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Western Arizona

It’s even on the license plate, so there’s no getting away from the Grand Canyon when you’re in the Grand Canyon State. But anyone’s who has seen magnificent Monument Valley, or the exquisite Canyon de Chelly, or the unique cactus forests in Saguaro National Park, knows that the state’s wonders merely begin there. The sunburst colors of Antelope Canyon, the desolate landscape around Four Corners, the towering red-rock buttes of Sedona, and on a smaller scale, wonders like the Meteor Crater or southern Arizona’s Kartchner Caverns—there’s so much here to intrigue and delight visitors and residents alike. It’s not just natural wonders, either: Both Phoenix and Tucson are distinctive cities with top-tier restaurants and resorts, lively nightlife scenes, and museums, galleries, and parks bursting with art.

The best Places to Discover the Old West

Rodeos: Any rodeo, and this state has plenty, will give you a glimpse of the Old West, but the rodeos in Prescott (p. 170) and Payson (p. 335) both claim to be the oldest in the country. Whichever rodeo you attend, you’ll see plenty of bronco busting, bull riding, and beer drinking.

Guest Ranches: On guest ranches all over the state, the Old West lives on, and wranglers lead city slickers on horseback rides through desert scrub and mountain meadows. Campfires, cookouts, and cattle are all part of the experience. See “Where to Stay” choices throughout this book.

Monument Valley: If you’ve ever seen a shot of John Wayne riding a horse against a sweeping backdrop of massive buttes, you’ve seen Monument Valley. The starkly beautiful and fantastically shaped buttes and mesas of this valley are the quintessential western landscape. See p. 318.

Old Tucson Studios: Originally constructed as a movie set, this back lot and amusement park provides visitors with a glimpse of the most familiar Old West—the Hollywood West. Sure, the shootouts and cancan revues are silly, but it’s all in good fun. See p. 365.

Monument Valley, the quintessential Western movie backdrop.

Cowboy Poetry Festivals: From heroes on horseback to poets on the prairie, it’s been a long, lonesome ride for the American cowboy. At several events around the state, you can hear how some cowboys deal with the hardships and happiness of the cowboy life. See “Arizona Calendar of Events” on p. 30.

Tombstone: Unlike Old Tucson—the reel Old West—Tombstone is a genuine historic town, the real Old West. However, “the town too tough to die” was reincarnated long ago as a tourist attraction, with gunslingers in the streets, stagecoach rides, and shootouts at the O.K. Corral. See p. 454.

The best Native American Ruins & Rock Art

Tonto National Monument: Reached via the Apache Trail scenic road, this archaeological site east of Phoenix has one of Arizona’s few easily accessible cliff dwellings, where visitors can walk around inside the ruins, under the watchful eye of a ranger. See p. 161.

Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park: Reconstructed to look the way they might have appeared 700 years ago, these Phoenix-area ruins provide a bit more cultural context you’ll get at others in the state, making them especially good for kids. See p. 161.

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument: While most of Arizona’s ruins are built of stone, this massive structure south of Phoenix is built of packed desert soil. Inscrutable and perplexing, Casa Grande seems to rise from nowhere. See p. 162.

Montezuma Castle National Monument: Located just off I-17 south of Sedona, this is one of Arizona’s best preserved cliff dwellings, its adobe surface still intact. Nearby Montezuma Well also has some small ruins. See p. 185.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument: Small cliff dwellings up and down the stunning length of Canyon de Chelly can be viewed from overlooks; even better, take a tour into the canyon itself to see some ruins up close. See p. 310.

Wupatki National Monument: North of Flagstaff, visitors can walk around several Sinagua village ruins, including a three-story, 100-room pueblo with a ball court. See p. 263.

V Bar V Heritage Site: The extensive petroglyphs at this national forest site near Sedona have an intriguing astronomical connection: At different times of the year, shadows fall on different images on the rock wall. See p. 195.

Rock Art Ranch: Set in a remote canyon southeast of Winslow, this private historic site preserves one of the most extensive collections of petroglyphs in the state. You can visit only by reservation; if you’re lucky, you’ll have the place all to yourself. See p. 290.

