Contents
ARIZONA, NEW MEXICO & THE GRAND CANYON ICONIC TRIPS
Trips by Theme
TRIP
2 Motoring the Mother Road: Route 66
40 Ice Caves & Wolf Dens on Highway 53
47 Take the High Road…and the Low Road
54 Following the Turquoise Trail
57 Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway
FOOD & DRINK
TRIP
22 Grapes & Hops in the Desert
45 Farm to Table: Organic New Mexico
56 New Mexico’s Wine Countries
OUTDOORS
TRIP
17 Photographing Monument Valley
26 Flagstaff’s Northern Playground
35 Written in Stone: Utah’s National Parks
51 Skiing the Enchanted Circle
53 Hot Springs & Swimming Holes
55 Rafting & Fishing the Rio Grande
HISTORY & CULTURE
TRIP
8 In Search of Georgia O’Keeffe
12 Cactus League Spring Training
31 Hualapai & Havasupai Journey
48 In the Footsteps of DH Lawrence
52 Rock It: A Geology Expedition
OFFBEAT
TRIP
CITIES
TRIP
11 48 Hours in Greater Phoenix
DAY TRIPS
Day Trips from Santa Fe & Albuquerque
Trips by Season
SPRING
TRIP
2 Motoring the Mother Road: Route 66
8 In Search of Georgia O’Keeffe
12 Cactus League Spring Training
35 Written in Stone: Utah’s National Parks
55 Rafting & Fishing the Rio Grande
SUMMER
TRIP
26 Flagstaff’s Northern Playground
45 Farm to Table: Organic New Mexico
47 Take the High Road…and the Low Road
57 Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway
FALL
TRIP
31 Hualapai & Havasupai Journey
40 Ice Caves & Wolf Dens on Highway 53
48 In the Footsteps of DH Lawrence
54 Following the Turquoise Trail
56 New Mexico’s Wine Countries
WINTER
TRIP
11 48 Hours in Greater Phoenix
51 Skiing the Enchanted Circle
53 Hot Springs & Swimming Holes
YEAR-ROUND
TRIP
17 Photographing Monument Valley
22 Grapes & Hops in the Desert
52 Rock It: A Geology Expedition
Expert-Recommended Trips
TRIP
22 Grapes & Hops in the Desert
45 Farm to Table: Organic New Mexico
48 In the Footsteps of DH Lawrence
52 Rock It: A Geology Expedition
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The Authors
BECCA BLOND
Becca has written 32 travel guides for Lonely Planet since 2003, including the last two editions of Lonely Planet’s Southwest USA. When in Santa Fe, be sure to visit the Loretto Chapel, where she married the love of her life and writing partner, Aaron Anderson, on October 18, 2008.
AARON ANDERSON
Aaron began his professional career making beer, not books, working as a microbrewer before becoming a travel writer. He’s since contributed to seven Lonely Planet guides, including Cycling in Britain, Thailand and Madagascar & Comoros.
SARA BENSON
Sara has contributed to dozens of Lonely Planet titles, including Las Vegas and Encounter Las Vegas. Her travel writing has featured in magazines and newspapers, both in print and online, including the Los Angeles Times and Las Vegas Review-Journal.
JENNIFER DENNISTON
Since 1991 Jennifer has traveled the back roads and trails of northern New Mexico, falling in love with the region’s distinct landscape and culture, especially its green chile and acequias, and the smell of burning piñon in a kiva fireplace. As New Mexican folksinger Bill Hearne sang, “If I ain’t happy here, I ain’t happy nowhere.”
LISA DUNFORD
It was slot canyons and slickrock, ancient American ruins and rock art that first attracted Lisa to Utah. But tripping around talking about her great-great-great-grandfather Brigham Young turned out to be just as intriguing. Lisa is the author of the Utah chapter of Lonely Planet’s Southwest USA guide.
JOSH KRIST
In Arizona, Josh Krist grew up; went to university; camped alone in the desert for three days when he was 14; worked on a firefighting airplane; rode rickety motorcycles; and reported for a few of the daily newspapers. He’s written about Mexico, Thailand, Vietnam and the Caribbean for Lonely Planet.
WENDY YANAGIHARA
Though her first experience of the Grand Canyon was typical – a family road trip, Dad posing for a photo pretending to fall over the edge (don’t do it!) – Wendy has since hiked from rim to rim, rafted the Colorado, and only begun to explore the wonders of the canyon.
LONELY PLANET AUTHORS
Why is our travel information the best in the world? It’s simple: our authors are independent, dedicated travelers. They don’t research using just the internet or phone, and they don’t take freebies, so you can rely on their advice being well researched and impartial. They travel widely, to all the popular spots and off the beaten track. They personally visit thousands of hotels, restaurants, cafés, bars, galleries, palaces, museums and more – and they take pride in getting all the details right, and telling it how it is. Think you can do it? Find out how at lonelyplanet.com.
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CONTRIBUTING EXPERTS
Dr Yemane Asmerom Yemane Asmerom directs the radiogenic isotope lab in the University of New Mexico’s department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and studies subjects ranging from Rio Grande Rift volcanics to Carlsbad Caverns stalagmites. He lends his expertise to Rock It: A Geology Expedition.
Edward Borins and Nancy Rutland Edward Borins has been a bookseller since 1973. In 1979, he and his wife Eva opened Edwards Books & Art in downtown Toronto, and it soon grew to five stores. After moving to Santa Fe in 1997, they purchased Garcia Street Books, which has been consistently voted Santa Fe’s best independent bookstore. Nancy Rutland opened Bookworks in 1984 after receiving an MA in English from the University of Virginia. She lives in Corrales, and, when not reading, she enjoys walks along the Rio Grande with her husband and dogs. She can be reached at [email protected]. They provided knowledgeable guidance on the In the Footsteps of DH Lawrence trip.
Blair Carl Blair Carl is an 11-year Sedona resident and tour guide (www.blairsedona.net) to some of the best spiritual spots in the area. He lent his expertise to the mind-bending Into the Vortex trip.
Ted Flicker Ted Flicker is the writer and director of the 1967 comedic classic The President’s Analyst, and the creator of the popular 1970s TV show Barney Miller, which gave him the getaway money to leave Hollywood, move to Santa Fe and learn to sculpt. To find out more, visit www.tedflicker.com. He shares insider knowledge in On Location in New Mexico.
Richard Harris Richard Harris, a gourmet cook, has written 36 travel and history books, including many on the American West, and is president of the New Mexico Book Association. He lives in Santa Fe and provided valuable guidance on the Farm to Table: Organic New Mexico trip.
Fran Lightly Fran Lightly, Sonoita Vineyards’ winemaker, worked for 10 years in California’s Livermore Valley before touring the country’s up-and-coming wine regions. Southern Arizona wines knocked his socks off, so he stayed. For a sip of his expertise take the Grapes & Hops in the Desert trip.
Cliff Ochser Cliff Ochser, founder of Evening Sky Tours, was instrumental in helping Lowell Observatory build the Discovery Channel Telescope, under construction in Happy Jack. He lent his stellar insights to the Big Skies & Weird Science trip.
Shipherd Reed Shipherd Reed hauls a copper-plated trailer around Arizona and New Mexico to record the stories of underground miners – a vanishing breed – for the University of Arizona’s Miners Story Project (www.minersstory.org). He shared his insights in the Gunfighters & Gold Miners trip.
William Reese Ranger William Reese has lived and worked on both rims of the Grand Canyon for more than 10 years and logged hundreds of canyon miles; he shares some favorite hikes in Hiking the North Rim.
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ARIZONA, NEW MEXICO & THE GRAND CANYON ICONIC TRIPS | 
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Motoring the Mother Road: Route 66
Road trips were invented for the Southwest. The birthplace of atomic energy, alien mania and sin (city) has long served as the luscious backdrop for Hollywood movies and magazine photo shoots with good reason. The blockbuster scenery is of the crimson rock, pumpkin mesa, big blue sky and golden light persuasion. Not only is the Southwest blessed with iconic good looks, she offers a healthy dose of history, adrenalin-pumping activities and tarmac worthy of a convertible.
In this chapter we take you on epic road, river and train trips. Drive deep into the heart of the Wild West, revisiting cowboy and Indian culture in ghost towns where the scent of last century’s tobacco mingles with the grease of yesterday’s cheeseburgers at the saloon where Billy the Kid knocked down a few cold ones back in 1882. Cruise the nostalgia highway on our Route 66 road trip, passing tumbleweeds, 1950s billboards and greasy spoon diners along the way. Or snap a photo with a hand and foot in four states on our Four Corners loop. Adrenalin junkies will find their speed while dam diving New Mexico’s astonishingly clear, almost tropically warm Blue Hole or rafting the Grand Canyon’s monster rapids. Whether you’re soul-searching at a quirky rural highway art-house next to a giant saguaro cacti or dancing your heart out on the Strip, these are the trips of your lifetime.
PLAYLIST
Everyone has their own idea of the ultimate road-trip mix. Below are a few tunes we find ourselves singing along to while cruising America’s most iconic scenery and down her most famous stretches of pavement.
- “Take it Easy,” The Eagles
- “Route 66,” Nat King Cole
- “Route 666,” Brian Berdan
- “Arizona,” Kings of Leon
- “Yuma, AZ,” Damien Jurado
- “Taos, New Mexico,” Waylon Jennings
- “Santa Fe,” Bob Dylan
- “Viva Las Vegas,” Elvis Presley
BEST ICONIC TRIPS
ARIZONA, NEW MEXICO & THE GRAND CANYON ICONIC TRIPS
- 1 Four Corners Cruise
- 2 Motoring the Mother Road: Route 66
- 3 Rafting the Colorado
- 4 A Green Chile Adventure
- 5 Rim-to-Rim Canyon Hike
- 6 Gunfighters & Gold Miners
- 7 Dam Diving
- 8 In Search of Georgia O’Keeffe
- 9 Billy the Kid Byway
- 10 Southwest by Train
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Four Corners Cruise | 
|
WHY GO From the neon chaos of Las Vegas to the solitude of the Grand Canyon, the scenery on this epic 3000-mile road trip across five states is ripped straight from the silver screen. Throw in a Wild West back-story, neo-Hippie art colonies, giant cacti and UFOs and get ready for one grand Jack Kerouac–style adventure.
TIME
2 – 3 weeks
DISTANCE
3000 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Year-round
START
Las Vegas, NV
END
Las Vegas, NV
ALSO GOOD FOR
Your iconic journey starts in 
Las Vegas, America’s most scintillating adult playground. Seedy yet decadent, Sin City is a puzzling paradox where fate is decided by the spin of a roulette wheel and time seems irrelevant. Here the sight of the Great Pyramids of Egypt, the Eiffel Tower, the Italian lake country and the Brooklyn Bridge in the same mile, leave you feeling like you’ve stumbled into someone else’s acid trip. Is that really a bible-toting Elvis kissing a giddy young couple that’s just pledged eternity in the Chapel of Love? A Gucci-garbed porn star hawking her hip-hop demo amid the chaos of clanking slots and flashing neon? The answer is more than likely yes.
All that glitters is likely gold in this high-octane desert oasis, where the poor feel rich and the rich lose thousands. At the opulent 
Bellagio, glamour’s sweet stench is thicker than the cigarette smoke of the blue-haired grandmother feeding quarters into the nickel slots. Inspired by the beauty of lakeside Italy, the casino resort is the city’s original Euro pimp pleasure palace. Check out the ceiling in the hotel lobby. It’s made from a vibrantly colored bouquet of 2000 handblown glass flowers.
Las Vegas tempts you to lose your inhibitions and indulge your naughtiest fantasies. And what better place to loosen up than Sin City’s guiltiest new pleasure, the 
Pussycat Dolls Lounge? Lingerie-clad ladies do a little aerial swinging, play rub-a-dub-dub in a tub and flaunt their bodies during sexy song-and-dance numbers at this burlesque lounge inside Caesar’s Palace. When the club opened, Busta Rhymes got so excited he jumped on stage and inadvertently started a tradition. Eva Longaria Parker, Nicole Kidman and Jessica Simpson are just a few of the celebrities who have performed impromptu with the Dolls since.
High-drama and neon drenched, the 
Palms casino hotel is just off the strip and caters to the Hollywood crowd. Paris Hilton and her pals like to play in exclusive sci-fi inspired 
ghostbar on the 55th floor. It has amazing 360° panoramic views of the famous Las Vegas Strip. When you can’t keep your eyes open, move the party to your room. We hear the Hugh Hefner suite – with a round bed, and a glass-enclosed infinity pool on the porch – is the sexiest room in town.
After a couple days in Las Vegas, make a run for the border. The Arizona border, that is. It’s about 250 miles from Sin City to Arizona’s favorite crunchy college-meets-ski town, 
Flagstaff, your destination for the night. The drive itself is attractive, linking up Route 66 in Kingman and following an old stretch of the “Mother Road” east over empty umber hills and tumbleweeds before climbing into the gentle mountains outside Flagstaff. You’ll be feeling road worn and weary by this point, so check into the 
Hotel Monte Vista, once the inn of choice for film stars like Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable and Jane Russell. As befits a place with such a pedigree, it is said to be haunted (but only by friendly ghosts, the proprietors proclaim).
It’s just under 80 beautiful, winding miles from Flagstaff to America’s most iconic natural attraction, the 
Grand Canyon. Although many people (and tour buses) see little more of the park than the South Rim viewing center, to do so would be a shame. To make the most out of this national park, you need to devote at least three days to the region. Whether you get to the bottom via mule or foot power is not important, but spending the night at 
Phantom Ranch on the canyon floor is paramount. Catch a Grand Canyon sunset, an amazing play of light and shadow, from the porch of the 
El Tovar on your last night. Albert Einstein and Teddy Roosevelt have both slumbered at this rambling 1905 wooden lodge, and so should you. The place hasn’t lost a lick of its genteel historic patina.
Loop south from the Grand Canyon and drive through 110 miles of Arizona’s red rock country to 
Sedona. With spindly towers, grand buttes and flat-topped mesas carved in crimson sandstone the town can easily hold its own against national parks when it comes to breathtaking beauty. Memorialized in countless Western flicks, the scenery has provided a jaw-dropping backdrop for those riding tall in the saddle. Though Sedona was founded in the 19th century, the discovery of energy vortices here in the 1980s turned this once modest settlement into a bustling New Age destination – many believe this area is the center of vortices that radiate the Earth’s power. Follow Hwy 89A south from Sedona. The first part of the drive winds through the best of red rock country – when the light hits these massive rocks at the right angle they glow tomato, pumpkin and gold. It then climbs the crumbling ridge of the Mogollon Rim to 
Jerome, our favorite ghost-gone-gallery town in the Southwest. Wedged into steep Cleopatra Hill, Jerome resembles those higgledy-piggledy Mediterranean hamlets clinging to a rocky hillside. Well, at least from afar. Close-ups reveal a history solidly rooted in the Old West. Jerome was home of the unimaginably fertile United Verde Mine, nicknamed the “Billion Dollar Copper Camp.” It was also the wickedest town in the West, teeming with brothels, saloons and opium dens. When the mines petered out, the remaining residents looked to tourism as the new gold. Spend the night at the 
Mile High Inn. Once a bordello and then a hardware store, today it’s a snug, but haunted, B&B. Reserve the Lariat & Lace Room for the best chance of seeing a ghost; the former madam supposedly still hangs out here. The 
Asylum Restaurant, in the Jerome Grand Hotel, has the best views and food in town. The venerable dining room is decorated with deep-red walls, lazily twirling fans and gilded artwork.
A conglomeration of some 20 cities zippered together by freeways, 
Phoenix, 120 miles south, resembles one giant (and not particularly pretty) strip mall upon first look. But there’s much more here than seen on the initial glance. Phoenix is an excellent place to get pampered in a ritzy spa at a five-star resort, dine on juicy steaks and practice your golf game – there are more than 230 courses in the metropolis. Try staying at the 
Boulders Resort, where tensions evaporate the moment you arrive. It’s a desert oasis blending nearly imperceptibly into a landscape of natural rock formations that is home to the ultra-posh Golden Door Spa and an 18-hole Jay Morris–designed championship golf course.
ASK A LOCAL
“What so special about Santa Fe? The light. The atmosphere. It is like not being in America, and yet I am still here. There is no place else in the country with architecture like here. One of the great things about Santa Fe is it’s the classic American small town. I go to restaurants and always run into people I know. I even run into them on the sidewalk. And it’s not pretentious. That’s part of why I moved here.”
It’s just a short hop from Phoenix south to the bustling college town of 
Tucson. Less intimidating than her big sister, Tucson is Arizona’s second largest city, but feels like a small town. This is a town rich in Hispanic heritage (more than 20% of the population is of Mexican or Central American descent), so Spanish slides easily off most tongues and high-quality Mexican restaurants abound. The eclectic shops toting vintage garb, scores of funky restaurants and dive bars don’t let you forget Tucson is a college town at heart, home turf to the 37,000-strong University of Arizona (U of A). Right in the thick of things downtown, infamous bank robber John Dillinger and his gang were captured at the 
Hotel Congress during their 1934 stay after a fire forced them out of their guestroom. Today this bohemian vintage beauty remains a hot spot to slumber. Don’t miss one of Tucson’s best live music venues, Club Congress, which is in the same building.
Get a good night’s rest in Tucson, because your next destination is 475 miles (eight hours) away in southeastern New Mexico. It’s a long haul across from Tucson to 
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, but this stretch of pavement is made for road tripping. Pump up the stereo and sing at the top of your lungs as you whiz past fields of giant cacti, huge skies and pancake-flat desert on your way to this enchanted underground wonderland. Musty-smelling limestone and fluttering free tail bats (the population is 250,000 strong) add to the creepiness as you descend 800ft into the strange underground world of one of the planet’s greatest cave systems. Ranger-led tours take you into the dripping heart of the 75-sq-mile network of some 100 caves. Emerge before sunset. You don’t want to miss the cartoon-like spectacle of thousands of bats flying from the mouths of the caves, cutting black lines through the crimson sky as they circle overhead, looking for a buggy dinner.
Move from bats to extraterrestrials by following Hwy 285 north to 
Roswell, the alien capital of the world. Sure this town is about as cheesy as it gets for most of us, but conspiracy theorists and X-Files fanatics journey here in the utmost seriousness. Whether or not you believe a flying saucer crashed here in July 1947, Roswell merits a visit if only to experience America’s alien obsession. While in town, make sure to pay a visit to the International UFO Museum & Research Center. It just might make a believer out of you...
Spunky 
Santa Fe is the next tick on your list. The USA’s oldest capital is also the country’s top art destination. Home to retired cityfolk and with world-class galleries and adobe everywhere, it’s the heart and soul of New Mexico. Food is just another form of art in Santa Fe, and it’s always a toss-up whether the city boasts more quality restaurants or galleries. Either way, you can’t go wrong at 
Shed, a low-key restaurant right on the historic plaza. Sink your teeth into a fresh squeezed lime margarita, creamy guacamole and a spicy green chile–drenched enchilada and you’ll think you’ve died and gone to Southwest foodie heaven. Cut northwest from Santa Fe, through the nuclear town of 
Los Alamos, and into Indian country. The wild northern corner of the state has long been the domain of the Navajo, Pueblo, Zuni, Apache and Laguna people.
New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado meet at the 
Four Corners Navajo Tribal Park. Plant a foot in each state – this is the only spot in America where four states touch in one corner – and take a silly picture. Then cross into southwestern Colorado. With striking scenery, wild history and cool mountain towns, this part of the state looks like it belongs in a John Denver music video. There is a mystery without a conclusion in the ruins of 
Mesa Verde National Park, your first stop in Colorado. In AD 1300 an entire civilization of Ancestral Puebloans vanished without a trace. Their disappearance has proven so intriguing that eight centuries later, historians and tourists flock to the cliffside empires in search of puzzle-solving clues. The largest, and most impressive, cliff dwellings are around Wetherhill and Chapin Mesas. Wear sturdy shoes – hiking here involves scrambling up ancient wooden ladders and down narrow holes.
DETOUR
Climb aboard the steam-driven Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway (www.durangtotrain.com) for the train ride of the summer. The train, running between Durango and Silverton, has been in continuous operation for 123 years, and the scenic 45-mile journey north to Silverton – the entire town is a National Historic Landmark – takes 3½ hours each way. The voyage costs $75 for adults and $45 for children. It is most glorious in late September or early October when the trees put on a magnificent color show.
After you gathered all your clues, head east on Hwy 160 for 65 miles to 
Durango, your destination for the night. It’s one of those archetypal old Colorado mining towns filled with graceful old hotels and Victorian-era saloons; a place seemingly frozen in time. The waitress slinging drinks at the scarred wooden bar is dressed straight out of the early 19th century. The antique-laden inn and the musician pounding ragtime on worn ivory keys add to the surrealism. It usually takes stepping into a classy store or modern restaurant to break the spell of yesteryear, and realize it’s still the new ’00s, and you haven’t really traveled back two centuries to 1898. There’s a dining option poised to charm the most critical of palates and a store for any desire, from outdoor apparel to fancy jewelry or funky retro garb. Durango’s lovely old-world 
Strater Hotel is the best place to sleep. The museum-worthy interior features a Stradivarius violin and gold-plated commemorative Winchester in the lobby.
Head west to eastern Utah when you are finished exploring Durango. Nicknamed Canyon Country, this desolate corner of Utah is home to soaring snow-blanketed peaks towering over plunging red-rock river canyons. The terrain is so inhospitable that it was the last region to be mapped on continental US. Utah’s largest and wildest park is 
Canyonlands National Park. Over 65 million years, water carved serpentine, sheer-walled gorges along the course of the Colorado and Green Rivers, which now define the park’s three districts. Arches, bridges, needles, spires, craters, mesas, buttes – wherever you look there is evidence of crumbling, decaying beauty and a vision of ancient earth here. Hike, raft and 4WD (Cataract Canyon offers some of the wildest white water in the West), but be sure that you have plenty of gas, food and water before leaving the hub town of Moab. Difficult terrain and lack of water render this the least developed and visited of the major Southwestern national parks. The Island in the Sky district, 32 miles south of Moab off Hwy 191 and Hwy 313, is the easiest area to visit.
It’s about 50 miles from the Island in the Sky District to 
Arches National Park. Northeast of Moab, the park is home to the most crimson arches in the world. Consider a moonlight exploration, when it’s cooler and the rocks feel truly ghostly. Many arches are easily reached by paved roads and relatively short hiking trails. Highlights include Balanced Rock, the oft-photographed Delicate Arch (best captured in the late afternoon) and the spectacularly elongated Landscape Arch. As you casually stroll beneath these monuments to nature’s power, listen carefully, especially in winter, and you may hear spontaneous popping noises in distant rocks – the sound of arches forming.
Encircled by stunning orange rocks and the snow-capped La Sal Mountains, 
Moab lies between the two parks and is Utah’s adrenalin-junkie destination. In this active and outdoorsy town with legendary slickrock mountains, it seems as though every pedestrian clutches a Nalgene water bottle and every car totes a few dusty mountain bikes. Moab bills itself as Utah’s recreation capital, and it delivers. Get some rest at the 
Gonzo Inn, a fun and funky boutique with a gecko theme. Check out retro color splashes in the spacious rooms and suites, which also boast kitchenettes and cool patios.
Follow Hwy 191 south from Moab (it eventually becomes Hwy 163) for about 150 miles, dipping back into Arizona to see drop dead gorgeous Monument Valley. Home of western America’s most visceral landscape, it’s nearly impossible to visit this sacred place without feeling a serious sense of déjà vu. That’s because the flaming-red buttes and impossibly slender spires bursting to the heavens have starred in countless Hollywood Westerns. Great views of the rock formations are found all along Hwy 163, but to get up close and personal follow the signs to 
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. From the visitor center, a rough and unpaved road goes through 17 miles of stunning valley views. Continuing south on Hwy 160 from Monument Valley, you’ll cross through the vast lands of the Navajo Reservation. The evidence of hard times is everywhere here, from the rusting tumbledown trailers to social services buildings in small nowhere towns. Still, gorgeous sites are peppered throughout.
Nine miles off Hwy 160, 
Navajo National Monument is one of the lesser-visited cliff dwellings in the region. Hike to the sublimely well preserved Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings of Betatkin and Keet Seel. Accessible only by foot, there’s something truly magical about approaching these ancient stone villages in relative solitude. You can also walk a half-mile from the visitor center to catch a glimpse of Betatkin.
DETOUR
An alternative way to reach Las Vegas from the Moab area takes you along Utah’s most scenically orgasmic byway, Hwy 12, stopping along along the way to gawk at magnificent Bryce Canyon National Park. The road eventually merges with Hwy 15 south to Las Vegas. Make sure to take advantage of the byway’s pull-offs to watch this amazing hued landscape slide from slickrock desert to red rock canyon to wooded high plateau.
The nearby Hopi Reservation is also worth exploring. Don’t miss the village of 
Walapi on First Hopi Mesa – the reservation stretches across three mesa tops. The most dramatic of the Hopi enclaves, Walapi dates back to AD 1200 and clings like an aerie onto the mesa’s narrow end – the mostly empty old sandstone-colored stone houses seem to organically sprout from the cliffs. The Hopi are best known for their ceremonial dances, although many, especially the super sacred Kachina Dances, are Hopi-only affairs. These are serious, holy ceremonies not meant for photo-snapping or gawking tourists. Each village decides which dances it allows the public to attend, but your best shot is between late August and November, when the Social and Butterfly Dances take place.
It’s a grueling 370-mile drive northeast (take Hwy 264 east from the Hopi Reservation) to 
Canyon de Chelly National Monument on the outskirts of Ganado, but the remote and beautiful park is worth the nearly eight hour drive. A National Park Service–maintained site on private Navajo land, multipronged Canyon de Chelly (pronounced ‘d-SHAY’) is far removed from time and space and modern civilization. It shelters prehistoric rock art and 1000-year-old Ancestral Puebloan dwellings built into water resistant alcoves.
NAVAJO CRAFTS
The Navajo rely on the tourist economy to survive; help keep their heritage alive by purchasing their renowned crafts – you’ll see stalls and gift shops throughout the Navajo Nation, the reservation that is also home to Monument Valley’s legendary scenery. The Navajo are best known for their intricately carved animal fetishes like turquoise bears, coyotes, bison and other animal talismans.
Follow Hwy 191 south across the psychedelic painted desert – this is another magnificent bit of pavement – until it links up with I-40 in Chambers. From here retrace your footsteps west to Las Vegas. Plan a few celebratory nights in Vegas at the end of your trip. You will have completed nearly 3000 miles around the most iconic attractions in the West, so treat yourself to some bubbly, a massage and room service at a dazzling hotel in the country and century of your choice.
Becca Blond
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TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Las Vegas is 573 miles west of Albuquerque and 300 miles northwest of Phoenix on Hwy 15.
DO
Arches National Park
5 miles north of Moab, it features the world’s largest concentration of sandstone arches. 
435-719-2299; www.nps.gov/arch; Hwy 191, UT; per vehicle $20;
visitors center 7:30am-6:30pm Apr-Oct, 8am-4:30pm Nov-Mar
Bellagio
The original opulent Las Vegas pleasure palazzo. Casino guests are first dazzled by the choreographed dancing fountain show every 15 to 30 minutes during the afternoon and evening.
702-693-7111; www.bellagio.com; 3600 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV;
24 hr
Canyonlands National Park
Covering 527 sq miles this is Utah’s largest and wildest national park. The most accessible entrance is 32 miles south of Moab.
435-719-2313; www.nps.gov/cany; per vehicle $20; Hwy 313, UT;
visitors center 8am-4:30pm
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
The entrance to this giant cave system is 23 miles southwest of Carlsbad town.
800-967-2283; www.nps.gov/cave; 3225 National Parks Hwy, NM; admission from $6;
8am-5pm, to 7pm late May–mid-Aug;
Mesa Verde National Park
It’s about 21 miles to the visitors center from the park entrance.
800-449-2288; www.nps.gov/meve; US 160, CO; 7-day park entry per vehicle $15, cyclists, hikers & motorcyclists $8;
8am-4:30pm Mon-Fri
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
The visitors center has a blissfully cold water fountain and a restaurant. The road into the park is accessed from Hwy 163.
435-727-5870; Monument Valley Rd, AZ; admission per person $5;
6am-9pm May-Sep, 8am-5pm Oct-Apr
EAT & DRINK
Asylum Restaurant
Amazing views and equally good food inside the Jerome Grand Hotel. The wine list is long.
928-639-3197; 200 Hill St, Jerome, AZ; dinner mains $18-29;
11am-10pm
ghost bar
A clubby crowd, often thick with celebs, packs this sky-high ultra lounge. DJs spin pop and hip-hop mash-ups.
702-942-7777; 55th fl, Palms, 4321 W Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas, NV; cover $10-20;
8pm-4am
Pussycat Dolls Lounge
Lingerie-clad ladies do a little aerial swinging and flaunt sexy song-and-dance numbers at this SoCal import.
702-731-7873; 3570 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV; cover $10-30;
8pm-4am Tue-Sat
Shed
This family-run, James Beard Award–winning, restaurant has been serving New Mexican fare in an atmospheric 1692 adobe since 1953.
505-982-9030; 113½ E Palace Ave, Santa Fe, NM; lunch $8-10, dinner $9-20;
11am-2:30pm & 5:30-9pm Mon-Sat;
SLEEP
Boulders Resort
Relaxation is paramount at this world-class resort with a posh spa and equally fabulous golf course.
480-488-9009, 866-397-6520; www.theboulders.com; 34531 N Tom Darlington Dr, Phoenix, AZ; casitas $400-800, villas from $600
El Tovar
Standard rooms are on the small side, so those in need of elbow room should go for the deluxe rooms. Both offer casual luxury and high standards of comfort.
888-297-2757; www.grandcanyonlodges.com; Grand Canyon Village, AZ; r $166-256, ste $306-406
Gonzo Inn
The ample suites can comfortably sleep four. Amenities include wi-fi and a swimming pool; rates include breakfast.
435-259-2515, 800-791-4044; www.gonzoinn.com; 100 W 200 South, Moab, UT; r $145-315
Hotel Congress
Many rooms at this beautifully restored 1919 hotel have period furnishings; ask for one at the end of the hall away from the thumping Club Congress.
520-622-8848, 800-722-8848; 311 E Congress St, Tucson, AZ; r $70-120;
Hotel Monte Vista
The 50 rooms and suites have been restored to their 1920s glory, and are old-fashioned but comfortable. Wi-fi is available.
928-779-6971; www.hotelmontevista.com; 100 N San Francisco St, Flagstaff, AZ; r $70-170
Mile High Inn
Seven newly remodeled rooms have such unusual furnishings as a tandem chair and a lodge pole bed. Breakfast is served until a hangover-friendly noon.
928-634-5094; www.jeromemilehighinn.com; 309 Main St, Jerome, AZ; r $85-125
Palms
Standard rooms are generous, as are tech-savvy amenities. Request an upper floor to score a Strip view.
702-942-7777, 866-942-7770; www.palms.com; 4321 W Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas, NV; r $109-459, ste from $209
Phantom Ranch
There are six cozy cabins sleeping four to 10 and single-sex dorms outfitted for 10 people. It ain’t luxury, but after a day on the trail, even a bunk is likely to feel heavenly.
888-297-2757; www.grandcanyonlodges.com; Bottom of the Grand Canyon, AZ; per bunk $37
Strater Hotel
Romantic rooms feature antiques, crystal and lace. Beds are super comfortable with impeccable linens. Prices are slashed by more than 50% in winter.
970-247-4431; www.strater.com; 699 Main St, Durango, CO; r $200
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Motoring the Mother Road: Route 66 | 
|
WHY GO Blast the oldies mix, roll down the roof and relive the golden days of road tripping kicking it down Route 66, the Mother Road of motoring. From kitsch to scuba, tumbleweeds to mom-and-pop milkshake shops, driving Route 66 across Arizona and New Mexico is a safari into nostalgic Americana’s heart and soul.
TIME
10 days
DISTANCE
700 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Apr – Jun
START
Arizona/California border
END
Las Vegas, NM
ALSO GOOD FOR
Never has a road been so symbolic as Route 66. Snaking across the belly of America, linking Chicago and Los Angeles, it is the original highway of dreams leading to the Promised Land and was constructed in 1926. Along the route are old motor-court hotels that haven’t changed a bit since the country’s 1950s motoring heyday. First called the “Mother Road” in John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath, over the last 80-odd years the road has become the subject of countless novels, books, songs and photographs.
Route 66 came into its own during the Depression years, when hundreds of thousands of migrants escaping the Dust Bowl slogged west in beat-up jalopies painted with “California or bust” signs. Meanwhile unemployed young men were hired to pave the final stretches of muddy road. They completed the job, as it turns out, just in time for WWII. Hitchhiking soldiers and factory workers rode the road next. Then, amid the jubilant postwar boom, Americans took their newfound optimism and wealth on the road, essentially inventing the modern driving vacation. And so the era of “getting your kicks on Route 66” was born. Traffic flowed busily in both directions. But just as the Mother Road hit her stride, President Dwight Eisenhower, inspired by the German autobahn, proposed a new interstate system for the USA. Slowly but surely, each of Route 66’s 2200 miles was bypassed. Towns became ghosts and traffic ground nearly to a halt. By 1984, the road was history.
Heading east from California, Route 66 enters Arizona near the 20-mile
Topock Gorge, a dramatic walled canyon that’s one of the prettiest sections of the Colorado River. Continue north through Golden Shores, where you can refuel before the rugged 20-mile trip to the terrifically crusty former gold mining town of
Oatman cupped by pinnacles and craggy hills. Since the veins of ore ran dry in 1942, the little settlement has reinvented itself as a movie set and unapologetic Wild West tourist trap, complete with staged gun fights (daily at noon) and gift stores named Fast Fanny’s Place and the Classy Ass. And speaking of asses, there are plenty of them (the four-legged kind, that is) roaming the streets and shamelessly begging for carrots (sold at $1 per bag). Stupid and endearing, they’re descendents from pack animals left behind by the early miners. Squeezed among the shops is the 1902
Oatman Hotel, a surprisingly modest shack where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent their wedding night in 1939. Clark apparently returned quite frequently to play cards with the miners in the downstairs saloon, which is awash in one-dollar bills (some $40,000 worth, by the barmaid’s estimate). You can no longer stay the night, but you can still grab a couple tacos and a beer in the musky old saloon smelling of yesteryear’s sweat, grease and cigarettes. Look for it on the first floor.
SAVE THE MOTHER ROAD!
A movement for preservation of the Mother Road resulted in the National Historic Route 66 Association (www.national66.com), a nonprofit alliance of federal, state and private interests. Every year another landmark goes up for sale, but more are rescued from ruin.
Leaving Oatman keep your wits about you as the road twists and turns past tumbleweeds, saguaro cacti and falling rocks as it travels over
Sitgreaves Pass (3523ft) then corkscrews into the rugged Black Mountains and through a claustrophobic canyon before dropping you in
Kingman, your destination for the night. Founded in the heady 1880s railway days, Kingman is a quiet place today. Check out the former Methodist church at 5th and Spring St where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard tied the knot. Or learn about hometown hero Andy Devine, who had his Hollywood breakthrough as the perpetually befuddled driver of the eponymous Stagecoach in John Ford’s Oscar-winning 1939 movie. At the western end of Kingman, in a 1907 powerhouse, is the
Route 66 Museum, with a charmingly put-together collection of memorabilia. Admission here also gets you into the
Mohave Museum of History & Arts, a warren of rooms filled with extraordinarily eclectic stuff. It’s old-fashioned, sure, but heck, they’re making the most of meager funds, so give ’em a break. Kids get to clamber around a 1923 wooden caboose, while grown-ups may well be enthralled by the documentary on Route 66. The
Hotel Brunswick delivers a winning cocktail of historic grandeur, modern amenities and upbeat young owners, Jen and Jason. The hotel dates to 1909 and is supposedly haunted. Have dinner at
Mr D’z Route 66 Diner. Order a cheeseburger with onion rings and a root-beer float. If you’re craving over-easy eggs and toast before bed, breakfast is served all day.
The hills surrounding the town of
Chloride, situated some 20 miles northwest of Kingman, once spewed forth tons of silver, gold, copper and turquoise from as many as 75 mines. These days, this peaceful semi-ghost town is inhabited by quirky locals who create bizarre junk sculptures and proudly display them outside their ramshackle homes. You can post a letter in Arizona’s oldest continually operating post office – it’s been around since 1862 – or snap a picture of yourself behind bars at the crumbling jail. Up in the hills, reached via a super-rough 1.5-mile dirt road, are Roy Purcell’s psychedelic rock murals. If you don’t have a 4WD, hike up or risk a busted axle. Two gun-fighting troupes stage rip-roaring shoot’em-ups each Saturday at high noon. When the sun goes down and the stars come out, you’ll feel the true Wild West spirit. Spend a night under the velvet sky, at Bonnie and John’s simple place,
Sheps Miners Inn & Yesterday’s. It offers plain, but cozy, adobe-walled rooms with squeaking mattresses behind the onsite restaurant and Western saloon. Even if you don’t stay the night, Yesterday’s is worth a visit for hearty American grub, international beers and toe-tapping live music nightly in a creaky wooden floor, vintage gas pumps and hand-painted mural environment. It’s Route 66 at its bohemian Wild West best.
From Chloride backtrack to Kingman. Here the Mother Road arcs northeast away from I-40 for 115 miles of old-school Route 66 motoring. Teensy Hackberry is one of the few still kicking settlements on this segment of the Mother Road’s original alignment. History comes alive inside an eccentrically remodeled gas station housing the
Old Route 66 Visitor Center. The life’s work of highway memorialist Robert Waldmire, the building started as a general store in 1934, and is a great place to stop for an ice-cold Coke and Mother Road memorabilia. Check out the vintage petrol pumps, cars faded by decades of hot desert light, old toilet seats and rusted-out ironwork adorning this quirky roadside attraction. After a drive through a few more blink-and-miss-them towns, you arrive in the Hualapai Reservation tribal capital, Peach Springs. Nine miles after passing tiny Peach Springs, look for a plaster dinosaur welcoming 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.
Slice through rolling hills for 23 miles to
Seligman, a town that takes its Route 66 heritage seriously – you can still grab a burger at a mom-and-pop shop or refuel at a full-service gas station. This is thanks to the Delgadillo brothers, who for decades have been the Mother Road’s biggest boosters. Juan sadly passed away in 2004, but octogenarian Angel and his wife Vilma still run
Angel & Vilma Delgadillo’s Route 66 Gift Shop, where you can poke around for souvenirs and admire license plates sent in by fans from all over the world. If Angel is around, he’s usually happy to regale you with stories about the Dust Bowl era. He’s seen it all. Angel’s madcap brother Juan used to rule prankishly supreme over the
Snow Cap Drive-In, a Route 66 burger joint that’s been frying beef patties since before I-40 made traffic along the Mother Road nearly extinct. It’s now kept going by Juan’s sons Bob and John. The crazy decor is only the beginning. Wait ’til you see the menu featuring cheeseburgers with cheese and “dead chicken”!
ROUTE 66’S ANGEL
Angel Delgadillo, the barber of Seligman, remembers exactly where he was when shiny new I-40 replaced Route 66 as the USA’s primary east–west vein at 2pm on September 22, 1978: standing in front of his house, watching the town he had grown up in start to die. Angel made it his mission to stop Seligman from becoming another Route 66 ghost-town. Aside from transforming his barbershop into a tourist-attracting gift store, in 1987 he successfully lobbied state legislature to preserve Arizona’s section of the highway.
The railroad town of
Williams has all the charm and authenticity of “Main Street America.” Route 66 slices through the town’s historic center, which is a pastiche of Victorian-era brick houses harking back to a proud but bawdy frontier past and 1950s motels from the Route 66 heyday, some still sporting original neon signs. In a 1930s gas station,
Cruiser’s Café 66, you’ll find Chevy fins dangling above racing-car red and inky black booths, while the ceiling is sheathed in shiny tin. Dogs are allowed at the outdoor tables. Have a drink at the
World Famous Sultana Bar. Back during Prohibition, boozers on a mission would steal down to the basement for bootleg liquor and gambling.
ROUTE 66 READS
John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath is the classic novel of travel on the Mother Road during the Dust Bowl era. Woody Guthrie’s Bound for Glory is the road trip autobiography of a folk singer during the Depression. Several museums and bookshops along Route 66 stock Native American, Old West and pioneer writing with ties to the old highway.
Route 66 runs concurrently with I-40 when it barrels into spirited
Flagstaff, a cultured college town that still bleeds Old West at its heart. East of here mountain views soon flatten into relentlessly featureless prairie. Fortunately, there are a number of worthwhile spots to break the monotony of the journey. First up is
Meteor Crater, located about 35 miles east of Flagstaff. The wooly mammoths and ground sloths that slouched around northern Arizona 50,000 years ago must have got quite a nasty surprise when a fiery meteor crashed into their neighborhood, blasting a hole some 550ft deep and nearly a mile across. Today the privately owned property is a major tourist attraction with exhibits about meteorites, crater geology and the Apollo astronauts who used its lunarlike surface to train for their moon missions.
“Well, I’m standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona…” Sound familiar? Thanks to The Eagles’ 1972 tune Take It Easy (written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey), lonesome little
Winslow is now a popular stop on the tourist track. Pose with the life-sized bronze statue of a hitchhiker backed by a charmingly hokey trompe l’oeil mural of that famous “girl – oh Lord! – in a flatbed Ford” at the corner of 2nd St and Kinsley Ave. Up above, a painted eagle poignantly keeps an eye on the action, and sometimes a red antique Ford parks next to the scene. Spend the night at the oh so fine
La Posada Hotel. The Mary Colter–designed 1930s hacienda features elaborate tile work, glass-and-tin chandeliers, Navajo rugs and other details that accent its rustic Western-style elegance. Grab modern Southwestern fare at the excellent hotel restaurant.
Wild West fans will love
Holbrook. Once one of Arizona’s most wicked towns, it had a reputation as being “too tough for women or churches. – or so the town’s tourism posters claim. Visit the
Navajo County Historical Museum inside the 1898 county courthouse, a gracefully aging heap of bricks whose Perry Mason–era courtroom still hosts hearings. Downstairs, curator Steve and his Chihuahua named Peewee preside over an amiably eclectic collection of Wild West memorabilia. A creepy highlight is the old county jail whose windowless cells were still in use until 1976. Devotees of Route 66 schlockabilia will love to snooze in one of the 15 concrete teepees at
Wigwam Motel. Each room is outfitted with restored 1950s hickory log-pole furniture and retro TVs.
About 25 miles east of Holbrook (the turnoff is at mile marker 311), just before the New Mexican border, is one of the most bizarre attractions just off the highway. The
Petrified Forest National Park is filled with fragmented, fossilized 225-million-year-old logs scattered over a vast area of semidesert grassland. Many logs are huge – up to 6ft in diameter – and at least one spans a ravine to form a natural bridge. The trees arrived via major floods, only to be buried beneath silica-rich volcanic ash before they could decompose. Groundwater dissolved the silica, carried it through the logs and crystallized into solid, sparkly quartz mashed up with iron, carbon, manganese and other minerals. Uplift and erosion eventually exposed the logs.
STRETCH YOUR LEGS: GALLUP MURAL WALK
Take a walk around Gallup – begin at City Hall on the corner of W Aztec Ave and S 2nd St – and experience her 126-year-old story through art. Many buildings around this old Route 66 town double as canvases, sporting giant murals, both abstract and realist, that memorialize special events in Gallup’s roller-coaster history. The city’s mural painting tradition started in the 1930s as part of President Franklin D Roosevelt’s Great Depression Work Projects Administration (WPA) program.
Cross the state line and stop in
Gallup, the mother town on New Mexico’s portion of the Mother Road. Settled in the 1881 railway days, Gallup had her heyday during the road-tripping 1950s, a decade she never seems to have left. Even today many of the dilapidated old hotels, pawn shops and billboards mixed in with today’s galleries and Native American handicraft stores have not changed since the Eisenhower administration. Just outside the Navajo Nation, modern day Gallup is an interesting mix of Anglos and Native Americans. And it’s not unusual to hear people speaking Navajo on their cell phones while buying groceries at the local Walmart. All roads in downtown Gallup dead-end onto Route 66, which runs uninterrupted through town. The historic district is lined with about 20 renovated light red sandstone buildings, including the beautifully restored
El Morro Theater. Completed in 1926 – the same year as the highway – it is a grand old Spanish Colonial–style theater hosting Saturday movies, children’s programs and live theatre and dance.
