Quaint Bisbee, Arizona is a historic mining town turned thriving art and music scene surrounded by the Mule Mountains. This combination of western history commingled with free spirted artists makes Bisbee a must visit destination for those traveling through the area. For photographers like myself, there is smorgasbord of unique and colorful photographic subjects unlike any other city in the United States.
Surprisingly this Southeastern Arizona town has retained many of its old buildings, stairs, and narrow streets while modernizing building exteriors with vibrant paint colors. In this Quaint Bisbee post, I will share with you some of its great photography spots I discovered while RVing in the area one winter.
Where is Bisbee
Directions to Bisbee
Nearest Major Airport: Tucson, Arizona
Drive Time to Bisbee: 1.5 to 2 hours depending on traffic.
Driving:
Heading West on I10, take the Benson, Arizona exit on Highway 80 and head south for 47 miles.
Heading West on I10, take the Benson, Arizona exit on Highway 80 and head south for 47 miles.
About Bisbee Arizona
In 1877 US army scouts were sent to the Mule Mountains in Southern Arizona to search for Apaches but instead discovered a land filled with minerals. In fact the area was so rich in cooper and other minerals that Bisbee became known at the Queen of the Cooper Camps.
It might surprise you to know that as a result of all the mining activity, Bisbee grew to become the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco. In fact, it was not until the 1970’s that the mining activity in Bisbee began to slow down as did the town.
Unlike many other cities, Bisbee preserved many of the old buildings from its heyday and turned them into art galleries, restaurants, and shops. In addition to it’s many beautiful old buildings, the town retained many of its old stairways.
Best Time to Visit Bisbee
Fall and Spring tend to be perfect months to visit Bisbee with temperatures averaging high 60’s to low 70’s during the day and lows in the upper 30’s to mid 40’s at night. Since Bisbee is located in a desert, summers can get hot although still much cooler than Tucson and Phoenix. Winter nights due tend to get cold which is typical for a desert.
Bisbee’s Famous “1000 Stair Climb” Stairs
Bisbee is located in the base of a steep canyon with no available land for housing. Homes, therefore, had to be built on the sides of steep canyon walls. To create access between the town, mines and homes, hundreds of different sets of stairs were built. The stairs were initially built out of wood than later replaced in the 1930’s with concrete stairs that remain in place today.
These historic old stairs have now become the center of an annual fitness event called the Bisbee 1000 Stair Climb . The race/challenge includes 1034 stairs over 9 different staircases. Yep, that’s a lot of stairs.
I have no idea how many stairs are actually in Bisbee but I know my knees were screaming at the sight of all these stairs! Here are just a few of the many stairs:
Stairs 3
Stairs 8
Stairs 1
Other Stairs
Staircase Photo Tips:
I found most of the stairways lacked any photogenic appeal but I was still compelled to photograph them due to their historic significance. So here are my tips for making the best of a challenging situation.
- Time of Day: Visit either early morning or late evening or on a mostly overcast day. Otherwise the contrast between the top and bottom portions of the stairs is beyond the capabilities of even today’s best cameras.
- Settings and Lens: Apertures of about F11 work best due to the large depth of field needed to capture these stairs. Len choices vary a bit based on which staircase is being photographed as well as how much of a staircase is being included in the composition. I recommend having lens from 17mm-45mm with you as well as a lens in the 100mm range.
- Other: Many of these staircases traverse a variety of homes and businesses that are not all that photogenic as mentioned above. Careful compositions and closeups are needed at times to exclude some rundown areas.
- Be aware of a lot of litter on the staircases and accept that you either have to spend a good deal of time cleaning the stairs or spend time removing the litter in Photoshop.
Bisbee Vibrant Downtown
Bisbee’s downtown is full of colorful buildings, doors, and windows all screaming to be photographed. Here is only a small sample of the beautiful storefronts in the town.
Photo Tips:
Photographing the storefronts of Bisbee is a bit challenging.
- First there is nothing straight, the roads are angled, the buildings are old and certainly not built square or level, so just accept that is will be very difficult to get the perfectly straight image and enjoy the tilt.
- Try to avoid photographing yourself in windows.
- Use a polarizer.
- Lens and Settings- Varies too much to provide details recommendation but I found lens from 24mm to 100mm worked best.
Historic Old Buildings in Bisbee
Bisbee’s downtown is not only filled with art galleries, shops and restaurants but also some very well preserved historic buildings. The following are a few of my favorite building:
Stock Exchange Saloon
This beautiful building was originally built around 1905 as a brewery saloon but was converted into the E.F. Hutton Stock Exchange due to prohibition. The building has now been completely redone and once again claims it’s place along with other Bisbee great watering holes. Update: As of 2023 it appears this restaurant is now permanently closed.
Bisbee Museum
The Bisbee Museum showcases the history of mining not only in Bisbee but also the role of copper mining in the industrialization of America. For photographers, this is a beautiful old brick building that is very photogenic but be aware when photographing this building that the grounds and benches are filled with the homeless.
Copper Queen Hotel
The Copper Queen Hotel opened in 1902 and today is the longest operating hotel in Arizona. The hotel is decorated in an Edwardian era style mixed with touches of the west. If you are in the area, be sure to set inside and don’t be alarmed if a friendly ghost pays you a visit.
Catholic Church
Cool Gates
Strolling the streets of Bisbee one can discovered all types of cool architectural features such as these gates.
If all the above are not reason enough to visit Bisbee, add the thrill of driving on some of the most narrow and curvy street I have ever encountered short of the background of Colorado. In fact, I own a 20+-foot van and had so much trouble making one particular turn, that I swore I would never drive the backstreets of Bisbee again!
Nearby Attractions Around Bisbee
Copper Queen Mine
The Copper Queen Mine is technically in Bisbee, just across the highway from the downtown. A tour of the mine will take you into the heart of the mine at 1500 feet below the earth.
Lavender Pit
Leaving Bisbee, make time to visit another grand canyon in Arizona called the Lavender Pit. This is an open pit mine that once produced over 600,000 tons of copper. It has been referred to as the Grand Canyon of Copper and is equally dangerous due to it’s steep cliffs. Thankfully the pit is fenced off but has holes cut into the fencing for cameras. The combination of colors and textures in this pit are stunning.
Lowell
Lowell, Arizona was once a popular mining town just south of Bisbee but today is no more than a street called Erie Street. So why do I have it on my list? If you have any interest in photographing a historic gas station, an old greyhound bus and beautifully restored old cars, you must make a stop in Lowell.
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Whitewater Draw
And just 10 minutes up the road from Bisbee on Highway 80 is the turn off to Whitewater Draw where 20,000+ sandhill cranes gather each winter. See: The Sandhill Cranes of Whitewater Draw
Tombstone, Arizona
If you are still in need of more Old Western towns, be sure to stop at historic Tombstone, Arizona as you make your way back north to the Interstate. Due to its historical significance, it definitely warrants a visit, however, I found it too commercialized and lacking the western charm of Bisbee.
Final Thoughts On Bisbee, Arizona
Bisbee, Arizona is truly a unique and eclectic town in Southeast Arizona with a vibrant feel one would expect to find in much larger cities. In addition to viewing all the sites listing above, Bisbee offers a wide choice of hotels, restaurants and nightlife to keep one busy for a number of days.
I hope you enjoyed a brief look at the photographic potentials of this historic western town and its nearby areas and you check back in soon for my next Photo Road Trip adventure when I head way north: Photographing Yellowstone’s Biscuit, Black Sand & Midway Geyser Basins.
