Sights in Arizona
-
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Home to cacti, coyotes and super-tiny hummingbirds, this ode to the Sonoran desert is one part zoo, one part botanical garden and one part museum – a trifecta that'll keep young and old entertained for easily half a day. All sorts of desert denizens, from precocious coatis to playful prairie dogs, make their home in natural enclosures hemmed in by invisible fences. The grounds are thick with desert plants, and docents are on hand to answer questions and give demonstrations. There are two walk-through aviaries, a mineral exhibit inside a cave (kids love that one), a half-mile desert trail and an underground exhibit with windows into ponds where beavers, otters and ducks…
reviewed
-
A
Amitabha Stupa
An example of sacred architecture can be admired across town in the West Sedona hills at the Amitabha Stupa, a consecrated Buddhist shrine set quite stunningly amid piñon and juniper pine and the ubiquitous rocks. There’s a smaller stupa further down and an entire park is being planned. Heading along Hwy 89A west from the Y, turn right on Andante Dr, left on Pueblo Dr, then head up the gated trail on your right.
reviewed
-
Arcosanti
The brainchild of groundbreaking architect and urban planner Paolo Soleri, Arcosanti is a desert outpost based on 'acrology': architecture meets ecology. This cross between a kibbutz and design school 65 miles north of Phoenix looks like a village on Luke Skywalker's home planet. Radical when conceived in the 1960s, Soleri's ideas now seem cutting-edge in this age of urban sprawl and global warming. Arcosanti is good for a day trip or a long stay - there are week- and month-long seminars, a café, one-hour tours, concerts and other events. Basic accommodation is available, and the Sky Suite is designed for great views of a dark desert night.
reviewed
-
Meteor Crater
Nearly a mile across and 600ft deep, the second most impressive hole in Arizona was formed by a fiery meteor that screamed into the atmosphere about 50,000 years ago, when giant sloths lived in these parts. Meteor Crater, 40 miles east of Flagstaff, is an out-of-this-world site for those with a thimbleful of imagination. There are lookout points around the crater's edge but no hiking to the bottom. Check out the fun, informative visitor center.
reviewed
-
B
Lowell Observatory
This national historic landmark was built in 1894 by Percival Lowell. The observatory has witnessed many important discoveries, the most famous of which was the first sighting of Pluto – in 1930 through the 1896 24-inch Clark Telescope. In the '60s NASA used the Clark telescope to map the moon. Weather permitting, visitors can stargaze through the telescope; check the website for the evening schedule. The short, paved Pluto Walk climbs through a scale model of our solar system, providing descriptions of each planet. You can stroll the grounds and museum on your own, but the only way to see the telescopes and lovely observatories is on a tour (on the hour from 10am to 4pm…
reviewed
-
C
Riordan Mansion State Historic Park
Having made a fortune from their Arizona Lumber Company, brothers Michael and Timothy Riordan had the house built in 1904. The Craftsman-style design was the brainchild of architect Charles Whittlesey, who also designed El Tovar on the South Rim. The exterior features hand-split wooden shingles, log-slab siding and rustic stone. Filled with Edison, Stickley, Tiffany and Steinway furniture, the interior is a shrine to Arts and Crafts. Visitors are welcome to walk the grounds and picnic, but entrance to the house is by guided tour only. Tours leave daily and on the hour; advance reservations are accepted.
reviewed
-
Antelope Canyon
Unearthly in its beauty, Antelope Canyon is a popular slot canyon on the Navajo Reservation a few miles east of Page and open to tourists by Navajo-led tour only. Wind and water have carved sandstone into an astonishingly sensuous temple of nature where light and shadow play hide and seek. Less than a city block long (about a quarter-mile), its symphony of shapes and textures are a photographer's dream. Lighting conditions are best around mid-morning between April and September, but the other months bring smaller crowds and a more intimate experience.
Four tour companies offer trips into upper Antelope Canyon; Antelope Slot Canyon Tours, owned by Chief Tsotsie, is…
reviewed
-
D
Reid Park Zoo
A global menagerie including giant anteaters and pygmy hippos delights young and old at the small and compact Reid Park Zoo. Cap a visit with a picnic in the surrounding park, which also has playgrounds and a pond with paddleboat rentals.
reviewed
-
Saguaro National Park
If you're standing beside a docent at this cacti-filled park, don't refer to the limbs of the saguaro (sah-wah-ro) as branches. As the docent will quickly tell you, the mighty saguaro grows arms, not lowly branches – a distinction that makes sense when you consider their human-like features. They shake your hand, wave at you or draw a gun on you. They are also the most iconic symbol of the American Southwest, and an entire army of these majestic ribbed sentinels is protected in this national park. Their foot soldiers are the spidery ocotillo, the fluffy teddy bear cactus, the green-bean-like pencil cholla and hundreds of other plant species.
