the park makes its case most clearly. After a wet winter the wildflowers come in waves, brittlebush yellow against the gray-green of the desert floor, and the hedgehog cacti throw out magenta blooms that seem almost too saturated to be real. Bring a macro lens for those, and a wide lens for the long views toward Picacho Peak that open up on the higher sections of the loop. Golden hour is the hour. The San Tans themselves are not tall enough to dominate, so the photograph here is usually about the foreground, a particular saguaro catching side light, a barrel cactus with its ribs going gold, the ground shadows lengthening across the wash. The Superstitions rise blue in the distance and give you depth without competing for attention. It is a quieter park than its neighbors. That is the entire pitch. If you want the iconic Arizona shot you go elsewhere, but if you want to spend a morning alone with saguaros and good light, this is where I would send you.

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