Willcox Playa
Willcox, AZ
Willcox Playa is a vast dry lakebed spanning approximately 50 square miles in the Sulphur Springs Valley of southeastern Arizona. The flat, featureless terrain and extreme remoteness create Bortle Class 1-2 dark sky conditions, among the darkest in the continental United States. The playa's cracked mud patterns provide compelling foreground textures for astrophotography compositions.
Photography Guide
- Best Time
- night
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Shot Types
- astrophotographylong-exposurewidelandscape
- Best Seasons
- springfallwinter
Gallery
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Nearby Places
Willcox, AZ
Willcox Sandhill Crane Wintering Grounds
Each winter, approximately 20,000 to 30,000 sandhill cranes migrate to the agricultural fields and wetlands surrounding Willcox Playa. The birds arrive in October and depart by March, with peak numbers in December and January. The dawn liftoff of thousands of cranes from Whitewater Draw and surrounding roost sites provides spectacular wildlife photography opportunities under pre-dawn dark skies.
Willcox, AZ
Cochise Stronghold
Cochise Stronghold is a natural rock fortress in the Dragoon Mountains where Apache leader Cochise and his warriors sheltered during the 1860s and 1870s. The towering granite domes and spires create dramatic silhouettes under the dark skies of the Sulphur Springs Valley. Cochise is reportedly buried somewhere within the stronghold's maze of rock formations.
Chiricahua, AZ
Bonita Creek at Chiricahua
Bonita Creek runs through the lower elevations of the Chiricahua Mountains and sustains a riparian corridor of Arizona cypress, sycamore, and oak trees. The creek canyon provides sheltered night photography locations with natural framing from tree canopy gaps. The surrounding Sky Island ecosystem supports diverse wildlife including the elegant trogon and Coues white-tailed deer.