Mary Ann and I made our annual trip to Aravaipa Canyon on March 21, 2024. I’m only now getting around to the post. A permit is required to access the canyon, and they are hard to get, especially for the west side, since it is closer to Phoenix and Tucson, so the demand is higher. We wanted to do the west side this year, but couldn’t get a permit, so we signed up for the east side. But Mary Ann kept on the lookout for cancellations, and was able to get a spot on the west side at the last minute. We prefer the east side, but it’s an overnight trip (a 4.5 – 5 hour drive), and the west side can be done as a day trip (2 hour drive).
We didn’t see many birds on this trip. The Merlin app on my phone identified a number of species (Lesser Goldfinch, Yellow Warbler, Bewick’s Wren, Gila Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Cactus Wren, Rock Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Gray Hawk, Canyon Wren), but we only saw a few, and were only able to photograph two. This post has mostly views of the canyon, but also birds, butterflies, flowers, lizards, and even a fly!
West side or east side, we look forward to our annual trek to Aravaipa Canyon.