Route 66 gallops across the Continental Divide (7275ft) east of Gallup, then hauls itself across 140 miles of big country space to
Albuquerque. If you need to catch up on time, this is a good stretch to do it. The speed limit here is 80 mph, making it easy to cover a lot of ground quickly. Spend the night in Albuquerque and head out early the next morning. Route 66 through the eastern half of New Mexico is much more exciting than the western portion. Tiny
Santa Rosa, 120 miles east of Albuquerque, is home to one of the USA’s top 10 dive spots, as in scuba. How can that be? It’s thanks to the bell-shaped, 81ft-deep
Blue Hole. Fed by a natural spring flowing at 3000 gallons a minute, the water in the 81ft hole is both very clear and relatively warm (it stays a constant 64°F year-round). Platforms for diving are suspended about 25ft down. You can rent equipment, but diving here is strictly do-it-yourself (no tours). You will need to show proof of PADI or NAUI certification to get the required diving permit – sold next to the hole.
DETOUR
Nine miles south of Santa Rosa along Hwy 91, tiny Puerto de Luna was founded in the 1860s and is one of the oldest settlements in New Mexico. The drive there is pretty, winding through arroyos surrounded by eroded sandstone mesas. In town you’ll find an old county courthouse, a village church and a bunch of weathered adobe buildings. It’s all quite charming, as long as you’re not in a hurry to do something else.
The
Route 66 Auto Museum is also here. It boasts upwards of 35 cars in its exhibit hall, from the 1920s through the 1960s, all in beautiful condition, and lots of 1950s memorabilia. It’s a fun place; enjoy a milkshake at the ‘50s-style snack shack. Santa Rosa is home to nine long-established family-owned diners and roadside cafés, all with historic allure. Our pick is
Joseph’s Bar & Grill. Route 66 nostalgia lines the walls of this place. Many of the bountiful Mexican and American recipes have been handed down through the generations and are used to good effect. Joseph’s also mixes the best margaritas on Route 66.
A ranching and farming town sandwiched between the mesas and the plains,
Tucumcari is your final destination. For a Route 66 farewell, drive Tucumcari’s main street after the sun goes down and dozens of Old Western neon signs cast a crazy rainbow colored glow. The bright, flashing signs are relics of Tucumcari’s Route 66 heyday: business owners installed them as part of a crafty marketing campaign to attract weary travelers – basically the concept was the bigger and brighter the sign, the better the chance of convincing motorists to stop at your motel. Tucumcari’s Route 66 motoring legacy is recorded on 23 life-size murals around town. The pieces of art, which adorn buildings on and just north and south of Route 66, are the life work of local painters Doug and Sharon Quarles. Taking the town’s mural walk is a great way to stretch your legs and experience Tucumcari’s all-American history. Popular in these here parts for its menu of Mexican and American classic diner fare, 
Del’s Restaurant offers burgers and burritos, as well as a hearty salad bar and lots of soup choices. End your Route 66 odyssey in one of the most beautifully restored motor-court motels on the highway. The centuries melt away at the 
Blue Swallow Motel, which is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. The motel’s classic neon sign has been featured in many Route 66 articles and boasts Blue Swallow offers a “100% refrigerated bar.”
Becca Blond
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TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
This trip starts in Topock Gorge, AZ, 15 miles east of the California line. The trip ends in Tucumcari, NM, 170 miles east of Albuquerque.
DO
Angel & Vilma Delgadillo’s Route 66 Gift Shop
The mother of Mother Road gift shops is run by an affable octogenarian named Angel, who is one of Route 66’s biggest fans.
928-422-3352; www.route66giftshop.com; 217 E Rte 66, Seligman, AZ;
9am-5pm
Blue Hole/Santa Rosa Dive Center
Visit this shop right next to the hole to rent equipment and buy a Blue Hole dive permit – you must show proof of certification.
505-472-3370; www.santarosanm.org; Hwy 40/US66, Santa Rosa, NM; weekly dive permit $8;
9am-dusk Sat & Sun, appt only Mon-Fri
El Morro Theater
Downtown Gallup’s centerpiece was beautifully restored in 2006; it hosts movies, theater and dance performances.
505-726-0050; 207 West Coal St, Gallup, NM;
call for hours;
Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn
Besides the caverns, the complex has a motel, campsites and a restaurant serving burgers and fried food (mains $5 to $15).
928-422-3223; www.grandcanyoncaverns.com; Route 66 at Mile 115, AZ; 1hr tour adult/child $15/10; r $85, campsites $15-30;
8am-6pm May-Sep, 10am-4pm Oct-Apr;
Meteor Crater
You’re not allowed to go into the crater, but guided one-hour rim walking tours take you around the circumference.
928-289-2362; www.meteorcrater.com; adult/child/senior $15/7/13; Route 66, AZ;
7am-7pm Jun–mid-Sep, 8am-5pm mid-Sep–May
Mohave Museum of History & Arts
All sorts of regional topics are dealt with; admission free with Route 66 Museum ticket.
928-753-3195; www.mohavemuseum.org; 400 W Beale St, Kingman, AZ; adult/child/senior $4/free/3;
9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 1-5pm Sat;
Navajo County Historical Museum
Holbrook’s wild history is told at this museum that doubles as the town visitor center and courthouse.
928-524-6558; Holbrook, AZ; donations appreciated;
8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm Sat & Sun
Old Route 66 Visitor Center
One man’s living shrine to all things Mother Road, this is the coolest visitor center in Arizona.
928-769-2605; Route 66, Hackberry, AZ; admission free;
call for hours
Route 66 Auto Museum
Desperate to motor down Route 66 in a restored 1950s Chevelle? Buy one at this museum doubling as an antique car dealer.
505-472-1966; www.route66automuseum.com; 2766 Rte 66, Santa Rosa, NM; adult/child under 12 $5/free;
7:30am-7pm May-Aug, to 5pm Sep-Apr
Route 66 Museum
The museum is also home to Kingman’s excellent Power House Visitor Center.
928-753-6106, 866-427-7866; www.kingmantourism.org; 120 W Andy Devine Ave, Kingman, NM; adult/child/senior $4/free/3;
9am-6pm Mar-Oct, 8am-5pm Nov-Feb;
EAT & DRINK
Cruiser’s Café 66
This Americana diner plays up the roadster theme big time. Grab a cheeseburger, fries and thick vanilla shake.
928-635-2445; 233 W Route 66, Williams, AZ; dishes $7-16;
11am-9pm;
Del’s Restaurant
Try Del’s take-away service if you’d rather dine from the comfort of your motel bed.
505-461-1740; 1202 E Tucumcari Blvd, Tucumcari, AZ; mains $5-15;
7.30am-9pm Mon-Sat
Joseph’s Bar & Grill
A popular local hang-out, Joseph’s serves burgers, steaks and lots of green chile.
505-472-3361; 865 Will Rogers Dr, Santa Rosa, NM; mains $6-12;
breakfast, lunch and dinner
Mr D’z Route 66 Diner
Get your American Graffiti fix at this modern-vintage diner with its hot-pink and turquoise color scheme and cool memorabilia.
928-718-0066; 105 E Andy Devine Ave, Kingman, AZ; dishes $4-13;
7am-9pm
Oatman Hotel
The hotel is no longer taking guests, but you can still order a couple of tacos and beers at this old-fashioned saloon on the first floor.
928-768-4408; 181 Main St, Oatman, AZ;
call for hours
Snow Cap Drive-In
Cheeseburgers with cheese and “dead chicken” are menu staples at this classic Route 66 drive-in.
928-422-3291; 301 E Rte 66, Seligman, AZ; mains $4-8;
Mar-Nov
World Famous Sultana Bar
Play pool, have a beer and mingle with colorful locals at this bar that used to sell moonshine during Prohibition days. Sometimes there’s live music.
928-635-2028; 301 W Rte 66, Williams,AZ;
10am-2am
SLEEP
Blue Swallow Motel
Spend the night in this beautifully restored motel and feel time slide in reverse. The place has a great lobby, friendly owners and vintage, uniquely decorated rooms. Wi-fi available.
505-461-9849; www.blueswallowmotel.com; 815 E Tucumcari Blvd, Tucumcari, NM; r from $59
Hotel Brunswick
Cash-strapped solo travelers can shack up in the 12 super-basic cowboy/girl singles with shared baths. Breakfast and wi-fi included.
928-718-1800; www.hotel-brunswick.com; 315 E Andy Devine Ave, Kingman; r $35-95
La Posada Hotel
Gracious Southwesternstyle in an exquisite 1930s Harvey House, the hotel has hosted everyone from Einstein to John Wayne.
928-289-4366; www.laposada.org; 303 E 2nd St, Winslow, AZ; r from $100
Sheps Miners Inn & Yesterday’s
A friendly Western guesthouse with simple rooms and the most lively saloon for miles.
928-565-4251; 9827 2nd St, Chloride, AZ; r $35-65, mains $7-20
Wigwam Motel
Comfy enough on the inside, with plenty of retro touches, the exterior of the faux wigwams are fine examples of roadside kitsch.
928-524-3048; www.galerie-kokopelli.com/wigwam; 811 W Hopi Dr, Holbrook, AZ; r $48-58
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
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Rafting the Colorado | 
|
WHY GO There’s a reason they call it the trip of a lifetime. Rafting the Colorado River is truly awesome, not only for its monster rapids, but also for the ever-changing beauty of canyon walls, and the solitude of sleeping under the stars in the inner-gorge wilderness.
TIME
7 – 14 days
DISTANCE
187 river miles
BEST TIME TO GO
May – Oct
START
Lees Ferry, AZ
END
Whitmore Wash, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
So you’ve scored a river permit, gathered your buddies, and hired an outfitter to supply your crew with cookstoves and ammo cans. Or maybe you’ve booked a week on a commercial trip and can leave the planning to a pro. Either way, you’re about to experience one of the most mind-blowing rivers you’ll ever have the privilege of running. All told, the layers of canyon geology through which you’ll travel represent at least two billion years, and if that doesn’t get your rocks off, the white water will. With so many notable rapids, beautiful side hikes, camping beaches and put-in and take-out points, this trip’s route should be viewed as a necessarily exclusive selection of highlights.
Slap on the sunscreen, keep your camera handy (but safely zipped into a plastic bag), and get ready to head down 87, 187 or maybe all 279 river miles of the mighty Colorado. You’re slashing your connection to the outside world for the duration of your trip.
Take a virgin dip into the frigid river at
Lees Ferry and then put in. Take a look at the low-lying cliffs of the Moenkopi Formation atop darker red Kaibab Limestone rising around you, the top layers of Grand Canyon strata. Then glide onto the Colorado and muse on the depth – literal and figurative – of this venerable canyon you’re rafting. As you gently float away from Lees Ferry, you’ll enter Grand Canyon National Park after several miles of smooth water and riffles. But after some fun first-day rapids like
Badger Creek and Soap Creek, you’ll get the hang of the Colorado River rating system, which classifies rapids from Class 1 to 10 (rather than the standard I to V).
After your first day on the river, you’ll also get into the groove of using those regulation ammo cans (wilderness toilets) within the privacy of tamarisk stands – giving guilty thanks for invasive flora – and sleeping on still beaches along the river. Waking on that first morning is magical, with the light slowly sliding down canyon walls and revealing the rich color of rock and river.
On your second day, stop at
North Canyon for the hike through this side canyon leading to a small, seashell-like grotto. Depending on the weather, there may be a reflective pool here filled with tadpoles or a running tributary with little waterfalls to negotiate along the way. The curves, ridges and slabs of this side canyon give a tantalizing first taste of what you’ll explore on stops along the river. Once you return to the river, you’ll quickly bounce into the
Roaring Twenties, a series of smallish but not insignificant rapids along mile markers 20 through 29.
Day three you’ll drift by the verdant cliffside oasis of
Vasey’s Paradise, kept green by the water springing directly out of the wall, before rounding a bend and spying the wide mouth of
Redwall Cavern. As you approach, the scale of this enormous cave will surprise you. The cool sand inside may bear the tracks of ravens, frogs or kangaroo mice, but you’ll want to add your own when you stop here for a snack and some Frisbee tossing. Camping isn’t allowed in the cavern, but if you happen to have brought your cello, the acoustics in here are fantastic.
Though the fourth day brings hours of drifting between a few good rapids, highlights include a hike up to ancient
Puebloan granaries at Nankoweap, where ancient Native Americans stored corn for lean times. Hiking the steep trail to the granaries affords spectacular views of river and canyon from high above. Downriver, marvel at the intensely saturated purple, blue and green layers of Bright Angel Shale before stopping at the confluence of the incongruously warm, turquoise-hued
Little Colorado River. This may be the only place you’ll ever ride mini-rapids with a personal flotation device strapped to your bum.
Big-time whitewater is on tap for day five, with monster rapids like Unkar, Nevills,
Hance (rated as Class 7 or 8), Sockdolager and Grapevine Rapids socking you with some of that cold Colorado water and a fat adrenaline rush. This is what it’s about. Between exhilarating drops, catch your breath and check out the oldest rock layer in the canyon, which now appears at river level. The smooth, black Vishnu schist shot through with pink Zoroaster granite is some of the oldest exposed rock on the planet, and it marks your arrival to
Phantom Ranch.
ASK A LOCAL
“Rafting the canyon is like a chess game, in that there are so many moves you can make – the only difference is, you never lose. As in chess, every move affects the rest of the game, but on the river you could do 20 miles every day doing short hikes, or maybe 45 miles in a day, camp there for two nights and spend all day hiking. But whatever moves you do make, you can’t ever lose.”
Matt Fahey, Flagstaff
If you’re just stopping off here, sip some cold lemonade in the canteen (keep your cup for cheap refills) and scratch out some postcards from the bottom of the canyon. This is also the only place on the river where you’ll find a pay phone. If you’re spending the night at Phantom, claim a comfy bunk in your air-conditioned cabin, hop in the shower, and take in a ranger talk before dinner. No one goes hungry here, and vegetarians can look forward to some killer chili.
Pre-hydrate the night before your hike out, and be sure to get started at (or before) first light to avoid hiking in the heat of midday. At the end of your six- to nine-hour haul up the
Bright Angel Trail, reward yourself with a soul-soothing chocolate ice cream at the South Rim’s
Bright Angel Fountain, sitting on the low, circular stone bench on the rim as you rest your legs. After your (heavenly) shower, sup on half a citrus-glazed roast duck, sip a prickly-pear margarita on the back deck and lie down for a very sound sleep at the historic
El Tovar.
If, lucky you, your river time flows on, you’ll continue floating under the suspension bridges near Phantom Ranch to hit several serious rapids, beginning with Horn Creek, with the challenge of Granite soon thereafter, and finishing with the famously burly
Hermit Rapid. After punching through the waves and holes of these beasts, you’ll be elated, exhausted and ready to spend a calm night between the soaring schist walls of the Upper Granite Gorge.
RIVER PERMITS
On commercial river trips, the operator takes care of your permit. If you plan a private trip, you must apply for your own through the Grand Canyon River Permits Office ( 928-638-7843, 800-959-9164; https://npspermits.us). Entering your name in the weighted lottery system requires an application fee of $25, and if you win a spot, you’ll automatically be charged a nonrefundable $400 deposit (which goes toward the cost of the $100-per-person permit). See www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/whitewater-rafting.htm for more detailed information.
By day six, you’re well into river mode, relishing the prospect of slamming through big whitewater like the ‘gems’ – starting with the biggest,
Crystal Rapid, and followed by the midsized Sapphire, Turquoise, Ruby and Serpentine Rapids. A series of smaller rapids are strung out below these, after which some floating brings you to
Elves Chasm. Hiking up this narrow canyon leads to a lush little grotto fed by small waterfalls, at the bottom of which lies an inviting pool amid moss and maidenhair ferns.
You may be on day seven or eight by the time you hit the churn of
Deubendorff Rapid and make a beeline for
Tapeats Creek, one of the absolute best hikes in the canyon. Even better, when made into a 10-mile loop connecting with Deer Creek, the hike takes in waterfalls, pools laced with scarlet monkeyflowers and watercress, narrows carved through Tapeats sandstone and well-preserved petroglyphs. The source of Thunder River lies along this hike, an incredible waterfall shooting out of the base of a cliff into Tapeats Creek.
You’ll bypass Granite Narrows, the narrowest point (76 feet) in the canyon, if you take the Deer Creek loop, continuing down about a dozen river miles to another favorite hike at
Matkatamiba Canyon. Matkat’s beautifully curvaceous narrows with striated, rippling walls require a little stemming and scrambling to stay above the water at the bottom of the canyon, but it’s an easy hike that opens out onto a pavilion edged in green.
If you manage not to go ass over teakettle in Upset Rapid, the river will bring you to
Havasu Canyon on the next day, where another hike beckons. Leading up to the famous travertine canyon and blue-green pools of the Havasupai Reservation, Havasu Creek meets the Colorado with warm, turquoise waters that beg for a swim.
Around day thirteen, a day of gentle drifting allows you to steel yourself for infamous Lava. As you approach, the terrifyingly thrilling maelstrom of
Lava Falls Rapid will reveal itself with a roar before giving you the ride of your life – this is a crucial one to scout. After Lava, you can breathe easy. Take-outs at Whitmore Wash – the wash at river mile 187, where a trail leads up to the North Rim – will have you boarding a helicopter bound for the rim. Instead of jettisoning your river serenity into oblivion with an immediate return to Las Vegas, transition with a steak dinner and a down-home stay at slightly kitschy
Bar 10 Ranch. You can while away a few days on the ranch, skeet shootin’, horseback riding and dancing before braving “civilization” again.
Wendy Yanagihara
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Rafting trips on the upper half of the Colorado put in at Lees Ferry, north of Flagstaff.
DO
River Outfitters
Grand Canyon River Outfitters Association (www.gcroa.org) is a good starting point, with listings for all 16 river concessionaires certified to run the Grand Canyon. Because prices for commercial trips vary significantly depending on the length of the trip, we haven’t listed prices; outfitters’ rates tend to be competitive.
Arizona Raft Adventures
Has run paddle, oar and motorized trips since 1965; offers trips of six to 16 days.
928-526-8200, 800-786-7238; www.azraft.com; 4050 E Huntington Dr, Flagstaff, AZ 86004
Canyon Explorations & Canyon Expeditions
Family-run, established in 1987, this business offers trips of six to 16 days on the river.
928-774-4559, 800-654-0723; www.canyonexplorations.com; PO Box 310, Flagstaff, AZ 86002
Canyoneers
Descended from the company originally founded by Norm Nevills, who led the first paying passengers down the Colorado.
928-526-0924, 800-525-0924; www.canyoneers.com; PO Box 2997, Flagstaff, AZ 86004
Grand Canyon Dories
One of the only companies running trips in traditional wooden dories, with trips from five to 19 days.
209-736-0805, 800-877-3679; www.oars.com/grandcanyon/dories.html; PO Box 216, Altaville, CA 95221
Hatch River Expeditions
Best known for its river-running family pedigree, Hatch is now most visible for its motorized raft trips.
928-355-2241, 800-856-8966; www.hatchriverexpeditions.com; HC 67 Box 35, Marble Canyon, AZ 86036
OARS
With trips from five to 15 days, this outfit is one of the most distinguished.
209-736-4677, 800-346-6277; www.oars.com; PO Box 67, Angels Camp, CA 95222
Outdoors Unlimited
Well respected and experienced, this company offers oar and paddle trips of five to 15 days.
928-526-2852, 800-637-7238; www.outdoorsunlimited.com; 6900 Townsend Winona Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86004
EAT & SLEEP
Bright Angel Fountain
Should be your first stop after slogging up to the South Rim, for a well-earned, frosty chocolate milkshake.
928-638-2631; www.grandcanyonlodges.com; Grand Canyon Village, AZ; mains $5-10;
8am-8pm;
El Tovar Dining Room
A meal here or cocktail on the back porch is de rigueur. Rooms at the historic lodge are the best on the rim.
928-638-2631; www.grandcanyonlodges.com; Grand Canyon Village, AZ; lunch from $11, dinner $21-35;
6:30-11am, 11:30am-2pm & 5-10pm;
Bar 10 Ranch
The place to stay when you put in or take out at Whitmore Wash.
435-628-4010, 800-582-4139; www.bar10.com; Whitmore Wash, AZ; per person $100;
Phantom Ranch
The six-person dorm-cabins are air-conditioned, which feels wildly decadent after hiking into the scorching canyon.
928-638-2631; www.grandcanyonlodges.com;dm $36;
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
A Green Chile Adventure | 
|
WHY GO Nothing says New Mexico more than green chile. Come in the fall, during harvest season, when the cottonwoods along the Rio Grande yellow, the smell of roasting chiles and piñon fires permeate the air, and hot-air balloons dot the skies around Albuquerque.
TIME
3 – 4 days
DISTANCE
140 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Aug – Oct
START
Albuquerque, NM
END
Taos, NM
ALSO GOOD FOR
New Mexicans love their chile. Welcome signs on the interstates feature huge red and green chiles, red ristras hang from adobe homes north to south, and even McDonald’s offers green chile on its burgers. Chop and scramble it in eggs, stir-fry it fresh with pork for an Asian twist, add it along with lettuce and tomato on a turkey sandwich. You can’t get away from the stuff, and while some visitors never do develop a taste for its fire, others soon acquire a discerning palate that drives an obsessive search for the perfect chile. This one’s too hot, that one’s too gelatinous, this one has no flavor at all, and soon you’re talking about chile as much as farmers around here talk about rain. To get a sampling of the state’s best, from sauces loaded with chopped veggies to the perfect green-chile cheeseburger, this fiery green trail of chile hot spots takes you to local favorites.
For a tasty cup of java and the hottest green in
Albuquerque, head to the decidedly crunchy
Java Joe’s. Hidden in a residential neighborhood off old Route 66, this tiny spot looks, at first glance, like the usual granola and herbal tea hang-out. Local art hangs on the walls and half-read newspapers sit on the tables. You can grind your own coffee to take home, or grab a mug to enjoy with a homemade cranberry scone. But don’t be deceived – the chile on its chicken burrito packs more punch than a triple espresso, and the black beans are as good as any you’ll find in a fancy restaurant. A few miles down the road, past the 1954 Indian art stores and dance clubs along downtown Albuquerque’s Central Ave and into student haunts around the University of New Mexico, is
El Patio. A couple blocks from the campus on Harvard St, this under-the-radar stand-by for simple, fresh and tasty fare is easy to miss – look for the vintage neon sign and the blue fence around the tiny patio. Sitting outside with a Dos Equis, a plate of green chile enchiladas and a basket of hot sopapillas just might be the closest thing to nirvana this side of the Mississippi. It doesn’t take cash, but there’s an ATM in the back.
If you still haven’t found your idea of chile perfection, consider cruising about an hour south on I-25 to blink-and-you-miss-it San Antonio. Here, the dark lil’
Owl Bar serves up no-frills chile that’s the subject of statewide debate. Some folks drive miles for its green-chile cheeseburger, while others gripe that the reputation is undeserved. The best in New Mexico? You decide.
To fully appreciate New Mexican green chile, visit in the late summer or fall, when acres upon acres of chile fields throughout the state begin to ripen and farmers don straw hats to protect their faces from the still burning desert sun and spread into the fields to hand-pick the fragile pods before they turn red. Despite the Albuquerque sprawl, it’s surprisingly easy to find your way to rural pockets of orchards, chile fields and pastures. From I-40 take the Rio Grande Blvd exit (about a mile west of I-25) and head north, past fields and stables, sheep and llamas, rambling ranches and palatial estates, to the farming community of
Corrales. Here, old Hispanic farming families mingle with organic-inclined newcomers, tiny homes with thick adobe walls sit beside multimillion dollar haciendas, and dirt roads twist and wind through the cottonwoods.
Once allowed to ripen to red, the flavor of the green chile changes distinctly, and just about every New Mexican prefers one to the other. Both green and red can be used to make sauces for the ubiquitous burrito and enchiladas, but it’s the green chile that reigns supreme in the fall. Green-chile stands pop up along country and city roads all over the state, farmers bring overflowing pick-up trucks to grower markets, and New Mexicans get busy preparing the chiles for the upcoming year. In Albuquerque, folks head to
Wagner Farm, a seasonal farm stand that sells produce grown in their fields throughout Corrales. They bring their coolers or garbage bags, select a bushel for roasting at the cylinder roasters on site, and drag home bags of the blackened pods. Enjoy a fresh-made peach turnover, watch ’em roast the chiles, and pick up a gallon of apple cider.
Just down Dixon Rd from the farm stand is the friendly and simple
Nora Dixon Place. Take some time to sit in the courtyard, watching the hummingbirds and lizards, enjoying the roses and wisteria. If you’re lucky, a passing evening monsoon will settle the dust. The smell of New Mexican rain mingles with that of roasting chiles, and the Sandia Mountains glow red with the setting sun (in fact, Sandia means “watermelon” in Spanish). During the annual balloon fiesta in early October, the skies fill with bright hot-air balloons every morning. Pull on a fleece, pour a mug of coffee and ask for your green-chile eggs outside so you can watch the balloons float in the shadow of the Sandia Mountains. They drift silently above the trees, so close that you can hear the rumble of propane burners, and it’s not unusual to see them land in the fields throughout town.
GREEN CHILE BY MAIL
Several companies cater to green chile addicts, FedEx-ing fresh and frozen green chile anywhere in the US, from California to Maine, Texas to North Dakota.
- www.hatchnmgreenchile.com Fresh Hatch green chiles in 10lb to 25lb bushels, and nothin’ smaller.
- www.hotchile.com Order 8lb to 24lb in 2lb bags of roasted, peeled, diced and frozen green chile.
- www.chileshop.com All things chile, from salsas to jams.
The
Rio Grande Bosque, home to porcupines, muskrats, birds and more, is about a half-mile walk down Dixon Rd. Here, a wide red dirt path, popular for horseback riding, biking and walking, hugs the irrigation ditch, and several trails cut over to the Rio Grande. Standing next to the willows by the river, looking at the mountains and listening to the distinct caw of the migrating Sandhill Cranes and the wind in the wizened trees, you’d never know downtown Albuquerque is only a 20-minute drive away. Grab a burrito to go from Wagners to enjoy on your walk.
The autumn ritual of preparing green chile continues in the kitchen, as it takes hours to peel the chiles, scrape the seeds and package them into ziplocks for the freezer. Some go right into the pot, mixed up with family secrets to cook up piquant sauces of green to use year-round on heuvos rancheros, tacos and just about anything else. And some gets diced up, thrown into a pot of beans with a little garlic and salt, and left to simmer all day. Unfortunately, if you’re like most visitors to New Mexico, you’ll hesitate to buy any chiles because, to the average cook, they’re mysteriously alien. No worries. Drive up I-25 to
Santa Fe, swing by Santa Fe train depot to pick up some extra-hot green at the year-round Saturday and Tuesday morning farmers market, and take an afternoon class at the
Santa Fe School of Cooking. Classes are offered just about daily, and they have an excellent collection of Southwest cookbooks and green-chile products, like green-chile pistachios, jelly and mustard. You can try out those recipes in the kitchen of an historic casita at
Dunshees. Hidden in a quiet stretch of old adobes and desert gardens, this beautifully furnished nest is within walking distance of galleries and shops along Canyon Rd. With a kiva fireplace and private patio, it makes a delightful place to hunker down with a bottle of wine, a piñon fire, and a bowl of your own green-chile stew.
FOOD FESTIVALS
Feast on green chile, piñon and tortillas at these annual celebrations of New Mexico food.
- Hatch Chile Festival The sleepy town of Hatch celebrates its most famous export.
- Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta Santa Fe chefs pair Southwest dishes with wines from New Mexico and beyond.
- Whole Enchilada Festival The state’s biggest enchilada and plenty of chile.
- Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium Cowboy food New Mexico–style.
- New Mexico Food & Dance Festival Historic adobe buildings and chile fields at Rancho de la Golondrinas.
From Santa Fe, it’s an easy hour and a half drive along the Rio Grande River to Taos. Stop at
Embudo Station for a green-chile stew with a kick – you could spend hours under the shade of a cottonwood not doing much of anything at all. Continuing north, the road passes
Pilar. Detour a mile or two west on State Rd 570, past several campgrounds, to digest your meal at the bridge over the river. This popular raft launch for white-water trips down the Rio Grande makes a pleasant spot to splash around before returning to Hwy 68 for the final 20-minute stretch to
Taos.
Pedestrian-friendly downtown Taos boasts excellent art galleries and fantastic hiking trails wind through the aspen and ponderosa of the surrounding mountains. End the day with a pint of green-chile beer and a green-chile smothered burrito at
Eske’s Brew Pub & Eatery. The vegetarian chile, with huge chunks of carrots, zucchini and other goodies, is unusual even in this vegetarian-friendly town, and just the smell of the beer is ecstasy to a green-chile addict. It’s an acquired taste, so ask for a sample before ordering a pint. On weekends, it features live music from country to folk to rock.
ASK A LOCAL
“Once you’ve had green chile, you become an addict. And anytime you’re anywhere away from it, you’re a fiend to get it. I go to Hatch for my chile. I have my favorite vendor I go to. I bring my big ol’ cooler and they roast ‘em and I bring ‘em home. The road that cuts southwest from Hatch to Demming goes through chile fields and ranch country. It’s beautiful. ”
From Eske’s, drive a few miles out of town to
Old Taos Guesthouse, historic bed and breakfast, with Southwestern furnishing and viga (wood beamed) ceilings, set on 8 acres of grass and orchards. Views from the courtyard stretch across the volcano-dotted Taos Plateau into the flatness of the horizon.
In the morning, owner Tim will share his favorite hiking trails over a homemadebreakfast of fruit, muffins and, you guessed it, green-chile casserole.
Jennifer Denniston
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Albuquerque lies 63 miles south of Santa Fe on I-25.
DO
Santa Fe School of Cooking
Regular classes on New Mexican cuisine and an excellent selection of cookbooks and green-chile condiments.
505-983-4511; www.santafeschoolofcooking.com; 116 W San Francisco St, Santa Fe, NM;
varied
Wagner Farm
Locally grown chile in farming village outside Albuquerque.
505-898-3903; 5000 Corrales Rd, Corrales, NM;
Jul-Nov;
EAT
El Patio
University of New Mexico hang-out with the city’s best green-chile enchiladas.
505-268-4245; 142 Harvard Dr SE, Albuquerque, NM; mains $5-10;
11am-9:30pm Mon-Sat;
Embudo Station
Old narrow-gauge railroad station along the Rio Grande River, with cottonwoods, outdoor seating and chile with a kick.
505-852-4707; Hwy 67, Embudo, NM; mains $8-15;
Mar-Oct, hours vary;
Eske’s Brew Pub & Eatery
Drink the chile with a pint of aromatic Taos Green Chile Beer.
575-758-1517; 106 Des Georges Lane, Taos, NM; mains $5-12;
12:30pm-9pm Sun-Thu & to 10pm Fri-Sat, seasonal variations
Java Joe’s
Comfy coffeeshop with black beans and some of the hottest chile in town.
505-765-1514; 906 Park Ave SW, Albuquerque; mains $5-12;
6:30am-3:30pm;
Owl Bar
Nothing can beat the simple green-chile cheeseburger at this hole-in-the-wall south of Albuquerque.
505-835-9946; 77 Hwy 380, San Antonio, NM; mains $4-7;
11:30am-9pm Tue-Sun Mar-Oct
SLEEP
Dunshees
Beautifully appointed suite or casita with kiva fireplaces, private patios, and gardens.
505-982-0988; www.dunshees.com; 986 Acequia Madre, Santa Fe, NM; suites $125-140;
Nora Dixon Place
Friendly B&B in a rural village outside of Albuquerque. Ask for the Bosque Room, with a kiva fireplace and Mexican tiles.
505-898-3662; www.noradixon.com; 312 Dixon Rd, Corrales, NM; r $102-124;
Old Taos Guesthouse
This 200-year-old former farm sits on 8 acres of grass and cottonwoods.
575-758-5448; www.oldtaos.com; 1028 Witt Rd, Taos, NM; r $90-175;
USEFUL WEBSITES
SUGGESTED READS
- Red or Green? New Mexican Cuisine, Clyde Casey
- Artisan Farming: Lessons, Lore and Recipes, Richard Harris
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Rim-to-Rim Canyon Hike | 
|
WHY GO Views from the canyon’s scenic overlooks are breathtaking, it’s true, but to fully appreciate the immensity and essential wildness of the Big Ditch, below the rim is where it’s at. And hiking the canyon rim-to-rim is the ultimate way to immerse yourself in its depth and magnificent beauty.
TIME
3 – 5 days
DISTANCE
25 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
May – Oct
START
North Rim, AZ
END
South Rim, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
If the Grand Canyon’s enormity doesn’t quite hit you as you crunch down your first few North Kaibab switchbacks in the misty morning light, it will once you’ve passed through Supai Tunnel and look below upon the trail slashed along the rugged contours of sheer cliff walls. You have taken the plunge.
Most hikers going rim-to-rim make the journey in two or three days, depending on which trails and in which direction they’re hiking. This route covers one popular hike spanning two to three days (North Rim to South Rim), but you could easily reverse the direction and/or add a day or two as you please.
It’s possible to link any number of North Rim trails to South Rim trails. For the experienced canyon hiker, multiday backcountry trips in the inner gorge are nearly solitary experiences on primitive trails and backcountry campsites. But first-time canyon hikers should start on well-traveled corridor trails to get a feel for the very unique conditions of the Grand Canyon – it’s easy to underestimate the elevation change, the intense, scorching heat and the amount of water you’ll need, or to get psyched out by the dynamic of descending into the gorge and ascending (seemingly interminably) out.
Turn your expectations upside-down by starting your hike from the serene North Rim – this is the stripped-down rim of the Grand Canyon, without crowds or commotion. On your drive to the national park, you’ll wind through the northern section of Kaibab National Forest, with its vast stands of ponderosa and sections of burned-out trees from the 40,000-acre wildland Warm Fire in 2006. Once you’ve arrived at the park’s North Rim, make a lunch stop at
Deli in the Pines for a cold pasta salad and a soda before heading over to the
North Rim Backcountry Information Center. Here, you can get a permit for camping below the rim and find out what current conditions are in the inner gorge. It can snow on the North Rim even during the summer, while temperatures at the bottom of the canyon can shoot beyond 110° F in the shade. Save your energy for the big hike, but if you have a few hours, take the flat, 2-mile Cape Final trail to one of the most phenomenal overlooks on either rim.
While you’re waiting for a table at
Grand Canyon Lodge Dining Room, give Brighty (the burro statue in the sunroom) a rub on the nose for good luck. Then get yourself a beer at
Roughrider Saloon, take it out to the terrace, and gulp it in slow swigs as you absorb the wide-angle view of the canyon. (But don’t forget you’re at altitude and it sucks hiking with a hangover.) Carb load, gourmet-style, with pasta at the lodge – though you can’t go wrong with wild-caught salmon and roasted squash – and then bed down in one of the comfy little cabins at the lodge, or head back to your tent at
North Rim Campground, where quiet campsites nestle beneath the ponderosa pines.
In the morning, pack up, be sure your toenails are trimmed (ignore them at your peril), and catch the hiker shuttle from Grand Canyon Lodge (purchase tickets in advance at the lodge) to the
North Kaibab Trailhead (8250ft) to start down the 14 miles you have ahead of you. It may be all downhill, but it can be tough on your joints, and the temperature typically rises from 3°F to 2°F for every 1000ft you descend.
SAFE TREKS
A few tips for safe hiking in the canyon:
- Avoid dehydration and hyponatremia (dangerously low sodium level in the blood) by sipping water frequently and having a salty snack while you’re at it.
- It’s tempting to try hiking to the river and back in a day – not recommended at any time of year, but particularly ill-considered in summer.
- Rule of thumb: it generally takes twice as long to hike up as it does hiking down.
The trail begins with steep switchbacks through pines and aspens before opening out to the canyon. Almost 2 miles down are pit toilets and drinking water, just before Supai Tunnel, which was blasted out of the Esplanade sandstone when the trail was built. The edge of the trail drops off dramatically on its descent to Redwall Bridge, which crosses Roaring Springs Canyon. About 4½ miles from the trailhead is a spur trail leading to the waterfalls of
Roaring Springs (5200ft), a lovely place to soak your feet and rest in the shade of cottonwoods.
A short way beyond is the pumphouse, where there’s another faucet for filling your water bottle before you cross Bright Angel Creek and hike another mile and a half to
Cottonwood Campground (4080ft). You could break up the descent by staying the night here, or continue along the trail, which by now has leveled off to a gentler decline. From here on down to the river, the trail meanders along Bright Angel Creek. The soundtrack of the creek will only whet your appetite for hiking the spur trail to
Ribbon Falls (3720ft), a short, sweet reprieve from the main trail’s exposed desert scrub. Stand in the mist of the falls and soak it up like the maidenhair fern thriving in this cool oasis.
ANT OR GRASSHOPPER?
Some of us plan ahead, some don’t. If you can commit to specific dates, your best bet for planning a rim-to-rim hike is to book 13 months ahead for Phantom Ranch and rim accommodations, or four months in advance for a backcountry permit.
If your life is less predictable, a limited number of backcountry permits are reserved for walk-ins, and last-minute accommodation cancellations happen. If you have wiggle room with dates, you can often luck out at the last minute.
Three miles farther down the trail, which has passed through open canyon, it’s now a matter of getting through The Box – so called because it’s a walled-in canyon within the canyon, and as oppressively hot as it sounds. From Ribbon Falls to Phantom Ranch, it’s just under 4 miles with walls rising sharply from the sides of the trail and creek before The Box widens back up and you spy the shady cottonwoods of
Phantom Ranch (2546ft). Open the creaky door, lean on the counter and order a lemonade as you check in (or before you pitch your tent at
Bright Angel Campground). If you’ve reserved a dinner at
Phantom Ranch Canteen, show up on time for your dinner seating or you’ll be locked out (!) and pick up a sack lunch for tomorrow on your way out.
You’ll want to avoid hiking in midday desert heat, especially during the summer, so wake in the wee hours (as in 4am or 5am) and don your headlamp. Nibble on your bagel as you stumble through the Phantom Ranch homestead to the Kaibab Suspension Bridge across the Colorado. It’s a steady climb up the switchbacks of Devil’s Corkscrew, but as the light throws dramatic morning shadows onto the buttes and cliffs, you can look forward to even more beautiful scenery on your hike up.
Splash your face and soak your hat or bandana in Garden Creek when you make one of the shallow crossings along the trail, and continue on to
Indian Garden (3800ft), about 4½ miles up from the river. There’s water, pit toilets and a campground here, all under the welcoming shade of rustling cottonwoods. If you aren’t camping here, it’s a good place to put your feet up and dig into your sack lunch, since the next leg of the hike leads to ominously-named Jacob’s Ladder, a seemingly never-ending series of switchbacks through Redwall Limestone. Leaving Indian Garden, the landscape rolls out ahead of you in a transitional zone between riparian lushness and piñon-and-juniper scrub.
It’s a bit of a haul, and you may tire of mule trains kicking up dust as you pull alongside the wall to let them pass, but it’s inherently satisfying to look down at all the zigzagging switchbacks you’ve already climbed. You kick ass! The next resting point is
Three-Mile Resthouse (4920ft), where you’ll find more water and a small shelter. Take advantage of the stop to check out the view from the point beyond the resthouse, and see if you can spot some wheeling California condors catching updrafts.
Keep on trucking a mile up from here to Two-Mile Corner - a couple hundred yards beyond, look for the
petroglyphs painted on the underside of a boulder above the trail. It’s now just half a mile to
Mile-and-a-Half Resthouse (5720ft), where toilets, a shelter and drinking water await. Stop awhile, or continue hiking through the two tunnels, when you’ll be smiling beatifically at the fresh-faced souls on their way down the trail. When you’ve reached the rim, don’t stop until you arrive at the
Bright Angel Fountain, where the milkshakes are topped with a metric ton of whipped cream and will give you the best brain-freeze of your life. Enjoy this treat on the low stone benches outside the bustling lobby of
Bright Angel Lodge & Cabins, then check in, have a shower and tuck into a well-deserved dinner in the ever-so-dignified
El Tovar Dining Room, because you have rocked the rim-to-rim.
Wendy Yanagihara
DETOUR
The Clear Creek Trail is an excellent out-and-back hike that starts a quarter-mile north of Phantom. It’s an exposed, 9.2-mile backcountry hike with no water until you reach Clear Creek, but the views of temples and gorges within the canyon are worth planning for. Or do it as a day hike, as there are two logical overlooks that mark good turnaround points.
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
The South Rim is 92 miles north of Flagstaff, AZ; the North Rim is 264 miles south of Las Vegas, NV.
Do
South Rim Backcountry Information Center
Unless you apply in advance for a backcountry permit, expect to be waitlisted before receiving a permit during the summer.
928-638-7875; www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/backcountry-permit.htm; PO Box 129, Grand Canyon Village, AZ;
8am-5pm
North Rim Backcountry Information Center
Since it’s less crowded, you might have less of a wait for a backcountry permit.
928-638-7868; www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/backcountry-permit.htm; North Rim, AZ;
8am-noon & 1-5pm mid-May–mid-Oct
EAT & DRINK
Bright Angel Fountain
The first place to hit for ice cream and hot dogs after hiking up to the Bright Angel Trailhead.
928-638-2631; www.grandcanyonlodges.com; Grand Canyon Village, AZ; mains $5-10;
8am-8pm;
Deli in the Pines
Eat here or get fresh salads, pizza and sandwiches to take on your North Rim hikes.
928-638-2611, 928-645-6865; www.grandcanyonforever.com; North Rim, AZ; mains $5-10;
7am-9pm May-Oct;
El Tovar Dining Room
The best place to treat yourself to an upscale dinner on the South Rim.
928-638-2631; www.grandcanyonlodges.com; Grand Canyon Village, AZ; lunch $11-12, dinner $21-35;
6:30-11am, 11:30am-2pm & 5-10pm;
Grand Canyon Lodge Dining Room
This venerable wood and stone lodge gracefully complements the landscape of the North Rim. Elegant meals are available when the lodge is open, from May through October. 877-386-4383; www.grandcanyonforever.com; North Rim, AZ; r $107, cabin $111-156;
Phantom Ranch Canteen
Steak dinners are served at 5pm, hiker’s stew and vegetarian chili at 6:30pm.
928-638-2631; www.grandcanyonlodges.com; Phantom Ranch, AZ; sack lunches $11, dinner $25-39;
8am-4pm & 8-10pm Apr-Oct, from 8:30am Nov-Mar;
Roughrider Saloon
The saloon has some quality microbrews on tap, a full bar and even espresso drinks.
928-638-2611, 928-645-6865; www.grandcanyonforever.com; North Rim, AZ;
11:30am-11pm May-Oct
SLEEP
Bright Angel Lodge & Cabins
While the cabins are loaded with character, they’re adjacent to the Rim Trail and can be a bit noisy.
928-638-2631; www.grandcanyonlodges.com; Grand Canyon Village, AZ; r $79-90, cabin $111-159, ste $138-333;
Phantom Ranch
The best – and, well, only – accommodations at the bottom of the canyon.
928-638-2631; www.grandcanyonlodges.com; Phantom Ranch, AZ; dm $36;
North Rim Campground
With general store, gas station, shower facilities and coin-operated laundry, this lovely campground has sites scattered beneath ponderosa pines.
800-365-2267; http://reservations.nps.gov; North Rim, AZ; r $79-90, cabin $111-159, ste $138-333;
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Gunfighters & Gold Miners | 
|
WHY GO Gold, copper and silver mining was big business in the late 1800s, and it drew a motley crew to Arizona. These men settled disputes over poker games and saloon girls with a quick-draw six-shooter. As Shipherd Reed from the Miners Story Project will show you, their legacy remains in the old mining towns that dot the state.
TIME
4 days
DISTANCE
720 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Oct – Mar
START
Jerome, AZ
END
Phoenix, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
Men who’ve plunged deep into the earth for copper, gold and other metals tell Tucson resident Shipherd Reed their tales. But he has to work fast – the bold breed is quickly disappearing. “The impetus for this project was the realization that there is no underground mining anymore in Arizona – it’s all strip-mining now. This way of life, this culture of underground mining, was a huge part of Arizona for more than a century,” he explains.
