Jeff Goulden Flagstaff Pictures, Images and Stock Photos

Sixty million years ago the west side of Bright Angel Fault was lifted higher than the east side, creating the canyon that we now see. The exposed walls of Bright Angel Canyon allow us to see the geological history of the area. Tropical seas, coastal beaches, sand dunes, swamps, lagoons, and Sahara-like deserts are represented by the horizontal layers that are exposed. The upper five layers of stacked rock records 70 million years of rising and falling sea levels. The limestone layers represent shallow sea environments, sandstone layers mean sandy beaches or dunes, while shale layers translate to mud flats, swamps, or coastal plains. This picture of Bright Angel Canyon was taken at sunrise from Bright Angel Point on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA.

The San Francisco Peaks are the remnants of an ancient volcano that erupted millions of years ago, shattering a large mountain and leaving a large crater and surrounding peaks. The tallest of these are Humphreys at 12,637 feet and Agassiz at 12,356 feet. This picture of the snow-capped peaks reflected in a pond was taken from Kachina Wetlands in Kachina Village, Arizona, USA.

The Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) gets its name from the way the leaves quake in the wind. The aspens grow in large colonies, often starting from a single seedling and spreading underground only to sprout another tree nearby. For this reason, it is considered to be one of the largest single organisms in nature. During the spring and summer, the aspens use sunlight and chlorophyll to create food necessary for the tree’s growth. In the fall, as the days get shorter and colder, the naturally green chlorophyll breaks down and the leaves stop producing food. Other pigments are now visible, causing the leaves to take on beautiful orange and gold colors. These colors can vary from year to year depending on weather conditions. For instance, when autumn is warm and rainy, the leaves are less colorful. This fall scene of gold colored aspens was photographed by the Inner Basin Trail in Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

After the Summer Monsoon rains, wildflowers bloom in fields and forests all over Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

This young woman and her dog are hiking on Humphreys Peak in the Kachina Peaks Wilderness near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

The Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) gets its name from the way the leaves quake in the wind. The aspens grow in large colonies, often starting from a single seedling and spreading underground only to sprout another tree nearby. For this reason, it is considered to be one of the largest single organisms in nature. During the spring and summer, the aspens use sunlight and chlorophyll to create food necessary for the tree’s growth. In the fall, as the days get shorter and colder, the naturally green chlorophyll breaks down and the leaves stop producing food. Other pigments are now visible, causing the leaves to take on beautiful orange and gold colors. These colors can vary from year to year depending on weather conditions. For instance, when autumn is warm and rainy, the leaves are less colorful. This fall scene of gold colored aspens was photographed at Hart Prairie in the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA. Kendrick Peak (10,423 feet) is in the background.

Fisher Point is a large and beautifully colored formation of Coconino Sandstone at the western end of Walnut Canyon and the northern end of Sandy’s Canyon. Fisher Point is named for Ed Fisher, an early forest ranger. Fisher Point is located next to the Arizona Trail in the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

A young woman hiker is standing on the canyon rim near O'Neil Butte in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA.

This mountain bike was photographed in a meadow on Observatory Mesa. The San Francisco Peaks are in the background. Observatory Mesa is in the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Grand Falls is on the Little Colorado River near Leupp, Arizona, USA. The falls typically flow when there is heavy snowmelt in the spring and during the monsoon rains of late summer. Due to its dark brown color, Grand Falls is often called Chocolate Falls. The headwaters of the Little Colorado River are far to the south in the White Mountains of Southeast Arizona. The Little Colorado is a tributary of the Colorado River which starts in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The confluence of the two rivers is in nearby Grand Canyon National Park.

The Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni) is a Western North America subspecies of elk found in the Rocky Mountains and adjacent ranges. In the winter, elk are mostly found in lower elevation open forests and floodplain marshes. In the summer the elk migrates to the alpine meadows and subalpine forests. Elk can reside in a diverse range of habitats but are most often found in forests and forest edges. In mountainous regions they often stay at lower elevations in the winter and migrate to higher elevations during the warmer months. This herd of elk was photographed while grazing in a meadow on Campbell Mesa near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

The San Francisco Peaks are the remnants of an ancient volcano that erupted millions of years ago, shattering a large mountain and leaving a large crater and surrounding peaks. The tallest of these are Humphreys at 12,637 feet and Agassiz at 12,356 feet. This picture of the snow-capped peaks reflected in a pond was taken from Kachina Wetlands in Kachina Village, Arizona, USA.

