Maricopa Mts., Arizona
and nearby Sand Tank Mts.
Most of these photos were taken at Sonoran Desert National Monument,
a remarkably pristine patch of BLM land about an hour south of Phoenix.
The
monument encompasses the Maricopa Mts., including the South Maricopa
Mts. Wilderness where most of these images were captured. Just south of
the Maricopa Mts. are the Sand Tank Mts., which are close enough that
I'm also including a few shots from that area on this page. All the
photos of spring wildflowers are from the Sand Tanks.


A cholla skeleton and saguaro cactus in the South Maricopa Mt. Wilderness at Sonoran Desert National Monument, Arizona.
  Cholla and saguaro cacti at sunset in the South Maricopa Mt. Wilderness, part of Sonoran Desert National Monument in southern Arizona.   Mexican Goldpoppies and a saguaro in the spring in the Sand Tank Mts., Arizona.   Cholla cactus at sunset in the South Maricopa Mt. Wilderness, part of Sonoran Desert National Monument in southern Arizona.   A cholla skeleton and saguaro cactus in the South Maricopa Mt. Wilderness at Sonoran Desert National Monument, Arizona.

  A cholla skeleton and saguaro cactus in the South Maricopa Mt. Wilderness at Sonoran Desert National Monument, Arizona.   A cholla skeleton and saguaro cactus in the South Maricopa Mt. Wilderness at Sonoran Desert National Monument, Arizona.   Wildflowers including Phacelia, Lupins and Mexican Goldpoppies in the Sand Tank Mts., Arizona.   Wildflowers in the Sand Tank Mts. of southern Arizona.  

    Cholla and saguaro cacti at sunset in the South Maricopa Mt. Wilderness, part of Sonoran Desert National Monument in southern Arizona.   A saguaro in front of a cholla, when photographed as a silhouette, creates the illusion of a hybrid "choguaro".   A cholla skeleton and saguaro cactus in the South Maricopa Mt. Wilderness at Sonoran Desert National Monument, Arizona.