The most offbeat Travel Experiences

Taking a Vortex Tour in Sedona: Crystals and pyramids are nothing compared to the power of the Sedona vortexes, which just happen to be in the middle of some gorgeous scenery. Organized tours shuttle believers from one vortex to the next. If you offer it, they will come. See p. 193.

Gazing at the Stars: Stargazers will find plenty to keep them sleepless in the desert as they peer at the stars through telescopes at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff (p. 261) or Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson (p. 360). North of Flagstaff, you can even stay at a B&B that doubles as an astronomical observatory.

Marveling at a Meteorite Crater: West of the town of Winslow, you can visit the world’s best-preserved meteorite impact crater, 2½ miles in circumference and 550 feet deep. In the 1960s, NASA even used the crater to train moon-bound astronauts. See p. 290.

Sleeping in a Wigwam: Back in the heyday of Route 66, the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook lured passing motorists with its unusual architecture: concrete, wigwam-shaped cabins. Today, this little motel is still a must for anyone on a Route 66 pilgrimage. See p. 305.

Exploring the Titan Missile Museum: Want to find out what it feels like to have your finger on “the button”? At this former ICBM missile silo, now decommissioned and open to the public, you can find out—in a blastprotected control room more than 100 feet underground. See p. 374.

You can still spend a night in the Wigwam Motel, a classic Route 66 experience.

Stopping to Smell the Rose Tree: The town of Tombstone in southeastern Arizona is best known as the site of the shootout at the O.K. Corral, but the “town too tough to die” also boasts the world’s largest rose tree. See p. 457.

The best Active Vacations

Rafting the Grand Canyon: Whether you go for 3 days or 2 weeks, nothing else comes even remotely close to the excitement of a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. Sure, the river is crowded with groups in the summer, but the grandeur of the canyon more than makes up for that. See p. 241.

Hiking into the Grand Canyon or Havasu Canyon: Not for the unfit or the faint of heart, a hike down into the Grand Canyon or Havasu Canyon is a journey through millions of years set in stone. This strenuous trip takes plenty of advance planning. There’s both a campground and a lodge at the bottom of each canyon, so you can choose to make this trip with either a fully loaded backpack or just a light daypack. See p. 235 and 276.

Riding the Range at a Guest Ranch: Yes, there are still cowboys in Arizona. They ride ranges all over the state, and so can you if you book a stay at one of Arizona’s guest ranches (once known as dude ranches). You might even get to drive some cattle down the trail. After a long (or short) day in the saddle, you might opt to soak in a hot tub, go for a swim, or play tennis before chowing down. See chapters 5, 9, and 10.

Staying at a Golf or Tennis Resort: The Phoenix/Scottsdale area has one of the nation’s greatest concentrations of resorts, and Sedona and Tucson add many more options to the mix. There’s something very satisfying about swinging a racket or club with the state’s spectacular scenery in the background, and the climate means you can play practically year-round. See chapters 4, 5, and 9.

Mountain Biking in Sedona: Forget fighting for trail space in Moab—among the red rocks of Sedona you can escape the crowds and pedal through awesome scenery on some of the most memorable single-track trails in the Southwest. There’s even plenty of slickrock for that Canyonlands experience. See p. 202.

The best Day Hikes & Nature Walks

Camelback Mountain: For many Phoenicians, the trail to the top of Camelback Mountain, the city’s highest peak, is a ritual, a Phoenix institution. Even halfway up offers striking views. See p. 90.

Peralta Trail: This moderately difficult trail through the rugged Superstition Mountains, east of Phoenix, will lead you to one of the most astonishing views in the state. Hike the trail on a weekday to avoid the crowds. See p. 92.

Picacho Peak State Park: A short but strenuous hike to the top of this central Arizona landmark leads to superb views out over the desert. The best time is in spring, when the peak is painted with wildflowers. It’s 60 miles southeast of Phoenix, just off I-10. See p. 162.

Bell Rock/Courthouse Butte Loop Trail: There’s no better introduction to Sedona’s myriad red-rock hiking opportunities than this easy 4-mile loop hike. Views, views, views! Unfortunately, there are plenty of other hikers, too. See p. 200.

The South Kaibab Trail: Forget the popular Bright Angel Trail, which, near its start, is a human highway. Grand Canyon’s South Kaibab Trail offers better views to day hikers and is the preferred downhill route from the South Rim to Phantom Ranch. It’s a strenuous hike, even if you go only a mile down the trail. Remember, the trip back is all uphill. See p. 235.

The White House Ruins Trail: There’s only one Canyon de Chelly hike that the general public can take without a Navajo guide, and that’s the 2.5-mile trail to the White House Ruins, once inhabited by Ancestral Puebloans. The trail leads from the canyon rim across bare sandstone, through a tunnel, and down to the floor of the canyon. See p. 313.

The Wildcat Trail: Similarly, there’s only one trail at Monument Valley you can hike without a guide. This easy 3.2-mile trail looping around West Mitten Butte gives you a close-up of one of the most photographed rock formations in the West. Don’t miss this hike. See p. 320.

Betatakin: In the Navajo National Monument, most people just marvel at this impressive cliff dwelling from a distance. A ranger-led 5-mile hike through remote Tsegi Canyon to the ruins will give you an infinitely better understanding of the Ancestral Puebloan people who once lived here. See p. 317.

Antelope Canyon: More a slow walk of reverence than a hike, this short trail near Lake Powell leads through a picture-perfect sandstone slot canyon, only a few feet wide in some places. See p. 327.

The Seven Falls Trail: There is something irresistible about waterfalls in the desert, and on this trail in Tucson’s Sabino Canyon you get more than enough falls to cool you off on a hot desert day. See p. 375.

The Heart of Rocks Trail: Chiricahua National Monument, down in the southeast corner of the state, quietly lays claim to some of the most spectacular scenery in Arizona. On this trail, you’ll hike through a wonderland of rocks. See p. 469.

The best Scenic Drives

The Apache Trail: Much of this winding road, which passes just north of the Superstition Mountains, is unpaved (sometimes precariously so) and follows a rugged route once traveled by Apaches. This is some of the most remote country in the Phoenix area, with far-reaching desert vistas and lots to see and do along the way. See p. 159.

Desert View Drive: While everyone else is crowding through the Grand Canyon’s southern entrance, take the lesser-used east entrance to the South Rim and cruise along forested 25-mile-long Desert View Drive to Grand Canyon Village. There are just a few overlooks, but they deliver some of the park’s most awesome views. See p. 233.

Oak Creek Canyon: Slicing down from the pine country outside Flagstaff to the red rocks of Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon is a cool oasis—with a scenic highway leading right through it, from the overlook at the top of the canyon to swimming holes and hiking trails at the bottom. See p. 190.

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park: Countless movies, TV shows, and commercials have made this valley of sandstone buttes and mesas familiar to people all over the world. A 17-mile dirt road winds through the park, giving visitors close-up views of such landmarks as Elephant Butte, the Mittens, and Totem Pole. See p. 318.

Mount Lemmon: Rising some 7,000 feet above Tucson, this massive peak has some impressive rock formations, an incongruous mountain town at the top, and in winter, lots of snow. Drive up the Catalina Highway from the east side of town to see it all. See p. 382.

The best Places to Commune with Cactus

Desert Botanical Garden: There’s no better place in the state to learn about the plants of Arizona’s Sonoran Desert. Displays at this Phoenix botanical garden explain plant adaptations and how indigenous tribes once used many of this region’s wild plants. See p. 59.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum: East of Phoenix, just outside the town of Superior, this was the nation’s first desert botanical garden. Set in a small canyon framed by cliffs, it has desert plantings from all over the world—a fascinating educational stroll in the desert. See p. 162.

A horseback ride through Saguaro National Park winds through majestic stands of cactus.

Saguaro National Park: With units both east and west of Tucson, this national park preserves “forests” of saguaro cacti. It’s the very essence of the desert as so many imagine it. You can hike it, bike it, or drive it. See p. 366.

Tohono Chul Park: Although not that large, this Tucson park packs a lot of desert scenery into its modest space. Impressive plantings of cacti are the star attractions, but there are also delightful wildflower displays in spring. See p. 376.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument: A smaller, multi-trunked relative of the giant saguaro, the organ pipe cactus lives only along the Mexican border in southern Arizona, about 100 miles west of Tucson. This remote preserve has hiking trails and a couple of scenic drives. See p. 427.

The best Golf Courses

Troon North Golf Club (Scottsdale): Designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, this semiprivate, desert-style course is named for the famous Scottish links overlooking the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde—but the similarities end there. Troon North has two 18-hole layouts; the original Monument Course is still the favorite. See p. 86.

The Gold Course at the Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa (Litchfield Park, near Phoenix): Are you a traditionalist who eschews those cactus-filled desert target courses? Reserve a tee time on the Wigwam’s 7,100-yard resort-style Gold Course, a longtime Arizona legend. See p. 87.

Gold Canyon Golf Resort (Apache Junction, east of Phoenix): This resort offers superb golf at the foot of the Superstition Mountains. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th holes on the Dinosaur Mountain Course are truly memorable, crossing the foot of Dinosaur Mountain. See p. 112.

We-Ko-Pa Golf Club (northeast of Scottsdale): Located on the Yavapai Nation, this top-rated golf club has two challenging 18-hole courses bounded by open desert and stupendous views. See p. 88.

Sedona Golf Resort (Sedona): Not all of Arizona’s best courses are in the Phoenix and Tucson areas. Up in red-rock country, at the mouth of Oak Creek Canyon, the Sedona Golf Resort boasts a traditional course with terrific red-rock views. See p. 202.

Lake Powell National Golf Course (Page): One of the most scenic golf courses in the state, its fairways wrap around the base of the red sandstone bluff Page sits on, walls of eroded sandstone come right down to the greens, and one tee box is on top of the bluff. Stunning. See p. 329.

Ventana Canyon Golf and Racquet Club (Tucson): Two Tom Fazio–designed desert-style courses, the Canyon and the Mountain, play through some of the state’s most stunning scenery. If I had to choose between them, I’d play the Mountain Course. See p. 379.

Omni Tucson National Resort (Tucson): With wide expanses of grass on 18 holes and an additional 9 holes of desert-style golf, this course, once the site of the PGA Tour’s Tucson Open, is both challenging and forgiving. The 18th hole was considered one of the toughest finishing holes on the tour. See p. 380.

The best Family Experiences

Grand Canyon National Park: It’s an iconic family vacation destination, and for good reason: Breathtaking views aside, you’ve got trails to hike, mules to ride down into the canyon (if your kids are old enough), rafting trips both wild and tame, and even a train ride to and from the canyon. See chapter 6.

Kartchner Caverns: Visiting this living cave in southern Arizona is an adventure in itself, as you traverse airlocks down into a spectacular underground world with strange and rare cave formations. See p. 448.

Arizona–Sonora Desert Museum: No dusty museum, this is actually a zoo featuring the animals of the Sonoran Desert. Exhibits include rooms full of snakes, a prairie-dog town, enclosures with bighorn sheep and mountain lions, and an aviary full of hummingbirds. Both kids and adults love this place. See p. 361.

Old Tucson Studios: Cowboy shootouts, cancan girls, and horseback rides make this old movie-studio set loads of fun for the family. You might even get to see a movie or commercial being filmed. See p. 365.

Tombstone shamelessly exploits its Wild West history with staged gunfights and bawdy saloons—but it’s still undeniably fun.

The O.K. Corral: Tombstone may be “the town too tough to die,” but poor Ike Clanton and his buddies the McLaury boys have to die over and over again in continual reenactments of the town’s iconic gunfight. See p. 455.

Dude Ranches: Ride off into the sunset with your family at one of Arizona’s many guest ranches. Most have lots of kid-oriented activities. You’ll find several around Wickenburg (p. 164), Tucson (p. 382), and Cochise County (p. 473).

Floating on a Houseboat: Renting a floating vacation home on Lake Powell (p. 330) or Lake Mead (p. 483) is a summer tradition for many Arizona families. With a houseboat, you aren’t tied to one spot and can cruise from one scenic beach to the next.

The best Museums

Heard Museum: One of the nation’s premier museums devoted to Native American cultures, this Phoenix institution has not only historical exhibits (including a huge kachina doll collection) but also an excellent museum store, annual exhibits of contemporary Native American art, and frequent dance performances and demonstrations of traditional skills. See p. 59.

Musical Instrument Museum: Housing thousands of musical instruments from all over the world, this huge Phoenix museum has galleries organized by countries and continents, as well as exhibits of such rare instruments as the first Steinway piano ever made and the Steinway piano on which John Lennon composed “Imagine.” See p. 151.

Phoenix Art Museum: This large art museum has acres of wall space and houses an outstanding collection of contemporary art as well as a fascinating exhibit of miniature rooms. See p. 67.

Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West: The Phoenix area’s newest museum is a major endeavor: Two vast floors of Western art and artifacts in a striking building in the heart of downtown Scottsdale. See p. 62.

Desert Caballeros Western Museum: In the Wild West town of Wickenburg, this museum celebrates all things Western, from cowboy art to the trappings of the American West. See p. 167.

Phippen Museum: Devoted exclusively to Western art, this museum in Prescott features works by members of the prestigious Cowboy Artists of America. See p. 173.

Museum of Northern Arizona: Geology, ethnography, and archaeology are all explored in fascinating detail at this Flagstaff museum. Throughout the year, excellent special exhibits and festivals focus on the region’s tribes. See p. 261.

The University of Arizona Museum of Art: This Tucson collection ranges from the Renaissance to the present. Georgia O’Keeffe and Pablo Picasso are among the artists whose works are on display here. See p. 371.

Amerind Foundation Museum: Located in the remote southeastern corner of the state, this museum and research center houses a superb collection of Native American artifacts. Displays focus on tribes of the Southwest, but other tribes are also represented. See p. 468.

In Flagstaff's Museum of Northern Arizona, visitors learn the ethnological significance of colorful Navajo rugs.

The best Places to Savor Southwest Flavors

Cowboy Ciao: Scottsdale may not have many real cowboys anymore, but it has great cowboy chow. Forget burned steaks and chili; this place serves the likes of buffalo carpaccio and wild-boar meatballs. See p. 116.

Vincent on Camelback: Phoenix chef Vincent Guerithault has made a career of merging classic French culinary techniques with the robust flavors of the Southwest. The results, for many years, have been absolutely unforgettable. See p. 124.

Fry Bread House: Ever had a fry-bread taco? This stick-to-your-ribs dish is a staple on Indian reservations throughout Arizona; the fry-bread tacos at this Phoenix restaurant are among the best I’ve had anywhere in the state. See p. 130.

Barrio Cafe: Chef and owner Silvana Salcida Esparza conjures up alluring dishes using traditional Mexican ingredients and her own mind-expanding experiments with chilis. (No tacos and tostadas here.) A must stop for foodies in Phoenix. See p. 125.

The Turquoise Room: Dishes at this Winslow restaurant incorporate both Mexican and Native American influences, while conjuring up the days when the wealthy still traveled by railroad. Rarely will you find such superb meals in such an off-the-beaten-path locale. See p. 291.

Café Poca Cosa: Forget gloppy melted cheese and flavorless red sauces. This Tucson eatery treats south-of-the-border ingredients with the respect they deserve. It’s Mexican food the likes of which you’ll never find at your local Mexican joint. See p. 400.

El Charro Café: Nothing sums up Tucson-style Mexican food quite like the carne seca at this, the oldest family-run Mexican restaurant in Tucson. Carne seca, which is a bit like shredded beef jerky in a spicy sauce, is made from strips of beef air-dried on the restaurant’s roof. See p. 401.

El Guero Canelo: Ever had a Mexican hot dog? No? Well, here’s your chance. Wrapped in bacon, topped with beans and salsa, and known locally as Sonoran dogs, the pups served at this big Mexican fast-food joint in Tucson are legendary. See p. 404.