Downtown Phoenix – January 22, 2013

At more than 16,000 acres, South Mountain Park/Preserve is the largest municipal park in the country. It boasts 51 miles of primary trails for horseback riding, hiking and mountain biking for all ability levels. From the park’s main entrance, you can drive up the Summit Road 5.5 miles to Dobbins Lookout and spectacular valley wide views or you can continue to the Gila Lookout for a view of the Gila River Valley. This scenic road is shared by bikers and hikers and there are many steep sections and blind curves, so maximum speed is 25 mph and just 15 mph on curves. From several look out points you can see downtown Phoenix. I love going into the park with my camera. With good flying weather 360+ days a year, there are almost always planes in the sky above Phoenix. This image was shot using the Canon 30D, ISO-100, EF75-300mm lens at 200mm, f8, 1/160 sec, tripod used. The big building to the right is Chase Field, home of the 2001 World Champion Diamondbacks.