The Common Sunflower (Helianthus annus), a wild native of the American Southwest, is a member of the Asteraceae family. It has a well-known characteristic, called heliotropism, of pivoting its leaves and buds to track the path of the sun from sunrise to sunset. Once the flowers open, they are oriented to the east to greet the rising sun. The common sunflower thrives in the dry, brown disturbed soils of the southwest, turning the arid landscape into a shimmering yellow carpet that attracts wildlife, insects and human visitors alike. In Northern Arizona, the Navajo ancestors extracted a dark red dye from the outer seed coats and the Hopi cultivated a purple sunflower to make a special dye. The sunflower seed was an important food source for most North American tribes. The sunflower, with its large yellow flowers, is also an iconic art symbol and the state flower of Kansas. After the Summer Monsoon rains bring moisture to the region, sunflowers bloom in fields all over Northern Arizona. This field of sunflowers and the San Francisco Peaks was photographed at Buffalo Park in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Flagstaff is surrounded by the 1.8 million-acre Coconino National Forest, one of the largest national forests in the country. This national forest has a diversity of habitat ranging from desert to mountain peaks. It is also home to the largest contiguous Ponderosa Pine forest in North America. Interspersed among the pines are vast meadows of grasses and seasonal wildflowers. This grassy meadow ringed by Ponderosa Pines was photographed from the Sunset Trail located in the Mount Elden Dry Lake Hills north of Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

The Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) is a species of artiodactyl (even-toed, hoofed) mammal native to interior western and central North America. Although it is commonly thought of and called an antelope it is not a true antelope. The pronghorn is the only surviving member of the Antilocapridae family and has been in North America for over a million years. The pronghorn has a similar body shape to a deer but stockier and shorter legged. Both males and females grow horns but the male horns are larger. The horns are shed each year as the new horns grow from underneath. The pronghorn weighs between 90 and 120 pounds and stands about 3 1/2 feet tall at the shoulder. It has a tan to reddish brown body with white markings throughout. The pronghorn is the fastest land mammal in the Western Hemisphere. Its great speed enables the pronghorn to outrun most predators. Pronghorns are migratory herd animals. Their migration routes have been threatened by fencing and fragmentation of their habitat. Pronghorns cannot jump over traditional barb wire fences like deer and elk can. They try to pass underneath and sometimes get caught in the fencing. Newer types of fencing have plastic pipe under the bottom strands which allows the animals to pass through. Pronghorns are quite numerous and in some areas like Wyoming and northern Colorado the pronghorn population at times has exceeded the human population. This herd of pronghorn was photographed at Bonito Park next to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

The Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) gets its name from the way the leaves quake in the wind. The aspens grow in large colonies, often starting from a single seedling and spreading underground only to sprout another tree nearby. For this reason, it is considered to be one of the largest single organisms in nature. During the spring and summer, the aspens use sunlight and chlorophyll to create food necessary for the tree’s growth. In the fall, as the days get shorter and colder, the naturally green chlorophyll breaks down and the leaves stop producing food. Other pigments are now visible, causing the leaves to take on beautiful orange and gold colors. These colors can vary from year to year depending on weather conditions. For instance, when autumn is warm and rainy, the leaves are less colorful. This woman hiker was walking through a fall scene of gold colored aspens on the Arizona Trail at Bismarck Lake in the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

The Common Sunflower (Helianthus annus), a wild native of the American Southwest, is a member of the Asteraceae family. It has a well-known characteristic, called heliotropism, of pivoting its leaves and buds to track the path of the sun from sunrise to sunset. Once the flowers open, they are oriented to the east to greet the rising sun. The common sunflower thrives in the dry, brown disturbed soils of the southwest, turning the arid landscape into a shimmering yellow carpet that attracts wildlife, insects and human visitors alike. In Northern Arizona, the Navajo ancestors extracted a dark red dye from the outer seed coats and the Hopi cultivated a purple sunflower to make a special dye. The sunflower seed was an important food source for most North American tribes. The sunflower, with its large yellow flowers, is also an iconic art symbol and the state flower of Kansas. After the Summer Monsoon rains bring moisture to the region, sunflowers bloom in fields all over Northern Arizona. This field of sunflowers was photographed at Campbell Meadows in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

