Aerial Photos of Arizona

Last month, my employer sent myself and some co-workers to Las Vegas to attend the Consumer Electronics Show, which is the largest trade show in North America. The flight from Phoenix to Las Vegas takes only 45 or 50 minutes, and my window seat afforded me some very unique photographic opportunities.

So without further ado, here are some aerial photos of Phoenix and Arizona that I took! Hope you enjoy them!

We took off from Sky Harbor facing east and then began to change course to Las Vegas. Out the window, you can clearly see the Loop 101 Pima Freeway as it passes through Scottsdale, AZ and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

In this photo, the Phoenician Resort is clearly visible at the base of Camelback Mountain. Also visible is the Scottsdale Fashion Square shopping mall, and the Scottsdale Waterfront. The Arizona Canal can also be seen snaking its way through the city.

Here we can see just how massive South Mountain Park really is! You can also see Sky Harbor Airport and the Salt River - which doesn't have any water in it except for Tempe Town Lake. The Sierra Estrella Mountains are clearly visible in the background.

 Here's a great aerial photo of Downtown Phoenix. Chase Field can be seen with the roof open, and the two large rectangular buildings with white roofs are the Phoenix Convention Center. In the foreground, we see the interchange between Interstate 10 and State Route 51.

 Moments later, we were over the West Valley and I snapped this picture of Luke Air Force Base in Glendale. Luke AFB is home of the F-16 Fighting Falcons and soon to be home of the F-35 Lightning.

Flying over Surprise, Arizona, you can see an endless sea of tile-roofed subdivision houses packed together at the foot of the White Tank Mountains.

 Moments later, I spied the steam from the cooling towers at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Ehrenberg. This is the largest nuclear plant in the US and one of the few in the world that is not located near a major body of water.

This is an aerial view of the Bagdad Mine located in Bagdad, Arizona about 100 miles northwest of Phoenix. The giant open pit Copper mine can be seen in front of the nearly dry lake.

 Turning around in my seat, I could see the distinct shape of Alamo Lake, home of Alamo Lake State Park.

 I'm pretty sure this blurry photo is the town of Laughlin, Nevada on the banks of the mighty Colorado River.

 A few miles upstream we see Lake Mohave, on the Arizona/Nevada border.

Here's a cool shot of Lake Mead, the Hoover Dam, and the new Bypass Bridge that opened to traffic in October 2010.

 Approaching Las Vegas, I could see the city's unique skyline against the backdrop of the Spring Mountains. Mount Charleston can be seen in the center of the range with the snow-capped top.

 From the air, Las Vegas looks a lot like Phoenix!

Less than an hour after takeoff, we touched down safely at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.That's it! Hope you liked the photos!