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Tucson Mountain Park is located on the west
side of Tucson and includes the popular Gates Pass Rd., Golden Gate overlook,
Krein and Yetman trails, hiking, mountain biking, the Desert Museum, Starr
Pass and many other scenic spots. The steep and rugged peaks of the park
include saguaro, cholla, prickly pear and ocotillo cacti along with deer,
coyotes, bobcats, hawks, snakes, spiders and scorpions. The sunsets within
the park are some of the best in southern Arizona.
 Golden
Gate Mountain: This
view looks northwest towards Golden Gate mountain and the Yetman trail.
Spring Ocotillo: During
early spring, Ocotillo begin to bloom in southern Arizona.
Trailside Saguaro: These
saguaro can be found along the Yetman trail.
Collection of Desert
Cacti: This view offers saguaro, cholla and ocotillo. This is a
typical example of the trails within Tucson Mountain Park.
The Yetman Trail: This
trail goes from a mountain pass, through a sandy wash and down to the
valley floor.
Glowing Sky: This image was one of the most incredible
sunsets captured in Arizona. The mountain
range in the left background is the 7,000 foot Kitt Peak where the Kitt
Peak National Observatory is located.
Kitt Peak Sunset: Low
afternoon clouds can provide bright orange, pink and red colors
during a sunset.
Red Skies: Golden Gate Mountain with a bright red
evening sky.
John Krein Sunset:
The bright red colors are a result of a late afternoon rain storm that
ended minutes before the sunset. The skies were still overcast, but the
sun was able to
shine on the mountains. This view is looking east towards the John Krein
trail.
Golden Gate Mountain: This peak reaches a height of
4,288 feet.
The low afternoon storm clouds made for a dramatic sunset.
Saguaro Sunset: The saguaro is known as the sentinel
of the desert.
Many of the saguaros within Tucson Mountain Park are over 150 years old.
Cholla Sunset: This image was captured a few minutes
after the sunset. This cholla is a
few feet tall and I had to get the camera a few inches off the ground to
get the correct angle.
The shutter speed was slow to capture the color of the needles scattered
all over the cholla.
Hanging Cholla Sunset: Hanging Cholla are everywhere
in the park and make for a nice sunset silhouette.
Afternoon Cholla: This plant is everywhere in the
park. Many are located
along trails and leave fallen needles. Just touching one is asking one
trouble.
Pink Skies: The last color of a sunset is typically
pink.
Afterglow Saguaro: This image was taken about 10 inches
off the ground to capture the most color possible.
Stormy Sunset: This is the result
of a late afternoon wind and rain storm.
Rare Winter Fog:
Even Southern Arizona gets a little bit of fog which only lasts a few
days per year.
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