The Pondersosa Pine (Pinus Ponderosa) forests on the mountain slopes of Northern Arizona thrive in a region of very little precipitation that primarily falls in the winter as snow and as rain during the summer monsoon season. This lone Ponderosa Pine was photographed at Brookbank Meadow in the Dry Lake Hills of the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

The San Francisco Peaks are the remnants of an ancient volcano that erupted millions of years ago, shattering a large mountain and leaving a large crater and surrounding peaks. The tallest of these are Humphreys at 12,637 feet and Agassiz at 12,356 feet. This winter scene of the snow-capped peaks was photographed from Kachina Wetlands in Kachina Village, Arizona, USA.

The San Francisco Peaks are actually the remnants of an ancient volcano. Millions of years ago a large mountain was shattered by a powerful explosion which left a large crater and surrounding peaks. Inside the now quiet caldera, known as the Inner Basin, a lush alpine environment has blurred evidence of that cataclysmic event. Here, extensive stands of aspens cover the steep slopes of the old caldera, coloring them solid gold in early fall. The Inner Basin is in Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

The San Francisco Peaks are actually the remnants of an ancient volcano. Millions of years ago a large mountain was shattered by a powerful explosion which left a large crater and surrounding peaks. Inside the now quiet caldera, known as the Inner Basin, a lush alpine environment has blurred evidence of that cataclysmic event. Here, extensive stands of aspens cover the steep slopes of the old caldera, coloring them solid gold in early fall. The Inner Basin is in Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

The San Francisco Peaks are actually the remnants of an ancient volcano. Millions of years ago a large mountain was shattered by a powerful explosion which left a large crater and surrounding peaks. Inside the now quiet caldera, known as the Inner Basin, a lush alpine environment has blurred evidence of that cataclysmic event. Here, extensive stands of aspens cover the steep slopes of the old caldera, coloring them solid gold in early fall. The Inner Basin is in Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

This commercial jet is passing by the snow covered San Francisco Peaks as it approaches the airport in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Between 1100AD and 1200AD native people inhabited the plains between the Painted Desert and the San Francisco Peaks of Arizona. In an area so dry it would seem impossible to live, they built pueblos, harvested rainwater, grew crops and raised families. Their way of life was the key to survival in this harsh landscape. These people survived here, farming one of the warmest and driest places on the Colorado Plateau. They developed the skills to farm the land and endure hardship in an area where many would not. Today the remnants of their villages dot the landscape. Wupatki Pueblo is in Wupatki National Monument, established in 1924 to preserve this rich heritage. Wupatki National Monument is near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

The Arizona Meteor Crater (Barringer Meteorite Crater) formed 50,000 years ago when an asteroid plunged through the Earth’s atmosphere and crashed into what is now central Arizona. This area was not populated by humans at the time. Because of Arizona’s dry climate and the crater’s relatively young age, Meteor Crater is the best preserved impact crater on Earth. The small asteroid was just 150 feet across. Traveling at around 8 miles per second the force of the impact was tremendous. In just a few seconds the crater was formed when millions of tons of rock were thrown out. Today Meteor Crater is a famous tourist attraction with a museum featuring displays about the history of the crater. Scientist from all over the world come to Meteor Crater to study it. Meteor Crater is near Winslow, Arizona, USA.

The San Francisco Volcanic Field spreads out over 1,800 square miles of Northern Arizona. This is an area of young volcanic activity along the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau. During its 6 million year history, this field has produced more than 600 volcanoes. The varied landscape includes grasslands, forests and rugged mountains. One well known cinder cone in this area is Red Mountain. It measures 1000 feet high and is over a million years old. Red Mountain is unusual in that the crater at the top is U-shaped and open toward the base, forming an amphitheater lined with corrugated cliffs filled with pinnacles, ridges and gullies. Although geologists disagree as to the origins of Red Mountain, the probability is that the crater was originally formed by a small steam explosion and has continually eroded over many years. Erosion still impacts the landscape to this day. This image was photographed from the base of Red Mountain in the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Arizona doesn't have many natural ponds and lakes. Several communities in Northern Arizona have developed artificial lakes using reclaimed waste water. In addition to providing an area with aesthetic beauty, these lakes provide ideal habitat for wildlife. Photographed here is one of the Walnut Canyon Lakes in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Flagstaff, Arizona, USA - August 13, 2017: An older couple is hiking in the Ponderosa Pine forest near Flagstaff.

The San Francisco Peaks are actually the remnants of an ancient volcano. Millions of years ago a large mountain was shattered by a powerful explosion which left a large crater and surrounding peaks. Inside the now quiet caldera, known as the Inner Basin, a lush alpine environment has blurred evidence of that cataclysmic event. Here, extensive stands of aspens cover the steep slopes of the old caldera, coloring them solid gold in early fall. The Inner Basin is in Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Mount Elden and Little Elden are named for John Elden, one of the region's earliest Anglo settlers. Elden and his family established a homestead on the mountain's lower slopes and, during the late 19th century, grazed sheep on the open grasslands below the mountain. The mountain's exposed, rocky slopes are a dominant feature from almost any part of the surrounding area. Despite its rugged appearance and steep relief, the mountain is accessible via an extensive road and trail system. Little Elden was photographed from the Arizona Trail as it passes through the upper meadow above Sandy Seep in Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

People don't normally think of Arizona as a place that gets much snow in the winter. This scene of Mount Elden was photographed from Buffalo Park on McMillan Mesa in Northern Arizona. At 7,000 feet elevation, snow falls often here in the winter, sometimes accumulating one to two feet at a time. Buffalo Park is in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Fisher Point is a large and beautifully colored formation of Coconino Sandstone at the western end of Walnut Canyon and the northern end of Sandy’s Canyon. Fisher Point is named for Ed Fisher, an early forest ranger. Fisher Point is located next to the Arizona Trail in the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA - January 1, 2013: A young woman, standing in the snow, is photographing the Grand Canyon with a smart phone. This picture was taken from Yavapai Point in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA.

Lomaki Pueblo, meaning the "Beautiful House", is located on Antelope Prairie in the plains between the Painted Desert and the San Francisco Peaks of Arizona. Nearly a thousand years ago natives inhabited this area which is so dry and windy it would seem impossible to live. It was here that they built pueblos, harvested rainwater, grew crops and raised families. Their way of life was the key to survival in this harsh landscape. These people survived here, farming one of the warmest and driest places on the Colorado Plateau. They developed the skills to farm the land and endure hardship in an area where many would not. Here, there is no evidence of nearby streams that could have been used for irrigation. All of the farming depended on rainfall. Today the remnants of their villages dot the landscape. Wupatki National Monument was established in 1924 to preserve this cultural heritage. The monument is located off US Highway 89 near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

The San Francisco Peaks are actually the remnants of an ancient volcano. Millions of years ago a large mountain was shattered by a powerful explosion which left a large crater and surrounding peaks. Inside the now quiet caldera, known as the Inner Basin, a lush alpine environment has blurred evidence of that cataclysmic event. Here, extensive stands of aspens cover the steep slopes of the old caldera, coloring them solid gold in early fall. The Inner Basin is in Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

The Rock Squirrel (Spermophilus variegatus) is fairly large ground squirrel but can also be seen climbing boulders, rocks and trees. It is typically 17-21 inches long, with a bushy tail up to 8 inches long. Rock squirrels are grayish-brown, with some patches of cinnamon color. They have a light-colored ring around their eyes and pointed ears that project well above their heads. In the northern reach of their habitat, rock squirrels hibernate during the colder months of the year. In southern areas, rock squirrels may not hibernate at all. The diet of the rock squirrel is predominantly herbivorous, consisting mostly of leaves, stems and seeds. They may also eat some insects and other small animals. Because of high human visitation, rock squirrels have become the most dangerous animals at the national parks of the American Southwest. Rock squirrels attack more tourists at the Grand Canyon than any other wild animal. Attacks have become so common that park rangers have begun warning tourists about the dangers. This rock squirrel was photographed at Cedar Ridge in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA.

Sixty million years ago the west side of Bright Angel Fault was lifted higher than the east side, creating the canyon that we now see. The exposed walls of Bright Angel Canyon allow us to see the geological history of the area. Tropical seas, coastal beaches, sand dunes, swamps, lagoons, and Sahara-like deserts are represented by the horizontal layers that are exposed. The upper five layers of stacked rock records 70 million years of rising and falling sea levels. The limestone layers represent shallow sea environments, sandstone layers mean sandy beaches or dunes, while shale layers translate to mud flats, swamps, or coastal plains. This picture of Bright Angel Canyon was taken at sunrise from Bright Angel Point on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA.

In the San Francisco Volcanic Field, there are nearly 600 volcanoes and numerous lava flows. On the eastern side of the field sits Lenox Crater, a 250-foot high cinder-cone volcano. The large cinder filled depression in the foreground of the picture is all that remains of the crater opening, where magma was able to reach the surface. Molten liquid spewed into the air and then cooled as it fell back and ringed the outside of the vent. A deep crater was left after the eruption but thousands of years of weather activity has filled it with loose cinders. In the last thousand years the eruption of Sunset Crater Volcano has also covered Lenox Crater with additional layers of cinders. The tall peaks in the background of the picture are the San Francisco Peaks, another part of the volcanic field. Lenox Crater is in the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Sunset Crater is one of nearly 600 volcanoes in the San Francisco Volcanic Field. It is the youngest volcano in the area, forming around 1,000 years ago. This 1,000-foot-high cinder cone formed when basalt magma rose directly to the surface through a primary vent. Gas pressure in the volcano produced a fountain of lava about 850 feet high. The lava was blown into pieces, which cooled in flight and piled into a cone-shaped hill. Sunset Crater was a short-lived volcano, lasting only months or a couple of years at the most. When famed explorer John Wesley Powell explored the San Francisco Volcanic Field in 1885 he wrote, "The contrast in the colors is so great that on viewing the mountain from a distance the red cinders seem to be on fire." His "Sunset" mountain became known officially as Sunset Crater. This view of Sunset Crater was photographed from Bonito Park, next to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, in the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Before dams were built to form Lake Mary, Sandy's Canyon was the historic watercourse for Walnut Canyon. Fisher Point is a large and beautifully colored formation of Coconino Sandstone at the western end of Walnut Canyon and the northern end of Sandy’s Canyon. In the photograph, a cave is visible at the base of the rock formation. Fisher Point is named for Ed Fisher, an early forest ranger. Fisher Point is located next to the Arizona Trail in the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA - May 17, 2011: The American flag flies in front of the Grand Canyon Visitor Center at Mather Point.

People don't normally think of Arizona as a place that gets much snow in the winter. This scene was photographed in Northern Arizona at the town of Flagstaff. At 7000 feet elevation, snow falls often here in the winter, sometimes accumulating one to two feet at a time.

Fry Canyon is a narrow canyon on the Mogollon Rim of Northern Arizona. It features Pumphouse Wash, a slow moving creek that is one of the uppermost reaches of Oak Creek which eventually feeds into the Verde River. The canyon is lined with sculpted rock formation where the water gathers in pools. Fry Canyon is in the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Canyon Diablo (Navajo: Kin Łigaaí) is an 80-mile-long canyon in Northern Arizona. It is part of the 767,000-acre Canyon Diablo Watershed and is made up primarily of private, state trust, federal land and part of the Navajo Nation. In December 1853, U.S. Army Lieutenant Amiel Weeks Whipple was surveying in the area when he found the steep canyon. He named it Canyon Diablo, Spanish for Devil’s Canyon. This view of Canyon Diablo was photographed from the historic Route 66 bridge in Two Guns near Winslow, Arizona, USA.

The Desert View Watchtower is a 70-foot high stone building located on the South Rim within Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, USA. The four-story historic structure, completed in 1932, was designed by American architect Mary Colter who also created and designed many other buildings in the Grand Canyon vicinity including Hermit's Rest and the Lookout Studio.

The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River. It is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and attains a depth of over a mile. The canyon and adjacent north and south rims are contained within Grand Canyon National Park, the Kaibab National Forest, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, the Hualapai Indian Reservation, the Havasupai Indian Reservation and the Navajo Nation. In the Grand Canyon the carving of the Colorado River has exposed nearly two billion years of the earth's geological history and created some stunning scenery. This scene was photographed from the South Kaibab Trail in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA.

The Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) gets its name from the way the leaves quake in the wind. The aspens grow in large colonies, often starting from a single seedling and spreading underground only to sprout another tree nearby. For this reason, it is considered to be one of the largest single organisms in nature. During the spring and summer, the aspens use sunlight and chlorophyll to create food necessary for the tree’s growth. In the fall, as the days get shorter and colder, the naturally green chlorophyll breaks down and the leaves stop producing food. Other pigments are now visible, causing the leaves to take on beautiful orange and gold colors. These colors can vary from year to year depending on weather conditions. For instance, when autumn is warm and rainy, the leaves are less colorful. This fall scene of gold colored aspens was photographed by the Inner Basin Trail in Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

The Arizona Meteor Crater (Barringer Meteorite Crater) formed 50,000 years ago when an asteroid plunged through the Earth’s atmosphere and crashed into what is now central Arizona. This area was not populated by humans at the time. Because of Arizona’s dry climate and the crater’s relatively young age, Meteor Crater is the best preserved impact crater on Earth. The small asteroid was just 150 feet across. Traveling at around 8 miles per second the force of the impact was tremendous. In just a few seconds the crater was formed when millions of tons of rock were thrown out. Today Meteor Crater is a famous tourist attraction with a museum featuring displays about the history of the crater. Scientist from all over the world come to Meteor Crater to study it. Meteor Crater is near Winslow, Arizona, USA.

This original solid-red sandstone freight depot was built by the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in 1886. It is part of the Railroad Addition Historic District. The freight depot building is located on historic Route 66 in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Anderson Mesa is a rolling 5 mile long mesa in the Coconino National Forest. The elevations are between 6200 and 7200 feet above sea level. It is characterized by wide open grasslands interspersed with pine and juniper forest. There are views of Lake Mary, Mormon Lake and the San Francisco Peaks. Seasonal wetlands and tanks populate the top of the mesa. Anderson Mesa is about 20 miles southeast of Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Sixty million years ago the west side of Bright Angel Fault was lifted higher than the east side, creating the canyon that we now see. The exposed walls of Bright Angel Canyon allow us to see the geological history of the area. Tropical seas, coastal beaches, sand dunes, swamps, lagoons, and Sahara-like deserts are represented by the horizontal layers that are exposed. The upper five layers of stacked rock records 70 million years of rising and falling sea levels. The limestone layers represent shallow sea environments, sandstone layers mean sandy beaches or dunes, while shale layers translate to mud flats, swamps, or coastal plains. This picture of Bright Angel Canyon was taken at sunrise from Bright Angel Point on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA.

Flagstaff is surrounded by the 1.8 million-acre Coconino National Forest, one of the largest national forests in the country. This national forest has a diversity of habitat ranging from desert to mountain peaks. It is also home to the largest contiguous Ponderosa Pine forest in North America. Interspersed among the pines are vast meadows of grasses and seasonal wildflowers. This grassy meadow ringed by Ponderosa Pines is located south of Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

The Common Sunflower (Helianthus annus), a wild native of the American Southwest, is a member of the Asteraceae family. It has a well-known characteristic, called heliotropism, of pivoting its leaves and buds to track the path of the sun from sunrise to sunset. Once the flowers open, they are oriented to the east to greet the rising sun. The common sunflower thrives in the dry, brown disturbed soils of the southwest, turning the arid landscape into a shimmering yellow carpet that attracts wildlife, insects and human visitors alike. In Northern Arizona, the Navajo ancestors extracted a dark red dye from the outer seed coats and the Hopi cultivated a purple sunflower to make a special dye. The sunflower seed was an important food source for most North American tribes. The sunflower, with its large yellow flowers, is also an iconic art symbol and the state flower of Kansas. After the Summer Monsoon rains bring moisture to the region, sunflowers bloom in fields all over Northern Arizona. This field of sunflowers was photographed at Campbell Meadows in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

The San Francisco Volcanic Field spreads out over 1,800 square miles of northern Arizona. This is an area of young volcanoes along the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau. During its 6 million year history, this field has produced more than 600 volcanoes. The varied landscape includes grasslands, forests and rugged mountains. The volcano pictured here is Kendrick Peak, at 10,418’,one of the highest mountains in Arizona. This image was photographed from Slate Mountain in the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

The majestic Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is the national symbol of the United States. It is mostly found in the lowland areas near bodies of water. It feeds mostly on fish including spawned out salmon in rivers as well as water birds, geese, carrion and other prey. This eagle was photographed while perched in a dead tree on Campbell Mesa near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Fry Canyon is a narrow canyon on the Mogollon Rim of Northern Arizona. It features Pumphouse Wash, a slow moving creek that is one of the uppermost reaches of Oak Creek which eventually feeds into the Verde River. The canyon is lined with sculpted rock formation where the water gathers in pools. Fry Canyon is in the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

The Common Sunflower (Helianthus annus), a wild native of the American Southwest, is a member of the Asteraceae family. It has a well-known characteristic, called heliotropism, of pivoting its leaves and buds to track the path of the sun from sunrise to sunset. Once the flowers open, they are oriented to the east to greet the rising sun. The common sunflower thrives in the dry, brown disturbed soils of the southwest, turning the arid landscape into a shimmering yellow carpet that attracts wildlife, insects and human visitors alike. In Northern Arizona, the Navajo ancestors extracted a dark red dye from the outer seed coats and the Hopi cultivated a purple sunflower to make a special dye. The sunflower seed was an important food source for most North American tribes. The sunflower, with its large yellow flowers, is also an iconic art symbol and the state flower of Kansas. After the Summer Monsoon rains bring moisture to the region, sunflowers bloom in fields all over Northern Arizona. This picture of the San Francisco Peaks and a field of sunflowers was taken in the evening from Schultz Meadow in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Arizona doesn't have many natural ponds and lakes. To provide water for their livestock, early ranchers dug stock tanks in the national forest open range. Now that the national forests are used for recreation these old tanks provide ideal habitat for wildlife as well as popular destinations for hiking. Schultz Tank is located in Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Fry Canyon is a narrow canyon on the Mogollon Rim of Northern Arizona. It features Pumphouse Wash, a slow moving creek that is one of the uppermost reaches of Oak Creek which eventually feeds into the Verde River. The canyon is lined with sculpted rock formation where the water gathers in pools. Fry Canyon is in the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

The Gunnison's Prairie Dog (Cynomys gunnisoni) is a rodent and member of the squirrel family. They are primarily distributed in the Four Corners region of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. Their coats are light brown mixed with black-colored hairs. The top of the head, cheeks, and eyebrows are darker than the rest of the body. The tail is mostly white. The prairie dog’s eyes are on the sides of the head to give them wide peripheral vision to more easily spot predators. The Gunnison's prairie dog typically feeds during the day on grasses, herbs, and leaves. In the spring, they feed on newly grown shrubs. In the summer they mainly consume seeds. Prairie dog habitat includes meadows, grasslands, high desert and floodplains. They are often found in areas of rabbitbrush, sagebrush, and saltbrush. Gunnison's prairie dogs live in large colonies of up to several hundred. They are more active in the early morning and late afternoon especially during hot weather. When the temperatures are cooler, they become more active throughout the day. When it rains or snows, the prairie dog will spend its time underground. When they are above ground, they feed, make social contact, look out for predators, groom and dig their burrows. During the winter, the Gunnison's prairie dog hibernates for long periods of time without food or water, instead relying on stored fat and physiological adaptations to slow their metabolism. After hibernation, they become active from April through October. The Gunnison's prairie dog has a complex system of vocal communication. Their bark is a combination of high-pitched syllables to identify various predators. They also have different sounds for an "all-clear" signal. There may be up to 11 distinct warning calls used by the prairie dog. This Gunnison’s prairie dog was photographed in a prairie dog colony by Walnut Canyon Lakes in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.