Start the journey into Arizona’s rugged past in
Jerome, an old mining town perched precariously on a hillside 115 miles northwest of Phoenix. Strut into the
Spirit Room, an old gunslingers’ saloon, and practice your 12oz quick draw. Modern outlaws, aka bikers, still hang out here. Indeed, groups of bikers rumble into Jerome almost daily, with weekends being especially crazy. And if you get a little too spirited with the Spirit Room crowd, the ultrafriendly
Connor Hotel is attached for lodging.
For a more gentrified experience, drink and dine at the
Asylum Restaurant in the
Jerome Grand Hotel. Once a miners’ hospital, it has morphed into Jerome’s top address with the views to prove it.
Before leaving town, Reed recommends stopping by the
Mine Museum across from the Spirit Room. The best exhibits are at the back of the gift shop, detailing early Jerome’s ethnic diversity and its thriving red-light district.
In
Prescott, situated 35 miles southwest of Jerome, it’s obligatory to swagger through the swinging doors of a saloon at least once. The
Palace Saloon, on Whiskey Row, is the perfect place to give it a go. Imagine you’re greeting Doc Holliday or Wyatt Earp – both former patrons – as you belly up at Arizona’s oldest frontier bar.
After lunch at the Palace, head south and watch the scenery turn from scrubby rolling hills to towering rock formations around
Superstition Mountain Museum in Apache Junction, 135 miles south of Prescott. Inside you’ll learn about the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine, a fabled mother lode that still draws treasure hunters. Feel the fever? You can look for fat nuggets yourself at
Lost Dutchman State Park.
Ease 130 miles down I-10 to Tucson and watch the desert get as flat as a board. Timewarp into yesteryear at the
Hotel Congress, with its radio-only rooms and Sam Spade movie set decor. Speaking of drama, bank robber John Dillinger spent a night on the 3rd floor here, until a fire drove him out and, soon enough, into the cuffs of lawmen.
The next morning, stop by the
University of Arizona Mineral Museum to listen to Reed’s miner interviews and ogle mondo crystals. If you’re traveling with kids, you’ll appreciate
Old Tucson, which provides a G-rated picture of Arizona’s outlaw days. Originally built as a film set, it’s now a sort of Wild West theme park set in a huge patch of gorgeous cacti. It’s a few miles southeast of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, off Hwy 86.
Seventy-five miles southeast of Tucson,
Tombstone is billed as “the town too tough to die.” Underneath the sometimes-hokey facade lurks an intriguing Wild West history. Visitors can see a reenactment of the shoot out at the
OK Corral at 2pm daily, with an additional show at 3:30pm on busy days.
Tombstone’s one-stop sin shop in the 1880s was the
Bird Cage Theater – a saloon, dance hall, gambling parlor and home for ‘negotiable affections.’ Today it’s filled with dusty artifacts like Doc Holliday’s old card table. Employees report ghost sightings on a regular basis.
Reed says that mining and gun fighting often came as a pair because back when the West was young, claim borders were often in dispute. A disagreement over 1 cubic yard of land – if that land happened to hold the mother lode – often put a miner 6ft under it. Lots of miners lost their lives in such fights. The
Boothill Graveyard, off Hwy 80 about a quarter-mile north of town, is where they take their final nap. The OK Corral’s unlucky threesome are buried in row 2.
DETOUR
To see a modern mining boom town, head to Safford, 135 miles north of Bisbee, and the nearby Graham County Museum (www.visitgrahamcounty.com). An hour east of Safford, the Morenci Mine Tour ( 877-646-8687) takes visitors to an open-pit mine in a huge truck. Heading back to Phoenix, pass through Globe, another modern mine town, and Superior, where there’s talk of opening the Resolution Copper Mine (www.resolutioncopper.com), a proposed 7000ft-deep shaft that will rely on robotic equipment.
Twenty-five miles south of Tombstone on Hwy 80 is
Bisbee – the number one pick for a mining tour, according to Reed, “not just because it’s very picturesque, but because they’ve done a great job of preserving the history there.” People who have visited San Francisco might have a déjà vu moment: Bisbee’s Victorian buildings are set on rolling hills and the mile-high city is surprisingly cool.
“The parallels between those two cities have always fascinated me,” Reed says. “It’s fitting that a lot of the people who kept this place from turning into a ghost town were part of the whole Haight-Ashbury scene and came here when that broke up. Now Bisbee is a pretty, artsy place and there is no shortage of characters.”
Besides hipness, Bisbee is all about copper. The
Copper Queen Hotel was built in 1902 to give visiting fat cats a place to spend the night. Cut right to the crux of the matter – literally –with
Queen Mine Tours and delve a quarter-mile straight into the cold earth on a small rail car. Retired miners with firsthand stories of the place serve as guides. Dress as if you’re going into a refrigerator; you’ll receive a safety jacket, hat, and light as accessories.
Dedicate at least two hours to the
Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate. It’s housed in the 1897 former headquarters of the Phelps Dodge Copper Mining Co and does an excellent job documenting the town’s past and the changing face of mining. You even get to “drive” an industrial mining shovel with a dipper larger than most living rooms.
GEORGE WARREN
He may be credited with discovering Bisbee’s mega-rich Queen Mine, but George Warren’s tale is a hard-luck one. He was sent to investigate a promising deposit spotted by two other prospectors, and ended up filing the mining claim in his own name. So far, so good. Warren then downed a few drinks at the local pub, boasted that he could outrun a horse, bet his new mine claim on the stunt…and lost. Soon after, Queen Mine started producing a fortune. Warren’s consolation prize? Artists modeled the miner on the state seal after him.
If you’re lucky, the person collecting admission fees that day will be LaVerne Williams, “The Hugging Mayor.” The name doesn’t lie – she really was Bisbee’s mayor at one time, and indeed gives a serious embrace to surprised out-of-towners.
To learn more about Bisbee’s unique architecture and modern-day renaissance, take the
Historic Walking Tour. Led by the affable Michael London – in full gunslinger get-up – he’s one of the many former San Franciscans who moved to Bisbee in the early 1970s. With historic photographs, he shows how mining irrevocably changed the city over the years.
A high-proof taste of Bisbee’s yesteryear swirls in the glasses at the
Stock Exchange Saloon. The original stock boards from 1919 still grace the walls, and these days it’s a good place to meet locals and hear live music. For a glimpse of new, sophisticated Bisbee, peek behind the steel art nouveau door at
Cafe Roka. Modern American cuisine fills the plates here; reservations are essential.
Now that you’re no longer a “dandy,” or newcomer, in the slang of miners, head back to Phoenix. Take the long way (see detour box) to see what modern mining towns look like today.
Josh Krist
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
From Phoenix, Jerome is 110 miles northwest via I-17 and Hwy 89A. Bisbee is 210 miles southwest via I-10 and Hwy 80.
DO
Bird Cage Theater
A gaggle of ghosts haunt Tombstone’s old sin pit, now transformed into a funky museum.
520-457-3421; 517 E Allen St, Tombstone, AZ; adult/child/senior $10/7/9;
8am-6pm
Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum
Bisbee’s riotous heyday comes to life through old photos and interactive exhibits.
520-432-7071; www.bisbeemuseum.org; 5 Copper Queen Plaza, Bisbee, AZ; adult/child/senior $7.50/3/6.50;
10am-4pm
Boothill Graveyard
Gunfighters’ headstones fill this old graveyard. The most poetic reads: “Here lies Lester Moore, four slugs from a 44, no less, no more.” Enter via the gift shop.
520-457-9344; Hwy 80, Tombstone, AZ; admission free;
7:30am-6pm
Historic Walking Tour
Dig deep into Bisbee’s past on this one-hour walkabout. It leaves every hour on the hour.
520-432-3554; www.discoverbisbee.com; 2 Copper Canyon Plaza, Bisbee, AZ; tour $10;
9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun
Lost Dutchman State Park
Search for the legendary Lost Dutchman Gold Mine. Or just hike the abundant trails; bring lots of water.
480-982-4485; 6109 N Apache Trail, Apache Junction, AZ;
sunrise-10pm
Mine Museum
See the Colt pistol used by a local marshal to gun down vigilantes on Main St back in the day.
928-634-5477; 200 Main St, Jerome, AZ; adult/child/senior $2/free/1;
9am-4:30pm
OK Corral
Site of the famous gunfight (reenacted daily) and now the historic heart of Tombstone.
520-457-3456; www.ok-corral.com; Allen St btwn 3rd & 4th Sts, Tombstone, AZ; admission $7.50, without gunfight $5.50;
9am-5pm
Old Tucson
Built in 1939 as the set for the film Arizona, these days it’s a silly-fun family theme park.
520-883-0100; www.oldtucson.com; 201 S Kinney Rd, Tucson, AZ; adult/child 4-11 yr $17/11;
10am-4pm;
Queen Mine Tours
Dress warmly and prepare to go deep into the hillside for a clamber around the hard places miners worked.
520-432-2071; www.queenminetour.com; 119 Arizona St, Bisbee, AZ; adult/child $12/5;
9am-3:30pm
Superstition Mountain Museum
Yes, it’s known for its Lost Dutchman Gold Mine exhibit, but there’s also the Elvis Presley Memorial Chapel.
480-983-4888; www.superstitionmountainmuseum.org; 4087 N Apache Trail, Apache Junction, AZ; adult/child/senior $5/2/4;
9am-4pm
University of Arizona Mineral Museum
Miners’ oral histories and lots of rocks sit below Flandrau Science Center on the university campus.
520-621-7827; www.uamineralmuseum.org; 1601 E University Blvd, Tucson, AZ; adult/child under four $5/free;
9am-3pm & 6-9pm Thu & Fri, noon-9pm Sat, noon-5pm Sun
EAT & DRINK
Asylum Restaurant
The fantastic views and wine list make Asylum the most upscale place in town. Just ask the ghosts who haunt it.
928-639-3197; 200 Hill St, Jerome, AZ; dinner mains $18-29;
lunch & dinner
Cafe Roka
Four-course dining is the rule at this sophisticated restaurant, so prep those taste buds for dishes like the signature roast duck. Reservations essential.
520-432-5153; 35 Main St, Bisbee, AZ; dinner mains $15-25;
dinner Thu-Sat
Palace Saloon
Arizona’s oldest frontier bar comes complete with a swinging saloon door, framed photos and Old West memorabilia, including antique gambling machines.
928-541-1996; www.historicpalace.com; 120 S Montezuma St, Prescott, AZ; mains $8-20;
lunch & dinner
Spirit Room
A dark, old-time saloon with a pool table and bordello scene mural. Live music every Saturday and Sunday afternoon and some weeknights.
928-634-8809; 166 Main St, Jerome, AZ;
10am-2am
Stock Exchange Saloon
Keeping the legacy of historic Bisbee alive one drink at a time, the long bar is a prime place to meet local characters.
520-432-9924; 15 Brewery Ave, Bisbee, AZ;
11am-1:30am
SLEEP
Connor Hotel
Rooms waft old-school flair while staying spiffy and comfy. Rooms 1 to 4 get most of the noise from the Spirit Room bar, below.
928-634-5006, 800-523-3554; www.connorhotel.com; 164 Main St, Jerome, AZ; r $90-165
Copper Queen Hotel
The Copper Queen combines late-19th-century elegance with modern amenities. Its downstairs restaurant and patio bar draw locals and tourists alike.
520-432-2216; www.copperqueen.com; 11 Howell Ave, Bisbee, AZ; r $90-180
Hotel Congress
A historic property where old-fashioned radios are the in-room entertainment. Opt for a room at the hotel’s far end if you’re noise sensitive.
520-622-8848; www.hotelcongress.com; 311 E Congress St, Tucson, AZ; r $70-120;
Jerome Grand Hotel
Get a third-floor balcony room for otherworldly views of the valley below. It’s a 10-minute uphill walk from the main strip.
928-634-8200; www.jeromegrandhotel.com; 200 Hill St, Jerome, AZ; r $120-460
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Dam Diving | 
|
WHY GO The Southwestern states haven’t let a lack of ocean-front property deter them from introducing scuba diving to their activities rosters: they simply moved the sport to the lake. Saying you’ve gone “dam diving in the desert” is damn cool, but the fact that it’s eco-friendly makes this backyard scuba experience even better.
TIME
4 days
DISTANCE
700 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Jun – Aug
START
Santa Rosa, NM
END
Las Vegas, NV
ALSO GOOD FOR
The Southwest USA has always been a bit of a rebel. This is cowboy and Indian country after all. Home to the Wild West of lore. So it’s no surprise that when locals and researchers decided they wanted to scuba dive in New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada, these states figured out a way to make it happen. Despite being more than a thousand miles from the nearest ocean. How? Enter the National Park Service’s Submerged Resources Center (SRC), an elite group of underwater archaeologists based in Santa Fe. The SRC team dives in dams around the region. Why? The region’s dams are filled with all sorts of archaeological wonders, from a crashed B-29 bomber to sandstone towers and ancient cliff dwellings. All of which have been covered up by the harnessing of nearly all the Southwest’s water supplies by dams.
All this historical junk at the bottom of the river and lake beds is interesting not just to scientists and archaeologists who descend in the name of cataloging the artifacts, it’s also interesting to scuba enthusiasts looking for an off-the-grid green diving experience. Although the number of dive shops offering organized tours is still limited, anyone with PADI or NAUI certification and their own equipment can take the plunge. If you’re looking for a dive experience that goes beyond the usual submerged chambers and tropical fish, and is also not harmful to the environment, then this is the trip for you. Diving here means exploring some of the USA’s least visited sites in its least expected environment – the landlocked desert. Plus the dive community tends to be based around small mom-and-pop shops located in small towns, and the surge in diving popularity has helped sustain their sagging economies. By diving in an artificial setting – ie not on a living reef – you’re taking the most ecofriendly option. You can’t do much damage by accidentally slapping your fin against an abandoned old bomber, but you can kill a number of living organisms in a reef with just one swipe.
Complete the Southwest scuba trifecta by diving all three spots in one trip – please note you need to be an experienced diver to do this trip. However, less experienced divers can dip their toe in the Colorado River. Start in
Santa Rosa, in eastern New Mexico off historic Route 66 (also called I-40 here) about 1½ hours from Albuquerque. Santa Rosa is a hole-in-the-wall town best known for its amazing Blue Hole. On first drive through the town doesn’t look like much – just a dusty road with a smattering of fading neon-lit restaurants and curio shops left over from the Route 66 glory days. But once you reach the packed parking lot of the premier scuba spot in the Southwest, you’ll have a new appreciation for this little middle-of-nowhere town. Appropriately called the
Blue Hole, the lake is a crystal clear 81ft-deep artesian well that attracts scuba enthusiasts, researchers and college classes from across the country. Located in semi-arid ranch country, where the great plains meet red mesas, the bell-shaped hole surrounded by a rock wall is a geological phenomenon: a constant 3000-gallon-a-minute flow of fresh water keeps it crystal clear and a comfortable 64° F year-round, even when it’s snowing. Look up from underwater to see trees and buildings on the shore reflected in the mirrorlike surface. You have to be PADI or NAUI certified, and comfortable diving without an instructor, to scuba here. If you have your own equipment, all you need to do is pick up a permit from the
Santa Rosa City Hall and head to the hole. If you need to rent tanks or have yours refilled, head to the
Santa Rosa Dive Center, located right next to the hole. The center is currently under construction, with a new building set to open in August 2009, but is still operating. You can also get permits here. Please note that there is no organized scuba excursions at Blue Hole, it is a do-it-yourself activity. Once you are underwater check out the 131ft-long submerged cavern in the lake: it’s quite a sight.
Blue Hole is just one of a dozen lakes fed by underground mineral springs around Santa Rosa. If you just want to swim, head to
Park Lake, the Southwest’s largest natural swimming pool, located smack in the middle of downtown Santa Rosa. There’s a long twisty waterslide tube that drops you into the lake. And should you tire of propelling yourself through the water, you can fish from the shore. Santa Rosa is a classic pitstop on Route 66 – the road’s original alignment is now the tree-lined path leading to Blue Hole – and home to nine long -stablished family-owned diners and roadside cafes, all with historic allure. Try
Comet II Drive-in for dinner. The classic drive-up joint is run by Johnny and Alice Martinez, and serves delicious Mexican fare with a Southwestern flair. Try the carne adobada and green-chile enchiladas: both are delicious. Join the locals at the
Silver Moon for a plate of bacon and eggs and a steaming cup of coffee in the morning. A trademark Route 66 eatery that first opened its doors in 1959, Silver Moon is a long-standing favorite of travelers following the historic highway’s old road-house trail. We don’t usually advocate sleeping in chains, but in Santa Rosa the
La Quinta Inn simply is the best place to sleep. Sitting atop Santa Rosa’s highest point, it offers great city views. Plus it has a heated indoor swimming pool, giant Jacuzzi and welcomes Fido.
DETOUR
Nine miles south of Santa Rosa on Hwy 91, tiny Puerto de Luna was founded in the 1860s and is one of the oldest settlements in New Mexico. The drive there is pretty, winding through arroyos surrounded by eroded sandstone mesas. In town you’ll find an old county courthouse, a village church and a bunch of weathered adobe buildings. Visit the Grezlachowski Territorial House, where Billy the Kid ate his last Christmas dinner in 1880 with one of the town’s most colorful citizens, a retired Civil War chaplain known simply as Grezla. The town is also known for its “PDL Chile,” a unique spicy chile pepper cultivated here for more than 100 years.
Okay, so it’s kind of a long-haul – just shy of 700 miles long – drive from Santa Rosa in eastern New Mexico all the way across Arizona into Nevada and the capital of sin,
Las Vegas, which serves as the base for the next two dives. But this is an iconic trip, so we had to add a little road tripping in… Plus you’re getting to scuba dive and go to Vegas, so what’s 700 measly miles really? Everyone knows some of the best memories are made on the open road, bonding with your driving buddy over Red Bull, Taco Bell and cheesy ’80s ballads. The Colorado River and Lake Mead, straddling the Arizona and Nevada state lines, are where your next dives happen. But your operator, small and friendly
Sin City Scuba, is based just down the road in Las Vegas. The company operates a 10-person boat captained by a former member of the US Coast Guard. Do its
Colorado River Dive first. The shore-entry dive starts just south of Hoover Dam and is appropriate for novices. It follows the swift moving current downstream through water up to 70ft deep. Be on the lookout for rare humpback suckerfish. It’s a fun trip, one that’s different enough to keep experienced divers as excited as the beginners – technically you can swim the entire route with half your body in Arizona and the other half in Nevada, as the Colorado River is the state dividing line. How many of your friends can brag they’ve dived in two states simultaneously? If that thought doesn’t sweeten the 10-hour drive, then checking into the
Hard Rock Casino Hotel, just east of the Strip, should. As you’re already on a water kick, stay at the hotel with the best pool in town: music is pumped in through underwater speakers, there is seasonal swim-up blackjack and Tahitian-style cabanas for rent at the ultra hip Beach Club. The summer Rehab pool parties are legendary, attracting a sex-charged crowd flush with celebrities. The Hard Rock is also home to one of the world’s most impressive collections of rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia, including Jim Morrison’s handwritten lyrics. Skip the Hard Rock’s overpriced meals, and head to nearby
Firefly for dinner. Always hopping, the restaurant serves traditional Spanish tapas. Wash your meal down with sangria or a flavor-infused mojitos.
DIY DIVING
Red-rock canyons, yawning arches and sheer sandstone cliffs dip into the Colorado River at Lake Powell, the second largest manmade lake in the US. If you have your own scuba equipment, and can get your hands on a house-boat, diving Lake Powell is a real treat. The beauty hidden beneath the lake’s tropical sea–colored surface is phenomenal, and includes underground canyons and schools of hungry fish. Top dive spots include Bullfrog Area and Iceberg Canyon. Visit www.utahdiving.com/powell.htm.
Dive
Lake Mead the following morning. You will need to present expert technical diving certification to participate. If you have the right card, however, this is one of the most amazing dives in America. Above the dam at Lake Mead, divers can explore the fuselage of a mostly intact B-29 bomber that crash-landed into Lake Mead in 1948, but was only located in 2001. The honor doesn’t come cheap – it’s nearly $500 – but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to relive this region’s Cold War history. Plus, diving here is one of those ecofriendly scuba experiences we told you about earlier. The site can only be dived through Sin City, and only on specific dates during the year as it is protected as a National Park Service preserved site.
After diving the dam, learn about its history with a visit to the
Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum in Boulder City, a small town just west of Lake Mead. The small but engagingly hands-on museum has exhibits focusing on Depression-era America and the tough living conditions endured by the people who came to build the dam. A 20-minute film features historic footage of the project. Before heading back to your Las Vegas hotel room, rehash your dive trip over dinner at
Milo’s. The wine bar has sidewalk tables and serves delicious fresh sandwiches and gourmet cheese plates. If you don’t feel like drinking wine, there are five flavors of ice-tea to choose from along with 50 different beers from all over the world. The wine list is long and includes lots of by-the-glass options.
Becca Blond
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Santa Rosa is 118 miles east of Albuquerque on I-40/Route 66.
DO
Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum
This hands-on museum is upstairs at the historic Boulder Dam Hotel, where Bette Davis, FDR and Howard Hughes once slept.
702-294-1988; www.bcmha.org; 1305 Arizona St, Boulder City, NV; adult/senior & child $2/1;
10am-5pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun;
Santa Rosa City Hall
Diving permits are sold here. Make sure to bring your PADI or NAUI card.
505-472-3763; www.santarosanm.org; 486 Route 66, Santa Rosa, NM; weekly/annual permit $8/25;
8am-5pm Mon-Fri
Santa Rosa Dive Center
Refills oxygen tanks, rents equipment and sells permits. If you need to visit during the week, call to arrange an appointment.
505-472-3370; www.santarosanm.com; Hwy 40/US66, Blue Hole, Santa Rosa, NM;
8am-dusk Sat & Sun, by appt only Mon-Fri
Park Lake
Free waterslide and swimming in the center of Santa Rosa.
505-472-3763; www.santarosanm.org; cnr Lake Dr & Route 66, Santa Rosa, NM; paddle boat rental per 1½hr $1;
dawn-dusk Jun–mid-Sep;
Sin City Scuba
Organizes Colorado River dives ($150) below Hoover Dam, and expert-only scuba trips to a sunken B-29 bomber in Lake Mead ($465). Operates out of Las Vegas.
702-558-5361; www.sincityscuba.com; 3540 W Sahara 553, Las Vegas, NV
SLEEP & EAT
Comet II Drive-In
A classic drive-in restaurant offering more than the usual burger-and-fries menu.
505-472-3663; 239 Parker Ave, Santa Rosa, NM; dishes $5-10;
11am-9pm Tue-Sun
Firefly
East of the Strip, this popular restaurant serves Spanish tapas; DJs spin some nights.
702-369-3971; Citibank Plaza, 3900 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, NV; small dishes $4-10 large dishes $11-20;
11:30am-2am Sun-Fri, 5pm-2am Sat
Hard Rock Casino Hotel
A hip boutique hotel popular with the Hollywood crowd. Bright colored Euro-minimalist rooms feature wi-fi access and plasma-screen TVs.
702-693-5000; www.hardrockhotel.com; 4455 Paradise Rd, LAs Vegas, NV; r $110-450
La Quinta Inn
Rooms are big, sunny and clean, if a little bland. Free wi-fi is a perk.
505-472-4800; www.lq.com; 1701 Will Rogers Dr, Santa Rosa, NM; r from $59;
Milo’s
Soups, salads, sandwiches and gourmet cheese plates are featured at this wine bar.
702-293-9540; 538 Nevada Way, Las Vegas, NV; dishes $4-18;
11am-10pm Sun-Thu, 11am-midnight Fri-Sat
Silver Moon
Silver Moon serves fantastic homemade chile rellenos and other tasty diner grub dressed up with a New Mexican twist.
505-472-3162; Will Rogers Dr, Santa Rosa, NM; mains $5-15;
7am-9pm.
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
In Search of Georgia O’Keeffe | 
|
WHY GO “I am going West,” Georgia O’Keeffe wrote. “…the country seems to call one in a way that one has to answer it.” Yes, O’Keeffe’s West, its desert cut by the Chama River, its silence, its lavender and sage, does indeed call.
TIME
3 days
DISTANCE
190 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
May – Oct
START
Santa Fe, NM
END
Abiquiu, NM
ALSO GOOD FOR
A notorious recluse and iconic American artist, Georgia O’Keeffe found her lifeblood in the arid landscapes, endless nothingness and brilliant colors of northern New Mexico. Come into her West, explore its valleys and rocky outcrops, in this search for Georgia O’Keeffe.
Any visit to O’Keeffe country must begin with a stop at the
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, home to more than 1000 of O’Keeffe’s paintings, drawings and sculptures dating from 1901 to 1984. After a bite at the museum’s upscale café, head north from Santa Fe on Hwy 285. The state’s tourist face fades in Española before shifting again into the river valley farms of acequias, cottonwoods and verdant fields of O’Keeffe’s hometown of
Abiquiu, 49 miles northwest of Santa Fe. Settled in 1754 through a Spanish land grant, the tiny town has a few galleries and a lovely church, but O’Keeffe’s Abiquiu is less a centralized town than a landscape.
After the death of her photographer husband Alfred Steiglitz, O’Keeffe moved to Abiquiu permanently from New York City. One of her two homes, purchased in 1940 and open to the public by tour only through
Georgia O’Keeffe Home & Studio Tour, sits on the hillside just up the road from the post office. Enclosed by an adobe wall, this classic adobe hacienda blends seamlessly into the landscape and remains much as it did when O’Keeffe lived here. Across Hwy 285 is
Bode’s General Merchandise, the best place around for breakfast or a deli sandwich. Pick up a cold drink for a hike through the white rock spirals of
White City, one of the most surreal landscapes in O’Keeffe country. The
Dar al Islam Mosque, whose members own 1357-acres that include White City, welcomes visitors to their North African–styled mosque. A dirt road leads about a half-mile from the entrance, marked by a discrete arch on the north side of County Rd 155, left to the mosque and right to an unmarked parking lot at the trailhead.
O’Keeffe once called the flat-topped
Pedernal, visible from just about anywhere in Abiquiu, her private mountain. “It belongs to me,” she said. “God told me if I painted it enough, I could have it.” And paint it she did, again and again and again. One of the best views is from
Abiquiu Reservoir, a deservedly popular swimming spot, with cold, clear waters and sandstone shores that lies about five minutes north of Abiquiu town.
O’KEEFFE ON FILM
The 1977 documentary Georgia O’Keeffe features spectacular footage of Abiquiu landscape and a rare opportunity to hear O’Keeffe herself talk about her life, her vision, and her art. Produced near the end of her life, with little outside narration, this one-hour documentary inspires even those who know very little about the artist to find their way to her Abiquiu.
Some of O’Keeffe’s most celebrated works were inspired by the stark and dramatic surrounds of
Ghost Ranch. She visited the ranch for the first time in 1934, and in 1940 she purchased a house there. Though this home is closed to the public, the ranch offers one-hour guided tours of the buttes and mesas memorialized in her work, and several hiking trails traverse the grounds.
Forest Service Rd 151, a dirt road impassable in wet weather, cuts south from Hwy 84 into the unspeakably beautiful
Chama River Canyon Wilderness. The Chama River flows through the ponderosa pine, willows and cottonwoods of the red-rock canyon, and several campsites and day-use pull-offs rest along its bank. One of the best, with several sites directly on the river, is
Rio Chama Campground.
After 14 miles, the road dead-ends at
Monastery of Christ in the Desert. As you pull in and climb out of the car, you’ll notice that the sound of your voice offends the silence. Tip-toe through the lavender and sage, past cross after cross lining the stone path, toward the Japanese–New Mexican inspired monastery that emerges gently from the cliffs. The Chama River, which plays prominently in O’Keeffe’s work, flows alongside, and the monastery offers accommodation for folks of all religions. So set down your easel or your sketchpad, just as O’Keeffe might have done, and stay awhile. Only one room has a private bath, and guests join the monks for a communal silent breakfast. If you’d prefer more traditional lodging, a Southwest-style room or bosque-view casita at
Abiquiu Inn is the perfect end to a day exploring O’Keeffe country.
While there’s a restaurant at Abiquiu Inn and down the road you’ll find a tiny pizza joint, it’s worth a 15-minute drive for one of the best meals in the region. Just north of Abiquiu, in the tiny oasis of El Rito, is the kind of restaurant that everybody hopes to stumble upon. Housed in a small adobe with a long portal overlooking an orchard,
Walter’s Place serves home-cooked meals, including cheese made from its own goats’ milk, and green chile and piñon meatloaf. As the story goes, Walter Chappel, an art photographer, lived in the house with his partner who worked for O’Keeffe. Walter made his lunches, and one day O’Keeffe asked for a taste. She loved it, so Walter occasionally cooked for O’Keeffe and her friends in his home. Walter died in 2000, but his house was purchased, restored, and opened as a restaurant. So bring a bottle of wine and sit in the courtyard, much as O’Keeffe herself did not so very long ago.
Jennifer Denniston
DETOUR
While O’Keeffe called Abiquiu home, she often traveled to Taos, home to numerous writers and artists. Her paintings of the Taos Pueblo and the Rancho de Pueblo Church are some of her most famous images. Take Hwy 554 past El Rito, slice down and cross the Rio Grande, and continue to Taos on Hwy 68.
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Santa Fe lies 63 miles north of Albuquerque on I-25.
DO
Dar al Islam Mosque
A traditional Islamic community welcomes visitors to its spectacular hillside mosque on weekdays. Call in advance to confirm.
505-685-4515; 342 County Rd 155, Abiquiu, NM;
varied;
Georgia O’Keeffe Home & Studio Tour
The home and studio remain untouched since her death in 1986. Make reservations well in advance, or check for cancellations at the tour office.
505-685-4539; shuttle from Abiquiu Inn, Abiquiu, NM; 1hr tour $35-50;
varied
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
Dusty desert walls and natural light showcase O’Keeffe’s desert landscapes, abstract flowers and brilliant use of color.
505-946-1000; www.okeeffemuseum.org; 217 Johnson St, Santa Fe, NM; adult/child/NM resident $8/free/4;
10am-5pm Sat-Thu, to 8pm Fri;
Ghost Ranch
Site of O’Keeffe’s home, this 21,000-acre ranch offers two museums, hiking trails, guided tours of O’Keeffe landscape and workshops, as well as a variety of accommodations.
505-685-4333; www.ghostranch.org; Hwy 84, btwn Mile 225 & 226, Abiquiu, NM; 1hr tour $25;
varied, closed Dec;
EAT
Bode’s General Merchandise
Everyone from artists to cowboys, farmers to tourists, stop for deli sandwiches, burritos, organic veggies, wine and more.
505-685-4422; Hwy 84, Mile 212, Abiquiu, NM; mains $12-17;
7am-7pm, with seasonal variations;
Walter’s Place
Tiny home with chickens and goats in the back, outdoor seating and eclectic home-cooking. Bring your own wine or beer.
505-581-4498; El Rito, NM; mains $12-17;
5-10pm Fri & Sat;
SLEEP
Abiquiu Inn
Handsome rooms surround a central courtyard and roomy casitas offer bosque views.
505-685-4378; www.abiquiuinn.com; 21120 Hwy 84, Abiquiu, NM; r $79-140, casitas $140-195;
Monastery of Christ in the Desert
Working monastery offers simple brick and white rooms and surreal silence.
505-545-8567; www.christdesert.org; 14 miles south on FR 151, NM; r $90-145;
Rio Chama Campground
Riverside camping with nine tent-only site surrounded by brilliant colored cliffs, birds and the silence of the Chama River Canyon Wilderness. 12 miles south on FR 151, NM; tent site free;
May-Nov 15;
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Billy the Kid Byway | 
|
WHY GO America’s legendary bad boy, Billy the Kid, may have blazed this trail in a rain of bullets, but he isn’t the only headliner on his byway. He shares pavement with America’s most beloved bear, Smokey, who also hails from this region of brilliant light, bucolic emerald woods and a distinct cowboy culture.
TIME
4 days
DISTANCE
87 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Jul – Oct
START
Ruidoso, NM
END
Ruidoso, NM
ALSO GOOD FOR
From grassy plains to cool mountains to million-acre forest in between, the Billy the Kid Byway follows the outlaw’s blood-stained footsteps around 87 miles of stunning southeastern New Mexican scenery. Although drivable year-round, this route is most magnificent during the short fall foliage season – usually mid-September – when the trees in the Lincoln Forest appear as a blazing fire of orange, crimson and canary. Those in search of quirky regional festivals will enjoy driving this byway between May and October when everyone from Billy to Smokey is given a celebration somewhere.
So who was this Billy the Kid anyway? The truth is no one totally knows. So much speculation swirls. Even the most basic information about Billy the Kid tends to cast a shadow larger than the outlaw himself. Here’s what we do know. The Kid didn’t start out as a murderer. His first known childhood crimes included stealing laundry. All that changed after 1878, when a wild teenager named Henry McCarty, alias William Bonney, aka Billy the Kid arrived in Lincoln about the time the town erupted into all-out war over control of the dry-goods business.
Tangled up in the thick of the action the Kid was captured or cornered a number of times but managed brazen and lucky escapes before finally being shot by Sheriff Pat Garrett near Fort Sumner in 1881, where he lies in a grave in a barren yard. Maybe. Enough controversy still dangles over whether Billy conspired with Sheriff Garrett to fake his death that there is a movement afoot to exhume the body and do a little DNA testing. Visit during the first full weekend of August and you’ll experience this town of 70 residents’ biggest show of the year, Old Lincoln Days. Now in its sixth decade, the two-day festival features musicians and mountain men, doctors and desperadoes wander the streets in period costume, and there are demonstrations of spinning, blacksmithing and other common frontier skills. In the evening there is the folk pageant, “The Last Escape of Billy the Kid.”
This trip starts in ritzy
Ruidoso. A favorite with the Texan crowd who come for skiing on New Mexico’s highest peak – nearby Sierra Blanca which tops out 3ft shy of 12,000 feet – and for the horseracing in the summer. Plus the town – its name means “noisy” in Spanish (referring to the lovely bubbling of the small Rio Ruidoso creek running through town) – has a fabulous climate thanks to its lofty location in the Sacramento Mountains at the edge of the Lincoln Forest. The
Billy the Kid Interpretive Center features a mini-tour of the byway, and is a good place to get your bearings for the road trip ahead. Look down, there’s a very colorful map painted on the gallery floor! The visitor center is located just east of Ruidoso in Ruidoso Downs (where the racetrack also is). Mosey across the street when you are done and stop in at the excellent
Hubbard Museum of the American West. It displays more than 10,000 Western-related items including Old West stagecoaches and Native American pottery, and works by Frederic Remington and Charles M Russell. An impressive collection of horse-related displays, including a collection of saddles and the Racehorse Hall of Fame, lures horse-lovers. Head west into Ruidoso proper and look for the plain red fading adobe structure with a big 20ft waterwheel attached. This is
Dowlin’s Mill, one of the only remaining buildings on Ruidoso’s main street that actually dates back to Billy the Kid’s time. It was a supposed favorite haunt of the outlaw teenager, although it’s unlikely he visited for baking supplies. The proprietor was also known for selling moonshine and throwing wild dance parties. The mill still functions today; and its flour is sold at the onsite gift shop.
Grab a bite at
Casa Blanca, home of to-die-for chile rellenos and the best margaritas in town. If you’re not in the mood for Mexican, there are burgers and perfectly crisped chicken fried steak. After lunch take an easy 20-mile cruise through bucolic countryside on Hwy 70 east to
San Patricio. The tranquil country village in the Hondo Valley boasts the kind of golden glow and gentle scenery that’s been drawing artists to New Mexico for more than a century now. Check into the
Hurd la Rinconada Gallery & Guest Ranch. The 2500-acre property is your destination for the night. Owned and run by artist Peter Hurd, the gallery portion showcases Hurd’s own work, along with that of his relatives NC and Andrew Wyeth, his mother Henriette Wyeth and his father Michael Hurd. The six casitas are stylish with original art and modern conveniences. Pets can stay for $20 per visit. Also visit the well respected
Benson Fine Art Gallery inside an impressive 130-year-old adobe building. The gallery showcases contemporary sculpture and paintings, along with less usual findings like jewelry, pottery and even a few pieces of antique furniture. Drive a few miles down the highway to
Tinnie, a tiny town at the junction of US 70 and US 380, for dinner. The
Tinnie Silver Dollar Steakhouse & Saloon is so good that folks come all the way from Ruidoso to eat here. Enjoy an old-fashioned fancy night out and a big juicy cut of steak at this one-time general store that’s been converted into a rather posh steakhouse. Check out the German stained-glass windows from the 1950s and the shiny hardwood bar transported from Chicago. If you drink one too many whiskeys there are two guestrooms set up for romance with hot tubs and big, sink-into-me beds.
RACING RUIDOSO DOWNS
Dedicated nearly entirely to quarter horse races (most tracks cater to the more delicate thoroughbred), Ruidoso Downs, on I-70 just outside Ruidoso, is one of the region’s biggest racing venues. The season begins in May and runs through Labor Day weekend, when the big event takes place. The All American Futurity draws nearly 20,000 people, and is known as the world’s richest quarter horse race – it offers a $1 million purse to the winner of the 21-second sprint.
More of a museum than a town,
Lincoln is the most famous stop on the Billy the Kid Byway. This is where the gun battle that turned Billy the Kid into a legend took place. Favoring authentic over Hollywood, Lincoln is about as close to 19th-century reality as it gets. Some say it’s the best preserved Wild West town in America. Modern influences, such as souvenir stands, are not allowed in town, and the main street has been designated the
Lincoln State Monument. It’s a pretty cool place to get away from this century for an afternoon. Start at the
Anderson Freeman Visitor Center & Museum, where exhibits on the Buffalo soldiers, Apaches and the Lincoln County War explain the town’s history. The admission price includes entry to the Tunstall Store (with a remarkable display of late-19th-century merchandise), the courthouse where the Kid escaped imprisonment, and Dr Wood’s house, an intact turn-of-the-century doctor’s home and office. The Tunstall Store and Dr Wood’s house are closed from March to November.
When you’ve explored Lincoln (it doesn’t take more than a few hours to wander around the museums), continue 12 miles west to
Capitan. This small town on the edge of the million-acre Lincoln Forest proves the Byway isn’t all about Billy, even if it does bear his name. Fame is shared with another of America’s most famous legends, a black bear named Smokey. You’ve seen his likeness in state and national forests everywhere around the region. But did you know that Smokey the Bear was a real, live black bear cub, and not just a sketch summoned from some designer’s imagination? Once upon a time, he was found clinging to a tree, paws charred from a 17,000-acre forest fire in the Capitan Mountains. Smokey’s burns healed, and he moved to Washington, DC. Working from his new home at the National Zoo, Smokey became the poster bear for fire protection. After his death, Smokey’s body was returned to the New Mexican mountains. You can see the famous bear’s grave at the 3-acre
Smokey Bear Historical State Park. The Smokey the Bear Stampede takes place every 4th of July and features a parade, a rodeo, cookouts and other festivities. The place also goes wild during Smokey the Bear Days, celebrated the first weekend in May. That festival includes a street dance, woodcarving contest, craft and antique car shows. Spend the night at the
Smokey Bear Motel. The place offers tidy rooms with handmade wood furniture including rocking chairs. The motel has a restaurant, but when it’s open the
Greenhouse Café is the best bet in town. The café, which attracts people living around the region, grows all its own herbs and lettuce, and does a fabulous steak smothered in mushrooms and garlic. Complete the loop back to Ruidoso on Hwy 48, which skirts the eastern edge of the million-acre Lincoln National Forest – this is the part of the drive that really rocks in fall when the leaves put on a spectacular color show. The Sacramento Mountain range to the west of the highway adds to the scenic allure. Keep an eye out for New Mexico’s highest peak,
Sierra Blanca (11,997ft). There is an especially clear view from the highway around tiny Alto, 11 miles north of Ruidoso.
Becca Blond
DETOUR
If you’re driving the byway solely for Billy, then you will want to make the 156-mile trek northeast from Ruidoso to Fort Sumner to visit the Kid’s grave. The Fort Sumner State Monument is 4 miles southeast of town and the place where Sheriff Pat Garret shot and killed Billy the Kid on July 14, 1881. The outlaw was just 21 years old. Billy’s grave is behind the Old Fort Sumner Museum in town. His tombstone is protected by an iron cage to keep ‘souvenir hunters’ from stealing it.
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Ruidoso is 185 miles southeast of Albuquerque. Take I-25 south to Hwy 380 E, which runs straight through Ruidoso.
DO
Anderson Freeman Visitor Center & Museum
Focuses on Native American history and the famous Lincoln County War in which Billy the Kid made his name.
575-653-4025; Hwy 380, Lincoln; admission $6;
8:30am-4:30pm
Benson Fine Art Gallery
No matter the medium – the gallery features everything from jewelry to sculpture – all the art has a Southwestern bent.
575-653-4081; www.bensonfineart.biz; Rte 13, San Patricio, NM;
call for hours
Billy the Kid Interpretive Center
Dig up the dirt on Billy the Kid, and the byway named for him at this visitor center/museum next to the Hubbard Museum in Ruidoso Downs.
575-378-5318; US 70, Ruidoso Downs, NM; admission free;
10am-5pm Thu-Tue
Dowlin’s Mill
According to legend, Billy the Kid once hid out in a flour barrel at this working water mill, whether that’s myth or reality remains a mystery.
505-257-2811; 641 Sudderth Dr, Ruidoso, NM; admission free;
call for hours
Hubbard Museum of the American West
Displays more than 10,000 Western artifacts, many paying homage to the working horse.
575-378-4142; www.hubbardmuseum.org; 841 Hwy 70 W, Ruidoso, NM; admission $6;
9am-5pm
Smokey Bear Historical State Park
Pay your respects to America’s firefighting bear crusader in his final resting place.
575-354-2748; www.smokeybearpark.com; 118 Smokey Bear Blvd, NM; per day $2;
9am-5pm
EAT
Casa Blanca
Dine on Southwestern cuisine and delish margaritas from a table on the pleasant patio or inside the renovated Spanish-style house.
575-257-2495; 501 Mechem Dr, Ruidoso, NM; mains $6-20;
11am-9pm
Greenhouse Café
Call for reservations, this restaurant, specializing in home-grown ingredients, is very popular with residents from around the region.
575-354-0373; 103 Lincoln St, Capitan, NM; mains $12;
11am-2pm & 5-9pm Wed-Sat & 10am-2pm Sun May–mid-Sep
Tinnie Silver Dollar Steakhouse & Saloon
A well-respected steakhouse that also does a fancy brunch.
575-653-4425; www.tinniesilverdollar.com; Tinnie, NM; mains $20-35;
4-10pm Mon-Sat, 10am-3pm Sun
SLEEP
Hurd la Rinconada Gallery & Guest Ranch
Stylish casitas on a 2500-acre art ranch. The biggest unit sleeps six.
575-653-4331; www.wyethartists.com; 105 La Rinconada, San Patricio, NM; casitas $125-250
Smokey Bear Motel
It may not offer the most original, or luxurious, rooms in the region, but it is very good value.
575-354-2253; www.smokeybearmotel.com; 315 Smokey Bear Blvd, Capitan, NM; r $50-65
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Southwest by Train | 
|
WHY GO Stare blankly out your window at the plaintive desert of New Mexico and Arizona, stroll downtown Santa Fe and Flagstaff, bed down in historic hotels, and choo-choo up to the canyon on a vintage train. In an age of rising fuel costs and city sprawl, riding the rails can be easy and economical.
TIME
5 days
DISTANCE
470 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Sep – Jun
START
Santa Fe, NM
END
Grand Canyon South Rim, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
Following the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, travelers rode steam trains to the Wild West. Stories of Kit Carson, photographs by Edward Curtis and paintings by Thomas Moran fueled the imagination, and Americans eagerly voyaged across the country to see the mountains and the canyons. They were, after all, young America’s cathedrals, billed as grander than the Swiss Alps and more stunning than the Sistine Chapel. While today the interstates, fast food joints and ubiquitous chain motels give easy access to the West, they take something away as well. This train trip brings back a little bit of that something.
Begin with a few days exploring Santa Fe’s historic landmarks, museums and galleries, most within walking distance of
La Fonda. Built in 1922, the hotel was purchased by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad in 1925 and leased to Fred Harvey. Nicknamed “the civilizer of the West,” Harvey had exclusive rights to hotels and restaurants along the rail-line west of the Mississippi, and his elegant “Harvey Hotels” played an integral role in developing tourism in the Southwest. Today, La Fonda drips Southwestern charm, Fred Harvey–style. For a less expensive option, try the
El Rey Inn, a short cab ride from downtown Santa Fe.
