A Hasidic rabbi watches as workers harvest wheat on a farm outside Yuma. The wheat must meet a series of strict qualifications to be certified kosher. | Joshua Lott
Going With the Grain
Rabbi Isaac Lowi is anxious. First, he wants to know when Tim Dunn is going to visit him in New York. “You’re welcome here anytime,” Lowi says. “You come. Welcome. Like family.” Second, he wants to…
The evergreens of Eastern Arizona’s Blue Range Primitive Area frame a view of New Mexico’s Blue Range Wilderness to the east. While New Mexico’s portion of the Blue Range has received wilderness protection, Arizona’s remains a primitive area — the last such area in the U.S. | JACK DYKINGA
Blue
LONG AGO AND OFTEN I DREAMED THE BLUE. Before I walked into and through parts of it, I awoke from it — sleep-drunk on the memory of being lost and found in woods thick and wild. Then, one October…
An imposing cliff at Canyon de Chelly dwarfs an equine-drawn wagon at the bottom of the canyon. According to the National Park Service, about 40 Navajo families still live at Canyon de Chelly National Monument. By Darwin Van Campen
Destination: Backcountry
As a photographer continually attempting to portray the scenic face of Arizona, I  am often asked, “How do you keep finding new pictures?” My answer is simple: “I take the back roads to the…
Illustration in shades of blue by Adam McCauley shows a sasquatch walking at night through trees with a similar shape to its body.
Neither Hide Nor Hair
SO, HERE'S MY BIGFOOT STORY. On the last night of a llama trek in California’s Sierra Nevada, we camped somewhere around 8,000 feet. It had been an eventful trip: creeks swollen by snowmelt, a near-…
Jagged mountains form a layered panorama at sunrise in a view near Rustler Park, part of Southeastern Arizona’s Chiricahua Mountains. Named for the cattle thieves who once holed up there, Rustler Park is known for its birding and wildlife-watching opportunities. | Jeff Maltzman
The Great Beyond
Spring snowmelt fuels an ephemeral waterfall in Gaddes Canyon, south of Jerome, in late-afternoon light. This canyon is on the east side of Mingus Mountain, one of the…
Pioneering ornithologist Florence Merriam Bailey is shown in an undated portrait. Bailey’s method of quietly observing her subjects helped usher in the modern approach to birding and birdwatching. | Smithsonian Institution
Standing Perfectly Still
ON A LATE-SUMMER DAY IN 1929, all manner of visitors came to Bright Angel Lodge, the rustic hotel perched on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. A pair of rangers sat boldly, dangling their cowboy-…
Thunder River Falls pours from an opening in a steep cliff in the Grand Canyon. From here, the Thunder River — referred to in this story as Thunder Creek — flows for only half a mile to its intersection with Tapeats Creek, making it one of the world’s shortest rivers. By Rich Rudow
Thunder River: An Adventure in the Canyon
Editor’s Note: The celebration of our centennial continues with another wonderful piece from another wonderful writer. This month, it’s Jonreed Lauritzen, who was our intrepid wanderer in Northern…
A close-up of a light purple flower cluster against a green background reveals a camouflaged caterpillar with subtle orange hues.
Bruce D. Taubert: This Is My Story
Many landscape and nature photographers will tell you not to go out for a shoot with only one possible subject in mind, because you might not find what you’re looking for. As I’ve progressed in my…