Southern Arizona in spring is magical—and southern Arizona in spring at a private ranch alongside a perennial river and a mythical wilderness is the best ever—and a rare opportunity not to be missed.

This Bootcamp, one of our most popular, will be four days of pure immersion in field arts: nature journaling, field sketching and watercolor, animal tracking, birdwatching, reading the weather, using field optics, found pigments and inks, and much more.

The setting is a private ranch along Aravaipa Creek about 90 minutes north of Tucson, Arizona. These are ancestral lands of the Apache people, who used the fertile riverside valley for seasonal crops.

Your accommodations are comfortable but not high luxury—think 1970s big ranch house set in a grassy meadow, with a burbling creek running alongside; meals will be included.

A camping option is available if you have your own vehicle and camp setup; there is a modern bathroom for campers.

We’ll be able to host up to 21 participants because of the camping option, and there will be two instructors—Roseann & Jonathan Hanson, and another naturalist (TBD).

Four-wheel-drive is not needed to get into the site (the main road in is graded dirt), but there is a river crossing that is usually fine. We can’t accommodate Class-A motorhomes, but possibly smaller Class-B, and definitely vans and trucks pulling small trailers. Please contact us first if you have a vehicle larger than these described.

Imagine the luxury of doing nothing but exploring wild nature and journaling in a cohort of like-minded fellow journalers . . . and with customized one-on-one feedback and skills-specific tutoring throughout the whole experience.

The Field Arts Boot Camp is suitable for beginners to advanced journalers, as your Boot Camp experience is tailored to your appropriate level. Nurturing, inquisitive, and expansive.

No excuses. Just pure nature journaling growth and mindset.

For a recap with photos and journal images of the 2023 Sonoran Desert Field Arts Bootcamps, see HERE.

Priced per person from $695 – April 12–15, 2024 —