The westbound
Amtrak departs Lamy, 20 minutes south of Santa Fe and accessible via a prearranged Amtrak shuttle from your hotel, daily at 2:24pm. One-and-a-half hours later, the train arrives in Albuquerque, where vendors sell turquoise jewelry and Navajo-style blankets from the platform and new passengers board. You sit with a glass of wine as the train pulls away from the city’s outskirts, and stare out at the massive red-rock mesas and plateaus of Navajo country, your book lying open and unread in your lap. The train rolls on, through the flat desert plains of western Arizona, and, in about five hours, up into the Ponderosa surrounds of
Flagstaff.
Gather your bags and hop onto the platform. It’s colder here, and even in the summer you will pull on your fleece before heading to a room for the night. The streets of this welcoming college town are busy as you walk to the
Weatherford Hotel. Rooms here, decorated with lace curtains, period antiques and claw-foot cast-iron tubs, take you back to the 1930s. The wrap-around 2nd floor porch off the bar is a great place to kick back with a cold beer after the train ride.
Wake up for tofu scrambles and coffee at
Macy’s European Coffee House, a popular local hang-out. Students tap away on computers and parents sit with the crossword puzzle while kids nurse giant mugs of hot chocolate and vegan apple turnovers. If you’re feeling ambitious, rent a bike and pick up a bike-trail map at
Absolute Bikes. Head west on Route 66 from the shop and follow it for about 3 miles to S Woody Mountain Rd; take a left and ride 4 miles through pines and meadows to the
Arboretum at Flagstaff. Walk through and read about the landscape you’ve been watching from the train window. Trails wind around gardens with more than 2300 species of plants; it’s a beautiful spot for a picnic.
DETOUR
Riding Amtrak from Colorado, consider jumping off for a day in Raton. While there’s not much to recommend in this tiny town, rent a car and head to Capulin Volcano National Monument (www.nps.gov/cavo/). You can drive to the rim of this beautiful cinder cone volcano, formed 60,000 years ago, and take in the 360-degree views; there are also several short hikes. Stay a few blocks from the train station at El Portal ( 575-445-3631), built in 1905. Simple rooms hark back to 1930s America.
Jump on the 8:57pm Amtrak or the 3.45pm Amtrak bus shuttle to Williams, a tiny tourist town 35 miles west of Flagstaff, and sleep at the
Lodge, an updated Route 66 classic (or stay in Flagstaff and take a shuttle or cab in the morning). The
Grand Canyon Railway departs from Williams. Catch the predeparture Wild West Show at 9:30am, with goofy cowboys wearing spurs, silly banter and an Old West façade, before boarding the vintage train for the two-and-a-half-hour ride to the canyon.
As the train slowly chugs north, out of town and down in elevation into the shrubbery of the desert, the mountains softly arch in the distance, nothing but shaded silhouettes, and the coolness of morning fades. The train lulls you along, passing landscape void of cars and buildings, and with few other hints of the 21st century. Cowboy singers pass through the train, plucking Johnny Cash, and someone walks down the aisle with bottles of soda and water. Folks exchange stories and talk politics until the train pulls into the station at
Grand Canyon National Park, a short walk from the canyon rim.
ABOUT TICKETS & SEATS
While Amtrak offers private sleeping cars, the eight-hour stretch heading west from Santa Fe, NM to Williams, AZ is covered during the day. To get off the train along the way, book each leg separately; ask about an Amtrak Rail Pass. The best seats on the Grand Canyon Railway are the ultra-basic Coach with wood-framed windows that slide up, or the luxury car, with cushioned leather armchairs, champagne and access to the train’s open-air rear platform. First-class seats lack historic charm.
Americans resist the train, thinking that they need the flexibility of a car, and perhaps feeling anchorless without it. But this trip is easy, with no middle-of-the-night departures. No, you don’t have the same freedom you have in your own car, but it offers a different kind of freedom. You don’t have any choice but to slow down and enjoy the ride.
Jennifer Denniston
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Santa Fe lies 63 miles north of Albuquerque. There is a regular shuttle service between Albuquerque Sunport airport and Santa Fe.
Do
Absolute Bikes
Rent a bike, perfect for exploring the museums and parks of Flagstaff.
928-779-5969; www.absolutebikes.net; 200 E Route 66, Flagstaff, AZ; per day $35-70;
9am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat, 10am-4pm Sun;
Amtrak
Amtrak’s Southwest Chief stops daily in Lamy, NM (with shuttle service to Santa Fe), Albuquerque, NM, Flagstaff, AZ and Williams, AZ on its route from Chicago, IL to Los Angeles, CA. It departs Albuquerque, NM at 4:45pm and arrives Flagstaff at 8:51pm.
800-872-7245; www.amtrak.com; 1-way Santa Fe to Flagstaff $79-136;
daily;
Arboretum at Flagstaff
Cacti, wildflowers, a butterfly garden and more. Live birds of prey shows daily at noon and 2pm.
928-774-1442; www.thearb.org; 4001 S Woody Mountain Rd, Flagstaff, AZ; adult $6/6-17yr $3/under 6yr free;
9am-5pm Apr-Oct;
Grand Canyon Railway
Vintage train to the South Rim, with hotel and meal packages, and guided tours designed to fit the train schedule.
800-843-8724; www.thetrain.com; Train Depot, Williams, AZ; roundtrip adult $65-170, child $35-100;
depart Williams 10am, Grand Canyon 4pm;
Grand Canyon National Park
Make advanced reservations for lunch at the canyon’s El Tovar lodge, overnight accommodation, tours and mule rides. advanced reservations
888-297-2757, same-day reservations
928-638-2631; www.gov/grca/;
Eat & sleep
Macy’s European Coffee House
Decidedly crunchy coffee shop one-half block from the train depot.
928-774-2243; 14 S Beaver St, Flagstaff, AZ;
6am-10pm, kitchen closes at 4pm;
El Rey Inn
Route 66 motel with gardened grounds. Some suites have a kiva fireplace.
800-521-1349; www.elreyinnsantafe.com; 1862 Cerrillos Rd, Santa Fe, NM; r & ste $99-220;
La Fonda
Elegant historic hotel. Catch folk singer Bill Hearne, a Santa Fe institution, at the bar on Wednesday nights.
505-982-5511; www.lafonda.com; Williams Depot, Santa Fe, NM; r $319-539;
Lodge
Adobe-style roadside motel with updated rooms and friendly service; request the Lodge building.
877-563-4366; www.thelodgeonroute66.com; 200 E Route 66, Williams, AZ; r & ste $90-150;
Weatherford Hotel
Serving travelers to the Grand Canyon since 1900. Look for the wrap-around 2nd floor porch.
928-779-1919; www.weatherfordhotel.com; 23 N Leroux St, Flagstaff, AZ; r $60-175;
USEFUL WEBSITES
SUGGESTED READS
- Inventing the Southwest: The Fred Harvey Company and Native American Art, Kathleen Howard
- Nothing Like It In the World: The Men Who Build the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869, Stephen Ambrose
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
ARIZONA TRIPS |
|
Flagstaff’s Northern Playground
Arizonans are proud to be the Grand Canyon’s home state but we’ll tell you there is much more to the place than a giant hole in the ground. Plus the weather here is just about perfect – how can you beat nearly a full year’s worth of sunshine and big blue skies?
Still, although you may know there’s much more to Arizona than golf and the Grand Canyon, it’s not always easy to pinpoint exactly which hidden treasures you wish to show your visiting mother-in-law or your best friend from Tennessee. Don’t worry, that’s where we come in. We’ll have you drinking wine in the desert, discovering vortexes and New Age crystal shops in the beautiful red rocks around Sedona, following the Cactus League spring training trail or hunting for ghosts in Wild West Jerome. These 16 Arizona trips give you the knowledge to plan the ultimate insider trip, capable of blowing your in-laws out of the water. Forget about the Grand Canyon for now – we agree it’s a fabulous hole, which is why we devote an entire chapter to the region. These trips are all about Arizona’s unique attitude, and get to the heart of her cowboy chic meets old fashioned Wild West vibe.
PLAYLIST
Cacti and cowboys meet progressive ‘90s punk: Arizona music is as varied as the Grand Canyon state’s desert meets mountain meets major metropolis landscape. Here we’ve given you a mix that gets your feet thumping as you clock miles over tumbleweeds on Route 66, negotiate a maze of concrete freeways in Phoenix and roll through a bizarre Saguaro cacti–strewn desertscape.
- “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” Glen Campbell
- “Leather & Lace,” Stevie Nicks
- “The Middle,” Jimmy Eat World
- “Hey Jealousy,” The Gin Blossoms
- “You’re No Good,” Linda Ronstadt
- “Rhinestone Cowboy,” Glen Campbell
- “No Air,” Jordin Sparks
- “Lake of Fire,” Meat Puppets
BEST ARIZONA TRIPS
ARIZONA TRIPS
- 14 Steak-Lovers’ Arizona
- 22
Grapes & Hops in the Desert
- 12 Cactus League Spring Training
- 15 A Slice of Native America
- 18 Arizona Architecture
- 20 Arizona in Tune
- 25
Tracing Arizona’s Cultures
- 17 Photographing Monument Valley
- 19 Tiny Towns of Rim Country
- 21 Southern Desert Wanderings
- 24 Sedona Red Rock Adventure
- 26
Flagstaff’s Northern Playground
- 13 Big Skies & Weird Science
- 16 Cowboy Time
- 23
Into the Vortex
- 11 48 Hours in Greater Phoenix
Return to beginning of chapter
48 Hours in Greater Phoenix | 
|
WHY GO Call it what you will – a desert escape, a sprawl of suburbs, or a mythical bird rising from its own ashes – Phoenix is a force to be reckoned with. Leave your coat behind and prepare for two days of top-notch museums, desert oddities, steak and martinis, and most of all, glorious sun.
TIME
2 days
BEST TIME TO GO
Oct – Mar
START
Central Phoenix, AZ
END
Downtown Scottsdale, AZ
When you fly into the Valley of the Sun at night, the lights of the city below are indistinguishable from the stars above. You have to wonder if some pilot, somewhere, has ever confused up and down. In any case, you’ve arrived at an enormous city in the middle of the desert, and you’ll be very busy the next two days.
Start at the corner of Central Ave and McDowell St to satisfy your appetite for the finer things at the
Phoenix Art Museum. A treasure of paintings and sculptures that span the ages, visitors new to Southwestern art will heart the Georgia O’Keeffe piece and her many imitators. Check out work from the art world’s most famous dysfunctional couple – Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Kahlo’s piece is especially stark and disturbing, so lighten up with the Monet or take the kids to the ingeniously crafted miniature period-sets in the Thorne Rooms.
Fine art deserves a pairing of fine sandwiches and salads at the museum’s
Arcadia Farms Café, where all the food is organic and sure to please. Continue the museum touring at the nearby
Heard Museum – a treasure of Native American art and artifacts (39,000 pieces, including kachina dolls, pottery and jewelry). Run by the Arcadia Farms group,
City Bakery at Arizona Science Center is a tasty excuse for dessert and a visit to the attached
Arizona Science Center. Full of hands-on science exhibits, the center has a planetarium so stunning it makes agoraphobics squirm.
From here, head to the
Desert Botanical Gardens for the beauty of the untamed desert where the ocotillo plants reach their long arms toward the sky like so many green fountains. It’s the place to reconnect with nature on walking paths that wind through 50 acres of desert life; from modest shrubs that bloom bright flowers in the spring to every shape of cactus. The place hosts solstice celebrations, night flashlight tours from May 1 through August, and special exhibits like pieces from glass artist Dale Chihuly integrated into the desert.
The star example of downtown’s revitalization – or at least the tastiest – is
Pizzeria Bianco, set in a former exposed-brick machine shop at 6th and Adams Sts. Hard to believe that pizza can be that good? The ultimate demanding guest, Martha Stewart, ate here with friends and gave it a thumb’s up. The secret: fresh, local ingredients and homemade mozzarella. It doesn’t take reservations, so come early or prepare for a wait. If you can’t snag one of the 42 seats, console yourself with a meal sometime at
Pane Bianco and taste the mozzarella goodness that put the pizzeria on the map. For liquid indulgence, try a post-supper cocktail at
Durant’s, a martini and steak place with overstuffed leather booths and red-velvet wallpaper that was started long ago by Jack Durant, a man with underworld connections. To this day, powerbrokers do their deals here.
Watch the sun set red over Phoenix from the huge windows of the coolly elegant Jade bar at the
Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa. Perched on the side of the mountain, it really does look like a huge resting camel contentedly looking over the valley. If there’s a wildfire somewhere in the state or it’s been a windy day (which kicks up dust and pushes out pollution), prepare for a dazzling show of red and yellow and blue in the sky. Sanctuary is a boutique resort; the service is first rate and the rooms draw the sort of celebrities that prefer peace, quiet and comfort over the glare and pop of the paparazzo’s flash. If one of the 98 mountain or spa casitas doesn’t do it for you – and if they don’t, we really live in different worlds – they have private homes for rent on the mountain that are great for groups.
ART ATTACK
Every Thursday evening more than 100 of Scottsdale’s galleries keep their doors open until 9pm for Art Walk (www.scottsdalegalleries.com), centered on Marshall Way and Main St. On the first Friday evening of every month, downtown Phoenix kicks up the gritty and fun factor a few notches for First Fridays (www.artlinkphoenix.com). In addition to cruising the funky art galleries downtown and a glimpse of the city’s intelligentsia, expect music and the occasional poetry slam.
The next morning, hike Camelback Mountain – if you dare. It’s a steep 1200ft climb from the base of Echo Canyon to the “head” of the camel. You might see locals loaded with colorful ropes and nylon webbing hiking up the first part of the trail – they’re going to the rock formation known as the Praying Monk (look at it from a distance and you can make out the monk shape) to do an 80ft climb up the monk’s back.
Before leaving this corner of the Valley, pay
Cosanti a visit. This unusual complex of cast-concrete structures is the home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright student Paolo Soleri, and where Soleri’s signature bronze and ceramic bells are crafted. For more wacky architecture, call ahead to make sure
Mystery Castle is open. Imagine a life-size sand castle built by someone while they listened to Jimi Hendrix and you’ll have an inkling of what this home – made mainly of found materials – looks like.
URBAN WILDERNESS
If you have the extra time, spend half a day at South Mountain Regional Park (http://phoenix.gov/parks/hikesoth.html). Even though it’s in Phoenix, the 16,000 acres offer plenty of trails to hike or bike where civilization feels thousands of miles away. Drive to the top along small, crazy-curving roads and you’re rewarded with a view of the valley below. Horseback riding is available, and check for Silent Sundays – when roads are closed to motorized vehicles.
If you’re not staying at the Sanctuary, head to downtown Scottsdale and check into the
Hotel Valley Ho for a taste of the good life, Rat Pack–style. Midcentury modern gets a 21st-century twist at this jazzy joint that once bedded Bing Crosby, Natalie Wood and Janet Leigh. The mood works well in the balconied rooms, and the pool and poolside bar make it easy to do a whole lot of nothing. The VH Spa is good enough reason to stay in all day.
For the young or the restless, from here it’s an easy walk around Scottsdale’s compact downtown – where the Arts District juts against the historic Old Town – studded with galleries, little shops, plenty of good eating, and drinking places that span the range from the Budweiser crowd to the Bordeaux set. Satisfy a sweet tooth at the
Sugar Bowl candy shop. An Arizona institution, the sticky-sweet concoctions have bribed children into good behavior since the 1950s.
If renewing the wardrobe is key to your mental renewal – looking good is feeling good – nearby Scottsdale Fashion Sq is a temple of sophisticated consumerism. Or, let the public art and neat restaurants around the
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art work some magic. The museum showcases global art, architecture and design, including James Turrell’s otherworldly Skyspace in the sculpture garden. The museum is part of the local performing arts center along with the
Orange Table café, a decidedly unpretentious, lively place that specializes in mean mimosas.
No matter how you decide to spend the rest of your day, make reservations for
Digestif, serving, as they put it, “Cal-Ital food for the soul.” Set in the SouthBridge area of downtown Scottsdale (there are plans for a Soleri-designed pedestrian bridge nearby), it has an absinthe happy hour every day between 5pm and 6pm. Check out the listening booths on the way to the bathrooms – the owners showcase local bands.
Downtown Scottsdale has no shortage of things to do at night – and there’s no shame in staying in to soak up more of the Hotel Valley Ho’s decadent martinis, er, vibe. But, if it’s a Thursday or Sunday night the karaoke at
BS West, a gay bar, is how fun-seeking locals, of whatever persuasion, have been reeling in the years for quite some time now.
All good things must come to an end, but don’t you feel better? Like the fiery Phoenix rising from its own ashes, hopefully you feel new again.
Josh Krist
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Phoenix is about 150 miles south of Flagstaff and 115 miles north of Tucson.
DO
Arizona Science Center
Play with 300-odd hands-on exhibits, watch live demonstrations, or take in the mysteries of our universe at the planetarium.
602-716-2000; www.azscience.org; 600 E Washington St, Phoenix; adult/concession $9/7;
10am-5pm
Cosanti
Show up in the morning to watch the signature bells poured into molds.
480-948-6145; www.arcosanti.org; 6433 E Doubletree Ranch Rd, Scottsdale; donation appreciated;
9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 11am-5pm Sun
Desert Botanical Gardens
During December’s nighttime luminarias, the plants are draped in miles of lights. Check for solstice celebrations.
480-941-1225; 1201 N Galvin Pkwy, Phoenix; adult/child/student/senior $10/4/5/9;
8am-8pm, seasonal variations
Heard Museum
A fascinating museum, be sure to check out the busy events schedule and the superb gift shop.
602-252-8848; www.heard.org; 2301 N Central Ave, Phoenix; adult/child/student/senior $10/3/5/9;
9:30am-5pm
Mystery Castle
Just be sure to call ahead to make sure tours are still being offered.
602-268-1581; 800 E Mineral Rd, Phoenix; adult/child $5/3;
11am-4pm Thu-Sun Oct-May or by appointment
Phoenix Art Museum
Free guided tours at 1pm and 2pm; kids love the miniature period rooms.
602-257-1880; www.phxart.org; 1625 N Central Ave, Phoenix; adult/child/$10/4;
10am-9pm Tue, 10am-5pm Wed-Sun
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Anchors an area full of public art and standout restaurants.
480-874-4666; www.smoca.org; 7374 E 2nd St, Scottsdale; adult/child $7/free;
10am-5pm Tue-Wed & Fri-Sat, 10am-8pm Thu, noon-5pm Sun
EAT
Arcadia Farms Café
Try the gourmet sandwiches or the crispy crab cakes; it’s all seasonal and organic-only.
602-257-2191; www.arcadiafarmscafe.com; 1625 N Central Ave, Phoenix; mains $11-15;
10am-5pm Tue-Sun
City Bakery at Arizona Science Center
It’s not necessary to buy science-center admission to eat at this place, run by the same group that does Arcadia Farms Café.
602-257-8860; www.azscience.org/city_bakery.php; 600 E Washington St, Phoenix; mains from $9;
10am-5pm
Digestif
Try the From Farm to Table: sunchokes, fava beans, oyster mushrooms, pecorino and saba served with truffled mushroom tea.
480-425-9463; www.digestifscottsdale; 7114 E Stetson Dr, Scottsdale; dinner $18-28;
11am-midnight
Orange Table
This jazzy joint tucked behind the Scottsdale Performing Arts Center has more than three dozen wholesome sandwiches on the menu.
480-424-6819; 7373 E Scottsdale Mall, Scottsdale; dishes $4.50-12.50;
7am-10pm Tue-Sat, 7am-3pm Sun & Mon
Pane Bianco
A café from the Pizzeria Bianco group, taste the homemade mozzarella in a salad or sandwich without the pizzeria wait.
602-234-2100; www.pizzeriabianco.com/pane; 4404 N Central Ave, Phoenix; mains $8;
11am-3pm Tue-Sat
Pizzeria Bianco
James Beard–winner Chris Bianco makes the best pizza in town and maybe even all of America.
602-258-8300; www.pizzeriabianco.com; 623 E Adams St, Phoenix; pizza $10-14;
dinner Tue-Sat
Sugar Bowl
This pink-and-white place has been cooling sun-baked citizens since the ‘50s. Sandwiches and salads, too.
480-946-0051; 4005 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale; dishes $4-9;
11am-10pm Sun-Thu, 11am-midnight Fri & Sat
DRINK
BS West
A gay bar and dance club in the Old Town; has pool tables, a small dance floor and karaoke some nights.
480-945-9028; www.bswest.com; 7125 E 5th Ave, Scottsdale;
2pm-2am
Durant’s
With red-velvet wallpaper and overstuffed red-leather booths, the steaks are as sumptuous as the decor.
602-264-5967; www.durantsaz.com; 2611 N Central Ave, Phoenix; mains from $20;
11am-10pm Mon-Thu, 11am-11pm Fri & Sat, 4:30-10pm Sun
SLEEP
Hotel Valley Ho
A centrally located and fun place to stay with a great spa and a Trader Vic’s restaurant on site.
480-248-2000; www.hotelvalleyho.com; 6850 E Main St, Scottsdale; r $99-600
Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa
The location is second to none; steep discounts during hottest months.
480-948-2100; www.sanctuaryoncamelback.com; 5700 E McDonald Dr, Paradise Valley; r $415-750, private home from $3000
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Cactus League Spring Training | 
|
WHY GO The crack of a bat, the sweet smell of corn dogs and the warm days of an Arizona spring – come see the best baseball clubs in the country duke it out in pre-season play. In March, the biggest conundrum a baseball fan faces is which of the 12 Cactus League teams to see.
TIME
2 days
DISTANCE
150 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
late Feb – Mar
START
Phoenix, AZ
END
Tucson, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
You know spring training has started when Japanese TV news crews are camped out front of
Peoria Sports Complex, talking to the camera about Japanese-born Seattle Mariners sensations Ichiro Suzuki and Kazuhiro Sasaki.
The stadium, set in the northwestern Phoenix suburb of Peoria, is home to both the Mariners’ and the San Diego Padres’ spring training – fans with an affinity for West Coast sluggers should definitely pay the spiffy sports complex a visit. Notice how many people avoid walking in front of the TV cameras. Any local will tell you that sports fans call in sick a lot this time of year and spring training crowds are unusually camera-shy. The players, however, aren’t shy at all. Between innings most of them are open to talking to fans and signing autographs – maybe it’s the smaller venues or maybe it’s because they know that spring training brings out the truest fans.
Spring training brings alive the baseball of a bygone era, when juicing is what mom did to oranges in the morning. The historic
Phoenix Municipal Stadium is the spring training home of the Oakland A’s and a good place to relive the sport’s golden days: Willie Mays hit the first spring training home run in 1964 here. Look across third base for great views of the wind-carved rock formations that look like scoops of melting ice cream at Papago Park. The old-timey stadium isn’t flashy, but it’s comfortable enough after its revamp, and with only 7800 seats, there’s not a bad place to cop a squat in the house.
Head to
Four Peaks Brewing Company for some post-game brews. Just 4 miles away from “Phoenix Muni,” as locals call it, the tall brews are ice-cold, and now is the best time of year to make the most of the outdoor patio.
Set in the toniest town in the Valley of the Sun and also 4 miles from Phoenix Muni,
Scottsdale Stadium is the home of the San Francisco Giants. Designed by the same people who did Camden Yards in Baltimore, it’s one of the nicest city stadiums in Arizona – good food, fancy beers on tap, pretty people as well as art and baseball memorabilia dotted throughout. For all of these reasons, spring training tickets sell out fast. Bring lots of sunscreen or wear a sombrero – shade is minimal.
After the game, it’s a quick walk or free trolley ride to downtown Scottsdale’s bevy of food and drink. For the ultimate post-game spot, saddle up at
Pink Pony Steakhouse, near Indian School and Scottsdale Rds. The place for league officials and players to gather ever since Scottsdale Stadium was built in 1956, the bases are loaded with baseball history here.
Just a mile away from Scottsdale Stadium,
Hotel Valley Ho is the place where celebrities hung out in the days when luxury was not a dirty word. With an outdoor pool complete with a bar and spa service, people who don’t like baseball are happy to work on their tan and down a few daiquiris during the day here.
It takes about two hours to drive the 115 miles south to Tucson – if you’re going to rent a car, be sure to spring for one with satellite radio. Thankfully, spring training games both here and in Florida – the other spring training state – are broadcast live. The family-friendly
Windmill Inn at St Philips Plaza is a good place to hang out between games – there are restaurants and a day spa in the attached plaza.
Spring training came to Arizona in 1946 when Bill Veeck, owner of the Cleveland Indians, was none too happy that Larry Doby, the American League’s first black player, had to stay in a different hotel than the white players during spring training in Florida. Veeck brought his team to Tucson’s
Hi Corbett Field and convinced the head of the New York Giants to bring his team to Phoenix Municipal Stadium. On March 8, 1946, the Indians beat the Giants 3-1 here and the Cactus League was born.
Set in the Reid Park complex, nowadays the field is where the Colorado Rockies come to dust off the snow – they’ve trained here prior to every season in franchise history. Like at all the spring training spots, there’s a platoon of kids and adults with mitts hoping to catch a foul ball. The oldest park in the league, the 1937-built stadium still charms with its nod to Spanish colonial architecture and quiet setting.
TICKET SCORE
Ticket prices range anywhere from $3 to $20 and at most stadiums it’s easy enough just to show up and get in. Spring sees a lot of snow birds: people who come from places like Chicago to enjoy a warm winter. That means it can be hard to get tickets for teams that are big in colder climes, like the Chicago White Sox. Scalping is legal in Arizona, fortunately, or you can buy tix online ahead of time.
Teams that train at
Tucson Electric Park must have their voltage meter cranked to 11 – Arizona’s own Diamondbacks and the Chicago White Sox both train here and they’ve both won World Series pennants. With the Santa Catalina Mountains in the background, the sunsets alone are worth the price of admission.
Before leaving Tucson be sure to eat at
El Charro Café, a local institution that’s been serving carne seca and other Sonora-Mexican treats since before Hi Corbett Field existed. If you need to end the trip, so be it. But remember, to Cactus League like a local means calling in sick to extend the fun by a day or two. Stripped of all the glitz and glamour, baseball here is simple and good, just like mom’s apple pie.
Josh Krist
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Phoenix is 115 miles north of Tucson, and Scottsdale and Phoenix share a border.
DO
Hi Corbett Field
Set in the Reid Park Complex – next to a zoo and two golf courses, it’s the springtime home of the Colorado Rockies and the oldest stadium in the Cactus League.
520-327-9467; http://rockies.mlb.com/spring_training; 3400 E Camino Campestre, Tucson
Peoria Sports Complex
Home of the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners; whole rows of chain hotels and restaurants line the nearby streets.
623-773-8700; www.peoriaaz.gov/sportscomplex; 16101 N 83rd Ave, Peoria
Phoenix Municipal Stadium
A 7800-seat stadium that’s the spring training home of the Oakland A’s; it’s just a stone’s throw away from both the Tempe and Scottsdale borders.
602-392-0074; http://athletics.mlb.com/spring_training; 5999 E Van Buren St, Phoenix
Scottsdale Stadium
Home of the San Francisco Giants and within a walk or trolley ride of Scottsdale bars and eateries.
480-312-2586; www.scottsdaleaz.gov/stadium; 7408 E Osborn Rd, Scottsdale
Tucson Electric Park
Awesome views of the mountains and home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago White Sox – both World Series champions.
520-434-1000; www.pima.gov/tep; 2500 E Ajo Way, Tucson
EAT & DRINK
El Charro Café
Where locals take out-of-towners every chance they get. Carne seca is meat that’s been dried and then rehydrated; super delicious.
520-622-1922; 311 N Court Ave, Tucson; mains $8-18;
lunch & dinner
Four Peaks Brewing Company
A quintessential neighborhood brewpub set in a Mission Revival–style building. Enjoy that patio before it gets too hot.
480-303-9967; www.fourpeaks.com; 1340 E 8th St, Tempe;
11am-2am
Pink Pony Steakhouse
Full of memorabilia, it’s the best place in the state for post-game suds and grub.
480-945-6697; 3831 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale;
10am-10:30pm Mon-Fri, 4-10pm Sat-Sun; mains $15-25
SLEEP
Hotel Valley Ho
A mile away from Scottsdale Municipal Stadium and a great place for non-fans to while away the day.
480-248-2000; www.hotelvalleyho.com; 6850 E Main St, Scottsdale; r $320-610
Windmill Inn at St Philips Plaza
The two-room suites feel big as half a ballpark. Kids under 18 and pets stay free. Free bike rentals, too.
520-577-0007; www.windmillinns.com; 4250 N Campbell Ave, Tucson; r $80-220;
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Big Skies & Weird Science | 
|
WHY GO Whether it’s seeing the bright rings of Saturn or standing in the room where two men could have plunged the world into a nuclear winter, prepare for a mental blast off. Even people who think they don’t like astronomy or science will have a few “wow” moments on this trip with professional stargazer Cliff Ochser.
TIME
3 days
DISTANCE
425 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Oct – Mar
START
Flagstaff, AZ
END
Tucson, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
Long-time fixture in Arizona astronomy and stargazing guide Cliff Ochser says, “Arizona’s great for astronomy because we have more research telescopes than any other state and we have 300 days a year of clear skies.” Ochser suggests starting at the
Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. At 7000ft of elevation, Flagstaff isn’t just closer to the stars than any other big city in Arizona, it’s the first International Dark Sky city in the world. Stars here shine like diamonds sprinkled on black felt.
Experience the nightly stargazing during the week. Weekends can get crowded and long waits to look through a telescope are common – and seeing the bright rings of Saturn are worth the wait. The privately built observatory (in operation since 1894) is where Pluto, the celestial body formerly known as a planet, was discovered in 1930. “A day tour is still worthwhile at Lowell,” says Ochser. “It’s really about the history there and they have some good films and great exhibits.”
Two miles from Lowell Observatory,
Comfi Cottages gives families and those in need of privacy a base of operations in Flagstaff. Perks include a fridge stocked with breakfast foods, a barbecue and bikes.
After a starry night in Flagstaff head 40 miles east on I-40 to
Meteor Crater. To some, it’s just a 550ft-deep hole in the desert nearly a mile across. To others, especially kids who can easily imagine the blazing meteor screaming down in a fiery ball, it’s an awesome sight – and one of the best-preserved impact craters in the world.
Get ready for more awesome sights in red rock–studded Sedona. Ochser, former director of development at Lowell Observatory, says that during his time there he realized that the best way for newbies to see the stars would be in small groups with a high astronomer-to-visitor ratio. So, he started
Evening Sky Tours. The astronomer-guides are friendly and knowledgeable and, best of all, they bring plenty of blankets. Like at all Arizona star parties, the recommended attire is a thick coat and hat. On good nights the stars look so close against the towering rocks of Sedona that seeing a big-eyed alien step out of a star onto a big rock wouldn’t be a huge surprise. “Sedona really does have some of the best skies in Arizona. We throw off very little light pollution here,” says Ochser.
For out-of-this-world eats after the tour, go to the ’50s-themed
Red Planet Diner. Aliens float through the space as busts of Mr Spock and Obi-Wan Kenobi look on approvingly.
The next morning, ponder that at light speed it would take less than a second to drive to Tucson. A 230-mile drive, the
Arizona Science Center in Phoenix is a good halfway point and the center will get restless kids worn out to a manageable level with its ever-popular “Grossology” exhibition, featuring oversized noses and other larger-than-life icky places. Afterwards, grab a gourmet salad or sandwich at the attached
City Bakery at Arizona Science Center – if the Grossology exhibit didn’t kill your appetite.
Enjoy the brief stretch of desert and the odd pecan grove on the way to Tucson. About 50 miles east of Tucson off the I-10, gaze lovingly at the
Astronomer’s Inn. The home of the Vega-Bray Observatory, there are four themed rooms here (one is outer space–themed) and guests can participate in nightly star viewings. The next morning, enjoy the third rock from the sun by splashing around on a small boat at the B&B’s private lake.
EX-GUV SPOTS ALIENS
Fife Symington, ex-governor of Arizona, downplayed the March 1997 sightings of mysterious lights floating around the state. At a news conference he announced that he had found the culprit, and brought out one of his underlings dressed in an alien costume. Symington, who was under investigation for fraud at the time, admitted years later that he too saw the lights and is sure he saw an alien craft. He said he was afraid to start a panic.
The next morning, head to the
Titan Missile Museum, 24 miles south of Tucson. It’s an original Titan II missile site where a crew of two stood at the ready to launch a nuclear warhead within seconds of receiving a presidential order. Walking through several 3-ton blast doors, you enter the control room where you experience a simulated launch.
On the way back to the Astronomer’s Inn visit the
Pima Air & Space Museum; walk down the steps of JFK’s Air Force One and wave like a president. Give yourself at least two hours to wander through the 275 aircraft on display.
Serious plane-spotters will enjoy the one-hour bus tour of the nearby 309th
Aerospace Maintenance & Regeneration Center – aka the “boneyard” – where some 5000 aircraft are mothballed in the dry desert air. Because the tour is on an active military base, you need to make reservations at least one hour in advance and will have to show photo ID before getting on the bus. Tours depart from the Pima Air & Space Museum.
Finally, drive the winding road to
Kitt Peak National Observatory. Near Sells, 56 miles southwest of Tucson, this 6875ft-high mountain top is a perfect site for one of the world’s largest observatories. It’s equipped with two radio and 23 optical telescopes, including one boasting a diameter of 12ft.
Guided one-hour tours go inside the building housing the telescopes but you don’t get to look through any of them. To get a peek at the cosmic eye candy, sign up well in advance for the Nightly Observing Program, a three-hour session starting at sunset and limited to 20 people.
Tucson, the final frontier (of this trip, at least) is the place to end your stellar journey. Think about it: you’ve seen the most popular attractions in the universe and never left the state.
Josh Krist
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
It’s a 265-mile drive between Flagstaff and Tucson, the two main cities for this trip.
DO
Aerospace Maintenance & Regeneration Center
One-hour bus tours depart from the Pima Air & Space Museum. Reserve at least one hour and board 30 minutes before. Amarg;
520-574-0462; Tucson; adult/child $6/3;
9am-5pm Mon-Fri, last tour 4pm
Arizona Science Center
Play with 300-odd hands-on exhibits, watch live demonstrations, or take in the mysteries of our universe at the planetarium.
602-716-2000; www.azscience.org; 600 E Washington St, Phoenix; adult/concession $9/7;
10am-5pm
Evening Sky Tours
Small groups, warm blankets and comfy chairs between telescope viewings – cold nights never looked so good.
928-203-0006; www.eveningskytours.com; Sedona; adult/child $60/$20;
after sunset
Kitt Peak National Observatory
Book two to four weeks in advance for the worthwhile nightly observing program.
520-318-8726; www.noao.edu/kpno; Hwy 86, Sells; daytime admission by donation, observing program adult/student/senior $41/36/36;
Sep–mid-Jul
Lowell Observatory
Nightly stargazing. During the day 30-minute tours offered hourly between 1:15pm and 4:15pm.
928-233-3211; www.lowell.edu; 1400 W Mars Hill Rd, Flagstaff; adult/child/student/senior $6/3/4/4;
9am-5pm, 5:30-10pm, seasonal variations
Meteor Crater
Tours into the crater depart from 9:15am to 2:15pm daily (free with admission).
928-289-2362; www.meteorcrater.com; I-40 exit 233; adult/child/senior $15/7/13;
7am-7pm Jun–mid-Sep, seasonal variations
Pima Air & Space Museum
Combination tickets available for Titan Missile Museum and Amarg.
520-574-0462; www.pimaair.org; 6000 E Valencia Rd, Tucson; Jun-Oct adult/child $11.75/8, Nov-May $13.50/9;
9am-5pm, last admission 4pm
Titan Missile Museum
Look into combo tickets for Pima Air & Space Museum.
520-574-9658; www.titanmissilemuseum.org; 1580 W Duval Mine Rd, Sahuarita; adult/child/senior $8.50/5/7.50;
9am-4:30pm (last tour), seasonal variations
EAT
City Bakery at Arizona Science Center
It’s not necessary to buy science-center admission to eat here.
602-257-8860; www.azscience.org/city_bakery.php; 600 E Washington St, Phoenix; mains from $9;
10am-5pm
Red Planet Diner
Grill food, including a fair number of vegetarian choices, in a space-age environment.
928-282-6070; 1655 W Hwy 89A, Sedona; dishes $9-14;
10am-11pm
SLEEP
Astronomer’s Inn
A self-guided tour for guests is $45 and a four-hour session on a 20-inch scope is $160.
520-586-7906; www.astronomersinn.com; 1311 S Astronomers Rd, Benson; r $105-210;
Oct 15-May 1
Comfi Cottages
Some weekends and holidays may require a minimum stay.
928-774-0731; www.comficottages.com; 1612 N Aztec St, Flagstaff; cottages $135-280;
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Steak-Lovers’ Arizona | 
|
WHY GO Cattle, cotton and copper: the three Cs that Arizona was built on, but only one of them tastes good over a wood-fired grill. Get ready for beef and lots of it, at the best steak houses in the state. Better yet, out here in the West, the drinks are as strong as the day is long.
TIME
5 days
DISTANCE
450 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Year-round
START
Scottsdale, AZ
END
Tuscon, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
You don’t need to drive here like you just stole some baby diapers and are on the run, but, fans of the film Raising Arizona might have an odd sense of déjà vu when pulling up to Scottsdale’s
Reata Pass Steakhouse – the Old West steakhouse appeared in some episodes of Bonanza as well. Opened in 1882 as a stagecoach stop, the star attraction these days is the beef, from cuts of New York strip to tenderloin to dishes like filet mignon. After dinner, make like it’s still the good old days and kick up your heels at the sister bar next door,
Greasewood Flat. The outdoor drinking joint attracts locals of all stripes looking to let loose under the stars.
Afterwards, rest up at
Hermosa Inn, a Scottsdale boutique hotel that began as the private home and studio of cowboy artist Lon Megargee. Today, the 35 rooms and casitas give off soothing vibes thanks to Spanish-Colonial decor that makes nice use of color and proportion, just like Megargee’s paintings. There’s an excellent restaurant, but no pool to work off those calories. And yes, the on-site eatery serves steak.
Sharpen the steak knives and brush up on cowboy slang, because 10 miles south of Central Phoenix is
Rawhide Western Town & Steakhouse, a 1880s frontier-town theme park set on the Gila River Indian Reservation. The steakhouse has rattlesnake and Rocky Mountain oysters (bull testicles) for adventurous eaters and mesquite-grilled slabs of beef for everyone else, usually accompanied by music and entertainment. Consider a sundown cookout, which includes a hayride and Western dancing for even more silly fun. The food at the Rawhide Steakhouse is solid but not top of the line; the ambience makes up for it.
After another night at the casita, head to Central Phoenix for a night of classy sips and steaks at
Durant’s, bedecked with red-leather booths and red-velvet wallpaper. The martinis at Durant’s are like small swimming pools, and when you enter through the back door the kitchen staff shouts out a welcome over the clatter of chopping knives and the low roar of a wood fire that’s grilling steaks to perfection. But the steak’s Durant’s thing. On that count, this joint is the cow’s moo. Anything is good, but the filet mignon is butta’. If you’re watching your red-meat intake, there’s also seafood on offer. Come during lunch to save a few bucks and see the lawyer and legislator types doing deals.
If you really don’t want to slide off of Scottsdale’s luxurious lap, check out where steakhouse meets piano bar at
Mastro’s City Hall Steakhouse. Its sides and appetizer menu has more choices than most, and the tinkling of the piano keys in the background makes the first-rate service feel that much more special. The yummy porterhouse comes in a 3lb slab of goodness made for sharing between two people. The martinis are an oasis and the wine list is the who’s who of top-notch vino.
For a few days away from the city – and to experience firsthand how the cowboys wrangle steers – check out
Flying E Ranch, in the scrubby cowboy country of Wickenburg, 65 miles northwest of Phoenix. This down-home working cattle ranch in the Hassayampa Valley is a big hit with families and gets plenty of repeaters. Guests can chow down after a hayride to the chuck wagon.
From here, head 120 miles north to Sedona for more fresh air and, of course, another great meal. Decadence is queen at
Enchantment Resort; so close to the red rocks you can almost hear the vortex humming. Seriously, a stray ball from the tennis court will smack the nearby cliffs, and reflected rock formations loom large in the pool. Don’t forget sumptuous Mii Amo spa; Enchantment Resort has won more awards and accolades than a five-star general.
For dinner head out to
Cowboy Club. The usual meaty suspects take a wild turn with the addition of buffalo and game meats like elk. Signature dishes include french-fried cactus and rattlesnake bits on a stick. The restaurant’s Silver Saddle Room is the adults-only zone.
Be sure to sleep well before taking the 230-mile trip down to Tucson – a journey that starts in mountains full of ponderosa pines and ends in rolling desert full of saguaro cactus and mesquite trees. The trip is worth it for
Janos. French-trained James Beard Award winner Janos Wilder is a culinary maestro, and teases flavors out of meat that you didn’t know existed. It’s probably the most creative take on steak in the state. Steak with a coffee rub? Oh yeah, it’s good. His dining room at the Westin La Paloma overlooks the desert valley and is perfect for big, long, romantic meals.
DETOUR
It’s a long way to go for a steak, no matter how grand, but what really seals the deal are the views – without a doubt the most magnificent of any restaurant in Arizona, if not the country. Set on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, the El Tovar Hotel Dining Room has big picture windows seemingly set on the very edge of the canyon. The filets are almost as good as the views. Reservations ( 928-638-2631) are required for dinner.
If you’ve ever wanted to know what it would feel like to have a super-luxurious house far away from the travails of civilization, sleep off dinner at
La Zarzuela B&B, where fantasies of escaping to a remote artsy enclave come true. Imagine a mansion in the middle of sandy hills carpeted with desert trees and bushes. Set in the foothills of Tucson and only for adult guests, there are five spacious casitas here.
Once the trip has ended, rest assured: Dr Atkins would be proud.
Josh Krist
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Phoenix is about 150 miles south of Flagstaff and 115 miles north of Tucson. Phoenix and Scottsdale share a border.
DO & EAT
Cowboy Club
Try a beef or buffalo filet mignon or the elk tenderloin. Or just enjoy the rattlesnake skewer.
928-282-4200; www.cowboyclub.com; 241 N Hwy 89A, Sedona; mains lunch $9-16, dinner $15-25;
lunch & dinner
Durant’s
With red-velvet wallpaper and overstuffed red-leather booths, the steaks are as sumptuous as the decor.
602-264-5967; www.durantsaz.com; 2611 N Central Ave, Phoenix; mains from $20;
11am-10pm Mon-Thu, 11am-11pm Fri & Sat, 4:30-10pm Sun
Greasewood Flat
Cash only at this outdoor bar, next to Reata Pass Steakhouse. On cold nights they blaze up the fire pits.
480-585-9430; 27375 N Alma School Pkwy, Scottsdale;
11am-11pm
Janos
Try the New York strip steak rubbed with coffee, molasses and Mexican chocolate. The attached J Bar is good for an after-steak drink.
520-615-6100; www.janos.com; 3770 E Sunrise Dr, Tucson; mains $28-50, tasting menu $85;
dinner Mon-Sat
Mastro’s City Hall Steakhouse
Seasoned servers, good steaks and an upscale setting that strives for comfort more than pretense.
480-941-4700; www.mastrosrestaurants.com; 6991 E Camelback Rd, Phoenix;
5-10pm Sun-Thu, 5-11pm Fri & Sat
Rawhide Steakhouse
Good steaks in a 1880s frontier-town theme park. Check ahead for sundown cookout times.
480-502-5600; www.rawhide.com; 5700 W N Loop Rd, Chandler; admission free, per attraction $4, day pass $15, adult/child cookout $45/19;
5:30-9pm Wed-Thu
Reata Pass Steakhouse
Reservations are recommended. Try the 24oz porterhouse and you’ll see why.
480-585-7277; www.reatapass.com; 27500 N Alma School Pkwy, Scottsdale; mains from $15;
11am-9pm Tue-Thu, 11am-11pm Fri & Sat, noon-9pm Sun
SLEEP
Enchantment Resort
A country club–style resort tucked into beautiful Boynton Canyon. Sometimes even ostentatious names accurately describe the feeling you get at a place.
928-282-2900; www.enchantmentresort.com; 525 Boynton Canyon Rd, Sedona; r from $450
Flying E Ranch
The place to try your luck penning a steer. There’s no bar, so BYOB. Rates include activities and meals.
928-684-2690; www.flyingeranch.com; 2801 W Wickenburg Way, Wickenburg; r $310-390 minimum, seasonal;
Nov-Apr;
Hermosa Inn
The best place in the world to enjoy a food coma, thanks to the soothing Spanish-Colonial decor.
602-955-8614; www.hermosainn.com; 5532 N Palo Cristi Rd, Scottsdale; r incl breakfast $140-460, villa $310-700
La Zarzuela B&B
An adult-only mansion with five colorful casitas for guests. Set in the middle of acres of virgin desert; quiet and luxury abound.
520-884-4824; www.zarzuela-az.com; 455 N Camino de Oeste, Tucson; r $275-300;
closed mid-Jun–mid-Sep
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
A Slice of Native America | 
|
WHY GO Apart from the rich culture you can experience on the major reservations to the north, the museums and archaeological sites near Arizona’s three biggest cities tell a fascinating tale of societies that rose, created thriving cities and then disappeared for no apparent reason.
TIME
5 days
DISTANCE
500 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Year-round
START
Phoenix, AZ
END
Tuscon, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
In the saguaro-studded desert just south of Phoenix,
Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa is hands down the best spot to start a tour of Arizona’s easy to reach Native American sights. Owned by the Gila River tribe and set on their reservation, this 500-room resort is an impressive mix of luxury and tradition. Tribal elders relate ancient legends around the fire pit and wild horses really do run free outside the hotel.
No property in Arizona can compare with the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass on Native American bona fides – built and run by Native Americans – but Scottsdale’s
Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa has a more central location. It has a small but quite good Native American education center and the hotel occasionally hosts traditional craft demonstrations and dances.
Wherever you stay, tear yourself away for a day to head to Phoenix’s palm- and skyscraper-fringed Central Ave for a visit to the
Heard Museum. A trip to these artifact-packed halls should count for college credit you learn so much. And, because the museum designers know their stuff, the past springs to life in vivid colors and heartbreaking tales. The ‘Boarding School Experience’ gallery is about the controversial federal policy of removing Native American children from their families and sending them to remote boarding schools in order to ‘Americanize’ them. The corner of Central and Indian School Rds, now occupied by Steele Indian School Park, used to have just such a school.
Whet your appetite with lunch at
Fry Bread House, a long-time local favorite. This is the place for the traditional Native American treat of Navajo tacos – deep-fried bread topped with beans, meat or whatever else. Think of it kind of like an oversized taco-meets-pita. Businesspeople and Native Americans in search of comfort food mingle here during any given lunch rush. From the Heard Museum, cruise 2 miles north on Central and make a left at Indian School Rd. Steele Indian School Park will be on your right. Continue to 7th Ave.
Learn about the Hohokam at the
Pueblo Grande Museum & Archaeology Park. For the most scenic route head 8 miles southeast – Central Ave to Washington St through old neighborhoods. Inside the museum, you’ll learn all about the Hohokam ruins of a Pueblo Grande village located right outside the door. Famous for building such a well-engineered 1000-mile network of irrigation canals that some modern canals simply follow their paths, the civilization simply disappeared in about AD 1500.
No matter where you’re sleeping, make dinner reservations at
Kai, at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa. Kai takes Native American to a new level with traditional crops grown along the Gila River and a fine wine list. A sunset dinner on the patio overlooking the virgin desert while horses gallop in the distance: priceless.
Dedicate time for the 100-mile round-trip through housing developments and cotton fields to
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. The Casa Grande (big house) is a sort of ancient apartment complex. It’s one of the country’s largest remaining Hohokam buildings, with 11 rooms spread across four floors. The Pima and Tohono O’odham are probably the modern descendants of the Hohokam, but scientists are still debating what happened to the tribe.
After another night in the Phoenix area, watch the megalopolis ever so slowly peel away as you head north on I-17 towards
Tuzigoot National Monument. The 40-mile round-trip from I-17 on Hwy 260/279 is time well spent for the seriously obsessed. (Those who are short on time may want to skip it.) Featuring stone-walled dwellings set on a pueblo, Tuzigoot lets visitors get close to the homes of the ancient Sinagua – another lost tribe. At its peak, as many as 225 people lived in the 110 rooms here.
Where I-17 starts turning into a scenic (albeit high-speed) drive through blasted mountains, about 100 miles north of Phoenix, stands
Montezuma Castle National Monument, the ultimate must-see. The 1000-year-old Sinagua city carved into a cliff face looks like a rough-hewn castle in the air. Take the time to really let it sink in and imagine a thriving community up there.
Break on through to the other side with a
Crossing Worlds tour to Hopi, Navajo and other Native American sacred sites in Sedona. Now more commonly known as a center of New Age, Native American tribes knew long ago that Sedona’s landscape is spiritually charged. The red-rock towers here glow in the sunset and look like they’re about to blast off – a stop in Sedona humbles even the skeptics.
ASK A LOCAL
“What’s cool is that right in the middle of the desert, this inhospitable place, they [the Hohokams] had a whole system of canals and agriculture and were able to do so much. We know they had trade routes all the way down to Mexico. Why do I think they left? Martians (laughs).”
Brandon Protas, former Pueblo Grande Museum volunteer
Cross back into the world of highways and finding a good radio station and continue on to Flagstaff, a fun college town set at about 7000ft. The nights are frosty here, but the beds are big and warm at
Inn at 410. A few of the 10 rooms here have a Southwestern theme.
Power up on coffee the next morning in downtown Flagstaff for a visit to
Museum of Northern Arizona. Three miles north of downtown, it’s in a stone building set in a pretty little pine grove. Don’t miss the collections of Hopi kachina dolls, native basketry and ceramics, and Navajo textiles.
From the museum, head back towards the center of Flagstaff to hit Hwy 89 north. Take that for 12 miles and turn right at the sign for Sunset Crater Volcano–Wupatki National Monuments. The visitor center for
Wupatki National Monument is 21 miles from this junction, on a winding paved road that runs through rolling fields of wild grass. Some people are bored to tears by this drive, while others love it. Once here, though, you’re treated to the sight of freestanding pueblos that were built after Sunset Crater blew its top in the 11th century. With the snowcapped San Francisco Peaks looming behind the ancient dwellings, this is the most photogenic spot on the trip.
Next, head to Holbrook, 90 miles southeast of Flagstaff on the super-straight and none-too-exciting I-40 (and Route 66). On the way there, take in the wonder of
Walnut Canyon, just outside of Flagstaff. Assuming the trail is open, you can get close-ups of 25 of the rooms carved into vertical limestone walls where the Sinagua people lived more than 900 years ago.
DETOUR
When driving through the White Mountain Apache Reservation it’s worth a stop at Fort Apache Historic Park (www.wmat.nsn.us/fortapachepark.htm), just 4 miles south of Whiteriver. Walking tours, the Apache cultural center and museum, and exhibits on the soldiers who were stationed here during the “Apache Wars” bring alive the turbulent history of Arizona’s original tenants.
Holbrook’s
Navajo County Historical Museum is set inside the 1898 county courthouse, a charming heap of bricks with a still-working courtroom. The building doubles as the visitors center and hosts free Native American dances at 7pm in summer. Stay at the
Wigwam Motel, a collection of faux teepees made of concrete that look straight out of the 1950s inside. It’s most decidedly not authentic, but still fun.
From here, it’s a 240-mile drive to Tucson through the White Mountain Apache Reservation via Hwy 77/Hwy 60. Enjoy the descent; the scenery changes from pines to the short trees and tall bushes of the high desert to the crazy pantomimes of saguaro outside of Tucson.
Grab some sustenance in Tucson at
La Indita, a vegetarian place that serves Michoacan Tarascan Indian food from Mexico. If you want to try some native cooking at home, pay a visit to the nearby
Native Seeds retail store. Retire to
Lodge on the Desert, a 1930s pet-positive resort that focuses on sweet relaxation – whoever’s been driving deserves the rest. The next morning, prepare for another time warp at
Arizona State Museum, the oldest and largest anthropology museum in the state. The museum follows the cultural history of the Southwestern tribes, from Stone Age mammoth hunters to the present.
Even though they disappeared, the engineering and cultural marvels of Arizona’s first residents shaped modern Arizona and still wow visitors from around the globe. The people are gone but not forgotten.
Josh Krist
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Phoenix is 150 miles south of Flagstaff and 118 miles north of Tucson.
DO
Arizona State Museum
Follow the history of the Southwestern tribes from Stone Age mammoth hunters to the present.
520-621-6302; www.statemuseum.arizona.edu; 1013 E University Blvd, Tucson; suggested donation $3;
10am-5pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Ranger-led tours November to April. Don’t confuse the monument with the modern town of Casa Grande, west of I-10.
520-723-3172; www.nps.gov/cagr; 1100 W Ruins Dr, Coolidge; adult/child $5/free;
8am-5pm
Crossing Worlds
Tours on Hopi, Navajo and other Native American cultures last anywhere from 2½ hours to several days.
928-649-3060; www.crossingworlds.com; Sedona; tours from $80
Heard Museum
A fascinating museum; be sure to check out the busy events schedule. Superb gift shop and café.
602-252-8848; www.heard.org; 2301 N Central Ave, Phoenix; adult/child/student/senior $10/3/5/9;
9:30am-5pm
Montezuma Castle National Monument
The 1000-year-old castle-like structure carved into the side of a cliff is a jaw-dropper.
928-567-3322; www.nps.gov/moca; adult/child $5/free, combination pass with Tuzigoot $8;
8am-6pm, seasonal variations
Museum of Northern Arizona
Set 3 miles north of downtown Flagstaff, the focus is on the tribes of the top half of Arizona.
928-774-5213; www.musnaz.org; 3101 N Fort Valley Rd, Flagstaff; adult/teen/student/senior $7/4/5/6;
9am-5pm
Navajo County Historical Museum
Free Native American dance performances every weekday evening in June and July.
928-524-6558; www.ci.holbrook.az.us; northeast cnr of East Arizona St and Navajo Blvd, Holbrook; donations appreciated;
8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm Sat & Sun
Pueblo Grande Museum & Archaeology Park
Excavations here include a ball court and a section of the original canals.
602-495-0901; www.pueblogrande.com; 4619 E Washington St, Phoenix; adult/child/senior $5/3/4;
9am-4:45pm Mon-Sat, 1-4:45pm Sun, seasonal variations
Tuzigoot National Monument
Get an up close and personal look at the Sinagua pueblo dwellings.
928-634-5564; www.nps.gov/tuzi; adult/child $5/free, combination ticket with Montezuma Castle National Monument $8;
9am-5pm, seasonal variations
Walnut Canyon
Worth calling ahead to make sure the access trail is open (rock falls can close it). If the trail’s not open, admission is usually free.
928-526-3367; www.nps.gov/waca; adult/under 16 $5/free;
9am-5pm
Wupatki National Monument
Some pueblos stand several stories high. Check the website for details on the Crack-in-Wall overnight trip; it’s by lottery only.
928-679-2365; www.nps.gov/wupa; adult/under 16 $5/free;
9am-5pm
EAT
Fry Bread House
A small place that gets packed to the gills at lunch. Order a traditional fry bread stuffed with whatever your heart desires.
602-351-2345; 4140 N 7th Ave, Phoenix; mains $4-7;
10am-7pm Mon-Sat
Kai
Flavorful, authentic Native American cuisine and great desert views are worth the trip.
602-385-5726; 5594 W Wild Horse Pass Blvd, Chandler; mains $35-49, 8-course tasting menu with wine pairings $200;
dinner Tue-Sat
La Indita
A fresh spin on Native American cuisine; vegetarians have lots of choice, but there’s plenty for carnivores.
520-792-0523; 622 N 4th Ave, Tucson; mains $7-10;
11am-9pm Mon-Fri, 6-9pm Sat, 9am-9pm Sun
Native Seeds
Snacks like prickly pear cactus lollipops are the only things ready to eat, but mixes for cooking at home are plentiful.
520-622-5561; www.nativeseeds.org; 526 N 4th Ave, Tucson; mixes $6-10;
10am-5pm Mon-Sat, noon-4pm Sun
SLEEP
Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa
The hotel has a Native American educational room and hosts dance and craft demos. It also has gondoliers who sing – a cultural smorgasbord.
480-444-1234; http://scottsdale.hyatt.com; 7500 E Doubletree Ranch Rd, Scottsdale; r from $290
Inn at 410
The three-course breakfast is served from 8am to 9am – so wake up, sleepy head. The Canyon Memories room has a neat Southwest theme and is worth checking out.
928-774-0088; www.inn410.com; 410 N Leroux St, Flagstaff; r $170-300
Lodge on the Desert
Recover from the road in one of the hacienda-style casitas; many have patios and fireplaces.
520-325-3366; www.lodgeonthedesert.com; 306 N Alvernon Way, Tucson; r $200-340;
Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa
Comfortable rooms, spacious common areas, and plenty of programs to educate the well-cared-for guests.
602-225-0100; www.wildhorsepassresort.com; 5594 W Wild Horse Pass Blvd, Chandler; r from $260
Wigwam Motel
Comfy enough on the inside, with plenty of retro touches, the exterior of the faux wigwams are fine examples of roadside kitsch.
928-524-3048; www.galerie-kokopelli.com/wigwam; 811 W Hopi Dr, Holbrook; r $48-58
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Cowboy Time | 
|
WHY GO Sometimes all a city slicker really needs to smile again is get in touch with his or her inner cowperson. Plenty of dude ranches are just an hour or two away from Phoenix, and you’ll see why, despite all the hardships, cowboys keep yearning for the wide open spaces.
TIME
3 – 4 days
DISTANCE
175 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Sep – May
START
Phoenix, AZ
END
Prescott, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
A first-time visitor would be forgiven for thinking all of the snappy cowgirl outfits worn by women in Scottsdale mean that the spirit of the Wild West is alive and well in the Valley of the Sun, but here’s a tip for you, partner: boots and a hat do...not a cowboy make. Would-be cowpokes need to get the heck out of Dodge.
Begin the cowboy adventure with a good meal on the way out of town. Started as a rest stop and general store for weekending Phoenicians on their way to cooler climes,
Pinnacle Peak Patio & Microbrewery is just off the Pima/Princess Rds exit on Loop 101. The steaks are all USDA top-choice beef. The “cowgirl” steak weighs in at a pound. The “cowboy” steak weighs in at a whopping 2lb. Do not even think of wearing a tie (or, wear an old one you don’t care about) – it’s tradition here to cut them right off and pin them on the wall.
When dinner’s done, sip into the cowboy spirit at
Greasewood Flat, just 1.3 miles north on Alma School Rd. Once a stage-coach stop between Phoenix and Fort McDowell, these days the lively, relaxed place is where free spirits – many of them ride steel horses, aka Harleys – share picnic tables under the stars. Bunk down at the
Carefree Resort & Villas, 10 miles northwest of Greasewood Flat in the aptly named desert outpost of Carefree. Cowboy sing-alongs are common, and the luxurious accommodations and desert locale help get you into the slower pace of country life. If you’ve got the time, try your hand at horseback riding, cattle drives and the other fun on offer.
The next morning, head to Wickenburg, the heart of Arizona’s cowboy country where old ranch houses sit alone in big patches of ocotillo bushes and mesquite trees. Like so many of the towns in these parts, Wickenburg’s history is a tale of prospectors, gold mines and ranchers. Nowadays, guest ranches keep the romance of the Old West alive.
Get the full lowdown on Arizona’s cowboy story at the
Desert Caballeros Western Museum, which in addition to exhibits on history and Native American artifacts, has a world-class collection of American Western artists’ work.
Almost any guest ranch gives a pretty good taste of the cowboy lifestyle – albeit prettified to meet modern standards of comfort. The down-home
Flying E Ranch, a working cattle ranch in the Hassayampa Valley, deserves a look-see. They have “I wanna’ be a cowgirl” weekends that will awaken the inner Annie Oakley in even the most genteel womenfolk.
One of Wickenburg’s original dude ranches,
Kay El Bar Guest Ranch, has seen wranglers wrangle and rustlers rustle since 1926. On the National and Arizona Registers of Historic Places, the ranch offers visitors miles of smiles on horse paths through the desert. After a day in the saddle, you’ll understand why cowboys walked sort of funny. The heated hot tub and pool don’t add up to an authentic cowboy experience, but are much appreciated nonetheless.
Head to Prescott on Hwy 89 to visit the
Sharlot Hall Museum, named after the pioneer woman who started it in 1928 to preserve Prescott’s legacy as capital of Arizona before it became a state. Sharlot Hall wasn’t exactly a wrangler, but she’s a good reminder of the important role smart, strong women played in Arizona’s early statehood. You go, cowgirl!
Across from the infamous Whiskey Row in downtown Prescott is the columned
County Courthouse, which dates from 1916 and is particularly pretty when sporting its lavish Christmas decorations. Often, weekend Western art shows on the plaza around the courthouse come complete with guitar-strumming gents in modern country and western attire. For good eats, try the always-hopping
Prescott Brewing Company right across the street. Lots of homemade beer (try the Prescott Porter or Ponderosa IPA), and the burgers are sweet revenge after all that cattle chasing.
People who have spent the last few days doing strenuous activity under the sun probably have throats as dry as prairie grass on a summer’s day. The best place to end a cowboy adventure is without a doubt on the centrally located
Whiskey Row – the line of bars here is as long as a city block and are busy morning, noon and night.
The first question when arriving at Whiskey Row is what bar’s the best. But, the thing to do is take a walk, real slow-like, up and down the row, peeking into each bar until one stands out. If that doesn’t work, the
Bird Cage Saloon is a good bet; come for the pours that keep the locals happy and stay for the oddly fascinating collection of stuffed birds. After a few hours in whatever the first bar happens to be, suddenly all of them look pretty inviting.
TOUGH HOMBRES ONLY
Scottsdale’s Cowboy College (www.cowboycollege.com) is a wrangler boot camp where for a week you get up with the sun, work a real cattle ranch and unfurl your bedroll at day’s end. No hot tubs or room service here, but there are a few days dedicated to horsemanship and lassoing. People back in the city will be mighty impressed, but remember, your cowboy hat won’t fit any more if your head swells too much.
You’ll obviously need a designated driver in these parts, but if that person decides to partake, well-irrigated rustlers can roost at the
Hotel St Michael, right at the beginning (or end, depending on whether you’ve had one too many or one too few) of Whiskey Row.
And that, compadres, is how the West was won; go on now, git gone.
Josh Krist
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
From Phoenix, Cave Creek and Carefree are 35 miles northeast; Wickenburg is 60 miles northwest and Prescott 100 miles northwest.
DO
Desert Caballeros Western Museum
Changing exhibits keep things dynamic and it’s a nice place to see depictions of real cowboy life.
928-684-2272; www.westernmuseum.org; 21 N Frontier St, Wickenburg; adult/under 16/senior $7.50/free/6;
10am-5pm Mon-Sat, noon-4pm Sun
Flying E Ranch
Rates include activities and three family-style meals daily; no bar, so BYOB.
928-684-2690; www.flyingeranch.com; 2801 W Wickenburg Way, Wickenburg; r from $310, seasonal;
Nov-Apr;
Kay El Bar Guest Ranch
A maximum of 24 guests and access to a huge sprawl of desert; so nice.
928-684-7593; www.kayelbar.com; Wickenburg; r from $375, seasonal;
Oct-Apr
Sharlot Hall Museum
More a collection of historic buildings than a traditional museum; see the governor’s restored log-cabin “mansion.”
928-445-3122; www.sharlot.org; 415 W Gurley St, Prescott; adult/child $5/free;
10am-4pm Mon-Sat, noon-4pm Sun
EAT & DRINK
Bird Cage Saloon
The owners say that some of the birds in the collection are on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC
928-771-1913; www.birdcagesaloon.com; 148 Whiskey Row, Prescott;
10am-2am
Greasewood Flat
This outdoor drinking place is a cash-only affair and at night the stars really are big and bright.
480-585-9430; www.greasewoodflat.net; 27375 N Alma School Pkwy, Scottsdale;
11am-1am
Pinnacle Peak Patio & Microbrewery
The views of the namesake peak are almost as good as the food.
480-585-1599; www.pppatio.com; 10426 E Jomax Rd, Scottsdale; mains $15-30;
4-10pm Mon-Thurs, 4-11pm Fri & Sat, noon-10pm Sun
Prescott Brewing Company
The food is nearly as good as the microbrews.
928-771-2795; www.prescottbrewingcompany.com; 130 W Gurley, Prescott; mains $8-12;
11am-10pm, bar until late
SLEEP
Carefree Resort & Villas
A gentle introduction to the pleasures of wide open spaces, the place lives up to the “carefree” in its name.
480-488-5300; www.carefree-resort.com; 37220 Mule Train Rd, Carefree; r from $169, villas from $209
Hotel St Michael
With a good restaurant downstairs, a free, albeit early, breakfast is included. Two doors down from the beginning of Whiskey Row.
928-776-1999; www.stmichaelhotel.com; 205 W Gurley, Prescott; r $70-130
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Photographing Monument Valley | 
|
WHY GO The red rocks of Monument Valley and the rounded, wind-carved slots of Antelope Canyon are the trophy shots in any shutterbug’s portfolio. Getting close to the rock is the way to avoid the cliché that many a cowboy has wandered across at Monument Valley, and at Antelope Canyon, timing is everything.
TIME
2 days
DISTANCE
235 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Year-round
START
Flagstaff, AZ
END
Kayenta, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
After visiting Antelope Canyon and Monument Valley the memories of these places are intense but then one day much later you discover you can’t recall exactly what they really looked like. The vivid hues, like all things, have faded in memory. Thanks to the magic of photography, though, the colors here can stay alive forever.
With your camera at the ready, head north out of Flagstaff on the US-89. Stop and look back for great shots of the snow-capped San Francisco Peaks looming against the Western sky. Back on the road, the scenery has a limited palette at first – green pine and grey rock – but as the long, straight road loses elevation the desert reclaims the roadside. Unlike the yellow sands presented in many a movie, seen from a speeding car the hues of these dunes undulate from purple to green to black and back again. It’s just a preview of the fleeting Technicolor wonders to come but still the best stretch of pavement in the state for finding the snaps that many photographers zoom right past.
After the gas stations and strip malls of outer Flagstaff disappear you’re soon on wide open Navajo Nation land, where every 15 miles roadside stalls appear where Native American jewelers sell their silver and turquoise creations. At times, thanks to losing 3000ft of elevation during the course of the journey, you can see the road ahead for what feels like 100 miles but is actually closer to 20 or so.
There’s only one place for a sit-down meal between Flagstaff and Page,
Cameron Trading Post – a historic trading center with its own little post office. It’s worth a look, hungry or not.
The town of Page feels like a metropolis after the drive here through sparse landscape straight from a Western movie. Just south of Lake Powell, a massive artificial reservoir set mainly in Utah but whose fingers tickle the northern tip of Arizona, Page is the place for trips to nearby
Antelope Canyon.
Freshen up in the spacious suites at
Debbie’s Hideaway, where the terraced back patio begs for long gab fests under the stars. There’s a wheel-barrow full of wood for guests to build a fire in the free-standing fireplace and it’s perfectly normal to spin stories around the fire with traveling companions and other guests well into the evening.
Nearby
Fiesta Mexicana specializes in huge plates of food for hungry travelers. Its margaritas sneak up on you fast, so beware. Over-indulgers should be consoled by the fact that pretty soon they’ll again be on alcohol-free Navajo Nation land. If a visitor wants to sample the nightlife, Page style, check out
Gunsmoke Saloon, which boasts Northern Arizona’s longest bar and flashy electronic lights to complement the Western-themed decor.
Set up a tour to Upper Antelope Canyon for tomorrow and get ready to snap away. A handful of companies offer tours to Upper Antelope Canyon, but
Antelope Slot Canyon Tours, owned by Chief Tsotsie, delivers. The company also offers tours to lesser-known Cathedral Canyon. Some of the other tour companies run operations that feel more like cattle calls than guided tours. Ask locals for their recommendations, or, better yet, check out a company in person to see if the general mood is rushed or relaxed.
Antelope Canyon is divided into two sections. Almost all of the tours go to Upper Antelope Canyon and the flat, sandy bottom makes it navigable for people of all ages and physical conditions. The more strenuous Lower Antelope Canyon sees much smaller crowds. Each section of the canyon is less than a city block long (about a quarter mile), and the shapes and textures bring photographers from around the world.
Since the harsh light of noon usually scrubs away the texture from outdoor shots, it’s a surprise that, just like in the movies, high noon is the best time to shoot – photos, that is. Noon is the right time because sunlight can get into the narrow slots of the canyon roofs – as the sun passes overhead the rock changes from grey to pink to red.
Noon is also the time when
Upper Antelope Canyon gets so packed with people it’s hard to walk. Photographers who set up their tripod before the sightseeing tours show up are best off taking a break. Otherwise, expect people walking through the shots and even bumping into the tripod.
The guides here advise to not use a flash – a tripod or at least a monopod holds the camera steady during the long exposure times. The flash gives the rock an odd white spark that looks like a mistake. Metering is a challenge because of the extremes of light and dark. Some snappers like to overexpose their images here to get the detail of the rock and then digitally darken the shot. A “fast” (large aperture) wide-angle lens comes in handy.
ASK A LOCAL
“It’s important to balance just simply ‘being there’ versus trying to make good photos. Those really good poster-quality shots require hours of preparation and perfect timing. This is especially important when traveling with a companion, because when I’m trying to get a shot, I’m really in my own world and sometimes it’s more important to simply experience a lovely view with my partner than attempt to capture it on a sensor.”
Jonathan Steele, Tempe resident and serious shutterbug
In a way it’s cheating, but guides often throw dirt into the air to help people capture the beams of light that illuminate the canyon floor like spotlights on a crooked stage.
To get to
Lower Antelope Canyon, follow Hwy 98 east out of Page for 2 miles and look for signs on the left. If you’ve already gone on the Upper Antelope Canyon tour that day, show your receipt to avoid paying the $6 Navajo Permit Fee again. After parking in a well-signed dirt lot, the cost of a tour is $20 per person, but if you have a tripod (which seems to be the main qualification for being a “real” photographer) you can just pay your $20 and wander the canyon at will for up to four hours.
The tours start whenever the group gets big enough – four seems to be the magic number. The plaque outside the entrance of the canyon has the names of 11 tourists who died in a flash flood here in 1997. Nowadays, the tour guides say, there’s a flash-flood detection system located in Upper Antelope Canyon which gives a 20-minute heads up on water danger.
The entrance to Lower Antelope Canyon looks like a small slash in the ground – just a small hole in the desert floor and poof! Once inside it’s a narrow world of stairs and ladders and scrambling to find the perfect place to capture the gorgeous rock. If you opt for a guide, most of them are willing to give loads of time to finding the perfect shot.
Spend another night in Page whooping it up at the bar and enjoying the fine art of conversation on the back patio. It’s best to let the other worldly colors of Antelope Canyon fade a little in the mind’s eye before moving on to take in the subtler hues of Monument Valley.
The next morning, load up on coffee and head 100 miles east to Kayenta, which is really just a small cluster of fast-food places, gas stations and chain hotels at the junction of Hwys 160 and 163. It’s the most convenient base for Monument Valley excursions.
Travelers who aren’t expecting much after the trip through long stretches of empty road, where even seeing a gas station is an event, will be surprised to stumble on
Hampton Inn. After using the hotel’s fast wifi to upload photos, head another 20 miles northeast to
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. If you’ve seen a Western movie, chances are you’ve seen Monument Valley – it’s visual shorthand in many a film for desolate cowboy country.
It’s easy enough to book a jeep or horseback tour on arrival to Monument Valley, but if you want to book ahead,
Sacred Monument Tours gets good marks for its jeep, hiking and horseback outings. Or, in the parking lot of the Monument Valley visitors center, arrange a horseback ride (starting at $140 an hour for two people), or a 2½-hour off-road vehicle tour ($65 per person). If you want to get back in the saddle but don’t want to pony up so much cash, a souvenir stall on the scenic drive loop, near John Ford’s Point, can arrange horseback rides for $35 per person, per hour.
The 17-mile dirt road that loops through park is the way to go if you’re packing lots of glass or a tripod. There are some off-road sand dunes and arches that are only accessible via guided tour, but there’s nothing like having all the time in the world to set up a shot just so. And walking right up to the towers of stone for close-ups gives your photos a whole new feel.
The best time to photograph Monument Valley is at sunrise and sunset. August sometimes brings ominous storm clouds over the valley, while January and February are good months to catch the place with a light dusting of snow. Otherwise, it’s a year-round destination as long as you can handle the hot summer days (another good reason to visit at sunrise).
Capturing the sheer scale of it poses the biggest challenge in Monument Valley. The best shots here have something in the background (clouds or the moon usually) or more commonly, in the foreground. There are plenty of cactus and juniper trees ready to stand in as extras. The second biggest challenge is making the colors stand out – there are many shades of deep red here. Avoid the harsh noon sun and use a polarizing filter.
DETOUR: MILE MARKER 13
Head into Utah on Hwy 163 to find mile marker 13. A photo of Monument Valley from here shows the highway heading right into the towering red monoliths. A quick search on any photo-sharing service will turn up a number of the iconic shots – Forrest Gump ended his cross-country run here.
Head back to Kayenta and toast yourself – with the nonalcoholic wine in the Hampton Inn’s restaurant – for a full day of shutterbugging. Snuggling into one of the hotel’s ultra-comfy beds, don’t be surprised if the pictures on the back of your eyelids match the ones you took that day – rest easy knowing that as the memories fade in the months ahead the magic of photography keeps the images bright and clear, forever.
After shaking off the dreams of sleep and powering up on the free breakfast, peek into the
Kayenta Visitor Center before heading back to Flagstaff. In the summer, the center hosts traditional dances and other cultural events – just ask if it’s OK to take a picture.
Josh Krist
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
From Flagstaff, head north on US-89 for 140 miles to Page. From Page to Kayenta, take AZ-98 to US-160.
DO
Antelope Canyon
For those who don’t want to book a tour in town for the upper canyon, guides can be arranged on-site.
928-698-2808; Hwy 98; www.navajonationparks.org; adult/child $6/free;
8am-5pm
Antelope Slot Canyon Tours
Be sure to call ahead at least a few days in advance for the photography tours during summer months.
928-645-5594; www.antelopeslotcanyon.com; 55 S Lake Powell Blvd, Page; photo tour adult/child $60/35
Kayenta Visitor Center
Between Burger King and the Hampton Inn. The exhibit on the military medals earned by Navajos in WWII is especially interesting.
928-697-3572; junction Hwys 160 & 163, Kayenta;
10am-5pm
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
Most of the formations have whimsical names like the Mittens, Eagle Rock, Bear & Rabbit and Elephant Butte.
435-727-3287; passes not honored, per person $5;
sunrise-sunset Apr-Sep, 8am-4:30pm Oct-Apr
Sacred Monument Tours
The half-day and full-day photography tours are $250 and $500, respectively, for one to two people; they also do overnight trips on request.
435-727-3218; www.monumentvalley.net
EAT & DRINK
Cameron Trading Post
Just north of the Hwy 64 turnoff to the east entrance of the Grand Canyon South Rim. Food, lodging, shopping for Native American goods, and even a post office.
928-679-2231; www.camerontradingpost.com; 466 Hwy 89, Cameron; mains $10-20;
7am-10pm
Fiesta Mexicana
The portions are gargantuan and the margaritas are cold and strong. It’s also within walking distance from most of the small, independent hotels.
928-645-4082; 125 S Powell Blvd, Page; mains $8-17;
11am-9pm
Gunsmoke Saloon
It’s the most active nightspot in this part of the state, but everything is relative.
928-645-1888; www.damplaza.com/gunsmoke.html; 644 N Navajo Dr, Page;
7pm-2am Tue-Sat
SLEEP
Debbie’s Hideaway
The rooms are like small apartments; free laundry facilities and a barbeque stand on the big back porch.
928-645-1224; www.debbieshideaway.com; 117 8th Ave, Page; ste $40-160;
Hampton Inn
Kids under 18 stay free and the pool is a perfect place to cool off.
928-697-3170; www.monumentvalleyonline.com; junction Hwys 160 & 163; r incl breakfast $110-160;
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Arizona Architecture | 
|
WHY GO Back when green was just a color, Arizona architects were figuring out how to work with the land. From glass domes housing an entire forest to a junk castle to Frank Lloyd Wright’s desert complex that’s nearly invisible it fits so well into the landscape, this trip takes you to the coolest of Arizona’s architecture.
TIME
3 – 4 days
DISTANCE
225 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Oct – Mar
START
Tuscon, AZ
END
Phoenix, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
The journey begins as you leave Tucson and dodge tumbleweeds on Hwy 77 for about 30 miles toward Oracle. Entering
Biosphere 2, you might think you’ve been transported to the future, or maybe Oz. In a way, you have. This 3-acre enclosed structure was built to be sealed off from the earth (aka Biosphere 1). In 1991, eight biospherians were sealed inside for a two-year tour of duty. A few snafus showed the ecosystems weren’t completely self-sustaining, but the participants emerged intact.
After several changes in ownership the site found new life as a university-run earth science research institute. The highlight of the one-hour tour is the huge metal-floored room with a fabric ceiling that acts as an artificial lung – without it, the domes would heat up during the day and burst.
From here, head up to Phoenix via Hwy 79 and I-10 for 115 miles and watch the desert disappear under urban sprawl. To get to Scottsdale’s
Taliesin West and see the desert again, overshoot central Phoenix by taking the Loop 101 north to the Cactus Rd exit.
Taliesin West was Frank Lloyd Wright’s desert home and studio. Still home to an architecture school and open to the public for guided tours, it’s a prime example of his much-imitated organic architecture. The style depends on the environment – desert browns and greens with buildings sunk into the ground to keep them cool, but in a tropical environment a structure would mimic the dense foliage and stands of bamboo.
No matter which tour you’re on, be sure to notice the effects of Wright’s “embrace and release” method. For effect, Wright liked to put small rooms at the entrance of a building (embrace) that then open up to large, airy rooms (release).
About 9 miles southwest of Taliesin West via Cactus Rd and 64th St is another architectural oasis,
Cosanti. The home and studio of Wright student Paolo Soleri, this is where Soleri’s signature bronze and ceramic bells are crafted. You’re free to walk around – Star Wars fans will feel like they’re on Luke Skywalker’s home planet.
After all this touring, spend the night in Scottsdale’s historic
Hotel Valley Ho, a fine example of midcentury modern, with huge windows and lots of uninterrupted space. Gazing over a poolside martini at the sleek, straight lines of the hotel, it’s easy to forget that the Rat Pack days are long gone.
While in Scottsdale, be sure to grab a meal at the velvety
Canal at Southbridge. In June 2008, the Scottsdale City Council approved funding for the Soleri Bridge and Plaza, likely the aging architect’s last major work. Canal at Southbridge should have great views of the project and dishes like a $30 lobster sandwich seal the deal.
After filling up in foodie heaven, head to the glass-and-steel coolness of
AZ 88, a typical example of upscale Scottsdale style and home of the coldest, tastiest martinis in the area. This is a great staging place for seeing some Scottsdale public art, and the
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art is next door.
The next morning, head to downtown Phoenix for a visit to the copper-and-glass monolith that houses the
Burton Barr Central Library. Designer Will Bruder – the unofficial dean of Arizona architects and designer of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art – says that the strong shape of the library was inspired by Monument Valley. The views of downtown Phoenix from the 5th floor – especially around sunset – are great.
After studying Bruder’s masterpiece, call ahead to check the 18-room
Mystery Castle is open and running tours that day. Equal parts Spanish mission, oversized sand castle and psychedelic mansion, it’s eccentric architecture at its best. Fashioned with mostly found material by the late Boyce Gulley, his daughter says he was fulfilling a promise he made to build his princess a castle.
Head to
Arcosanti, which by design plays by the rules of the desert surrounding it, to spend the night. Located 66 miles north of Phoenix on I-17, it’s more of an experiment in urban planning than architecture. A work in progress since the 1970s, it’s the embodiment of Soleri’s idea to create communities in harmony with their natural surroundings. A mixture of sharply angled concrete buildings and domes that shade the work spaces, everything here except for the bright bronze ingots (soon to be melted and poured) has been faded by the sun to a crisp brown.
ASK A LOCAL
“It’s such a new town that we have an incredible variety of modern architecture – everything from midcentury ranch houses to postmodernism to the latest earth-friendly designs. A lot of it’s inaccessible, unfortunately, behind gates and walls. Cruise the nice neighborhoods next to the mountain preserves. Not only will you get great views, but you’ll see some amazing private homes.”
David Proffitt, architectural journalist
Return to Phoenix for a night at the
Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa. With architecture inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, take one of the thrice-weekly walking tours of the 1929 property that looks like the set of a movie about the early 1930s where cigar-chomping captains of industry chase ladies in gowns holding flutes of champagne. Harking back to an age when celebrities had more class than sass, Irving Berlin penned “White Christmas” in his suite and Marilyn Monroe splashed in the pool.
It’s true that Arizona’s notable buildings might have more going for them in the realm of ideas than aesthetics. But, when the human race is colonizing the galaxy on a Biosphere 2–inspired spaceship and living in Arcosanti-like cities to reduce our use of the ship’s resources, we’ll have Arizona’s architecture to thank.
Josh Krist
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Tucson is 115 miles south of Phoenix on I-10.
DO
Biosphere 2
The futuristic site is now a University of Arizona–run earth science research institute.
520-838-6200; www.b2science.org; 32540 S Biosphere Rd, Oracle; adult/child/senior $20/13/18;
9am-4pm
Burton Barr Central Library
Inspired by Monument Valley, it’s the crown jewel in Will Bruder’s repertoire.
602-262-4636; www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org; 1221 N Central Ave, Phoenix;
9am-9pm Mon-Thu, 9am-6pm Fri-Sat, noon-6pm Sun
Cosanti
Show up in the morning if you want to watch the bells being poured.
480-948-6145; www.arcosanti.org; 6433 E Doubletree Ranch Rd, Scottsdale; donation appreciated;
9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 11am-5pm Sun
Mystery Castle
Call ahead to make sure tours are still being offered.
602-268-1581; 800 E Mineral Rd, Phoenix; adult/child $5/3;
11am-4pm Thu-Sun Oct-May or by appointment
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Another beautiful Bruder creation on the outside, cool contemporary art within.
480-874-4666; www.smoca.org; 7374 E 2nd St; adult/under 15/student $7/free/5;
10am-5pm Tue-Wed, Fri & Sat, 10am-8pm Thu, noon-5pm Sun
Taliesin West
Still home to an architecture school and open to the public for guided tours.
480-860-2700; www.franklloydwright.org; 12621 Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd, Scottsdale; tours $27-60;
9am-4pm
EAT
AZ 88
A long-time favorite for cool martinis and hot people-watching.
480-994-5576; www.az88.com; 7353 Scottsdale Mall, Scottsdale; mains from $8;
11:30am-12:30am Mon-Fri, 5pm-12:30am Sat & Sun
Canal at Southbridge
Substance meets style at this joint accented by velvety booths, a fashion runway and an audiovisual wall.
480-949-9000; www.canalaz.com; 7144 E Stetson Dr, Ste 250, Scottsdale; mains $11-28;
11am-midnight
SLEEP
Arcosanti
Rooms here should be booked in advance. There are week- and month-long seminars, a café, concerts and other events.
928-632-7135; www.arcosanti.org; Cordes Junction; r from $30, Sky Suite $100
Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa
Sign up for one of the thrice-weekly historic walking tours.
602-955-6600; www.arizonabiltmore.com; 2400 E Missouri Ave, Phoenix; r from $380
Hotel Valley Ho
Not only a fine example of midcentury modern design, but a centrally located and fun place to stay.
480-248-2000; www.hotelvalleyho.com; 6850 E Main St, Scottsdale; r $99-600
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Tiny Towns of Rim Country | 
|
WHY GO Rim Country – formed by the southern edges of the Colorado Plateau – is the great undiscovered country of Arizona with the most scenic drives, friendly small towns and natural beauty of any one area of the state. Between visits to the towns, there’s plenty of Native American sites and outdoor adventure.
TIME
3 – 5 days
DISTANCE
450 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Sep – Jun
START
Phoenix, AZ
END
Phoenix, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
Rim Country is a gray area on the mental map of most Arizonans. They may or may not have been there – and if so it was either to ski or see the fall colors – and know that it’s towards New Mexico. But the exact cities that line the Mogollon (mow-gee-yon) Rim – or even what it is, exactly –aren’t so clear. What most people will tell you is that it’s beautiful, and rave about drives along sheer white cliffs topped by ponderosa pines and towns with colorful names like Show Low, Strawberry and Snowflake.
Start by heading out of Phoenix on the appropriately named Beeline Hwy (Hwy 87). You know you’re about to leave the Valley of the Sun when you see the big fountain of the city of Fountain Hills spouting its jet – once every 15 minutes – a whopping 560ft into the air. The Beeline really starts zigzagging after the tiny town of Sunflower; 32 miles more of snaking roads and you’re in
Payson, the de facto capital of Rim Country and home to the world’s longest-running rodeo.
Get up to speed on Payson and Rim Country at the
Rim Country Museum. Walk through the historic buildings of Payson, including a reproduction of the log cabin of Western novelist Zane Grey. Many of his books, including Under the Tonto Rim, were written here in the 1920s.
If the exhibits on Grey and rip-roaring Western adventure novels make you want to sleep with an ear to this untamed country, pitch a tent at
Ponderosa Campground, 12 miles northeast of Payson on Hwy 260. True to the name, most of the 60 spots here are shaded by tall pine trees. To get the lowdown on other camping and outdoor fun like swimming or fishing in Tonto National Forest – three million acres that spill over most of Rim Country and extend all the way to Phoenix – stop by the
Tonto National Forest Payson Ranger Station. Or, if staying in a mock Tudor building is more tempting, check out the
Best Western Payson Inn.
The next day, caffeinate with the strong mochas at
Roadrunner Espresso before checking out of your room (or tent) and making a day of it at the area’s star attraction,
Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. Tucked into a lush valley 10 miles northwest of Payson on Hwy 87, you’ll feel like you’ve stumbled onto the set of the TV show Lost. The park was discovered by a miner on the run from Apaches, and the cave-filled, thick underbrush is a perfect place to hide out for a few days.
From here continue 10 miles north on Hwy 87 to
Strawberry. For a night close to nature that’s still comfy, powwow with your traveling mates in a teepee at
Fossil Creek Llama Ranch. The ranch offers llama treks that last anywhere from two hours to all day. There are wellness courses and even a goat petting zoo where you can cuddle the critters that supply the milk for the tasty cheese the owners make on the premises.
The next morning, catch Hwy 260 east to
Snowflake, the northernmost city of Rim Country. They get an occasional light dusting of snow but the town is really named after the founders, a Mr Snow and a Mr Flake – seriously. The drive takes you on a gentle roller-coaster ride along the rim and into the edge of the White Mountains. Settled by Mormon pioneers in the late 1800s, there are more than 100 historic homes, many with red brick and white trim. A large number of these old homes have been converted into B&Bs, but
Osmer D Heritage Inn stands out for its food; it’s worth trying to book dinner and a room.
DETOUR
Take it easy in Winslow, AZ – such a fine sight to see is the small park that faces Route 66 (www.standinonthecorner.com) with a mural that shows one of the key scenes from The Eagles song that put this place on the map. Spend a night in La Posada (www.laposada.org), a luxury hacienda that has hosted many a movie star of yore.
After a scrumptious breakfast at the inn, head south on Hwy 77 until it hits Hwy 260. As you get into the White Mountains you’ll pass through
Show Low, where the main drag is named “E Deuce of Clubs.” The story goes that long ago two frontier types agreed that the tiny settlement wasn’t big enough for the both of them, and whoever could show the low card got to stay. Follow the signs to
Sunrise Park Resort, 65 miles southeast of Snowflake on Hwy 273. From December to April, it has the best skiing in the state – 65 trails crisscross the slopes of three mountains. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Sunrise Park is open for mountain biking, hiking, fishing and a scenic sky ride.
Explore Sunrise Park and the nearby Mt Baldy Wilderness Area from
Greer. A bounty of fish swim in the area’s waterways and the trout lure anglers from all over. If you’re on the hunt for a whopper,
Troutback has half-day fly fishing lessons for beginners and day-long guided trips.
Most people who stay in Greer rent a cabin and do their own cooking; check out www.greerarizona.com for a long menu of choices. Be impressed by the rustic elegance of
Amberian Peaks Lodge & Restaurant, with its big stone fireplace in the main room and food that’s dressed up to impress. A river runs through it (the property) and they have cabins on site. Visitors can also hook a cabin at
X Diamond Ranch, and anyone can come by to pay for fishing privileges or a horseback ride.
Energized from nature, float over to the
Butterfly Lodge Museum on the way out of town. It’s a restored 1913 home where adventure writer and explorer James Willard Schultz lived with his Blackfoot American Indian wife. Then, buzz towards
Fort Apache National Historic Park, an Army post during the Apache Wars when the muscle of the US military eventually broke Apache resistance. Just 4 miles south of the town of Whiteriver, the park also includes the Apache cultural center. Get the stamp that allows you to visit the Kinishba Ruins, an ancient pueblo dwelling 5 miles west of the fort.
Try your luck at
Hon-Dah, a gaming resort on tribal land that has it all: ski and snowboard rentals, a restaurant, nightly entertainment, modern hotel rooms and, of course, plenty-o-gaming. Rested and hopefully a few nickels wealthier, take Hwy 73 northwest until it intersects Hwy 60, then make a left to head south. In a land full of mountains that spill into fields of wildflowers, after a few days it’s easy to take all of this beauty for granted. But once you start the twisting descent into the Salt River Canyon, the views are so stunning that without stops to gawk open-mouthed at the scenery, drivers will find it difficult to keep their eyes on the not-so-straight and narrow.
FIRE OR HOT AIR IN THE SKY?
The only Rim Country resident who claims interstellar travel is Travis Walton, a logger who says he was abducted near Snowflake by an alien craft in 1975. What makes his story interesting is that there were eyewitnesses and a police manhunt failed to turn up Walton for two days – time on the mother ship, he says. The 1993 movie Fire in the Sky is based on his experience.
Snap lots of shots, then continue south on Hwy 60 into
Superior, where copper country rises toward Rim Country. The standout
Boyce Thompson Arboretum was built by a mining magnate who had a revelation about the importance of nature; 323 acres support a Noah’s Ark of wildlife and plants from deserts around the world.
Finally, to reacclimate to the desert and search for a treasure of biblical proportions, stop in at
Superstition Mountain Museum in Apache Junction. It has exhibits on the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine, a supposed lode of ore that still draws treasure hunters. Those who think they can sniff out the gold can give it a shot at
Lost Dutchman State Park, the state’s most enduring mining legend, before returning to Phoenix.
Josh Krist
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
The town furthest from Phoenix on this trip, Snowflake, is 175 miles northeast.
DO
Boyce Thompson Arboretum
The 1½-mile main trail goes past most of the arboretum’s 3200 plant species; taking in dramatic scenery that includes canyon walls and a small lake.
520-689-2811; http://ag.arizona.edu/bta; 37615 US Hwy 60, Superior; adult/child $7.50/3;
8am-4pm, seasonal variations
Butterfly Lodge Museum
The home of James Willard Schultz, the adventurer and writer who penned My Life as an Indian about his time with the Blackfeet tribe. The art of his son, Lone Wolf, is on display.
928-735-7514; www.wmonline.com/butterflylodge.htm; adult/youth $2/1;
10am-5pm, Memorial Day-Labor Day Thu-Sun & holidays
Fort Apache National Historic Park
Cruise through the White Mountain Apache Cultural Center & Museum or take a walking tour of the US military fort.
928-338-4525; www.wmat.nsn.us; Whiteriver; adult/senior/child $5/3/free;
8am-5pm Mon-Fri, seasonal variations
Lost Dutchman State Park
Hiking trails abound, but bring lots of water – finding the fabled Lost Dutchman Gold Mine will put you in the history books.
480-982-4485; 6109 N Apache Trail, Apache Junction;
sunrise-10pm
Rim Country Museum
The region’s history in several buildings, including a replica of Zane Grey’s cabin.
928-474-3483; www.rimcountrymuseums.com; 700 Green Valley Pkwy, Payson; adult/teen/senior $3/2/2.50;
noon-4pm Wed-Mon
Sunrise Park Resort
It’s worth the trip here just to see the White Mountains at their most scenic. Summer activities abound and the skiing is the best in the state.
928-735-7669; www.sunriseskipark.com; Greer; day lift tickets adult/child $46/37, r from $69
Superstition Mountain Museum
The Elvis Presley Memorial Chapel is a must-see and it has an interesting exhibit on the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine.
480-983-4888; www.superstitionmountainmuseum.org; 4087 N Apache Trail, Apache Junction; adult/senior/child $5/2/4;
9am-4pm
Tonto National Forest Payson Ranger Station
For information on camping and activities in the fifth-largest forest in the United States and to buy a Tonto Pass.
928-474-7900; www.fs.fed.us/r3/tonto; 1009 E Hwy 260, Tonto; day pass $6;
8am-5pm Mon-Fri
Tonto Natural Bridge State Park
Tucked into a tiny, forested valley about 10 miles northwest of Payson proper, it protects the largest natural travertine bridge in the world.
928-476-4202; adult/under 13 $3/free;
8am-7pm May-Sep, 8am-6pm Apr, Sep & Oct, 9am-5pm Nov-Mar
Troutback
Learn how to catch a whopper – or at least tell one convincingly – with the fly-fishing instructors here.
520-532-3474; www.troutback.com; Show Low; half-day lessons from $150, trips from $225
EATING
Amberian Peaks Lodge & Restaurant
The great outdoors and classy digs mingle seamlessly – no wonder it’s a favorite for weddings. Low season is March to May.
928-735-9977; www.peaksaz.com; 1 Main St, Greer; r $125-235, 4-person cabin from $200
Osmer D Heritage Inn
A B&B set in a historic house; groups should see if they can get a private dinner. If spending the night (rooms $105 to $130), three rooms have Jacuzzis.
928-536-3322; www.heritage-inn.net; 161 N Main St, Snowflake; meals $20
Roadrunner Espresso
This relative newcomer has already become a local favorite for powering up with strong mochas and a mouthwatering assortment of pastries, bagels and sandwiches.
928-472-7229; 511 S Beeline Hwy, Payson; sandwiches $6;
6am-5pm Mon-Sat, 8am-3pm Sun
SLEEPING
Best Western Payson Inn
Dependable and good value, this 99-room property in a mock-Tudor building has modern-looking rooms (get a deluxe for extra space). Rates include a modest breakfast. Children under 17 stay free and pets are welcome.
928-474-3241; www.bestwesternpaysoninn.com; 801 N Beeline Hwy, Payson; r $70-150;
Fossil Creek Llama Ranch
Offers two-hour to full-day llama treks as well as wellness courses, spiritual retreats and a goat petting zoo (it makes its own goat cheese). Sleep in a teepee.
928-476-5178; www.fossilcreekllamas.com; r from $85, hikes from $65
Hon-Dah
If yearning for the flashing lights and clank of coins to balance out all the unspoiled nature, this is a good base with all the mod cons for everything the area has to offer.
928-369-0299; www.hon-dah.com; 777 Hwy 260, Pinetop-Lakeside; r $100-200
Ponderosa Campground
This USFS site is 12 miles northeast of Payson on Hwy 260 and has 60 tent and RV sites, as well as drinking water and toilets (but no showers). For other area campgrounds, check with the ranger station.
877-444-6777; www.recreation.gov; near Payson; sites $15;
mid-Apr–Oct
X Diamond Ranch
Cabins with plenty of pretty land between them sleep two to eight people. Horseback riding, fly fishing, an archeological site and a small museum make it a one-stop ranch.
928-333-2286; www.xdiamondranch.com; btwn Greer & Springerville; rides incl lunch $85, cabins $110-250
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Arizona in Tune | 
|
WHY GO Arizona’s sun-baked sound, exemplified in the Meat Puppets II album, is a little country, a little rock and roll, with riffs of punk and psychedelia. It wafts from underground clubs, resplendent theaters, even outdoors under the pines on this musical journey from Tucson to Flagstaff.
TIME
4 – 5 days
DISTANCE
450 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Year-round
START
Tucson, AZ
END
Flagstaff, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
Driving around on a hot day, through the endless strip malls and low, squat houses of Arizona’s cityscapes, you wonder how sweet sounds could ever emerge from this place. But at night, on the way to a show, stop a few blocks away on a quiet street and roll down the window. Hear how the far-off music mingles with the sad song of coyotes and the smell of the desert? Now you understand.
Start the music at downtown Flagstaff’s
Hotel Monte Vista. The divey downstairs cocktail lounge hosts scrappy rock bands most nights, and there’s rarely a cover charge (if so, it’s in the $5 range). DJs and karaoke occasionally hijack the airwaves.
The Monte V named many its 50 hotel rooms and suites after celebrities who’ve slept here. Michael Stipe crashed in room 205; Siouxsie Sioux climbed under the covers in 220. The Freddie Mercury Room (403) may not be your personal rhapsody, but the late Queen front man would have loved its bohemian purple-and-black color scheme and the electric guitar with a theatrical mask hanging off it.
The
Orpheum Theater stands just a few blocks away. Opened in 1911, it screened silent movies and hosted vaudeville acts in its original incarnation. Hundreds of people lined up under the white neon sign to see the shows. They still do, only now the acts are top regional and national bands at this stately spot that’s been lovingly restored.
The Orpheum’s owners also run
Pine Mountain Amphitheatre, an outdoor venue set among hulking evergreens 6 miles south of downtown Flagstaff. Acts from Cracker to BB King play here, where it always feels like a festival. Although, in the middle of a hot Phoenix summer it doesn’t matter who’s on stage – music lovers make the trip for cool relief.
Speaking of Arizona’s capital: Phoenix packs in a huge range of venues, as you’d expect from the country’s fifth-largest city. Intriguing new acts grace the small stage at
modified arts in a funky brick building downtown. The bands may span genres – alt-country, experimental, roots – but rest assured they’re all a few beats outside the mainstream. Be sure to say hi to Kimber, the owner: she’s done a huge amount for the local music scene, and the likes of Jimmy Eat World played gigs in her record stores long before they hit it big.
Get up close and personal with bigger draws (think Ani DiFranco, Smashmouth) at
Celebrity Theatre. Imagine the intimacy of a small club with the amenities – easy parking, plenty of bartenders and toilets – of a large venue. The revolving stage gives every audience member face time with the stars. And no seat is more than 75ft from the stage, so it’s a short span between you and your idol. You might even be able to catch their eye if you yell loud enough.
Phoenix has its own
Orpheum Theatre (no relation to Flagstaff’s venue), a beautifully restored Spanish Baroque building from 1929. Mainstays like Tom Waits test the pristine acoustics when they come through town, and the Phoenix Symphony plays here on a regular basis. Before the show or during intermission, sink into one of the overstuffed chairs near the bar fireplace.
If all this culture has made you hungry, head over to the
Rhythm Room, where there’s a little barbecue shack in the parking lot that opens during shows. Bands plug in their amps nearly every night of the week at this rocking little bar, with a heavy emphasis on the blues. If there were an embassy of southern soul in Phoenix, this would be it.
After hopscotching through the musical scene in Phoenix, bunk for a night at one of the cheap national-brand hotels near Tempe’s Mill Ave, a lively if somewhat bland-looking strip of themed bars and chain restaurants.
The next day drive down to Tucson for more harmonics. Like the A-minor and E chords on a guitar, the places with the sweetest notes are right next to each other: the
Rialto Theater and
Club Congress. The Rialto used to have vaudeville acts slapsticking across its stage when it opened in 1920, but now the monsters of rock and hiphop do the honors, along with big names in folk, flamenco and blues.
ARIZONA MUSICIANS OF NOTE
- Jimmy Eat World (Mesa)
- Meat Puppets (Sunnyslope, Tempe)
- Alice Cooper (Phoenix, Paradise Valley)
- Stevie Nicks (Paradise Valley, Sedona)
- Gin Blossoms (Tempe)
- CeCe Peniston (Phoenix)
- Flotsam and Jetsam (Phoenix)
- DJ Z-Trip (Phoenix)
- Linda Ronstadt (Tucson)
The dark and moody Club Congress books edgier rock – except when it’s club night and a DJ spins the record back and forth. The folks who run this place have a good ear for the best under-the-radar bands strumming their way across the land.
While it’s convenient to spend the night at retro, historic
Hotel Congress, remember that with two live music clubs so close by, it can be a rambunctious scene. Those who prefer quiet should consider the
Flamingo Hotel, a classic 1950s motel. Lots of movie stars slept here, including Elvis, who bunked in room 102 in his pre-jumpsuit days.
Josh Krist
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Phoenix is about 150 miles south of Flagstaff and 115 miles north of Tucson.
DO
Celebrity Theatre
A 2665-seat theater where no one is more than 75ft from the stage. Amenities galore sweeten the deal.
602-267-1600; www.celebritytheatre.com; 440 N 32nd St, Phoenix; tickets from $25
Club Congress
Good pours and an eclectic musical line-up of regional buzz bands on the 1st floor of the Hotel Congress.
520-622-8848; 311 E Congress St, Tucson; covers $3-10
modified arts
This intimate performance and art space downtown feels like you’re watching a show at a record store (in a good way).
602-462-5516; www.modified.org; 407 E Roosevelt, Phoenix; shows $3-5
Orpheum Theater (Flagstaff)
A former vaudeville hall that now hosts top regional and national bands.
928-556-1580; www.orpheumpresents.com; 15 W Aspen St, Flagstaff; tickets from $15
Orpheum Theatre (Phoenix)
A splendid restored movie house downtown; used by high-brow touring shows and the symphony.
602-262-7272; 203 W Adams St, Phoenix; tickets from $50
Pine Mountain Amphitheatre
A finger-pickin’ treat of outdoor tunes, located south of Flagstaff off exit 337 on I-17.
928-774-0899; www.pinemountainamphitheater.com; Fort Tuthill Park, Flagstaff; tickets from $15
Rialto Theatre
A gorgeous 1920 vaudeville and movie theater reborn as a top venue for live touring acts.
520-740-1000; www.rialtotheatre.com; 318 E Congress St, Tucson; tickets $10-35
EAT & DRINK
Rhythm Room
Cover charges range from a few dollars for local bands (usually early in the week) to about $30 for big-name touring acts on weekends.
602-265-4842; 1019 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix;
Tue-Sun
SLEEP
Flamingo Hotel
Elvis stayed at this affectionate homage to Tucson’s movie history full of posters from old flicks. Relatively quiet.
520-770-1910; www.flamingohoteltucson.com; 1300 N Stone Ave, Tucson; r incl breakfast $50-70
Hotel Congress
A historic property where old-fashioned radios are the in-room entertainment. Opt for a room at the hotel’s far end if you’re noise sensitive.
520-622-8848; www.hotelcongress.com; 311 E Congress St, Tucson; r $70-120;
Hotel Monte Vista
Strong spirits at the bar, friendly spirits in some of the 50 rooms. The onsite lounge hosts live music.
928-779-6971; www.hotelmontevista.com; 100 N San Francisco St, Flagstaff; r $75-140
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Southern Desert Wanderings | 
|
WHY GO Imagine walking through the desert, parched, looking for an oasis. In the distance you see a city guarded by prickly saguaros. You stumble into Tucson, and discover that this is the crossroads of Southern Arizona – the perfect base to visit the region’s natural, ancient and scientific wonders. Thirst quenched, the adventure begins.
TIME
2 – 4 days
DISTANCE
350 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Oct – Mar
START
Tucson, AZ
END
Tucson, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
Tucson doesn’t make a great first impression – there are the strip malls here of many other modern cities, and under the harsh light of the sun it feels like a small maze of concrete and high-speed boulevards. But, look a little deeper and the ugly duckling transforms into a swan. Historic neighborhoods thrive between the freeways, live music joints and gourmet venues have been going strong for decades, and there’s a whole street devoted to groovy shopping and good eats. Use it as a base for sorties to the best that Southern Arizona has to offer, and liking Tucson will slowly turn to loving it.
Outside of the city center, the
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum enchants with nearly 2 miles of walking paths between animal and plant habitats. The number of things to see is dizzying so allot plenty of time. The hummingbird aviary is a buzzy blur of wings and watching road runners dart between prairie dogs makes you want to yell “beep-beep!” The museum sits off Hwy 86, about 12 miles west of Tucson.
On the way there you’ll pass through the western section of
Saguaro National Park, which is actually divided in half by Tucson. True lovers of those wacky cacti in their crazy poses should pay the entrance fee for the park, but just driving along the outskirts you’ll see more saguaro than you can shake a spiny stick at.
After a day of desert appreciation, enjoy a homemade microbrew and some good Southwestern-style food at
Barrio Brewery. Set across from the railroad tracks, when a freight train rolls by the beers are only $3. Keep on rollin’, freight train. For something more upscale, make reservations at
Café Poca Cosa, an award-winning Nuevo-Mexican bistro. Take the plunge and order the Poca Cosa plate to let the chef do the deciding. Muy buenas margaritas, too.
To get the full Tucson experience (and more trains) spend at least one night at
Hotel Congress. It’s especially loud on weekends thanks to the bar and live music downstairs, and you’ll hear train horns all night long. With nicely restored but simple rooms that sport rotary phones and only old-timey radios for in-room entertainment, the friendly front-desk staff makes a good thing great.
The next morning, have breakfast at
B Line, a hip café set in the heart of the 4th Ave row of cool restaurants and funky shops. It has strong coffee and tasty breakfast burritos to eat there or to go. Burrito in hand, say “vaya con dios” to Tucson for now and head 53 miles towards Benson, gateway to
Kartchner Caverns State Park, a wonderland of spires, stalagmites, soda straws and other ethereal formations five million years in the making.
About 72 miles east of Benson,
Chiricahua National Monument is a gathering of impossibly balanced rocks on top of stone spires sculpted by eons of rain and wind. The remoteness made Chiricahua a favorite hiding place of Apache warrior Cochise and his men. Today it’s a hiker’s paradise and a redoubt for birds and wildlife. The closest place to spend the night under a roof is at one of the motel chains in Willcox. Or pitch a tent at the Bonita Campground (sites $12), near the visitors center.
A cool town populated by aging hippies, Bisbee is perched on a hill 70 miles to the southwest. It looks like San Francisco or parts of Vancouver. Get oriented at the
Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum to see old photos of Bisbee in its heyday and learn about the copper boom that turned it from a backwater to a full-fledged city. Armed with mining-smarts from the museum, an afternoon with
Queen Mine Tours is much more fun. You’ll put on a miner’s outfit and a lantern before taking a small train straight into the chilly hillside.
Check into the
Copper Queen Hotel for a side of luxury with your copper vittles. A comfy place that has all the modern amenities – and a 2nd-floor pool, of all things – the Copper Queen opened in 1902 to accommodate the newly minted (by copper) class and the already wealthy high rollers in town to check on their business interests. The restaurant has great food – the ribs and steaks are divine – and both indoor and outdoor seating. The downstairs bar is a good place to grab a drink, as is the nearby
Stock Exchange Saloon, where the chart that tracked changing stock prices during the copper boom days still stands.
ASK A LOCAL
“Every time I’m in Tucson I try to visit the Center for Creative Photography (www.creativephotography.org), home of the archives of Richard Avedon and Ansel Adams, and a lot of other famous photographers. They have the single best archive of photography in the world. It’s a Tucson gem and people rarely know about it because it’s on the University of Arizona campus; but they have changing exhibits and anyone can visit.”
Jeff Ficker, former Tucson resident
The man who first searched for mining riches in what’s now Tombstone was told that the only thing he’d find in this dusty corner of the world was his grave: so he named his first silver mine as an insult to nay-sayers. Tombstone’s historic downtown, 25 miles north of Bisbee on Hwy 80, has a main thoroughfare that looks just like the dusty, boarded-sidewalk town center in many a Western film. Be sure not to miss the
OK Corral, where the most famous gunfight in American history went down – it would be hard to overlook once the shooting starts. A fun place to grab a beverage or a signature “overstuffed Reuben” sandwich in a relatively authentic Wild West place is
Big Nose Kate’s. Started by Doc Holliday’s girlfriend – yes, she had a prominent proboscis – the place sports neat historical photographs and live tunes in the afternoon.
After a half-day of Tombstone, head 50 miles west, mainly on Hwy 82, to Patagonia. This is the home of Arizona’s young and growing wine industry. Weekends are the best time to stop by because that’s when the majority of the wineries are open for tastings, but
Arizona Vineyards, about 5 miles south of Patagonia, is open daily. The tasting room is as dark and dank as Dracula’s den and filled with wacky flea-market furnishings and burning incense.
Only 20 miles southwest of Patagonia, it’s easy enough to stroll across the border of
Mexico for a few hours, and some of the area dining and hotel options are fit for silver-screen royalty. Set on 36 acres alongside the Santa Cruz River,
Hacienda Corona de Guevavi is the place to take a vacation from your vacation: dreamy mountain views and vintage courtyard murals abound. At
La Roca Restaurant, mole, margaritas, and a cliffside setting add up to romance south of the border. If you meet a friendly local who’s getting on in years, ask about the long-defunct La Caverna restaurant, where stars and gangsters used to mingle in a well-appointed Nogales cave.
DETOUR
A soul-nourishing place under serenely blank skies by day, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (www.nps.gov/orpi) is known for drug and people smuggling at night. It really is a place of otherworldly beauty – the bulk of the country’s organ pipe cacti, which look like big clusters of straight saguaro, are here. It’s 81 miles south of Gila Bend and worth a stop, not a stay.
Once Nogales is done with you, head north for 46 miles on I-19 to the
Titan Missile Museum, where the near-death of humanity comes alive. An original Titan II missile site, the actual (deactivated) 103ft-tall missile is still sitting in its launch tube. As part of the nuclear stand-down agreement with the Russians, the glass that covers the missile is angled to avoid glare so that spy satellites can get a clear shot. Ask the tour guide to tell you how one of the USAF higher-ups got a call from his Russian counterpart when a Star Trek movie was filmed here and the Russians weren’t notified.
Finally, keep heading north on I-19 for churchin’ up at
Mission San Xavier del Bac, 9 miles south of Tucson. A mission was first established here in 1700, but the building that stands today was erected in the late 1700s and has been undergoing a remodel with the help of Vatican experts since the 1990s. The moody candle-lit interior makes it one of the most beautiful buildings in Arizona.
Back in Tucson, you can go your own way, or, take the time to poke around this town full of diamonds in the rough.
Josh Krist
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Tucson is 115 miles south of Phoenix and 64 miles north of Nogales.
VISITING MEXICO
Walking across into Mexico is easiest because crossing with a car invalidates most rental and insurance policies, and you’ll need to arrange supplemental coverage. To return to the USA, US citizens need a passport, or a valid picture ID (eg driver’s license) and proof of citizenship (eg birth certificate). A passport is the easiest way to go. For more info on crossing, check www.dhs.gov.
DO
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
A zoo, a botanical garden and a museum that really deserve a full day of exploration.
520-883-2702; www.desertmuseum.org; 2021 N Kinney Rd, Tucson; adult/child $10/2;
8:30am-5pm Oct-Feb, 7:30am-5pm Mar-Sep
Arizona Vineyards
Come for the atmosphere; with wines called Desert Dust and Rattler Red, the names are interesting, at least.
520-287-7972; www.nogaleswine.com; 1830 E Patagonia Hwy, Nogales;
10am-6pm
Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum
Brings Bisbee’s riotous heyday back to life with historical exhibits on the 1st floor and interactive modern mining on the 2nd.
520-432-7071; www.bisbeemuseum.com; 5 Copper Queen Plaza, Bisbee; adult/child/senior $7.50/3/6.50;
10am-4pm
Chiricahua National Monument
This wonderland of impossibly balanced rocks is more than worth the trip. The amenities are scarce so bring food and water.
520-824-3560; www.nps.gov/chir; Hwy 181; adult/child $5/free
Queen Mine Tours
Definitely one of the best ways to spend 1½ hours in the state. Dress warm, it’s cold in them there hills.
520-432-2071; www.queenminetour.com; 119 Arizona St, Bisbee; adult/child $12/5;
9am-3:30pm
Kartchner Caverns State Park
Tours often sell out far in advance, so make reservations – online or by phone – early.
reservations 520-586-2283, information 520-586-24100; www.explorethecaverns.com; Hwy 90, Benson; tours adult/child from $17/9;
tours 8:20am-4:20pm
OK Corral
This site of the famous gunfight is deliciously kitschy for most adults and the “funniest thing ever” for kids.
520-457-3456; www.ok-corral.com; Allen St btwn 3rd & 4th Sts, Tombstone; admission $7.50, without gunfight $5.50;
9am-5pm
Mission San Xavier del Bac
The moody splendor inside is quite the surprise. Be sure to watch the free video on the restoration.
520-294-2624; www.sanxaviermission.org; 1950 W San Xavier Rd, Tucson; donations appreciated;
7am-5pm
Saguaro National Park
Pronounced sa-Wah-ro, there are 165 miles of hiking trails that thread between these jolly green giants.
520-733-5153; www.nps.gov/sagu; Tucson; per vehicle $10, valid for 7 days;
7am-sunset
Titan Missile Museum
This is the place where the final countdown would have ended life as we know it.
520-574-9658; www.titanmissilemuseum.org; 1580 W Duval Mine Rd, Sahuarita; adult/child/senior $8.50/5/7.50;
9am-4:30pm (last tour), seasonal variations
EAT & DRINK
B Line
Great coffee in the morning and a small wine menu for later in the day.
520-882-7575; www.blinerestaurant.com; 621 N 4th Ave, Tucson; mains $7-10;
7:30am-9pm Mon-Thu, to 10pm Fri & Sat, to 8pm Sun
Barrio Brewery
Too many trains and tasting all 12 types of beers equals talking in tongue twisters by night’s end.
520-791-2739; www.barriobrewing.com; 800 E 16th St, Tucson; snacks $3-7;
11am-1am
Big Nose Kate’s
Doc Holliday’s girlfriend used to run this joint; live music in the afternoons and the famous longhorn ribs merit a visit.
520-457-3107; www.bignosekate.com; 417 E Allen St, Tombstone;
11am-8pm
Café Poca Cosa
It’s all freshly prepared, innovative and beautifully presented. It has the best margaritas in town.
520-622-6400; 110 E Pennington St, Tucson; mains $16-25;
lunch & dinner Tue-Sat
La Roca Restaurant
The food will rock you – worth crossing the border to indulge in an exquisite candlelight dinner at this place carved into a stony cliff.
520-313-6313; 91 Calle Elias, Nogales, Mexico; mains $12-24;
11am-midnight
Stock Exchange Saloon
Where miners and those who wanted to relieve them of their fortune used to mingle. Nowadays, it’s the place to hang with the locals and hear live music.
520-432-9924; www.stockexchangesaloon.com; 15 Brewery Ave, Bisbee;
11am-1:30am
SLEEP
Copper Queen Hotel
A casual late-19th-century elegance with modern amenities; Paul Newman, Boris Karloff and Gore Vidal have all been bedded by this grand old dame.
520-432-2216; www.copperqueen.com; 11 Howell Ave, Bisbee; r $90-180
Hacienda Corona de Guevavi
This hidden gem was frequented by ‘the Duke,’ aka John Wayne.
520-287-6502; www.haciendacorona.com; 348 S River Rd, Nogales, AZ; r $175-225
Hotel Congress
Ask for a room at the far end of the hotel if you’re noise sensitive. There’s a music club and a tasty restaurant downstairs.
520-622-8848; www.hotelcongress.com; 311 E Congress St, Tucson;
r $70-120;
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Grapes & Hops in the Desert | 
|
WHY GO Even local oenophiles often don’t know that award-winning wines are produced right here in Arizona. But, as winemaker Fran Lightly will tell you, local varietals are now getting their due. Vineyards cluster in the southern part of the state and around Sedona. Add in esteemed microbreweries, and you’re in for a truly spirited vacation.
TIME
4 days
DISTANCE
400 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Year-round
START
Sonoita, AZ
END
Flagstaff, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
“In vino veritas,” as the ancient Romans were fond of slurring, “In wine, there is truth.” To the toga-ed ones, it meant that a loosened tongue tells it like it is. To modern winemakers, it means that every patch of land tells a story through its grapes, and the tale has no lies. Fran Lightly, winemaker at Arizona’s pioneering grape producer
Sonoita Vineyards, says the land where he works tells a tale of hot days and cold nights that ends in complex, full-bodied reds.
“We just had a monsoon pass through an hour ago, and it was a full 15 degrees cooler than it is now,” Lightly says. “The temperature swings here are amazing. The hot days help the grapes grow, and the cool nights give them their flavor.” The state is famous for its variety of landscapes, but here, with vines on the hillside and roller-coaster strips of greenery unfurling beside a river, it feels more like California’s lush wine country than sun-baked Arizona.
See for yourself as you motor through the rolling land to Sonoita’s hilltop tasting room in Elgin, 9 miles from the town of Sonoita. On weekends, hop on a tractor-drawn vineyard tour and imagine all those grapes filling your glass as a fat cabernet or merlot.
Grab a few bottles and continue with a private tasting in your room at
Duquesne House, an 1898 former boarding house for miners set on Patagonia’s original main street. Or appreciate the countryside, the terroir, if you will, at
Spirit Tree Inn. The peaceful old ranch rests under a copse of towering cottonwood trees, proving yet again that this is fertile land.
After a good night’s rest, you’ll be ready to drink in the deep, complex flavors at Elgin’s
Callaghan Vineyards. Robert Parker, the most influential wine critic on earth, recommends a number of Callaghan wines – like the 2002 Petite Sirah – and says that the Arizona vineyard is one of the best-kept secrets in the wine world. Tastings here, like at most Arizona wineries, are weekend-only affairs.
In Sonoita, 16 miles northeast of Patagonia on Hwy 82,
Dos Cabezas WineWorks has weekend tastings and is known for its flavor-monster cabernet sauvignon. Still thirsty? Make the 7-mile drive back to Elgin to
Rancho Rossa Vineyards. With 17 acres of grapes, it’s one of the area’s larger vineyards. You’ll see the expanse as you drive through to the tasting room, heeding the siren call of the syrah. Critics crowned the 2004 vintage the best red in the state.
Before leaving town, stop in at Sonoita’s
Canela Southwestern Bistro. The menu specializes in locally grown foods, and the wine list never ceases to amaze – Lebanese and German wines appear alongside bottles from lesser-known winemaking regions in the USA.
Take Hwy 83 north until it hits I-10 to make a quick stop in funky-cool Tucson. Beer lovers will be hopped up for
Nimbus Brewing Company, the largest microbrewery in the state, which sells all ales, all the time. The brewers explain that Tucson’s mineral-rich water is perfect for brewing ale – so why make anything else? They flow in shades of gold, red, brown – a veritable Crayola pack of colors. The monkey-themed tap room is the place to learn about them and fill up on tasty bar food before making the 200-mile trek north to Prescott.
Sipping a standout beer or two at
Prescott Brewing Company is much deserved after negotiating the concrete maze where I-10 meets I-17 in Phoenix. Set just a stone’s throw from Prescott’s Whiskey Row – where 40 wild saloons once crammed into a single block – the brewery’s Petrified Porter is heavy enough to count as a meal.
A more delicate drinking experience awaits a block away at
Library of Wine & Tea. The owners focus on Californian and French wines, but toss in Old and New World surprises to keep the palate lively.
Next, it’s on to Jerome, a former mining town 36 miles north on Hwy 89. The journey starts innocently enough with miles of strip malls. Then it becomes a twisting, turning uphill drive that eventually lands you smack in the little town’s center. After so much hard work, you’ve earned the right to check in at the
Jerome Grand Hotel. Originally built as a miner’s hospital in 1926, Jerome’s most luxurious property provides eye-popping views of the Prescott Valley. The on-site restaurant and bar,
Asylum, has a decent wine list, but the cocktails – like the smoky Bloody Mary – are what really make the mature crowd here go crazy.
Take in more valley views at
Jerome Winery – a wine shop set on a large patio with tables, where you can take your pick of 30 local sips. A five-minute twisting downhill walk from Jerome Winery,
Grapes has the tastiest wine list in town. Almost everything on the menu, from gourmet pizza to juicy burgers, comes with a suggested wine pairing.
It’s onward to Sedona, 30 miles north on Hwy 89 via a short, winding road. Famous for its red rocks and vortexes of positive energy, Sedona is an undeniable Arizona highlight. Propped up from a 500ft mesa,
Sky Ranch Lodge gives visitors a terrific vantage point to view the town – and its sunsets.
When you come down to earth, ready for a drink, a unique winery excursion awaits. Sure you can drive to
Alcantara Vineyards, but
Sedona Wine Tours lets you float down the Verde River in an inflatable kayak to reach the grounds. Alcantara was the first winery along the river, and it’s quickly turning the Verde Valley into a winemaking hot spot. The 2005 chardonnay is a must try and buy. The tasting room is open daily, and on weekends the vineyard hosts tours; August and September are good times to come watch the harvest. And if paddling isn’t your thing, you can always stop at Alcantara on the road up from Jerome.
In Cornville
Oak Creek Vineyards & Winery is also roughly halfway between Jerome and Sedona. A 4-acre (and growing) winery, the tasting room is open every day, and on weekends it’s possible to get some face time with owner Deb Wahl. Beer fans unite at Sedona’s
Oak Creek Brewing Company. The microbrewery has been racking up medals at beer festivals for ages. The nutty brown ale packs a punch. Or go for the “Seven Dwarfs” tasting sampler of beers served in 5oz steins.
DETOUR
About 80 miles northeast of Sonoita off I-10, Willcox is rising fast as another buzzworthy winemaking region. Sip bubbly at Coronado Vineyards (www.coronadovineyards.com) – their dolce veritas tells the story of the area’s specialty, white wines, oh-so-sweetly. The Willcox Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture (www.willcoxchamber.com) provides further details on the area.
Flagstaff, a 30-mile drive from Sedona through pine trees and air that gets crisper by the minute as the altitude rises, is the perfect place to end our tour of Arizona wine and beer. After settling in at star-studded
Hotel Monte Vista in the heart of the small, pedestrian-friendly downtown, traipse over to
Flagstaff Brewing Company. Facing the famous Route 66, the brewery makes a dozen beers on site and has about 100 different types of whiskey. The Sasquatch Stout delivers; so named, one thinks, not for any hairy beasts in nearby woods but for the appearance of a stout lover as he or she makes their way home.
Scholarly imbibers know that
Brix is oenophile heaven just by the name. A Brix meter is what vintners use to read the sugar content of as-yet-unharvested grapes. The wine menu here is superb, and Brix delivers on fine dining with seasonal, farm-fresh meals prepared with flair.
For a big selection of wines by the glass, head to
Mountain Oasis in the center of downtown. During lunch, sit at one of the sidewalk tables and watch college students, vacationing families and locals on their muddy mountain bikes pass by.
No matter how you decide to spend your last night of the trip, make a toast: you’ve now tasted Arizona at its best. Robert Parker’s quip about Callaghan Vineyards applies to the whole of Arizona wine. “It’s definitely a secret even within Arizona, but we’re changing that as fast as we can,” says Sonoita’s Lightly.
Josh Krist
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Patagonia is off Hwy 82. Prescott, Jerome and Sedona are off Hwy 89. Flagstaff is 310 miles north of Sonoita.
DO
Alcantara Vineyards
The Verde Valley’s winemaking trendsetter. Tasting room is open daily and tours are run on weekends.
928-649-8463; www.alcantaravineyard.com; 7500 Alcantara Way, Verde Valley; tastings $8, tours $5;
tastings 11am-5pm, tours 11:30am
Callaghan Vineyards
Located about 20 miles east of Patagonia: the critics that matter like their wine. Try the 2002 Petite Sirah or 2005 Callaghan Claire’s.
520-455-5322; www.callaghanvineyards.com; 336 Elgin Rd, Elgin;
11am-3pm Fri-Sun
Dos Cabezas WineWorks
Robust, well-priced cabernet sauvignons win raves at Dos Cabezas. The viognier and El Norte, both from 2006, are must-tastes.
520-455-5141; www.doscabezaswinery.com; 3248 Hwy 82, Sonoita;
10:30am-4:30pm Fri-Sun
Jerome Winery
It has 30 wines from Southern Arizona and fantastic views.
928-639-9067; 403 Clark St, Jerome; tastings $5;
noon-5pm Mon-Thu, noon-6pm Fri, 11am-6pm Sat, noon-5pm Sun
Oak Creek Vineyards & Winery
Pull up a glass next to winemaker and owner Deb Wahl, who is often here on weekends, to chat.
928-649-0290; www.oakcreekvineyards.net; 1555 Page Springs Rd, Cornville; tastings from $5;
11am-5pm
Rancho Rossa Vineyards
One of southern Arizona’s larger wineries, visitors drive through rows of grapes en route to the tasting room.
520-455-0700; www.ranchorossa.com; 201 Cattle Ranch Lane, Elgin;
10:30am-4:30pm Fri-Sun
Sedona Wine Tours
Merrily row your boat to Alcantara Vineyards for a sip of the dreamy wines. The same outfit runs Sedona hiking, biking and vortex tours.
928-204-6440; www.sedonawinetours.com; 2020 Contractors Rd, Sedona; tours $125
Sonoita Vineyards
Started by Gordon Dutt, the man who planted Arizona’s first commercial vineyard, the wine here has been served to presidents.
520-455-5893; www.sonoitavineyards.com; 290 Elgin Canelo Rd, Elgin;
10am-4pm
EAT & DRINK
Asylum Restaurant
Great views and a fantastic wine list make this the most upscale place around.
928-639-3197; 200 Hill St, Jerome; dinner mains $18-29;
lunch & dinner
Brix
A good selection of wines by the glass and a huge selection by the bottle.
928-213-1021; 413 N San Francisco St, Flagstaff; mains $23-31;
dinner Mon-Sat year-round, lunch May-Oct
Canela Southwestern Bistro
A wide-ranging wine list includes some local favorites.
520-455-5873; www.canelabistro.com; 3252 Hwy 82, Sonoita; mains from $12;
5-10pm Thu, 4-10pm Fri-Sun
Flagstaff Brewing Company
Handcrafted brews, live music and lots of whiskey just a stumble away from downtown.
928-773-1442; www.flagbrew.com; 16 E Rte 66, Flagstaff;
11am-2am Mon-Sat, 11am-midnight Sun
Grapes
Everything on the menu has a wine-pairing suggestion. The small gourmet pizzas go great with a red.
928-634-8477; 111 Main St, Jerome; mains from $10;
breakfast, lunch & dinner
Library of Wine & Tea
Run by a Scottish-German couple, you can bet that good beer is on the menu too.
928-541-9900; www.thelibraryofwine.com; 212 W Gurley St, Prescott;
11am-late
Mountain Oasis
Good wines, good food and great people-watching at this casual downtown eatery.
928-214-9270; 11 Aspen Ave, Flagstaff; mains from $10;
11am-9pm
Nimbus Brewing Company
The largest microbrewery in the state capitalizes on the local water profile to make a wide variety of ales.
520-745-9175; www.nimbusbeer.com; 3850 E 44th St, Tucson;
11am-11pm Mon-Thu, 11am-1am Fri & Sat, noon-9pm Sun
Oak Creek Brewing Company
This microbrewery has been racking up the medals at beer festivals for a long quaffing time.
928-204-1300; www.oakcreekbrew.com; 2050 Yavapai Dr, Sedona; dishes $9-15;
lunch & dinner
Prescott Brewing Company
The IPA is a great brew to start with, but anything here is good.
928-771-2795; www.prescottbrewingcompany.com; 130 W Gurley, Prescott; mains $8-12;
11am-10pm, bar until late
SLEEP
Duquesne House
Six old-fashioned units each with its own entrance, sitting room and porch. The place for you, a sweetie and a good bottle of red.
520-394-2732; 357 Duquesne St, Patagonia; r $75
Hotel Monte Vista
In downtown Flagstaff near copious wining and dining options.
928-779-6971; www.hotelmontevista.com; 100 N San Francisco St, Flagstaff; r Nov-Apr $70-140, May-Oct $75-170
Jerome Grand Hotel
Built as a hospital in 1926, the haunted mansion – like a 1982 Bordeaux – is aging gracefully.
928-634-8200; www.jeromegrandhotel.com; 200 Hill St, Jerome; r $120-460
Sky Ranch Lodge
Set on 6 acres soaring 500ft above Sedona; drink in the views while sipping on local wines.
928-282-6400, www.skyranchlodge.com; Airport Rd, Sedona; r $75-190
Spirit Tree Inn
Each room of this historic ranch has desert views and the bunk house is good for small groups.
520-394-0121; www.spirittreeinn.com;
3 Harshaw Creed Rd, Patagonia; r from $95
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Into the Vortex | 
|
WHY GO These towers of red rock in Sedona don’t just glow with an otherworldly light at sunset, they concentrate Mother Earth’s mojo, or so say the many spiritual pilgrims here, such as tour guide Blair Carl. With a cleaned out body and mind, use the energy of Sedona to tune in to the cosmic radio.
TIME
2 days
DISTANCE
30 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Year-round
START
Sedona, AZ
END
Sedona, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
With a rapid-fire intensity, spiritual tour guide Blair Carl draws on references ranging from the Aztec calendar to the New Testament to the study of UFOs. “I tell people to think of themselves like a radio receiver where the tuner has been stuck on one station for a long time,” he says. “There are other frequencies out there but we need to quiet ourselves long enough to find them.”
It all starts with breathing, and reconnecting with the land, Carl explains. A guide for
Earth Wisdom Jeep Tours, he likes to gauge the openness of his passengers to New Age ideals by asking them questions about paranormal experiences they’ve already had.
Earth Wisdom Jeep Tours visit a few of Sedona’s most powerful vortexes, and participants get quiet time at each one to think, meditate or just bask in the view. Vortexes usually dwell in a specific rock formation or a canyon, and there’s no one official explanation on what a vortex really is. But, most believers agree that they give off spiritually empowering energy.
“Any vortex tour is a good way to learn about some of the power centers in Sedona and get some ideas on how to get grounded here. After that, I encourage people to strike out on their own,” says Carl. The most powerful vortexes are Boynton Canyon, Airport Rock, Bell Rock, and Cathedral Rock. But, as Carl says, feel it out for yourself.
To visit the vortexes solo, you’ll need a Red Rock Pass from the
Red Rock Ranger District to park for more than a few minutes in the forest around Sedona; it takes longer than that to get settled for a deep-breathing session. While there, pick up a free map of area hiking and picnic spots. Or get the pass at visitor centers, the ranger station or vending machines at some trailheads and picnic areas.
Carl tells people to eat differently when they come to Sedona seeking clarity, saying that a cleansed body and a cleansed mind go hand in hand. “If in your big-city life you’d normally drink martinis and eat steaks on vacation, try something different here or else you’re bringing the same energy to a new place,” he counsels.
Even taste buds accustomed to creamy, meaty fare will relish the vegan dishes at
D’lish Very Vegetarian. It dishes out a good selection of raw foods, which in some circles act as a shock treatment on the intestines to cleanse polluted bodies. Before giving a tour, Carl often stops at
Wildflower Bread Company on Sedona’s main strip. Lines can be long around lunchtime, but the to-go sandwiches provide the perfect sustenance for the body while the mind tries to tune in and turn on.
A well-rested person has a mind more open to whatever truth is out there, or so the thinking goes. Try resting that buzzing brain at one of the basic rooms at the
White House Inn, just a stone’s throw from D’lish Very Vegetarian and a short drive to spiritually super-charged Boynton Canyon.
Set on the banks of Oak Creek,
L’Auberge de Sedona recharges guests with pampering fit for a guru. The spa technicians knead the stress away, and testing the notion that you can never dip your toes in the same river twice is a great way to while away the day beside Oak Creek. No matter where visitors stay, Carl advises them to keep a pen and paper beside their bed to record their dreams, saying that some people have more intense dreams after a vortex visit.
Sedona’s man-made sacred spaces should not be missed. The spectacular
Chapel of the Holy Cross, a concrete church built into red-rock spires, offers great views of nearby Bell Rock. A consecrated Buddhist shrine,
Amitabha Stupa is set amid piñon and juniper pine and the ubiquitous rocks. According to Buddhist doctrine, anyone who reflects on a stupa is changed by its inherent holiness and grace. There’s a smaller stupa further down, and a path between the two is in the works to make it easier for walking meditation and to improve wheelchair accessibility.
The next morning, grab breakfast at
Bliss Café for the ultimate in body-cleansing food. It’s all raw and all organic. “For your final day, just keep doing more of the same. Get out and experience the land and feed your body healthy food,” Carl says. “Some people might want to visit a psychic or a healer, but just follow your gut. If you get the same feeling from a psychic as you get from those charlatans on TV, just thank them and walk away.”
PLAYLIST
It’s easy to score soundtracks of whale cries and other nature sound, but that doesn’t make for good driving music. Usher in enlightenment with:
- “New Age,” The Velvet Underground
- “Children of the Sun,” Billy Thorpe
- “Woodstock,” Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
- “You May Know Him,” Cat Power
- “I’m Beginning to See the Light,” The Velvet Underground
- “Atlantis,” Donovan
- “In the Light,” Led Zeppelin
- “Landslide,” Fleetwood Mac
If you’ve still got that feeling for some spiritual healing, stop in at the friendly
Center for the New Age for a cure for whatever ails you. It has a huge selection of books, crystals and healing stones and a long menu of services, including vortex tours.
What’s the sound of one hand clapping? Cynics would answer “slapping,” but the truth is, most people do leave Sedona feeling energized. Whether that’s from the natural beauty, taking the time to ponder life’s riddles, or the vortex radiation that thaws a frozen soul, it doesn’t matter so much. Sedona is special, and special things happen here.
Josh Krist
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Sedona is 120 miles north of Phoenix via I-17 and Hwy 179.
DO
Amitabha Stupa
From Hwy 89A, turn right on Andante, left on Pueblo, then head up the gated trail on the right to the Buddhist shrines. Soon to be wheelchair accessible.
928-300-4435; www.stupas.org; Sedona;
year-round
Center for the New Age
Find out the color of your aura, regress into past lives or have a psychic tell you the challenges your future holds.
928-282-2085; www.sedonanewagecenter.com; 341 Hwy 179, Sedona;
8:30am-8:30pm
Chapel of the Holy Cross
Three miles south of town on Hwy 179. Drink in the stellar views of vortex heavyweight Bell Rock.
928-282-4069; 780 Chapel Rd, Sedona;
9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm Sun
Earth Wisdom Jeep Tours
With morning, noonish and sunset tours, it also offers outings with a Native American focus.
928-282-4714; www.earthwisdomtours.com; 293 N Hwy 89A, Sedona; tours $68-98
Red Rock Ranger District
Drop by for a Red Rock Pass (can be purchased online or by phone too) or area maps and information.
928-203-2900; www.redrockcountry.org; 8375 Hwy 179, Sedona; day/week pass $5/15;
8am-5pm
EAT
Bliss Café
The place to go for the ultimate in body-cleansing raw food. It also has plenty of chocolate creations that are pure bliss.
928-282-2997; 1595 W Hwy 89A, Sedona; mains $6.50-12.50;
11am-8pm Mon-Sat, 11am-6pm Sun
D’Lish Very Vegetarian
Try the tamari-glazed walnut burgers or raw zucchini pasta. Earth Wisdom tours often stop here for a bathroom break after Boynton Canyon.
928-203-9393; 3190 W Hwy 89A, Sedona; dishes $6-12;
11am-8pm
Wildflower Bread Company
Both vegetarian- and carnivore-friendly sandwiches are sure to please here, and budget-conscious travelers can stock up on basics.
928-204-2223; 101 N Hwy 89A, Sedona; dishes $5-10;
breakfast, lunch & dinner
SLEEP
L’Auberge de Sedona
One of the most opulent properties around keeps winning awards from travel magazines. A riverside cottage is nirvana on earth.
928-282-1661; www.lauberge.com; 301 Auberge Ln, Sedona; r/cottages from $175/275
White House Inn
Not quite fit for a president, the friendly management makes this good-value, basic motel that much better.
928-282-6680; www.sedonawhitehouseinn.com; 2986 W Hwy 89A, Sedona; r $65-100
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Sedona Red Rock Adventure | 
|
WHY GO Want an active vacation with a healthy dash of comfort? Take the rolling hills and gentle trails of Sedona, stir in a little woo-woo New Age vortex energy, add a splash of watery fun from nearby Oak Creek and you’ve got the winning recipe for a red rock adventure.
TIME
3 – 4 days
DISTANCE
90 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Year-round
START
Sedona, AZ
END
Sedona, AZ
Mountain biking draws the most outdoor adventurers to Sedona, but those who prefer their own rubber soles to a knobby tire can get a move on, too. Almost all biking paths double as hiking paths, plus there are several stunning riverside hikes in nearby Oak Creek Canyon.
Sedona is not all about hiking and biking, though. All sorts of crazy outdoor escapades, from climbs up mighty Cathedral Rock to tubing Oak Creek or kayaking Lynx Lake, are offered by
Sedona Adventure Outfitters & Guides. The group gets bonus points for the “Water to Wine” tour, which mixes floating down a river with wine tasting in a way that’s just so, well, Sedona.
If you’re a DIY type, swing by
Red Rock Ranger District, the place to pick up a free Red Rock Country Recreation Guide. It’s worth checking out the website for a printable map that shows camping spots, picnic areas and trails throughout greater Sedona and Oak Creek.
Travelers coming here to enjoy the great outdoors will appreciate everything
Southwest Inn at Sedona is doing to protect it: the high-ceilinged rooms are filled with energy-saving fixtures (low-water toilets, ceiling fans, fluorescent lights), gas fireplaces and the full range of amenities. The 23-room
Matterhorn Inn has private balconies, perfect for stargazing and resting one’s weary body after a hard day on the trails.
Groups of four will have a grand ole time in a unit at the
Lantern Light Inn. Lovely gardens + quaint Euro-flavored courtyard rooms + proprietors who help you get the most out of your vacation = an excellent deal.
Make a picnic pit stop at
New Frontiers Natural Market & Deli. Any trail is doable with creamy French cheese rounds, a bottle of red wine and fresh-baked bread stashed in your bag. If nothing else, the market is a good place to stock up on water. Even though Sedona is where locals come to escape the scorching summer in other parts of the state, that old devil sun is still strong here.
Mountain bikers will go ga-ga over Sedona’s sheer variety of trails, which include lots of single-track routes carving through the red rocks and dipping down into canyons. Bikes aren’t permitted in some wilderness areas, but there are plenty of signs posted so don’t worry too much about stumbling into forbidden territory.
A great ride for first-timers is the easy but beautiful Bell Rock Pathway. You can hop on across the street from
Bike & Bean, a blissful combo of coffee bar, bike-rental place, and information/encouragement provider. The 7-mile round-trip crosses lots of other hiking and biking paths, and it’s easy to spend a day exploring.
For experienced riders, there’s plenty of poking around on the tracks behind
Mountain Bike Heaven near Airport Mesa. Yes, the airport here really does sit atop a flattened hill (making it America’s most scenic airport, according to locals). It’s near a New Age vortex of higher-powered energy, and airport officials in charge of the restaurant occasionally airlift fresh crab to the airport’s restaurant.
ASK A LOCAL
“[Uptown Sedona] seems to be a bit of a New Age tourist trap. I think it’s good to just get out into the rocks and feel what the earth has to offer, which by itself is pretty impressive. The first weeks I was here I did what I can only describe as an emotional detox, and that was just from being present, not from any healing work.”
Paul Dunn, a New Zealander drawn to Sedona
Because hikers don’t have to worry about the sharp descents and technical skills (or lack thereof) that can send mountain bikers helmet-over-heels into rockpiles, finding a sweet walking trail here is easy. Try
Sedona Sports for recommendations; it also rents GPS units, walking sticks, outdoor-ready baby carriers and mountain bikes, and sells fishing licenses and gear for would-be Oak Creek anglers.
Just driving around the outskirts of Sedona is a good way to find lightly trodden hiking spots, but if serendipity isn’t your bag, any time is a good time to drive the winding 7-mile Red Rock Loop Rd, which is exactly what it sounds like. The drive is paved except for one short section and provides access into
Red Rock State Park, which has a picnic area next to Oak Creek and six easy hiking trails.
Phew. You’ve earned the right to get that newly bronzed and toned body to
Mago for a massage – choices include a mud hand massage, deep neck kneading and intestinal healing, all at decent prices. The massage space is hidden behind the 1st-floor café. This being Sedona, there are spiritual consultations on offer, too. Perhaps the most refreshing way to unwind is at
Oak Creek Brewing Company. The microbrewery has been racking up medals at beer festivals for ages. The Hefeweizen beer has particularly restorative post-trail powers.
SKY-HIGH
As you might have guessed, it’s easy to get high in Sedona – just ring up Northern Light Balloon Expeditions ( 928-282-2274; www.northernlightballoon.com). They’ll pick you up at your hotel and take you up and away at sunrise, when Sedona’s reds and golds are at their most vivid. After an hour aloft, they’ll return you to solid ground for a champagne breakfast.
Continue with hiking and biking the next day. Or, if the muscles protest too much, saddle up for a different flavor of sore at
M Diamond Ranch and let a horse do the heavy lifting. The Diamond is a working cattle ranch 14 miles south of town, and it takes small groups on trail rides through the rolling tan and red-rocked land.
For another magical experience, follow Hwy 89A into Oak Creek Canyon and check out
Slide Rock State Park. Short trails ramble past an apple orchard and old farm equipment, but the park’s biggest draw are the natural rock slides that swoosh you down into the Oak Creek. This park is jam-packed in summer and traffic in the area can get brutal, so come early or late in the day to avoid the worst congestion.
RED ROCK PASSES
To park in the forest, you’ll need to buy a Red Rock Pass (www.redrockcountry.org) from visitors centers, the ranger station or vending machines at some trailheads and picnic areas. Passes go on your dashboard and cost $5 per day or $15 per week. Applicable areas are plastered with signs, which you can ignore if stopping briefly for a photograph.
Under ideal conditions Oak Creek is an enchantress, and will inspire those taken with her to sleep in her green embrace. The
USFS oversees the camping spots along Oak Creek Canyon. Some are first-come, first-serve, and others accept reservations. Just be sure to arrive on Thursday night or very early on Friday morning to grab an unreserved spot, especially in the summer months.
If you want to sleep near the water of Oak Creek but don’t feel like camping,
Garland’s Oak Creek Lodge, set 8 miles into the canyon, combines rustic elegance with the casual comfort of your best friend’s pad. Rates include a full hot breakfast, cocktails and a gourmet dinner made from organic produce grown on the premises. Adults craving a quiet, authentic getaway flock to the place, and it’s often booked solid.
For a good lunch before leaving these scenic environs, try
Shugrue’s Hillside Grill. With panoramic views and an outdoor deck to enjoy them, the restaurant serves top-drawer food without a lot of pomp. Fresh fish prepared umpteen ways is just one reason this place is perennially packed to the gills.
If horseback riding at M Diamond Ranch awakened your frontier spirit, have dinner at the
Cowboy Club. It rustles up a fine buffalo burger (or filet mignon, if you’re feeling fancy) and you can chow down while perusing the Western-themed wall decor.
Josh Krist
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Sedona is 30 miles south of Flagstaff on Hwy 89A.
DO
Bike & Bean
Easy hiking, biking and vortex-gazing lie just across the street from this cool shop; it’s about 5 miles south of town.
928-284-0210; www.bike-bean.com; 6020 Hwy 179, Sedona; bike hire 2hr/day from $25/$40
M Diamond Ranch
Offering horseback trips that remind you Sedona was once the Wild West. The ranch also hosts cowboy cookouts.
928-300-6466; www.mdiamondranch.com; 3055 N Forest Rd 618, Rimrock; 1-/2-hr rides $69/90;
Mon-Sat
Mago
The massage and consultation space hides behind the 1st-floor café; follow the unicorn and rainbow paintings. Sedona Story;
928-282-3875; www.sedonastory.com; 207 N Hwy 89A, Sedona; massages from $15
Mountain Bike Heaven
It’s just like the name says, and there’s lots of riding just behind the store.
928-282-1312; www.mountainbikeheaven.com; 1695 W Hwy 89A, Sedona; per day/week $40/140
Red Rock Ranger District
Stop in for a Red Rock Pass (also available online or by phone) or area maps and information; just south of the village of Oak Creek.
928-203-2900; www.redrockcountry.org; 8375 Hwy 179, Sedona; per day/week $5/15;
8am-5pm
Red Rock State Park
Take ranger-led nature walks year-round, or moonlight hikes from April to October.
928-282-6907; www.azstateparks.com; Lower Red Rock Loop Rd; per vehicle $6;
8am-7pm May-Aug, 8am-6pm Apr & Sep, 8am-5pm Oct-Mar;
Sedona Adventure Outfitters & Guides
The one-stop shop for outdoor adventure tours ranging from bird-watching to vineyard floating to hiking.
928-204-6440; www.sedonahiking.com; 2020 Contractors Rd, Sedona; tours from $48
Sedona Sports
It rents ’most everything a family of hikers or bikers could need.
928-282-1317; www.sedonasports.com; 251 Hwy 179, Sedona; bike rentals per half-/full-day $25/35;
Slide Rock State Park
Swoosh down big rocks into the cool creek water or walk the hiking trails. Call for water-quality reports.
928-282-3034; www.azstateparks.com; Sedona; per vehicle Sep-May $8, Jun-Aug $10;
8am-7pm Jun-Aug, 8am-6pm Mar, Apr, Sep & Oct, 8am-5pm Nov-Feb
EAT
Cowboy Club
Home of the prickly-pear margarita and lots of beef. There’s both a kid-friendly and adult-only section.
928-282-4200; www.cowboyclub.com; 241 N Hwy 89A, Sedona; mains lunch $9-16, dinner $15-25;
11am-10pm;
New Frontiers Natural Market & Deli
Healthy groceries and nourishment to pack into a picnic basket.
928-282-6311; 1420 W Hwy 89A, Sedona; sandwiches $5;
8am-8pm
Oak Creek Brewing Company
Biking and brews fit together here perfectly. There’s a more upscale (and touristed) outpost at Tlaquepaque village.
928-204-1300; 2050 Yavapai Dr, Sedona; dishes $9-15;
lunch & dinner
Shugrue’s Hillside Grill
Great food without having to dress up too fancy-pants; lots of seafood.
928-282-5300; www.shugrues.com; 671 Hwy 179, Sedona; mains lunch $9-18, dinner $25-30;
lunch & dinner
SLEEP
Garland’s Oak Creek Lodge
Often booked solid months in advance. Call ahead for cancellations, especially on weekdays.
928-282-3343; www.garlandslodge.com; 8067 N Hwy 89A, Sedona; cabins $235-290;
Apr–mid-Nov
Lantern Light Inn
Check-in is Thursday to Saturday night only, but you can stay through the week.
928-282-3419; www.lanternlightinn.com; 3085 W Hwy 89A, Sedona; r $130-195, guesthouses 2-/4-people $225/310
Matterhorn Inn
The outdoor pool and Jacuzzi are nice for post-hike unwinding; floating on your back you can see the towering red rocks. Pets are $10.
928-282-7176; www.matterhorninn.com; 230 Apple Ave, Sedona; r $120-180;
Southwest Inn at Sedona
Upper units have the best views. Low water usage for plants and lots of recycling are just a few of the green touches.
928-282-3344; www.swinn.com; 3250 W Hwy 89A, Sedona; r incl breakfast $130-240
USFS
Operates five campgrounds along N Hwy 89A: Bootlegger, Cave Springs, Manzanita, Pine Flat East, and Pine Flat West. Search the website for rates and availability.
877-444-6777; www.recreation.gov; Sedona
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Tracing Arizona’s Cultures | 
|
WHY GO From the Native Americans who first called this place home to the successive waves of adventurers who came to Arizona in search of fame, fortune or just a better life, the history of Arizona is the sum of its pioneering people. Strike it rich – in stories, at least – by retracing their steps.
TIME
3 days
DISTANCE
450 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Year-round
START
Flagstaff, AZ
END
Bisbee, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
On a journey from the north of the state to one of the southernmost cities, get ready to trek across more than 1000 years of history. Start at the beginning – or as close to it as possible – in the mountain town of Flagstaff, where the cool climes, plentiful water and food-giving forest must have seemed a godsend to the area’s first inhabitants. The
Museum of Northern Arizona is an essential introduction to Native American culture, especially in the northern half of the state.
Move forward in time to an Arizona that wasn’t yet a state as you head south on I-17 for 63 miles and look for the signs to Prescott. There, the
Sharlot Hall Museum is a fun place even for the museum-adverse. Instead of the typical museum experience of looking at exhibits, here you wander into log cabins to see them decked out in period furnishings.
Just down the street from the museum, check into the good old days at the
Hassayampa Inn. Opened in 1927, just 15 years after Arizona became a state, it’s a good place to get a feel for the days when everybody really did know your name. Prescott feels like a Midwestern town with its antique shops and people who say hi to strangers.
Say “so long, friend” to the Midwestern vibe and head south to thoroughly modern Phoenix. Catching the I-17 is the quickest way to traverse the 100-or-so miles. Have lunch at the all-organic
Arcadia Farms Café and visit the
Heard Museum, where the café is located. In the museum, peruse the photographs of the late US senator Barry Goldwater, who traveled the state far and wide with his camera and picked up Native American art along the way – much of it on display here.
History and fresh minty flavors collide with a bang at
Pho Bang. It’s US senator and former POW John McCain’s favorite Vietnamese place in Phoenix – at least according a signed photograph of him that used to adorn the place. At 17th Ave and Camelback Rd, it’s just 4 miles from the Heard Museum.
To experience a little slice of Japan transplanted to the desert, head 6 miles south to 3rd Ave and Culver St and wander the
Japanese Friendship Garden. This 3.5-acre park has a koi pond, stone bridges over small ponds, a 12ft waterfall and a tea house. Planners from Phoenix’s sister city of Himeji helped design this oasis of calm.
Nearby, at 3rd and Jefferson Streets, pay homage at the
Sun Mercantile Building to the Chinese who came west to build the railways. It’s the last building left from Phoenix’s Chinatown and activists are fighting to keep it standing. Notice how many of the historic homes in this area have huge front porches; before air conditioning, that’s where locals slept on summer nights.
Continue east another 6 miles to see the center of Chinese food and shopping in Phoenix today, the
COFCO Chinese Cultural Center. Imagine a strip mall where all the buildings look like pagodas. There are more than a dozen places to eat and shop here, and the Super L Ranch Market is worth a peek inside for the live fish tanks. Stroll through the on-site gardens – laid out according to the principles of feng shui – to check out replicated landmarks from five ancient Chinese cities. On Chinese holidays the center hosts dances and celebrations.
Let that good Chinese food settle on the 120-mile drive to Tucson through long stretches of suburb that finally give way to citrus fields and patches of tan sand. Spend a night at the
Arizona Inn, another bit of respite from modern times. Sip coffee on the porch, take high tea in the library, lounge by the small pool or join in a game of croquet.
The next morning, take another time warp at the
Arizona State Museum, the oldest and largest anthropology museum in the state. The museum follows the cultural history of the Southwestern tribes, from Stone Age mammoth hunters to the present. With signs in Spanish all over the city, you can bet Mexican culture is alive and well in Tucson. Be sure to cruise through the barrio historico, a neighborhood bounded by I-10, Stone Ave, and Cushing and 17th Sts. You’ll be treated to great examples of typical Sonoran architecture; houses have colorful, thick adobe walls and those sleeping porches make another appearance.
For a taste of the wild and woolly history of mining, and copper’s huge impact on early Arizona (really), take I-10 east to Hwy 80 south to get to Bisbee, once the biggest city between St Louis and San Francisco thanks to the Queen Mine: a major source of copper for cities installing electric lights in the early 1900s. This town on a hill with crazy up-and-down streets was revived by flower-power types in the 1970s who snatched up the Victorian-style houses for a song once the mine shut and the town emptied.
DETOUR
To experience more of the Spanish influence in the region, head 10 miles south of Tucson on I-19 to Mission San Xavier del Bac. Blindingly white on the outside, candles and the murmured prayers of the faithful fill the dark interior. Franciscan friars have been conducting services here for two centuries, primarily for the Tohono O’odham. The Spanish, by the way, are the ones who called the Tohono O’odham people Papagos – a slightly insulting term that means “bean-eater.”
The
Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum does a fantastic job of explaining the decisive role that copper mining played in Arizona’s history and traces Bisbee’s journey from small copper camp to rip-roaring boom town to ghost town. End the trip with a few days at the
Bisbee Grand Hotel to relive history – or make some of your own – in one of the themed suites: the Victorian, the Oriental, the Hacienda, and the Western, where you sleep on a bed set inside a covered wagon. Yee-haw!
Josh Krist
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Prescott is 95 miles southwest of Flagstaff via I-17.
DO
Arizona State Museum
Billed as the oldest and largest anthropology museum in the state.
520-621-6302; www.statemuseum.arizona.edu; 1013 E University Blvd, Tucson; suggested donation $3;
10am-5pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun
Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum
A two-level museum that brings Bisbee’s riotous heyday back to life.
520-432-7071; www.bisbeemuseum.org; 5 Copper Queen Plaza, Bisbee; adult/child/senior $7.50/3/6.50;
10am-4pm
COFCO Chinese Cultural Center
After wandering the gardens for free, check out one of the four restaurants here that serve the spectrum of Asian food.
602-273-7268; www.phxchinatown.com; 668 N 44th St, Phoenix;
garden 8am-8pm
Heard Museum
Guided tours run at noon, 1:30pm or 3pm (no extra charge) and audio guides are available for $3.
602-252-8848; www.heard.org; 2301 N Central Ave, Phoenix; adult/child/student/senior $10/3/5/9;
9:30am-5pm
Japanese Friendship Garden
Check the schedule for tea ceremony dates or to book a private ceremony for groups.
602-256-3204; www.japanesefriendshipgarden.org; 1125 N 3rd Ave, Phoenix; adult/child $5/free;
10am-3pm Tue-Sun Sep-May
Museum of Northern Arizona
The premier museum in the northern half of the state is set 3 miles north of downtown Flagstaff.
928-774-5213; www.musnaz.org; 3101 N Fort Valley Rd, Flagstaff; adult/teen/student/senior $7/4/5/6;
9am-5pm
Sharlot Hall Museum
Restored buildings include an old schoolhouse and a governor’s residence.
928-445-3122; www.sharlot.org; 415 W Gurley St, Prescott; adult/child $5/free;
10am-4pm Mon-Sat, noon-4pm Sun
EAT
Arcadia Farms Café
Uses only organic ingredients for its menu of salads, soups and sandwiches – all with Southwestern zing.
602-251-0204; www.arcadiafarmscafe.com; 2301 N Central Ave, Phoenix; mains $11-15;
9:30am-3pm
Pho Bang
A slice of Vietnam in a not-so-pretty part of Phoenix; service and decor are only OK, but the food is as authentic as it gets.
602-433-9440; 1702 W Camelback Rd, Phoenix; mains $5-8;
10am-9pm
SLEEP
Arizona Inn
Built by Isabella Greenway, Arizona’s first congresswoman and a close friend of Eleanor Roosevelt’s. The grand old lady still impresses.
520-325-1541; www.arizonainn.com; 2200 E Elm St, Tucson; r $205-550
Bisbee Grand Hotel
Choose your own thematic adventure in one of the six suites in this restored 1906 building.
520-432-5900; www.bisbeegrandhotel.com; 61 Main St, Bisbee; r $79-175
Hassayampa Inn
It lives up to its mission of melding yesteryear’s charm with modern amenities. Breakfast included.
928-778-9434; www.hassayampainn.com; 122 E Gurley St, Prescott; r $150-250
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Flagstaff’s Northern Playground | 
|
WHY GO Skiing in winter? Yep. Rock climbing, hiking and killer mountain biking in summer? Check, check and check. Flagstaff has you covered season by season. The San Francisco Peaks just north of town are action central – strap in for a downhill ride where the pine trees whoosh by in a green blur.
TIME
3 – 5 days
DISTANCE
60 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Apr – Sep
START
Flagstaff, AZ
END
Flagstaff, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
The 20-mile radius around Flagstaff is Arizona’s playground. Come summer, locals in the hot southern half of the state escape to the cooler altitudes here. In winter, many a Phoenix-area resident has lived the dream of swimming in the morning and schussing down snowy slopes in the afternoon.
No matter what the season, you’ll need to set up base camp first. Loads of chain hotels and motels spread out along Route 66, but there’s enough low-cost quirk within walking distance of downtown that it’s a shame to depend on a car during such a sporty vacation. Flagstaff’s two hostels are just south of the train tracks, a maximum 10-minute walk from downtown eating and drinking. Global adventurers of all ages are welcome at
Grand Canyon International Hostel. There’s a laundry and kitchen on site, and staff can set up the carless (or people who want a break from driving) on well-priced Grand Canyon and Sedona tours. The hostel’s sister property,
Dubeau Hostel, adds a jukebox, pool tables and foosball to the mix, and attracts a lively crowd. Book in advance to get one of the spartan but comfy-enough private rooms.
Both of the hostels sit mercifully close to
Hip, an inexpensive, super-friendly vegetarian restaurant. How they make the vegan enchilada (no meat, no cheese) so flavorsome boggles the mind, but it’s so good you might just order seconds.
ASK A LOCAL
“The hike to the top of Humphries is supercool – and there’s a back way into the mountain: the volcano basin. It’s the only place in Arizona with an alpine climate. I’ve been there a couple times and it’s the greenest place in Arizona I’ve seen.”
James LaPointe, long-time Arizona hiker
The
Weatherford Hotel is another central place to rest those barking dogs after a hard day hiking. Built in 1898 in Flagstaff’s historic city center, the small property has a faded charm and pretty good prices – as well as a few friendly ghosts. Three of the 10 rooms share a bathroom.
If it’s winter, ascend the slopes of the San Francisco Peaks at
Arizona Snowbowl. The resort’s 32 ski runs are just the beginning – there’s also a terrain park that sees sick shredding by snowboarders, lessons, rentals, meals at the two day lodges and cabins for overnight stays. The powder situation can be wildly unpredictable, so call ahead for conditions. The resort is located 7 miles northwest of Flagstaff on Hwy 180, then another 7 miles on Snowbowl Rd.
If telemarking is more your style, there’s nice cross-country skiing at
Flagstaff Nordic Center, 15 miles northwest of Flagstaff. Marked snowshoe trails and a sledding hill round out the winter fun. Actually, sledding is one of Flagstaff’s most beloved sports, and almost every hardware and grocery store sells cheap sleds in season.
When it’s not winter, this northern area – designated the Kachina Peaks Wilderness Area in 1984 – has a slew of hiking trails worth a day or two of exploration. The trail to the summit of
Mt Humphries, the state’s highest peak (12,633 ft), begins at Arizona Snowbowl. The first third of the 4.5-mile journey consists of long, looping switchbacks up the side of the mountain. Even if you have no intention of summiting, the fields of wild flowers and stands of cool pines make the trip worthwhile.
DETOUR
About 100 miles southwest of Flagstaff is Granite Mountain Wilderness, a center for rock climbing, hiking, fishing and camping. Just 20 minutes away from Prescott via paved roads, the popular 9799-acre area is anchored by the dark, massive slab of – that’s right – Granite Mountain. The huge boulders that line many of the hiking paths make the place feel otherworldly. Fido is welcome as long as he’s on a leash.
Hardy hikers will love the last third of the trek to the peak – crossing barren fields of volcanic stone above the tree line, it feels like another world. A small rock shelter on the mountain top protects hikers from the cold wind that screams across the bare landscape. Be sure to bring a windbreaker and warm hat. No other trail rivals the view from up here – under perfect conditions you can make out the Grand Canyon, 50 miles north.
Several other hikes in the area afford more leisurely strolling, and most have easy-to-find trailheads and well-marked routes. Not easy, but close to Flagstaff, the steep, 3-mile trek up 9299ft
Mt Elden rewards with impressive vistas. The trailhead is just past the ranger station on Hwy 89.
No matter what a trail’s level of difficulty, realize that you’re starting from at least 6900ft of elevation in Flagstaff, and most hikes start even higher than that. This means there’s less oxygen in the air, and you’ll likely be huffing and puffing more than usual. Altitude sickness is a real concern, so take it easy. Note, too, that some trails have snow on them into late spring.
If you didn’t bring your own gear,
Peace Surplus has hiking, climbing, backpacking and fishing equipment, and a good-sized library of guidebooks for sale. Just a few blocks away,
Aspen Sports rents backpacks, sleeping bags and tents, as well as skis in winter.
Given that Flagstaff is a college town set in the mountains, it should come as no surprise that half the population spends their weekend astride a mountain bike. But, whereas Sedona has plenty of riding trails for all levels of mountainbikers, the rides in Flagstaff range from challenging to insane. Many trails are close to downtown, but as Bryce Wright (aka “Brycicle”) of
AZ Bikes explains, “The trails are pretty much straight up or straight down, and not for absolute beginners.” AZ Bikes rents basic hard-tail and full-suspension mountain bikes, and Bryce and crew can provide details on nearby trails.
No matter what bike shop you use, buy a map or book by Cosmic Ray. His information on Flagstaff rides is invaluable, and the Arizona Mountain Bike Trail Guide: Fat Tire Tales & Trails is worth its weight in energy bars if you’re planning on visiting other biking spots in the state. Ray’s Fave Hikes: Flagstaff & Sedona has the footprint profiles of area animals inside the front cover – it’s nice to see what critters you’re crossing paths with.
The easiest biking trails in the area are accessible from
Buffalo Park, 2 miles northeast of downtown off E Cedar Ave (starts as E Forest Ave). Head to the back of the park – really a big urban walking and biking loop – to get on the gently rolling, wide multiuse paths.
For those looking to ratchet up the adrenaline, you can rock climb all around northern Arizona. And unlike the state’s southern region, the stone rarely gets too hot to handle. The best place to dial in to the local scene is
Vertical Relief climbing center: it’s “chalk” full of information, gear and, of course, indoor climbing walls. For beginners, the center has a course ($69) with two hours of personal instruction. It can also arrange climbing guides with advance notice.
For bouldering – the art of solving climbing “problems” low enough to the ground that a rope isn’t needed – visit
Priest Draw. Imagine lots of steep overhangs and roof problems with big pocket holds. None of the problems are too high – just remember to peel off feet first and all will be fine. Priest Draw is 12 miles southeast of Flagstaff, on National Forest Rd 235. Take Lake Mary Rd to Lake Crimson Rd.
If you prefer the sharp end of a rope, the
Overlook, 10 miles south of Flagstaff on Hwy 89A, is a canyon wall full of crack-filled basalt and stellar views of Oak Creek below. Climbers still getting comfortable with heights should know that even though the climbs are no more than 100ft in length, the ground looks a dizzying distance away because of the topography. It’s 100% traditional climbing – no bolts allowed.
All this outdoor adventure is bound to make you hungry. Downtown has loads of places to choose from, but
Bun Huggers has been the favorite post-hike/ride/climb spot among locals for decades. After a hard day outside, its juicy burgers taste like…victory.
Before leaving town, make time for a trip to
Lava River Cave. Dress warmly and bring a flashlight for this 0.75-mile pitch-black lava tube, where the temperature is about 40°F year-round. Formed 700,000 years ago by molten rock, you can still see evidence of the lava flow in the frozen ripples of the floor. It takes at least an hour round-trip to walk through. The walls of the tubular cave are bare – no groovy stalactites here – but it’s a cool way to spend an afternoon.
Admission is free and access is year-round, but roads are closed in winter, so in the colder months you have to cross-country ski or snowshoe in. Travel north on Hwy 180 for 9 miles, turn left 3 miles on Forest Rd 245 (at milepost 230), left again on Forest Rd 171 for 1 mile and one more left on Forest Rd 171B.
At this point there’s only one thing left to say about Flagstaff, and we mean it in the nicest possible way: get out of town, now.
Josh Krist
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Flagstaff is located where I-40, I-17 and Hwy 89A meet.
DO
Arizona Snowbowl
Four chair lifts service 32 runs (beginner through expert). In summer, the resort operates a scenic sky ride.
928-779-1951, snow report
928-779-4577; www.arizonasnowbowl.com; Snowbowl Rd, Flagstaff; half-/full day $40/48
Aspen Sports
Don’t want to bother with hauling your gear to Flagstaff? Aspen rents backpacks, sleeping bags, tents, skis and related equipment.
928-779-1935; 15 N San Francisco St, Flagstaff;
10am-6pm Mon-Sat
AZ Bikes
The place for all your mountain-biking needs – Bryce Wright, aka “Brycicle,” is happy to suggest trail rides.
928-773-9881; 5 E Aspen St, Flagstaff; full-day mountain bike rental $30;
10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat & Sun
Flagstaff Nordic Center
Ground zero for cross-country skiing. The season is short so call ahead to make sure it’s open. Snow-showing trails nearby.
928-220-0550; www.flagstaffnordiccenter.com; Hwy 180, Coconino County; trail passes $10-15
Peace Surplus
The friendly, helpful staff are more than willing to share their knowledge of northern Arizona’s outdoor-action spots.
928-779-4521; www.peacesurplus.com; 14 W Rte 66, Flagstaff;
8am-9pm Mon-Fri, 8am-8pm Sat, 8am-6pm Sun
Vertical Relief
Rock climbers should make this their first stop for gear and info.
928-556-9909; www.verticalrelief.com; 205 S San Francisco St, Flagstaff; day pass $15;
10am-11pm Mon-Fri, noon-8pm Sat & Sun
EAT
Bun Huggers
Meat-lovers adore the mesquite-grilled burgers. Ice-cold beer is on tap, as well.
928-779-3743; 901 S Milton Rd, Flagstaff; meals under $8;
10:30am-1am
Hip
Hip people serve good food that’s both meat- and attitude-free.
928-226-8636; www.hipvegetarianjoint.com; 117 S San Francisco St, Flagstaff; mains from $8;
11am-8pm Sun-Thu, 11am-9pm Fri & Sat
SLEEP
Dubeau Hostel
The private rooms are like very basic hotel rooms, but at half the price. Rates include breakfast.
928-774-6731, 800-398-7112; www.grandcanyonhostel.com; 19 W Phoenix Ave, Flagstaff; dm $18-20, r $41-48
Grand Canyon International Hostel
One of the best independent hostels in the state; it’s super clean, run by friendly people. More perks: big free breakfasts and a video lending library.
928-779-9421; www.grandcanyonhostel.com; 19 S San Francisco St, Flagstaff; dm $18-20, r $38-45
Weatherford Hotel
Eight snug, low-frills rooms (three share one bathroom) and two larger, spiffy ones.
928-779-1919; www.weatherfordhotel.com; 23 N Leroux St, Flagstaff; r $50-130
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
- TRIP
- 2 Motoring the Mother Road: Route 66
- 17 Photographing Monument Valley
- 24 Sedona Red Rock Adventure
Return to beginning of chapter
Day Trips from Phoenix |
|
From rows of antique shops to the heart of cowboy country to the city of the future that looks straight out of Star Wars, the Valley of the Sun has many little worlds of adventure circling around it.
PAYSON
Pack a Western novel by Zane Grey and drive up to the cooler climes of Payson. Home to the longes-running rodeo in the United States, buckaroos descend on the town in the middle of August every year to whoop it up. The capital of Rim Country, this is where the desert ends and the ponderosa pines and sheer cliffs of the Mogollon Rim begin. Check out the Rim Country Museum for a glimpse of Payson’s Wild West past and take a gander at Zane Grey’s reconstructed log cabin. Grab some chow at the Beeline Cafe – as small town and apple pie as you can imagine. Head north to the Tonto Natural Bridge – discovered by a miner on the run from Apaches – and hide out in the lush vegetation with your book. Read a few passages and you’ll soon see this beautiful country with the same poetic eye as Grey himself. Take Hwy 87, aka the Beeline, north for 90 miles. From Payson, Tonto Natural Bridge State Park is an additional 12 miles north on Hwy 87. This last stretch is full of hairpin curves; they don’t call it the Beeline for nothing.
See also TRIP 19
WICKENBURG
A lot of places in Arizona will give you a taste of its pioneering past, but Wickenburg wins the award for most authentic. You won’t look at the cowboys in Wickenburg, you’ll get to play one, if even for just a day. Mosey along on the back of a horse for a few hours, take a jeep tour through the gorgeous desert – after rain the smell of the desert is inspiring, something you’ll never forget – or take a historic walking tour. For more of the Old West, take a self-guided tour of Vulture Mine, the hole in the ground that spat out “... tons of gold from the late 1800s until it was closed in 1942, and finish up with a stop at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum. Birders can say hi to their web-footed friends at the Hassayampa River Preserve; 240 species of birds flock together here and it’s a rare chance to see the underground Hassayampa River sparkle in the sun. Take Hwy 60 (Grand Ave) northwest for 60 miles. Vulture Mine is 2 miles west of Wickenburg on Hwy 60, then follow Vulture Mine Rd south for 12 miles. Hassayampa River Preserve is 3 miles southeast of Wickenburg.
DOWNTOWN GLENDALE
As close as a person can get to Small Town, USA, and still stay in the Valley of the Sun. Full of festivals, chocoholics are sweet on the Chocolate Affaire – in the three days before Valentine’s the owner of Cerreta Candy Company displays a 300-pound chocolate heart. Umm, chocolate. The candy company is open for self-guided tours throughout the year, and it’s always a good time to go antique shopping in Glendale. Historic downtown Glendale is 10 city blocks full of charming white picket fence houses and jam-packed with antique stores. If someone in your party isn’t excited by antiques and chocolate, and if that person, male or female (no stereotyping here) happens to like football, drop them off for a few hours in Max’s Sports Bar – it has the largest collection of football helmets in the country. The fashion-forward love Glendale’s many mega-thrift stores. Sure, it takes some time, but since everything old is new again you score the fashions of tomorrow, today. Glendale is only 9 miles west of central Phoenix via Grand Ave, or take the Glendale Ave exit of either Loop 101 or I-17 (exit name is the same, but different locations).
WHITE TANK MOUNTAIN REGIONAL PARK
The 46-sq-mile park drapes across dramatic canyon landscape and is zigzagged by 26 miles of trails, including a grueling one to the top of the 4018ft summit. Come out here after a rainy spell to hike the Waterfall Trail – where after scrambling over some boulders you’re rewarded with the sight of luscious waterfalls. At the western edge of the valley, check to see what kind of special events are on that day. Park rangers sometimes do an easy Desert 101 hike that will teach even Arizona natives a thing or two and the two-hour stargazing sessions are a great way to spend the night after a day of hiking. The park entrance is about 20 miles west of I-17 via Dunlap/Olive Ave, and about 34 miles west of downtown Phoenix.
APACHE JUNCTION
Once a year Apache Junction is invaded by damsels in distress and people who talk with funny, supposedly medieval accents. When it’s not time for the Renaissance Festival (weekends February through March), this is the place to go for beautiful hiking in the Superstition Mountain Wilderness Area. First, though, stop at Goldfield Ghost Town outside of Apache Junction proper. High noon on weekends sees a mock gun fight at this Old West attraction, which really was a mining outpost back in its day. On Sunday, they even offer real church services to balance out all that outlawin’ you’ve been doing. Stop at the Superstition Mountain Museum to get the lowdown on these rugged, rocky crags; the stone spires here attract rock climbers from all over and there’s plenty of hiking at Lost Dutchman State Park, named after the mine just dripping with riches that is supposedly tucked away somewhere here. You’ll learn all about it at the museum. Happy treasure hunting. Apache Junction is 37 miles east of Phoenix on Hwy 60. To get to Goldfield Ghost Town, take Hwy 60 to Idaho Rd/Hwy 88 east and continue for 6.3 miles.
CAMP VERDE
Camp Verde was founded in 1865 as a farming settlement and was soon taken over by the US Army. They built a fort here – now Fort Verde State Historic Park – to prevent Indian raids on Anglo settlers. Walking around the well-preserved fort, you’ll see the officers’ and doctors’ quarters, sprint down the parade grounds and study displays about military life and the Indian Wars. Staff occasionally dress up in period costumes and conduct living-history tours; three houses have been completely decked out with period furnishings. It’s the best example of what a military outpost really looked like during this turbulent time in Arizona history. Camp Verde is 90 miles north of Phoenix. To get there, take exit 287 off I-17, go south on Hwy 260, turn left at Finnie Flat Rd and left again at Hollamon St.
ARCOSANTI
When you pull off the freeway to get to this place all you’ll see at first is a ramshackle few houses anchored by a gas station and a sign pointing the way. Follow the signs and a few miles of dirt road – your car will kick up a lot of dust, but the road is smooth and well traveled – and soon enough you’ll be in the parking lot, still wondering what all the fuss is about. Take the steps to the visitors center and sign up for a tour, then you’ll see a city that looks like what someone imagined the future to look like in 1970. After you understand the ideas behind all that faded concrete, you’ll realize the trip was more than worthwhile. The brainchild of ground-breaking architect and urban planner Paolo Soleri, this desert outpost of a new kind of urban planning is based on “acrology;” architecture meets ecology. Radical when conceived in the 1960s, Soleri’s ideas now seem on the cutting edge in this age of urban sprawl and global warming. If and when it is finished, Arcosanti will be a self-sufficient village for 5000 people with futuristic living spaces, large-scale greenhouses and solar energy. Spend some time in the gift shop – it sells the famous bronze bells – or grab a meal in the café. Cordes Junction, the little settlement near Arcosanti, is 65 miles north of Phoenix via I-17. Arcosanti is another 1½ miles from where the paved road ends.
See also TRIPS 18, 24, 26 & 29
SCOTTSDALE/CAVE CREEK
Yep, Scottsdale. Downtown Scottsdale, with all of its bars, restaurants and art, is worth a day, but what we’re talking about is North Scottsdale where the lucky few have desert homes. But for the most part it’s nothing but cactus in every imaginable shape and lots of mesquite trees to make those steaks you’re having later that much tastier. This is where Frank Lloyd Wright saw fit to base his home and architecture school, Taliesin West. The steak houses and woolly bars in this neck of the cacti satisfy: Reata Pass Steakhouse and the next-door Greasewood Flat are good for a lazy, well-irrigated Sunday. Wear a tie to Pinnacle Peak Patio Steakhouse and see what happens. Venture further west into Cave Creek and belly up to the bar at the Horny Toad, a bar-restaurant that locals use as a tasty excuse to see the beautiful landscape. Poke around on Cave Creek Rd; there are plenty of roadside stands selling Western-themed knickknacks and you gotta love the green-neon saguaro-shaped clock. Cave Creek Regional Park has 11 miles of hiking trails that dip up and down into arroyos (desert washes) and are open for mountain biking, hiking and horses. Cave Creek is 34 miles north of Phoenix via Loop 101 and Scottsdale Rd. It’s adjacent to North Scottsdale.
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Grand Canyon Region Trips |
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Written in Stone: Utah’s National Parks
Living in the Southwest, we know you’ve seen the Grand Canyon. It is the region’s trademark attraction, luring five million visitors a year. But even though you’ve seen this American icon a million times (admit it), you’re secretly impressed by its wedding-cake layers and crazy depth every time you snap a visiting friend’s picture from that famous viewpoint on the South Rim. Should you crave more than just another magical sunset photo, we’ve written 10 trips introducing you to this familiar attraction – and the surrounding region – from a different, more intimate angle. If you like solitude, try our Hiking the North Rim trip; those in search of spirits or art will explore the points of interest on Spirits of the South Rim and South Rim for Artists.
There’s a heck of a lot more to the Grand Canyon region than a big hole in the ground. And from the pleasures of Sin City to the truth behind Utah’s polygamist culture, we take you road tripping around the western tri-state area. The chapter opens with 48 hours of neon-drenched, outrageous, lose-your-inhibitions fun in America’s zany adult funhouse, Las Vegas. Other regional explorations cover lazing on house boats, drinking beer and swimming in Lake Powell’s clear turquoise water and getting impressed by red-rock arches and canyon country in Utah’s national parks.
PLAYLIST
Set the mood driving to America’s most iconic hole with this playlist. Not only does it include music about the Grand Canyon, it also gets you ready to party in Las Vegas and provides a soundtrack for driving through Utah’s trippy crimson canyonlands and narrow arches.
- “Grand Canyon,” Tracey Thorn
- “Paper Roses,” Marie Osmond
- “Utah Carol,” Marty Robbins
- “Luck Be a Lady Tonight,” Frank Sinatra
- “Leaving Las Vegas,” Sheryl Crow
- “Mr Brightside,” The Killers
- “Heaven or Las Vegas,” The Cocteau Twins
- “The Gambler,” Kenny Rogers
BEST GRAND CANYON REGION TRIPS
GRAND CANYON REGION TRIPS
- 28 Fantastic Canyon Voyage
- 36
Trail of the Ancients
- 29 Ghosts of the South Rim
- 30 South Rim Art
- 31
Hualapai & Havasupai Journey
- 32 Hiking the North Rim
- 33 Lazing on Lake Powell
- 35
Written in Stone: Utah’s National Parks
- 34
Polygamy Country
- 27 48 Hours in Las Vegas
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48 Hours in Las Vegas | 
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WHY GO Las Vegas is a wild ride. It doesn’t matter if you play the penny slots, lay down a bankroll on the poker tables or never gamble at all – you’ll leave this town feeling like you’ve just had the time of your life. Guaranteed.
TIME
2 days
BEST TIME TO GO
Apr– Jun
START
Las Vegas, NV
END
Las Vegas, NV
According to Hollywood legend, the day mobster Bugsy Siegel drove from LA into the Mojave Desert and decided to finish raising a glamorous, tropical-themed casino under the searing sun, all there was here were some ramshackle gambling houses, tumbleweeds and cacti. Nobody thought anyone would ever come here. But everybody couldn’t have been more wrong, baby.
Today, Las Vegas welcomes more visitors each year than the holy city of Mecca. In fact, it’s the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the USA. Admittedly, its tourist traps, especially on the infamous Strip, are nonstop party zones. But scratch beneath the surface, and you’ll find Sin City has much more on tap than just gambling, booze and cheap thrills. There are as many different faces to Nevada’s biggest metropolis as there are Elvis impersonators or wedding chapels here.
Sprawled immodestly along Las Vegas Blvd, the Strip is a never-ending spectacle, especially at night with all of its neon lights blazing. Ever since Bugsy’s Flamingo casino hotel upped the ante back in 1946, casino hotels have competed to dream up the next big thing, no matter how gimmicky. You can be mesmerized by the dancing fountain show outside of the
Bellagio, an exploding faux-Polynesian volcano in a lagoon fronting the
Mirage, singing gondoliers plying the artificial canals of the
Venetian or sexy pirates in a mock battle of the sexes with pyrotechnics galore at
TI (Treasure Island). Rise above the Strip’s madness inside glass elevators shooting up the half-scale replica of the Eiffel Tower at
Paris Las Vegas, or ascend the 110-story
Stratosphere Tower, where the world’s highest thrill rides await.
All of this showy stuff is old hat for Las Vegas. This century-old city is quickly metamorphizing into a sophisticated but still sexy and sybaritic destination. Boutique hotels-within-hotels – for example, the Signature Suites at
MGM Grand or the high-rise
Palms Place – star chefs’ restaurants (including a recent invasion of high-flying Frenchmen led by
Restaurant Guy Savoy), and indulgent spas like Caesars Palace’s
Qua Baths & Spa, where artificial snowflakes fall in the unusual Arctic Room, are what hip, younger crowds demand. Ironically, this polish and sophistication hearken back to Old Vegas’ heyday in the “Fabulous ’50s,” when mobsters mixed with Rat Pack movie stars and even showgirls dressed in diamonds and silk to just step inside a casino. The most decadent high-roller casino resorts like
Wynn Las Vegas each have their own galaxy of catwalk couture shops, epicurean restaurants and entertaining diversions, from Broadway shows to nightclubs on par with LA or NYC. To gawk at the VIPs, stroll through the front doors anytime – they’re free, and they never close.
You can still find the kitschier and oh-so-cheesy side of Las Vegas. After all, this is the city that brought fame and fortune to flamboyant Liberace, and staged a 1968 comeback show for Elvis outfitted in a rhinestone-studded jumpsuit. Pay your respects at the outrageous
Liberace Museum, stuffed with hand-painted antique pianos, luxury cars including a mirror-tiled Rolls Royce, and a collection of feathered capes and million-dollar furs. Elvis has indeed left the building, but you can still play blackjack with the King at the
Imperial Palace, where “dealertainers” do double duty as casino card dealers and celebrity impersonators. Speaking of casinos, there’s none tackier than the 1960s
Circus Circus, where trapeze artists, high-wire workers and jugglers steal center stage. Grab a seat at the revolving Horse-A-Round Bar, made famous by Hunter S Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. At the Slots-A-Fun casino next door, grab a coupon book, give the giant slot machine a free spin and scarf down a few 75¢ beers and $1 half-pound hot dogs; then relax and enjoy the laughable lounge acts. At the retro
Fireside Lounge, a swingin’ ’70s hideaway, cooing couples nestle into blue-velvet couches and make out like there’s no tomorrow.
When you’ve exhausted the hurly-burly Strip, take yourself downtown to the
Fremont Street Experience, a five-block-long pedestrian mall with a canopy steroid-enhanced by a super-big Viva Vision screen and 550,000 watts of concert-hall sound. When the 12.5-million synchronized LEDs come on, its silly sound-and-light shows hypnotize passersby (especially anyone who’s already drunk on those 99¢ fluorescent-pink margaritas sold in gigantic souvenir glasses). Fremont St is the city’s historic quarter, preferred by serious gamblers who find faux volcanoes beneath them; the smoky, low-ceilinged casinos have changed little over the years. Check out the nerve-wracking, no-limit Texas- hold-’em action in the back room at
Binion’s, where the World Series of Poker was born. Then stumble across the street to the
Golden Nugget, downtown’s most posh address, to gawk at the Hand of Faith, the largest chunk of gold ever found, weighing 6lb 11oz. Oh, they’ve got an outdoor swimming pool with a three-story waterslide that shoots through a live-shark tank, too.
Fremont St is undergoing a renaissance of cool, with indie watering holes and nightclubs popping up, like the
Beauty Bar. On the tattered fringes of downtown, hidden among the vintage-clothing and antiques shops, is the emerging
18b Arts District. On the first Friday night of each month, these streets take on a carnival atmosphere as 10,000 art lovers, hipsters and indie musicians turn it into a big block party, with gallery openings, performance art, live music, fortune tellers and tattoo artists. You’ll find more alt-cultural types at the Vegoose music and arts festival, with costumed partying over Halloween weekend, and auteurs at the CineVegas independent film festival in June.
DETOUR
When the ding-ding-ding of the slot machines drives you bonkers, Red Rock Canyon ( 702-515-5350; www.redrockcanyonlv.org) is the antidote. The startling contrast between the Strip’s artificial neon glow and the awesome natural forces at work in the canyon can’t be exaggerated. A 13-mile, one-way loop drive passes striking natural features, panoramic viewpoints and hiking trailheads. To get here from Las Vegas, take I-15 south to Hwy 160 or Charleston Blvd west to Hwy 159, either about a 20-mile drive.
Did you know that this artificial desert oasis also has a greener, more eco-friendly side? The immense
Springs Preserve is planted on the site of the once-bubbling springs that gave Las Vegas its Spanish name, “the meadows.” It weaves together cultural and natural history in the OriGen Experience, then imagines a more sustainable future for Nevada at the Desert Living Center, with xeriscaped gardens and interpretive walking trails outside. Back on the Strip, Mandalay Bay’s
Shark Reef has some of the world’s last remaining golden crocodiles. Go on a behind-the-scenes tour of this walk-through aquarium to find out more about species-conservation efforts. Or if history rocks your world, delve into the Cold War era at the Smithsonian-affiliated
Atomic Testing Museum, when monthly above-ground atomic blasts shattered casino windows as mushroom clouds rose on the horizon, and the city even crowned a “Miss Atomic Bomb” beauty queen.
No matter how many of Las Vegas’ multiple personalities you flirt with – kitschy, extravagant, modern, racy, retro, arty or indie – don’t leave town without trying the classic stuff. Plug a few bucks into a slot machine. Catch a stage show, whether it’s a chintzy showgirl revue or an all-star production in the ever-expanding
Cirque du Soleil galaxy. Stuff yourself at an all-you-can-eat buffet at a luxury casino hotel, or feast at a steakhouse with all the trimmings, of which there are dozens on the Strip (though honestly, we’re just as happy with an Angus burger, sweet-potato fries and a liqueur-spiked milkshake from
BLT Burger). Just don’t take this city too seriously – or you’ll miss out on all the fun.
Sara Benson
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TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
From Albuquerque, take I-40 west to Kingman, then US Hwy 93 north; from Phoenix, take US Hwy 60 northwest to I-40.
DO
Atomic Testing Museum
Buy your tickets for this engaging multimedia museum at the replica Nevada Test Site guard station.
702-794-5161; www.atomictestingmuseum.org; 755 E Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas; adult/child $12/9;
9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 1-5pm Sun;
Bellagio
The Italianate resort’s faux Lake Como and choreographed fountains are an absurdist antithesis of desert life.
702-693-7111; www.bellagio.com; 3600 Las Vegas Blvd S; admission free;
fountain shows 3pm-midnight Mon-Fri, noon-midnight Sat & Sun
Binion’s
When the ex-Horseshoe opened in 1951, Texas gambler Benny Binion transformed Fremont St from a row of sawdust gambling halls into classy carpet joints.
702-382-1600; www.binions.com; 128 E Fremont St; admission free;
24hr
Circus Circus
On the Midway you’ll find carnival games and circus acts galore.
702-734-0410; www.circuscircus.com; 2880 Las Vegas Blvd S; admission free;
shows every 30min 11am-midnight;
Cirque du Soleil
Catch the troupe’s signature aerial acrobats at various casino hotels around town. www.cirquedusoleil.com; admission $60-150; various locations; hschedules vary
Fremont Street Experience
Streaking right down the middle of downtown’s historic “Glitter Gulch.”
702-678-5600; www.vegasexperience.com; Fremont St, btwn Main St & Las Vegas Blvd; admission free;
shows hourly dusk-midnight
Imperial Palace
Celebrity impersonators jump up from the blackjack tables to show off their song-and-dance skills.
702-731-3311; www.imperialpalace.com; admission free; 3535 Las Vegas Blvd S;
shows every 30 min noon-4am
Liberace Museum
Connoisseurs of kitschy celebrity shrines, don’t miss this memorial to ‘Mr Showmanship.’
702-798-5595; www.liberace.org; 1775 E Tropicana Ave; adult/child $15/10;
10am-5pm Tue-Sat, noon-4pm Sun, guided tours 11am Tue-Sat & 2pm Tue-Sun
Mirage
When the volcano erupts, it inevitably brings traffic to a screeching halt.
702-791-7111; www.mirage.com; 3400 Las Vegas Blvd S; admission free;
shows hourly 8pm-midnight, from 6pm/7pm in winter/spring
Paris Las Vegas
Gustave Eiffel’s original drawings were consulted before building this 50-story replica tower.
702-946-7000; www.parislasvegas.com; 3645 Las Vegas Blvd S; admission free, tower elevator adult/child $10/7;
9:30am-12:30am, weather permitting;
Qua Baths & Spa
A homage to ancient Roman bathing rituals, with social spa-going encouraged in the tea lounge.
731-7776, 866-782-0655; www.harrahs.com/qua; Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd S;
6am-8pm
Shark Reef
Two thousand submarine beasties call M-Bay’s walk-through aquarium home.
702-632-4555; www.mandalaybay.com; Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd S; adult/child $16/11;
10am-11pm, last entry 10pm;
Springs Preserve
Forward-thinking eco-museum takes visitors on an incredible trip through historical, cultural and biological time.
702-822-7700; www.springspreserve.org; 333 S Valley View Blvd; adult/child $19/11;
10am-6pm, trails close at dusk;
Stratosphere Tower
High-altitude thrill rides cost extra, but they’re pretty much worth it.
702-380-7777; www.stratospherehotel.com; 2000 Las Vegas Blvd S; adult/child $14/10;
10am-1am Sun-Thu, 10am-2am Fri & Sat, weather permitting;
TI (Treasure Island)
Laugh at the hilarious “Sirens of TI” show, in which feisty, bad-girl buccaneers clad in lingerie do battle.
702-894-7111; www.treasureisland.com; 3300 Las Vegas Blvd S; admission free;
shows usually 7pm, 8:30pm, 10pm & 11pm
Venetian
Graceful bridges and flowing canals almost capture the romantic spirit of Venice.
702-414-4300; www.venetian.com; 3355 Las Vegas Blvd S; admission free, gondola rides $12.50-60;
10am-10:45pm Sun-Thu, 10am-11:45pm Fri & Sat
EAT & DRINK
Beauty Bar
Swill a cocktail and listen to live bands and DJs inside the salvaged innards of a 1950s beauty salon.
702-598-1965; www.beautybar.com; 517 E Fremont St; admission free-$10;
usually 9:30pm-late Sat-Thu, 5pm-late Fri
BLT Burger
French-trained chef Laurent Tourondel dishes up haute reinterpretations of classic Americana.
702-792-7888; www.bltburger.com; Mirage, 3400 Las Vegas Blvd S; mains $12-18;
11am-2am Sun & Tue-Wed, 10am-4am Mon & Thu-Sat;
Fireside Lounge
Strangely spellbinding hideaway inside a old-school round-the-clock coffee shop.
702-735-4177; www.peppermilllasvegas.com; Peppermill, 2985 Las Vegas Blvd S; admission free, mains $8-23;
24hr
Restaurant Guy Savoy
Intimate, mod French dining room is the sole US outpost of three-star Michelin chef Guy Savoy.
702-731-7286; www.guysavoy.com; Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd S; tasting menu $190-290;
5:30-10:30pm Wed-Sun
SLEEP
Golden Nugget
Generously cut, almost gorgeous rooms for anyone hip to the downtown scene.
702-385-7111, 800-846-5336; www.goldennugget.com; 129 E Fremont St; r $69-250
MGM Grand
There are plenty of rooms and suites to choose from at the world’s largest hotel.
702-891-7777, 800-929-1111; www.mgmgrand.com; 3799 Las Vegas Blvd S; r $80-500;
Palms Place
All-suites condo hotel and co-ed spa lets you flaunt your VIP status in style.
702-932-7777, 866-942-7773; www.palmsplace.com; 4321 W Flamingo Rd; ste $159-749
Wynn Las Vegas
Five-diamond resort rooms are bigger than your apartment, and come with all the little luxuries.
702-770-7100, 877-321-9966; www.wynnlasvegas.com; 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S; r $199-515
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
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Fantastic Canyon Voyage | 
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WHY GO Take the slow road to Arizona’s biggest attraction and weave your way through the heart of cowboy country. Along the way, discover where hippies and New Age followers have claimed whole towns, and get ready to spill your drink when you finally lay eyes on the greatest hole on earth.
TIME
4 – 5 days
DISTANCE
400 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
May – Nov
START
Phoenix, AZ
END
Grand Canyon
ALSO GOOD FOR
Head out of Phoenix on Grand Ave (Hwy 60) and notice how the industrial boulevard that used to be a haven of strip clubs is seeing more cute cafés and hip places to nosh. Sometimes when traffic is light here – rarely – you can beat the train on the tracks that parallels the street – at least for a short time.
On the way, you’ll go through
Peoria, a small suburb where wholesomeness and family values still reign supreme – the school-board and city-planning meetings here are often jam-packed because the people here really are that community-minded. Soon you’ll pass through
Sun City – it’s the original retirement community, and at least one resident of every home has to be over 55. If you’re tempted to poke around on the smaller streets, two warnings: many of the streets are circular, so it’s pretty easy to get lost; and a golf cart is the preferred mode of transportation for many of the seniors that live here. Pack patience.
About 60 miles northwest of Phoenix, lush desert is crisscrossed by small creeks in
Wickenburg, the dude-ranch capital of Arizona (preferred terminology is “guest ranch,” but we’ll abide by dude, thank you). It gives a good flavor of what the West was really like. If the kids are fighting in the back seat – or your traveling companion is naughty – take them to the 19th-century Jail Tree, where outlaws were chained in the late-1800s.
Continue the old-fashioned good times in the lap of modern luxury at
Rancho de los Caballeros. The main lodge gives way to cozy rooms decked out stylishly with Indian rugs and handcrafted furniture. Dinner is a dress-up affair, but afterwards you can go all footloose in the saloon.
The next morning, get giddy up at
Pony Espresso. Sit a spell on one of the overstuffed sofas of this funky coffee shop with red walls and lots of books and chess tables. Once you’ve been sustained by the selection of scones and brownies on offer, stock up on sandwich supplies and head out of town, circling down to the
Vulture Mine, where Austrian immigrant Henry Wickenburg staked his claim and made his fortune. Take yourself on a guided tour which runs past the main shaft – where $30 million worth of gold was mined – the blacksmith shop and other dusty old buildings. Dogs are welcome here; just ensure they are leashed.
On the way back to Wickenburg, stop to eat your sandwiches at Hassayampa River. Located just southeast of town, this is one of the few riparian habitats remaining in Arizona and a great place for birders to spot everything from hawks to cuckoos. There’s a helpful visitor center where you can pick up information and maps.
Now it’s time to pump you up – with hearty Teutonic schnitzel, in honor of Herr Wickenburg. Return to Wickenburg, where the
House of Berlin will have you saying “Ich bin ein Berliner” after chomping your way through the stuffed cabbage rolls, pork chops and other continental classics.
The next morning, head west on Hwy 60 and turn northeast onto Hwy 89/89A – the road with the best scenery and neatest towns in the state. As you drive, first you’ll see the western edge of the Bradshaw Mountains, then soon enough you’ll see the brown “Now Entering Prescott National Forest” sign, with the yellow cursive letters looking straight from the 1950s. The Sonora desert rises to meet pine trees; juniper (the most twisted and scrubbiest-looking) at the lower elevations and then finally, at the highest elevations, ponderosa.
Drag your eyes away from the forest views: you’re nearly in
Prescott. The drive through the town is straight-forward enough, but if you do need to stop for directions, wow the locals by pronouncing the last syllable of Prescott as “kit” not “scott.” No matter how you say it, this place is like a slice of small-town Ohio in the middle of rugged Arizona. It’s two towns, in a way. There’s the block-long Whiskey Row, a string of bars that’s been quenching the parched gullets of miners, gunfighters and adventurers since the 1800s. Then there’s the rest: quiet streets, historic hotels, street fairs outside the old courthouse, antique shopping and three worthy museums, each dedicated to a different side of the Western experience.
Check in to the aptly named
Pleasant Street Inn, a four-unit Victorian with forest-green shingle siding set just three blocks from the downtown action. Start the museum tour at
Sharlot Hall Museum, a general historical museum and collection of restored log cabins that trace the history of Prescott’s territorial capital days. Keep an eye open for the governor’s restored log cabin “mansion.” After that, duck into the
Smoki Museum, which is built like a Native American pueblo. This place showcases Southwestern Native American history from the prehistoric through to the present. Now make your way to the
Phippen Museum cowboy and Western art museum, 7 miles north of town. Named after the late George Phippen – a local self-taught artist who helped put Western art on the map – it’s worth a visit to see that the range of Western art is broader than oil paintings of weather-beaten faces under broad hat brims.
Brain full and belly empty, dress up a bit and strut like a brightly plumed bird into the
Peacock Room & Bar. Dinner is a touch fancy, but the classic American fare – like slow-roasted prime rib and crab-stuffed salmon – is great. Now you can visit Whiskey Row on a full stomach. In a perfect world, after you pushed open the swinging doors at
Palace Saloon and sauntered in, the whole place would get quiet and the music would stop. In reality, someone will politely ask if you want a table or to sit at the bar. Don’t let that take away from the old West pedigree of the place; the Earp brothers used to knock ’em back with Doc Holliday at the huge Brunswick bar.
After your night in the saloon, prepare yourself for a completely different world in the short space of 35 more miles on Hwy 89A.
Jerome, a city with twisting streets that are confusing but make for a fun drive, is an old mining town built into the side of Cleopatra Hill. If Prescott felt small, this place will feel minuscule, but there’s a decidedly Bohemian vibe and there seem to be more art spaces than people. Aging hippies run many of the hotels and restaurants – they saved Jerome from decrepitude when Altamont ended an era and they dispersed in search of affordable charm.
DETOUR
Williams, 60 miles south of Grand Canyon Village and 35 miles west of Flagstaff on I-40, is a splendid place to base a Grand Canyon South Rim adventure. Plenty of classic Route 66 motels are here, and the old-school homes and train station charm the socks off of visitors. Best of all, visitors can ride the vintage train of the Grand Canyon Railway (www.thetrain.com) to the South Rim in comfort and style.
Jerome was a den of sin back when the United Verde Mine was booming in the late 1880s. Drunken miners with pockets full of money stumbled into town, and there were plenty of working girls hoping to make a quick buck of their own. The
Mile High Inn was the main stage in this drama back when it was a bordello, but now it’s a charming seven-room B&B with a downstairs restaurant.
Chat up some burly but friendly-enough bikers (of both sexes) at the nearby
Spirit Room Bar. It’s the main attraction in town; groups of Europeans fresh off their BMW motorcycles politely debate the merits of American beer with weekend hog (Harley) riders inside. Sup at
Grapes, which feels like an upscale diner with good steaks and lots of yummy wine, and call it a night. Or return to the Spirit Room for a nightcap or two, and maybe make some new friends – an open, friendly attitude goes real far.
The next morning, be sure to visit the
Jerome Artists Cooperative Gallery before leaving town. Around 30 local artists sell their wares here, and it’s a pleasure to wander the place and talk with these creative locals about their adopted home.
Continue northeast on Hwy 89A – trust the signs, not your sense of direction or you’ll be going the wrong way down the short stretch of one-way road in the center of Jerome. Two miles outside the town stop at
Jerome State Historic Park. Recently updated exhibits inside the 1916 mansion of mining mogul Jimmy ‘Rawhide’ Douglas give a glimpse into just how rootin’-tootin’ Jerome was during its mining heyday.
You’re now heading to Sedona. On the way, you’ll have to slow down through the town center of
Cottonwood, where there are a few places to eat and some shops selling curios – underneath the neglected exteriors a lot of these places would charm with enough elbow grease; travelers who are looking to find the next big thing might want to stop and poke around here.
Spend some time in
Sedona, but know that the charms reveal themselves slowly. The pull of the place is in the land, and it can take a while to slow down and realize this isn’t a huge movie backdrop. New Age types believe that these glowing red rocks hold vortices of high-octane spiritual energy. Outdoors types love the super-scenic hiking and biking trails. Kids just want to slide down the big, slick rocks into Oak Creek at Slide Rock State Park.
Be sure to dedicate some unstructured time to take in the natural beauty here – even if that means just staring at the red rocks. Set on six acres 500ft above the town,
Sky Ranch Lodge delivers on its name. The views from the rooms are nothing but blue sky and red rock. After settling in, head over to
Red Rock State Park and, if it’s between April and October, sign up for a moonlight ranger-led hike. During the day the views impress, but under the pale light of the moon the towers of rock make hikers feel like they’re walking through a dream.
Wake up with the sun and watch it rise over the glorious red rocks. After some much-recommended wandering through this special slice of nature, mosey over to
D’Lish Very Vegetarian. The vegetarian food is damn good, and even if you’re not a vegan you’ll find the meal satisfying.
HARMONIC CONVERGENCE
Native tribes have long considered the Sedona area – where the red rocks glow so brightly they look like they’re about to explode – a sacred place. It wasn’t until 1987 that Sedona’s contemporary spirituality arrived in full force. That year, a worldwide meditation event called the Harmonic Convergence gave some people the idea that the Bell Rock formation would open to reveal an alien ship. The UFO never came (or came later, according to believers), but the New Age pilgrims stayed.
Those who decided to skip Sedona for now can get a big dose of (small) city life in Flagstaff before heading up to one of the seven wonders of the natural world.
Hotel Monte Vista is the classic place to stay in Flagstaff – it banks on reputation and location more than on the quality of the rooms, but they are clean and comfy enough and many of them are decorated after the famous celebs who’ve stayed here: John Wayne, Freddie Mercury, Marilyn Monroe and…Air Supply. The hotel is also right in the heart of historic downtown Flagstaff, bounded on one side by busy Route 66 (and the loud-at-night train that parallels the route) and on the other by the sports paradise of the San Francisco Peaks. Americana meets outdoor adventure here – you’re just as likely to see a car with a ski rack on top as a restored Studebaker making the iconic Route 66 trip.
Downtown Flagstaff is full of eating and drinking places. If you’re here on a Friday or Saturday evening stop at
Mountain Oasis Cafe – it has flavors from around the world but its weekend prime rib is something to write home about. If it’s not a weekend night, the reward is that the nightly stargazing at
Lowell Observatory will be a lot less crowded. Even people who aren’t that into astronomy will still dig the old brass-and-wood scientific instruments that give the place a Lemony Snicket vibe. There are plenty of fascinating exhibits and a state-of-the-art space theater, but most people come to see the 1896 24in Clark Telescope where Clyde Tombaugh first spotted Pluto in 1930.
The next morning – and mornings really are best for the 90-mile trip through two national parks to the Grand Canyon Village – take ’er easy on Hwy 180 and Hwy 64. Most people speed to the canyon and miss the transitions on this drive, where there is nary a trace of civilization in sight. At first there are so many trees on the side of the road you’re always in the shade and it’s easy to feel chilly. You’ll see the San Francisco Peaks through the tops of trees moving and jerking like in an old-fashioned movie because of the tricks of perspective at 60mph. Then, there’s the big flat of the Coconino Plateau, where if you’re lucky you’ll see huge fields of little yellow wildflowers. Finally, more trees, but they’re taller and straighter here, as if proud of the privileged location near the canyon.
Stop at the
National Geographic Visitor Center in Tusayan to pony up the $25 per-vehicle entrance fee and save yourself what could be a 30-minute wait at the entrance of the park. There’s a neat IMAX film about the Grand Canyon here with all the stomach-dropping aerial shots you’d expect from the large-format film company. The real thing is just 7 miles north of here.
The strangest thing about a first-time visit to the Grand Canyon is that a person often expects a slow-build up of beauty with the canyon as the finale. In reality, things just look like they did ever since Flagstaff until you finally make it to the edge. Then, it takes a few minutes to let it sink in that this is live, not a painted scene. Then, well, there aren’t the words to do it justice. You’ll just have to see for yourself, and try not to spill your drink.
Josh Krist
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Wickenburg, Prescott, Jerome and Sedona are all northwest of Phoenix on Hwy 60 and Hwy 89A.
DO
Hassayampa River Preserve
A place for birders to go loony over 240 feathered residents, on the west side of Hwy 60, 3 miles southeast of town near Mile 114.
928-684-2772; admission $5;
7am-11am Fri-Sun mid-May–mid-Sep, 8am-5pm Wed-Sun mid-Sep–mid-May
Jerome Artists Cooperative Gallery
About 30 local artists working in pottery, painting, jewelry and other media sell their creations at fair prices here.
928-639-4276; www.jeromeartistscoop.com; 502 Main St, Jerome;
10am-6pm
Jerome State Historic Park
Two miles beyond Jerome en route to Cottonwood, look at the historical displays and the weathered mining equipment outside.
928-634-5381; www.pr.state.az.us; Hwy 89A, Jerome; adult/child $3/free;
8am-5pm
Lowell Observatory
Nightly stargazing. During the day 30-minute tours offered hourly between 1:15pm and 4:15pm.
928-233-3211; www.lowell.edu; 1400 W Mars Hill Rd, Flagstaff; adult/child/student/senior $6/3/4/4;
9am-5pm Mar-Oct, noon-5pm Nov-Feb
National Geographic Visitor Center
Stop here to pay your entrance fee and cruise through a special lane at the park entrance.
928-638-2468; www.explorethecanyon.com; Hwy 64, Tusayan; canyon admission per vehicle $25;
8am-8pm
Phippen Museum
Hosts changing exhibits of celebrated Western artists, including Prescott resident John Coleman.
928-778-1385; www.phippenartmuseum.com; 4701 Hwy 89, Prescott; adult/under 12 yr/concession $5/free/4;
10am-4pm Tue-Sat, 1pm-4pm Sun
Red Rock State Park
Ranger-led nature walks year-round, moonlight hikes from April to October.
928-282-6907; www.azstateparks.com; Lower Red Rock Loop Rd, Sedona; per vehicle $6;
8am-7pm May-Aug, 8am-6pm Apr & Sep, 8am-5pm Oct-Mar;
Sharlot Hall Museum
More a collection of historic buildings than a tradition museum; see the governor’s restored log cabin “mansion.”
928-445-3122; www.sharlot.org; 415 W Gurley St, Prescott; adult/child $5/free;
10am-4pm Mon-Sat, noon-4pm Sun
Smoki Museum
The lowdown on Southwestern Native American history through artefacts dating from prehistory to the present.
928-445-1230; www.smokimuseum.org; 147 N Arizona St, Prescott; adult/student/senior/under 12 yr $5/3/4/free;
10am-4pm Tue-Sat, 1pm-4pm Sun
Vulture Mine
A high-producing gold mine from 1863 to 1942. Head west on Hwy 60, turn left onto Vulture Mine Rd and follow it for 12 miles.
602-859-2743; Vulture Mine Rd, Wickenburg; admission by donation $7;
8am-4pm;
EAT & DRINK
D’Lish Very Vegetarian
Try the tamarind-glazed walnut burgers or raw zucchini pasta. The food will impress even die-hard meat eaters.
928-203-9393; 3190 W Hwy 89A, Sedona; dishes $6-12;
11am-8pm
Grapes
Everything on the menu has a wine pairing suggestion. Top-drawer pizza, pasta and steak in a classy but lively environment.
928-634-8477; 111 Main St, Jerome; mains from $10;
breakfast, lunch & dinner
House of Berlin
Schnitzels with noodles and warm apple strudels and other Austro-German classics from Henry Wickenburg’s corner of the world.
928-684-5004; 169 E Wickenburg Way, Wickenburg; dishes $10-16;
lunch Wed-Sun, dinner Tue-Sun
Mountain Oasis Café
Food that ranges from Mediterranean to Japanese to Thai, and cuts of prime rib cooked just right on the weekends.
928-214-9270; 11 Aspen Ave, Flagstaff; mains from $10;
11am-9pm
Palace Saloon
There are plenty of framed photos and Old West memorabilia to distract from your pint of Palace Red.
928-541-1996; 120 S Montezuma St, Prescott; mains $8-20;
lunch & dinner
Peacock Room & Bar
The fancy-pants dining room at the Hassayampa Inn is famous for its classic American dinners.
928-778-9434; Hassayampa Inn, 122 E Gurley St, Prescott; mains breakfast $6.50-11, lunch $10-14, dinner $18-32;
breakfast, lunch & dinner
Pony Espresso
Scones, brownies and sandwiches provide sustenance.
928-684-0208; 223 E Wickenburg Way, Wickenburg; mains $4-7;
7am-8pm Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm Sat & Sun
Spirit Room Bar
A dark, old-timey place with a pool table and a bordello-scene mural on the wall. Live music on weekends and some weeknights.
928-634-8809; 166 Main St, Jerome;
10am-2am
SLEEP
Hotel Monte Vista
In downtown Flagstaff, ask for a quiet room if you’re afraid the live music at the downstairs bar will irritate.
928-779-6971; www.hotelmontevista.com; 100 N San Francisco St, Flagstaff; r $70-140 Nov-Apr, $75-170 May-Oct
Mile High Inn
Home of the original mile-high club, apparently. Seven spiffy rooms have funky furnishings.
928-634-5094; www.jeromemilehighinn.com; 309 Main St, Jerome; r with shared/private bathroom $85/125
Pleasant Street Inn
There are just four units; two suites (one with fireplace, the other with private deck), all decorated differently.
928-445-4774, 877-226-7128; www.pleasantbandb.com; 142 S Pleasant St, Prescott; r $125-175
Rancho de los Caballeros
With a golf course, a spa and fine dining, this 20,000-acre ranch is decidedly upscale.
928-684-5484; www.sunc.com; 1551 S Vulture Mine Rd, Wickenburg; r $400-620;
mid-Oct–mid-May
Sky Ranch Lodge
Rooms, though fine, make less of an impression than the views. Spend the extra money and get a Rim View room.
928-282-6400, 888-708-6400; www.skyranchlodge.com; Airport Rd, Sedona; r $80-160
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Ghosts of the South Rim | 
|
WHY GO The South Rim’s human side is a crazy quilt of colorful personalities – adventurous entrepreneurs carved out livings as prospectors, tourist guides and rustic hoteliers. Artists and architects, environmentalists and explorers counterbalanced the commercial scene, all the while creating the canyon’s history and legends. All these spirited folk have left ghostly remnants of their presence here.
TIME
4 days
DISTANCE
185 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Jul – Sep
START
Williams, AZ
END
Williams, AZ
Though local Native Americans have lived in the canyon since ancient times, the thrall of the South Rim drew a small stampede of intrepid folk in the late 1800s. Miners found the going too tough to live off mineral claims and turned to the tourist trade. While you’re taking in the obvious grandeur of the canyon, get to know it more intimately by seeking out some lingering spirits of the South Rim.
The journey to the South Rim starts in Williams, where Route 66 spirit lives on in old-fashioned soda fountains and refurbished Victorian buildings like the
Red Garter B&B. It’s rumored that the apparition of a young woman occasionally makes herself known to guests at this former bordello. Spooked? Check into the friendly
Grand Canyon Hotel instead, as it’s haunted only by the charm of its themed rooms and comfortable hostel-style dorms.
Once you’re settled in to your digs, head out on the town and have a Williams Wheat beer at the
Grand Canyon Brewery before dinner at Williams’ polished but casual
Red Raven Restaurant, where the pork tenderloin with cranberry salsa is complemented by a respectable wine list.
While Williams is admittedly a cute town, it doesn’t coast on its looks. It’s actually the hub of the
Grand Canyon Railway, which runs restored locomotives to the South Rim. When the railway debuted in 1901, it was the preferred mode of transport to the canyon. Despite fading into obsolescence for two decades as car culture burgeoned, the railway’s back in business and is now a fun, convenient way to get to the canyon.
After your spiritual nocturnes, in the morning lace up your running shoes before you board the train, because you’ll want to sprint to
El Tovar for lunch before the crowd catches up. After a bite in the elegant dining room, check in at
Bright Angel Lodge & Cabins and check out its History Room, just off the lobby. The displays explain some history of the Fred Harvey Company, which, along with the Santa Fe Railway, built out much of the South Rim infrastructure and accommodated the tourist boom to the canyon.
Walk eastward along the Rim Trail to enjoy huge canyon views in midday light, which appears to flatten the scenery into a sound-stage backdrop. Browse Zuni fetishes and geode magnets at
Verkamp’s Curios, a family store that’s been around since 1898, when John George Verkamp started selling souvenirs out of a tent on the rim. Finish with dinner before dark at the
Arizona Room to enjoy a rim-side view over smoky, roasted-vegetable enchiladas.
In the morning, take the Village shuttle to the Shrine of Ages, walking out back to quietly wander the
Grand Canyon Cemetery, where famous canyon figures have been laid to rest. The first to be buried here was the colorful prospector-turned-guide-turned-postmaster, John Hance.
By 1902 the South Rim had attracted photographer brothers Emery and Ellsworth Kolb, who established a home and studio perched on the rim next to the
Bright Angel Trail. Shuttle back to
Kolb Studio, where the brothers used to screen footage of their own wild adventures running the Green and Colorado Rivers in 1911. Have a relaxed lunch before hopping the Hermit Rd shuttle – first stop,
Powell Point, with a memorial to war veteran and geologist John Wesley Powell, the first to run the length of the Colorado. Pay tribute to the man’s bravery, as he not only navigated and mapped the unknown river, but did it with only one arm.
At Hermit Rd’s end is an arch leading to
Hermits Rest. Said hermit, a Canadian prospector and guide named Louis Boucher, lived 3 miles below the rim at Dripping Springs from 1889 to 1912. His namesake stone resthouse, now sheltering a snack bar and gift shop, was designed by South Rim superstar architect Mary Colter. On your way back to the village, take in a canyon sunset at any overlook that catches your fancy.
DETOUR
We may never know what happened to the Sinagua people, a name given because we have no knowledge of what they called themselves. Around 1425, entire populations suddenly abandoned their pueblos around the central Arizona area for reasons not fully understood. One such abandoned pueblo is beautiful Walnut Canyon (www.nps.gov/waca), a dramatic landscape of sheer limestone cliffs and buttes amid ponderosa forest, where you can hike alongside cliff dwellings. Walnut Canyon is 11 miles southeast of Flagstaff off I-40.
On your last day, tour Desert View Drive.
Grandview Point marks the trailhead where miner Peter Berry opened his Grand View Hotel in 1897. Remains of the mine can be seen from the trail, but the hotel is long gone; views from here are as spectacular as they sound. Another stunning view awaits at
Moran Point, named for Thomas Moran, a landscape painter whose work aided in designating the Grand Canyon as a national monument in 1908. Further along the road is
Tusayan Ruins & Museum, where you can walk around the remains of an excavated Puebloan village dating to 1185. Finally, at the end of the road lies the
Watchtower, another Mary Colter masterpiece, inspired by ancient Puebloan watchtowers. The terrace provides panoramic views of canyon and river, and climbing the circular staircase inside takes you past Hopi murals and leads to the 360-degree views on the top floor. High-tail it back to the village and wave goodbye to the South Rim characters on the late-afternoon train back to Williams.
Wendy Yanagihara
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
The South Rim lies 70 miles north of Williams, which in turn is located 35 miles west of Flagstaff.
Do
Grand Canyon Railway
Ride the rails and forgo the hassle of traffic and parking on the South Rim.
800-843-8724; www.grandcanyonrailway.com; 233 N Grand Canyon Blvd, Williams; adult/child from $75/40; departures from Williams vary seasonally
8:30-10am;
Kolb Studio
The Kolb brothers’ former home and studio now houses a small museum and bookstore.
928-638-2771; Grand Canyon Village; admission free;
8am-7pm;
Tusayan Ruins & Museum
The tiny museum features ancient Puebloan split-twig animals found intriguingly in canyon crevices.
928-638-7888; 22 miles west of Grand Canyon Village, Desert View Dr; admission free;
9am-5pm;
Verkamp’s Curios
Designed by architect Charles Whittlesey, this souvenir shop has been around as long as the Grand Canyon has been a destination.
928-638-2242, 888-817-0806; www.verkamps.com; Grand Canyon Village;
9am-6:30pm
EAT & DRINK
Arizona Room
Since it doesn’t take reservations, chat up your fellow waitlisters over a cocktail just outside.
928-638-2631; Grand Canyon Village; lunch $8-13, dinner $16-27;
11am-3pm Mar-Oct, 4:30-10pm Nov-Dec;
Grand Canyon Brewery
Typical pub fare accompanies the Williams brews.
928-635-2168; www.grandcanyonbrewingco.com; 233 W Rte 66, Williams; pints $4.50, pitchers $15;
3pm-midnight Mon-Thu, 11am-midnight Fri-Sun;
Red Raven Restaurant
Fresh, creative and sophisticated cuisine in a casual and unpretentious atmosphere.
928-635-4980; www.redravenrestaurant.com; 135 W Rte 66, Williams; lunch $6-10, dinner $10-22;
11am-2pm & 5-9pm Tue-Sun;
SLEEP
Bright Angel Lodge & Cabins
The cabins are most coveted, but lodge rooms (with shared shower) are cozy and immaculate.
928-638-2631; www.grandcanyonlodges.com; Grand Canyon Village; r $79-90, cabins $111-159, ste $138-333;
El Tovar
By far, the most upscale hotel on the South Rim, with loads of character.
928-638-2631; www.grandcanyonlodges.com; Grand Canyon Village; r $174-268, ste $321-426;
Grand Canyon Hotel
Reasonably priced and centrally located on Route 66, this historic building has unique rooms and friendly vibes.
928-635-1419; www.thegrandcanyonhotel.com; 145 W Rte 66, Williams; dm $20, r $60-110;
The Red Garter B&B
With only four rooms and the most delectable pastries in town, it’s best to book ahead.
928-635-1484; www.redgarter.com; 137 Railroad Ave, Williams; r $120-145
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
South Rim Art | 
|
WHY GO Artists have long been seduced by the natural majesty of the Grand Canyon, and they’ve left their mark. Now it’s your turn to photograph or paint the South Rim, explore the rim’s history and shop for Native American art and jewelry along the way.
TIME
1 – 3 days
DISTANCE
90 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Year-round
START
Canyon Village, AZ
END
Tuba City, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
Two of the most visible artists on the South Rim were – and are – the Kolb brothers, Emery (1881–1976) and Ellsworth (1876–1960), who built their photography studio teetering just above the Bright Angel Trail in 1903. Among their many enterprises was snapping shots of mule-riding tourists heading down the trail. Because there was no running water on the South Rim, they had to run 4.6 miles down to Indian Garden to develop the prints, and then hike back up to
Kolb Studio to sell the prints to the tourists.
Go around the studio to find the
Bright Angel Trailhead; hike about 2 miles down and you can spot ancient petroglyphs on a boulder above the trail, the marks of anonymous Native American hands from thousands of years before the Kolbs showed up.
See what contemporary Native Americans are creating at
Hopi House, one of many buildings on the South Rim designed by architect Mary Colter (1869–1958). Inside, find authentic Native American handicrafts for sale, as well as high-quality pawn jewelry if you’re a collector of vintage squash-blossom necklaces or inlaid belt buckles. The building itself was based on traditional Hopi architecture and built from local materials, largely by Hopi workers.
Cross over to
El Tovar Lounge, order yourself a prickly-pear margarita to take out to the porch swing and consult The Guide (which you’ll receive upon entering the park) for current sunrise and sunset times. This will help you plan your pre-dawn strategy to snap a gallery-worthy sunrise photo tomorrow morning. Noting your ideal wake-up hour, mosey over to your rim-view cabin at the rustic, Colter-designed
Bright Angel Lodge & Cabins and turn in early. Starving artists might find the lodges a bit pricey, in which case
Mather Campground is a good, central place to stay. And if you’ve totally blown your budget on a tube of alizarin crimson, there’s free dispersed camping in Kaibab National Forest, just outside the park.
Next morning, stumble bleary-eyed to catch an early Hermits Rest shuttle – or drive yourself if Hermit Rd is open to private vehicles. You’ve got your camera and tripod, as do a hundred other people with the same idea, but carefully hike beyond any parking lot and you’ll find plenty of fine viewpoints. Favorite overlooks for sunrises are
Hopi Point and
Pima Point, but on Hermit Rd you can’t really go wrong – the light transfiguring the spires and buttes is mystical from any overlook.
Once you’ve caught your shot, ride the Village shuttle over to
Canyon Village Marketplace for coffee. It’s a pleasant walk from here to the Shrine of Ages, behind which lies the
Grand Canyon Cemetery. You’re here to pay your respects to Gunnar Widforss (1879–1934), the Swedish painter whose meticulously layered watercolors depicted the canyon’s light and details with stunning sensitivity. You’ll also come across the Kolb brothers, who are interred here along with many other of the region’s pioneers. Inspired, head over to the bookstore at
Canyon View Information Plaza and peruse the shelves for Widforss prints or discover your new favorite Grand Canyon artist among the posters and books.
RIVER RETREATS
Most Colorado River outfitters (www.gcroa.org) run specialized trips for painters; contact an outfitter directly to see what they offer. One- or two-day painting trips are sometimes offered through Colorado River Discovery (www.coloradoriverdiscovery.com) in Page
Time your departure from the park before sunset, following Desert View Dr to find an overlook to your liking.
Moran Point and
Lipan Point are perennial knockouts, though the former might be a more fitting tribute to Thomas Moran (1837–1926), the British-born painter whose atmospheric landscapes of the American West helped inspire Congress to create the national park system.
Head east out of the park and aim for Cameron. It’ll be dark by now, so you’ll miss the signs saying “Friendly Indians,” then “Turn Around Now” followed by “It’s Not Too Late” in front of the Navajo stands selling juniper-berry-and-bead jewelry during the day. Check in at
Cameron Trading Post, complete with hand-carved furniture and views of the Little Colorado River Gorge, and wake in the morning to the sight of its lush garden, then browse the vast selection of Native American jewelry and handicrafts. If nothing catches your eye, head down the highway to the smaller, sedate
Navajo Arts & Crafts Enterprise, selling jewelry, findings, loose stones and other raw materials.
ASK A LOCAL
“There’s a deepness and a depth to the Grand Canyon that doesn’t exist anywhere else, and so many colors and different textures of rock. And there’s the river, of course. I express what’s in front of me when it’s right in front of me, but I usually try to sit with the place I’m painting and really feel it, and see what catches my eye the most, and get all the colors in my head before I even start.”
Serena Supplee, Moab, UT
Traveling deeper into the Navajo Reservation, head up Hwy 89, hang a right at Rte 160, and turn left at the big intersection with Main St. On the corner of Main and Moenave Rds is the funky, octagonal
Tuba City Trading Post, which carries quality Navajo rugs, ranging from Klagetoh patterns to Santa Claus. