Running—especially trail running—is a big part of our lives and we try to run in interesting places. That could be running up mountains, alongside streams, through forests, and in canyons. And I try to take a camera with me when we run. As a minimum, the camera will be a phone but I prefer to take along my Sony RX100 V, a small camera with a 24-70mm zoom lens. The camera is actually smaller than my phone (smaller length x width, but thicker) so it fits well in my water bottle waist pack.
Here is a collection of photographs taken on the trails we have run this spring in northern Arizona.
The rising sun illuminates the red rocks of Sedona as we prepare to start the run.Sometimes Dry Creek has water.A great swimming hole at the turn around point on Wet Beaver Creek.Group run through Carroll Canyon.Spring blossoms along the Elden Springs Trail.Overhanging rock on Hardline Trail.Blooming agave plant on Hangover Trail.Spring-fed ponds along the Sycamore Canyon Rim Trail.Sycamore Canyon Rim Trail overlook.Cluster of oak trees on Apollo Trail in the Mount Elden Dry Lakes (MEDL) trail system.View of the San Francisco Peaks on the high point of Space Walk Trail, a part of the MEDL system.Tree with carved bench at the top of Space Walk Trail.Rock art along a trail in the Red Rock—Secret Mountain Wilderness.Rocky Mountain Iris along the Arizona Trail.Picturesque stand of aspen along the Arizona Trail.Running on the Oldham Trail at the base of Mount Elden.
It’s not just about the running—it’s also about the beautiful places running can take us.
We continue to enjoy seeing wildflowers on our hikes in northern Arizona–although the extended dry period has reduced the numbers. Recently we hiked the Arizona Trail between Aspen Corner and Bismark Lake.
Wildflowers seen along the Arizona Trail between Aspen Corner and Bismark Lake.
As before, identification of the flowers was done via an iPhone app and reverse image lookup. There may be errors.
The aspen leaves have now mostly fallen to the ground with only a few patches of color left. It has been a good year for leaf peeping and I was able to capture several images that I like. But I have also captured some good photos over the years and this post highlights some of those.
Inner Basin Trail, October 2014.
My favorite is this photo taken while mountain biking in the Inner Basin of the San Francisco Peaks. Shot with fill flash and an ultra-wide angle lens.
Inner Basin, 2005.
One of my earliest photos, also in the Inner Basin, was shot on Fuji Provia film in 2005. The remaining photos are from 2008 through 2022 and are, of course, digital shots.
Waterline Road, 2008.Arizona Trail at Bismarck Lake, 2010.Aspen Corner, Snowbowl Road, 2011.Weatherford Canyon, 2012.NWS, Bellemont, 2012.Inner Basin, 2013.Mountain biking, Inner Basin Trail, 2013.Arizona Trail, 2013.Forest Road 418, 2013.Waterline Road, 2014.Inner Basin Trail, 2015.Lockett Meadows and Inner Basin, 2015.Waterline Road, 2018.Weatherford Canyon, 2018.Mormon Mountain, 2018.San Francisco Peaks, 2019.Hochderffer Hills, 2021.Dry Lake Hills, 2022.Arizona Trail, 2022.Alfa Fia Tank, 2022.Arizona Trail, 2022.
Some years it’s easy to get great photographs of the changing colors of aspen leaves in northern Arizona. The weather is good, the timing is right, you’re in the perfect place. It all comes together.
That wasn’t this year.
We set out several times on the mountain bikes to see and enjoy the color. First we were too early; then we were too late. We were out of town on a long-planned trip and the peak color season occurred while we were gone. It happens.
Not that I’m complaining. I’ve been able to get good photographs many times in the past and there will be opportunities again in coming years.
So here is a collection of pre-season photos, post-season photos, and a few from several years ago comparing colors in the Inner Basin on similar dates but different years.
Early season colors seen along Waterline Road (09/25/2017)Early season colors seen along Waterline Road (09/25/2017)Early season colors along the Arizona Trail near Bismarck Lake (09/29/2017)Late-season aspen along Waterline Road (10/17/2017)Late-season aspen along Waterline Road (10/17/2017)Mountain biking on Inner Basin Trail (10/17/2017)Mountain biking on Inner Basin Trail (10/17/2017)Mountain biking on Inner Basin Trail in 2014 (10/14/2014).
Based on previous years, I thought we might still find some great color in the Inner Basin this late in the season. We certainly did in 2014—but not 2017.
And here are a couple from 2015—another good year for aspen photography.
Inner Basin Trail (10/07/2015).Lockett Meadow and Inner Basin (10/08/2015).
An early snowfall on the higher summits juxtaposed with the aspen almost at their peak made an interesting composition. Getting this view required more hiking and climbing that anticipated—but ultimately worth it.
It’s been a mild autumn so far with very few hard freezes. As a result, the fall color season continues even at the higher elevations. Last week we rode our mountain bikes on the Arizona Trail from FR418 south to Snowbowl Road. This is one of my favorite sections of the Arizona Trail because—among other reasons—it passes through several large stands of aspen trees.
Aspens typically grow in large clonal colonies derived from a single seedling. Thus, each stand or colony of aspen have a strong tendency for their leaves to change color at the same time, while a nearby stand may change either earlier or later.
Aspen leaves cover the Arizona Trail.
Consequently, it is possible to ride this trail over the course of several weeks and have the various aspen colonies exhibit different states of color. Last week, most of the aspen had dropped their leaves but one colony was still in peak color.
Water droplets on aspen leaves sparkle in the brilliant autumn sunshine.
In addition, rain showers the previous day had left the trail in excellent condition; i.e., no dust and firm traction. Many leaves had already fallen from the trees onto the trail and the rain droplets deposited on the leaves sparkled in the bright sunshine.
Snow on the San Francisco Peaks is framed by meadows and aspen.
From the open meadows, snow was visible across the higher elevations of the San Francisco Peaks which contrasted with the deep blue skies and the yellow and gold of the aspen trees.
Happiness is mountain biking on the Arizona Trail through a forest of colorful aspen trees.
Brilliant sunshine, mild temperatures, colorful aspen trees, and mountain bikes: what’s not to like?
