Summer wildflowers thrive on a slope on the east side of the San Francisco Peaks, near Flagstaff. By Shane McDermott

Summer wildflowers thrive on a slope on the east side of the San Francisco Peaks, near Flagstaff. The Peaks, the remains of an eroded stratovolcano, are topped by 12,633-foot Humphreys Peak, which is among the plateau’s highest points. 

Shane McDermott

NIKON D3S, 8 SEC, F/22, ISO 200, 28 MM LENS

 

A lush undergrowth of ferns surrounds aspen trunks on a summer day in the Kaibab National Forest. By Rebecca Wilks

A lush undergrowth of ferns surrounds aspen trunks on a summer day in the Kaibab National Forest. This view is along Forest Road 223, which leads to overlooks on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. 

Rebecca Wilks

CANON EOS R5, 2.5 SEC, F/18, ISO 200, 45 MM LENS

 

Scattered clouds shade Church Rock, near Kayenta on the Navajo Nation, as Agathla Peak looms to the north. Both landmarks are eroded volcanic plugs and are part of the Navajo Volcanic Field, which formed about 25 million years ago. By Larry Lindahl

Scattered clouds shade Church Rock, near Kayenta on the Navajo Nation, as Agathla Peak looms to the north. Both landmarks are eroded volcanic plugs and are part of the Navajo Volcanic Field, which formed about 25 million years ago. 

Larry Lindahl

CANON EOS 5D MARK III, 1/30 SEC, F/18, ISO 100, 84 MM LENS

 

Kendrick Peak (left) and the San Francisco Peaks flank a pair of rainbows during a monsoon storm. This view is from Government Prairie, an expansive grassland about 15 miles northwest of Flagstaff.  By Tom Bean

Kendrick Peak (left) and the San Francisco Peaks flank a pair of rainbows during a monsoon storm. This view is from Government Prairie, an expansive grassland about 15 miles northwest of Flagstaff. 

Tom Bean

CANON EOS 5D MARK II, 1/125 SEC, F/10, ISO 100, 16 MM LENS

 

Tall pines punctuate a view from the Mogollon Rim, one of Arizona’s defining landforms, in late-afternoon light. The Rim, an approximately 200-mile-long escarpment, forms part of the plateau’s southern edge. By Joel Hazelton

Tall pines punctuate a view from the Mogollon Rim, one of Arizona’s defining landforms, in late-afternoon light. The Rim, an approximately 200-mile-long escarpment, forms part of the plateau’s southern edge.

Joel Hazelton

CANON EOS 60D, 1/15 SEC, F/14, ISO 100, 21 MM LENS

 

A few of the 220 million-year-old logs of Petrified Forest National Park catch the first rays of the day beneath a section of layered buttes. This spot is in the park’s northern section, most of which is a federally designated wilderness area.  Joel Hazelton

A few of the 220 million-year-old logs of Petrified Forest National Park catch the first rays of the day beneath a section of layered buttes. This spot is in the park’s northern section, most of which is a federally designated wilderness area. 

Joel Hazelton

CANON EOS 60D, 1/2 SEC, F/16, ISO 100, 11 MM LENS

 

A gnarled juniper guards the grasslands of Anderson Mesa, southeast of Flagstaff. Renowned for its dark night skies, the mesa is home to an observing station operated by Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory. By Tom Bean

A gnarled juniper guards the grasslands of Anderson Mesa, southeast of Flagstaff. Renowned for its dark night skies, the mesa is home to an observing station operated by Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory.

Tom Bean

CANON EOS 5D MARK III, 1/60 SEC, F/8, ISO 400, 24 MM LENS

 

Pockets of rainwater near Toroweap Overlook, a remote destination on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, mirror a colorful sky. Toroweap is known for its sheer 3,000-foot drop to the Colorado River, which is among the plateau’s lowest points. By Ralph Lee Hopkins

Pockets of rainwater near Toroweap Overlook, a remote destination on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, mirror a colorful sky. Toroweap is known for its sheer 3,000-foot drop to the Colorado River, which is among the plateau’s lowest points. 

Ralph Lee Hopkins

CANON EOS 5D MARK IV, 1 SEC, F/22, ISO 125, 19 MM LENS  

 

Shadows cloak the sandstone buttes of Monument Valley in a sunset view from Hunts Mesa, which forms the valley’s southeastern edge. Monument Valley is one of the high-desert landscapes that make up much of the Colorado Plateau. By Larry Lindahl

Shadows cloak the sandstone buttes of Monument Valley in a sunset view from Hunts Mesa, which forms the valley’s southeastern edge. Monument Valley is one of the high-desert landscapes that make up much of the Colorado Plateau. 

Larry Lindahl

CANON EOS 5D MARK III, 1 SEC, F/22, ISO 320, 24 MM LENS