Saguaros grow slowly, taking…
reviewed
-
Museum of Northern Arizona
This small but excellent museum features exhibits on local Native American archaeology, history and culture, as well as geology, biology and the arts. Don't miss the extensive collection of Hopi kachina (also spelled katsina, ) dolls and a wonderful variety of Native American basketry and ceramics.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
E
Tucson Museum of Art & Historic Block
For a small city, Tucson boasts an impressive art museum. There's a respectable collection of Western and contemporary art, and the permanent exhibition of pre-Columbian artifacts will awaken your inner Indiana Jones. A superb gift shop rounds out the works. First Sunday of the month is free.
reviewed
-
Arizona Vineyards
Nogales is the gateway to Hwy 82, aka the Patagonia Hwy, which rumbles through rolling hills, open range, wine country and bird refuges to link up 70 miles later with Hwy 80 near Tombstone. Tall grass sways in the breeze and lazy cattle graze in fields dotted with the occasional windmill. If the land looks familiar it’s because you’ve probably seen it on film. More than 50 movies were filmed in this area, including Red River and Oklahoma. It’s truly a road less traveled and a great way to get away from it all and perhaps taste a bit of Arizona wine. Didn’t know they grew grapes down here? OK, so it’s not the Napa Valley and there are only seven wineries thus far, but…
reviewed
-
Deer Creek
If you're lucky enough to have joined a Grand Canyon rafting tour, Deer Creek Falls tumbles into the Colorado River downstream of Granite Narrows below Mile 136. From this welcoming trailhead you head 150m (500ft) up a steep, bushy slope to a stunning overlook. From here the trail leads into Deer Creek Narrows, an impressive slot canyon whose walls bear remarkable pictographs.
The narrows end in an inviting cascade. Above, lush vegetation lines the trail as it meanders along the cottonwood-shaded creek. The trail crosses the creek and ascends open, rocky slopes to Deer Creek Spring, the trail's second waterfall. From here retrace your steps back to the river. Despite…
reviewed
-
South Rim
About 90% of Grand Canyon national-park visitors head for the South Rim. Just north of Tusayan, Arizona is the park’s south entrance station. A short drive further ahead next to ever-crowded Mather Point is Canyon View Information Plaza to help you get oriented. After stretching your legs, continue north to Grand Canyon Village. Duck inside the 100-year-old Hopi House, one of the park’s many Native American–inspired designs by famed Western architect Mary Colter, and the equally historic El Tovar Hotel and cliffside Kolb Studio. At the northeastern end of the village, panoramic views of the canyon unfold at Yavapai Observation Station, which has an intriguing…
reviewed
-
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Built around AD 1350, Casa Grande (Big House) is the country's largest Hohokam structures still standing, with 11 rooms spread across four floors and mud walls several feet thick. Preserved as a national monument it's in reasonably good shape, partly because of the metal awning that's been canopying it since 1932. Although you can't walk inside the crumbling structure, you can peer into its rooms. A few strategically placed windows and doors suggest that the structure may have served as an astronomical observatory. The ball court is one of more than 200 that have been found in major Hohokam villages throughout the region. Experts aren't 100% sure of the purpose of these…
reviewed
-
Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn
Nine miles past Peach Springs, a plaster dinosaur welcomes you to the Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn, a cool subterranean retreat from the summer heat. An elevator drops 210ft underground to artificially lit limestone caverns and the skeletal remains of a prehistoric ground sloth. If you’ve seen other caverns, these might be underwhelming, but kids still seem to get a kick out of a visit. The complex also includes a campground (tent/RV sites $15/30) amid junipers and a basic motel (r $85). The restaurant (mains $5 to $15; open 7am to 7pm) is a nice little roadside spot with a small playground and serves burgers and fried food. Note that, despite the name, Grand Canyon…
reviewed
-
Kitt Peak National Observatory
From Tucson, Hwy 86 heads west into some of the driest and emptiest parts of the Sonoran Desert. West of Sells, the Kitt Peak National Optical Observatory features the largest collection of optical telescopes in the world. Guided tours (adult/child $4/2.50; at 10am, 11:30am and 1:30pm) last about an hour. Book two to four weeks in advance for the worthwhile nightly observing program (adult/child $46/41; no programs from July 1 to September 15 because of monsoon season) - clear, dry skies equal an awe-inspiring glimpse of the cosmos. Dress warmly, gas up the car in Tucson (the nearest gas station is 30 miles from the observatory) and note that children under eight are not…
reviewed
-
Biosphere 2
Built to be completely sealed off from Biosphere 1 (that would be Earth), Biosphere 2 is a 3-acre campus of glass domes and pyramids containing five ecosystems: tropical ocean, mangrove wetlands, tropical rainforest, savannah and coastal fog desert. In 1991, eight biospherians were sealed inside for a two-year tour of duty from which they emerged thinner but in pretty fair shape. Although this experiment was ostensibly a prototype for self-sustaining space colonies, the privately funded endeavor was engulfed in controversy. Heavy criticism came after the dome leaked gases and was opened to allow a biospherian to emerge for medical treatment. After several changes in…
reviewed
-
Fort Verde State Historic Park
Camp Verde was founded in 1865 as a farming settlement only to be co-opted soon after by the US Army who built a fort here to prevent Indian raids on Anglo settlers. Tonto Apache chief Chalipun surrendered here in April 1873. Today, the town’s Fort Verde State Historic Park offers an authentic snapshot of frontier life in the late 19th century. Exploring the well-preserved fort, you’ll see the officer’s and doctor’s quarters, sprint down the parade grounds and study displays about military life and the Indian Wars. Staff occasionally dress up in period costume and conduct living history tours. To get here, take exit 287 off I-17, go south on Hwy 260, turn left at Finnie…
reviewed
-
Marble View
Our favorite of the many Kaibab Forest overlooks, this viewpoint makes a spectacular picnic or camping spot. From the meadow, covered with Indian paintbrush and hiding Coconino sandstone fossils, views extend over the eastern edge of the canyon to the paper-flat expanse beyond.
