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Madera Canyon

Arizona  >  United States

With over 250 recorded bird species, this is one of the top birding locations in the United States.

Ajouté* par Lothar Katz
Dernière actualisation 18 décembre 2025

Description

A north-facing valley in the Santa Rita Mountains with riparian woodland along an intermittent stream, bordered by mesquite, juniper-oak woodlands, and pine forests. Stretching alongside Madera River, a collection of seasonal streams meeting in the canyon, Madera Canyon features a riparian corridor that raises from the desert, with very hot temperatures in the summer, to its highest zone (above 2500m / 8000ft), where it is often about 17 degC / 30 degF cooler. It has been rated the third best birding location in the United States.

Which bird species you might encounter here depends somewhat on the altitude. They include 15 species of hummingbirds, as well as Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Elf Owl, Flame-colored Tanager, Red-faced Warbler, Painted Redstart, Mexican Jay, Acorn Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker and Red-shafted Flicker. The elusive Elegant Trogon is also sometimes found here.

You may also meet other wildlife here, such as Coatis, Black Bears, Mountain Lions and Bobcats.

Détails

Accès

Madera Canyon is located in the Santa Rita Mountains in Southern Arizona and accessed from Interstate I-19 about 30 miles south of Tucson and 30 miles north of Nogales, on the US / Mexico border. The entrance to Madera Canyon is about a 45-minute drive from Tucson, with another 10 or so minutes’ drive to the end of the road, where a large parking area and several trailheads await you. Press a P on the map for directions to a parking lot. The area at the end of the road tends to get very busy during weekends, so it is best to go during the week. At this point, you reached an elevation of about 1650m / 5400ft.

Hiking Old Bady Trail all the way to the top of Mount Wrightson, the highest peak in the Santa Rita Mountains at 2882m / 9456ft, is a strenuous 8.7 km / 5.4 mile (one way) challenge. However, there are lots of other trails, some of which aren’t all that steep and make for a more leisurely walk. Unfortunately, there is only one short circular trail, so you’ll probably want to go back-and-forth on most of them.

Terrain et Habitat

Forêt , Montagnes , Canyon/falaise , Rivière

Conditions

Montagneux

Boucle

Non

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Peut être utile

Saison idéale pour observer

Printemps , Automne

Meilleure période pour une visite

Migration printanière , Migration automnale

Itinéraire

Sentier étroit , Route pavée , Route non pavée , Sentier large

Niveau de difficulté de l'itinéraire

Durée de la marche

Accessible via

Voiture , A pied

Observatoire/hutte d'observation

Non

Liens

Voir les sites d'observation voisins publiés sur Birdingplaces

Carte

Top 5 oiseaux

Autres oiseaux que vous pouvez observer ici

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