Remember, when you're out camping or hiking you are in the wilderness, and animal life is surprisingly abundant and varied here, though most retire during the hottest hours of the day.

Woodpeckers, screech owls, and other birds make a home in cavities in the saguaros. Javelinas, mule deer, coyotes, roadrunners, and Gambel's quail can be seen along the roads and trails in the Lower Sonorian sections of Arizona. Extra excitement is provided by rattlesnakes and the large hairy tarantula. On horseback or on foot you can ascend the mountain trails into cooler, forested zones of the Arizona where different species dwell. These animals will most likely stay as far away as possible from you but if you advertise food to them they may approach.

Repackage food & Plan your meals carefully. Repackaging food in reusable containers or plastic bags will reduce the amount of potential trash you bring into the backcountry, and reduce waste from leftover food. The original packaging and plastic bags can be recycled while jars and bottles can be reused after your trip. Remember to pick up all food wastes bag up all your trash at night, I prefer to keep it hung in a tree about six feet off the ground. I have not had any problems so far with this technique. Also be kind to them as they are not there to frighten or hurt you, it is their home and you are their guest.

Do not forget to take all of your trash with you when you leave there is nothing more disgusting than coming to a campsite and seeing beer cans and plates from the last campers. Be courteous. Pick up after yourself.

Also: Remember to always put out your fires completely. Lets keep what is left of our wilderness and put out the fire with water and stirring until completely out. Arizona is very dry and hot in most places which makes it prone to a lot of easily started forest fires. Fires in high-use areas should be built in existing fire rings to concentrate their impact. Encourage others to use the same fire ring by leaving it clean. Remove any residual trash and burn all wood completely to ashes. If the fire pit is becoming filled with ashes, consider cleaning out some of this material. When the fire is completely out, crush any cooled charcoal into tiny pieces and scatter the ashes over a large area away from camp. This helps avoid the scattering of multiple fire rings in a popular site. Properly-located legal fire rings should be left intact for others to use. Dismantling them will cause additional impact because in all probability they will be rebuilt with new rocks.

Remember to look out for the "Fire Risk" warning signs on the road. These will tell you if you are allowed to have a campfire as well as how dangerous it is for that time. The ranger stations are very good at keeping these signs up for fire safety reasons. Please respect them.