Patagonia Lake and Sonoita Creek Trail

We entered Patagonia Lake State Park where David did not want to pay the recreational fee. “Hey,” he said to the man at the gate house. “We were just going to head all the way to the back and take that trail?” That was all it took, “Go on ahead,” the guy said to us.

There are camping sites for tents as well as RVs, swimming beaches, boat launches, convenience shops, parking lots, bathrooms, picnic tables, showers, a gas station…but all we wanted was to walk a trail and take some photos. Apparently that’s free at Patagonia Lake. I am reminded again that the things that make me happiest in life are some of the easiest things to get: views, wildlife, trails.

We found parking next to the Sonoita Creek Trailhead at the farthest edge of the public areas. Along the trail, my cousin David was hoping to show me Coatimundis that live in the forested area in the park. We never did see any, but we saw more birds!

Sonoita Creek Trail has several marshy spots, which is good for bringing in wildlife, but not as great for humans trying to keep their feet dry.

I want to share David’s photos just because this bird is stunning:

David and I left the Patagonia area and made the drive back north to his home in Tucson. I had only a partial day left there, since I had to head back to Phoenix and turn in my Turo car the next evening. But we jam-packed the final day too. Believe it or not, I found more birds, ha ha.

Bird Count: At the end of day five in Arizona, I was up to 39 distinct bird types in photos. Unless that one I can’t identify is a new one, then there’s 40. That’s pretty darned fun.