This is not a quintessential Grand Canyon overlook that you see in postcards and books. Instead, you're looking down where the Colorado River first cuts into the rocks from Lees Ferry, at the point where it only hints at the rapids and canyon beyond.
Marble View is off Hwy 67, 13km (8mi) south of Kaibab Lodge. From Hwy 67, the road seems to end at an overlook; be sure to take the narrow road through…
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Picacho Peak State Park
Distinctive Picacho Peak (3374ft) sticks out from the flatlands like a desert Matterhorn, about 40 miles northwest of Tucson. The westernmost battle of the American Civil War was fought in this area, with Arizonan Confederate troops killing two or three Union soldiers before retreating to Tucson and dispersing, knowing full well that they would soon be greatly outnumbered. The battle is reenacted every March with much pomp, circumstance and period costumes.
The pretty state park has a visitor center that acts as a jump-off point for trails onto the mountain. If you're fit, you can walk to the peak of the mountain via a rugged trail that includes cables and catwalks. …
reviewed
-
Havasu Canyon
One of the Grand Canyon's true treasures, this is a hidden valley with four stunning, spring-fed waterfalls and inviting azure swimming holes in the heart of the Havasupai Reservation. Because the falls lie 16km (10mi) below the rim, most trips are combined with a stay at either Havasu Lodge in Supai (the only village within the Grand Canyon) or at the nearby campground. For a spot at Havasu Campground you need to book six months to a year ahead.
Parts of the canyon floor, as well as the rock underneath the waterfalls and pools, are made up of limestone deposited by flowing water. These limestone deposits are known as travertine, which gives the famous blue-green water…
reviewed
-
Oak Creek Canyon
For something truly magical take Hwy 89A northeast into Oak Creek Canyon. It's a drive that won't be forgotten. The canyon is at its narrowest here, and the red, orange and white cliffs at their most dramatic. Giant cottonwoods crowd the creek sides, providing a scenic shady backdrop for trout fishing and swimming.
Stop at the Grasshopper Point swimming hole about two miles into the drive, to cool off. Continue on until you reach Slide Rock State Park - a great spot for a picnic lunch.
Head back into town around sunset and turn off at Airport Road. The setting sun makes for a trippy picture - the rocks blaze psychedelic red and orange against a bright pink and purple sky.
reviewed
-
El Tovar
With its unusual spires and dark-wood beams rising behind the Rim Trail, elegant El Tovar remains a grande dame of national park lodges. Spacious rooms (many with sleigh beds and rim overlooks), a dining room with panoramic views, and wide, inviting porches with rocking chairs offer visitors a comfortable and elegant place to relax after a long journey to the park. You don't have to be a guest here to enjoy its old-world ambience.
El Tovar was built in 1905 for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway and designed by architect Charles Whittlesey as a blend between a Swiss chalet and the more rustic style that would come to define national park lodges in the 1920s.
reviewed
-
North Rim
On the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, more than 8000ft above sea level, solitude reigns supreme. Rugged and remote, it boasts meadows thick with wildflowers and dense clusters of willowy aspen and spruce trees. The air is often crisp, the skies vast and blue. If crowds make you cringe, this is where to head for wild isolation. There is only one road in, after all. It’s colder and wetter here, too, and the North Rim is only open for business from mid-May to mid-October. However, the views are spectacular and the lack of huge crowds makes visiting the North Rim a more peaceful, if more spartan, experience of the canyon’s majesty.
reviewed