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View Poll Results: Which of the 4 Arizona Deserts is your favorite
Sonoran 12 52.17%
Mojave 2 8.70%
Chihuahuan 4 17.39%
Colorado Plateau Great Basin 5 21.74%
Voters: 23. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 10-13-2015, 11:28 PM
 
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I personally am partial to the Colorado Plateau /Great Basin region from Page on through Navajo Country to Petrified Forest. Love the 4 seasons and the distinguished Badlands and Lake Powell. Easily my favorite of the 4.
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Old 10-14-2015, 12:40 AM
 
Location: When you take flak it means you are on target
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Well, I live in the Mohave, but the high country gets my vote. Cooler, more water, grasses, better views. We should probably run the injuns off that prime land and stick em on a reservation somewhere.

Oh, wait...
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Old 10-14-2015, 02:50 PM
 
Location: East Central Phoenix
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I don't really care much for any desert, but if I had to choose one, it would be Chihuahuan for its location. I like SE Arizona for the history (Tombstone, Bisbee) and so many natural things to see that are out of the way, such as Chiricahua National Monument. The Chihuahuan desert tends to be much cooler in the summer than the Sonoran or Mohave due to two factors: the higher elevation, and the influx of the monsoonal moisture which is more prevalent in that part of the state.
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Old 10-14-2015, 07:08 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Valley Native View Post
I don't really care much for any desert, but if I had to choose one, it would be Chihuahuan for its location. I like SE Arizona for the history (Tombstone, Bisbee) and so many natural things to see that are out of the way, such as Chiricahua National Monument. The Chihuahuan desert tends to be much cooler in the summer than the Sonoran or Mohave due to two factors: the higher elevation, and the influx of the monsoonal moisture which is more prevalent in that part of the state.
While the Chihuahuan isn't my favorite from a scenery standpoint, it absolutely boasts the best year around climate in our state. The Sky Islands indeed add some solid scenery to it as well. Always say climatically 3000-4500 ft is the banana belt for weather here and that epitomizes the Chihuahuan Desert.
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Old 10-14-2015, 09:10 PM
 
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Living in Southern Arizona for many years made me really appreciate the beauty and culture in the Sonoran Desert. I wish the valley had a more natural look.
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Old 10-15-2015, 04:16 PM
 
Location: Alamogordo, NM
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I don't really care much for any desert, but if I had to choose one, it would be Chihuahuan for its location. I like SE Arizona for the history (Tombstone, Bisbee) and so many natural things to see that are out of the way, such as Chiricahua National Monument. The Chihuahuan desert tends to be much cooler in the summer than the Sonoran or Mohave due to two factors: the higher elevation, and the influx of the monsoonal moisture which is more prevalent in that part of the state.

I agree with Valley Native on this one, I choose the Chihuahua Desert for the above reasons. In fact, I feel the area drawing us back to it pretty strongly.
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Old 10-15-2015, 05:19 PM
 
Location: SW OK (AZ Native)
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I enjoy the greener Sonora, especially around Tucson and Mount Wrightson. However, for sheer awe-inspiring beauty the Colorado Plateau has so much more to offer. I was in Moab and Grand Junction last week, been to Zion and the North Rim and it's most impressive. I was stationed in the Mohave (dry, lifeless) and Chihuhuan (cooler, even cold in winter) deserts and they are definitely drier than the Sonoran. They don't have the plus of saguaros.
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Old 10-15-2015, 10:58 PM
 
Location: Out there somewhere...a traveling man.
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They're all unique in their own way.
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Old 10-15-2015, 11:57 PM
 
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Originally Posted by SluggoF16 View Post
I enjoy the greener Sonora, especially around Tucson and Mount Wrightson. However, for sheer awe-inspiring beauty the Colorado Plateau has so much more to offer. I was in Moab and Grand Junction last week, been to Zion and the North Rim and it's most impressive. I was stationed in the Mohave (dry, lifeless) and Chihuhuan (cooler, even cold in winter) deserts and they are definitely drier than the Sonoran. They don't have the plus of saguaros.
Nice post. Mt Wrightson along with Tubac down to Nogales I believe is the western extension of the Chihuahuan Desert with the lack of saguaros and altitudes of 3500 ft plus. Green Valley and Vail to me are the transition zones from Sonoran to Chihuahuan and points south of GV and east of Vail to me are Chihuahuan due to ocotillo and Yucca near Benson and a lot of grassland/savanna lacking saguaros south of Green Valley.

I agree that Mojave outside of the patches of joshuas is the least attractive of the 4. Just lifeless dirt.
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Old 10-16-2015, 04:10 PM
 
Location: SW OK (AZ Native)
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Another plus to the Sonoran Desert: Madera Canyon. Classified as a Lower Sonoran and Upper Sonoran locale, you'll swear you're in sub-tropical and even tropical Mexico. Acknowledged as a Top 5 birding spot in the US.
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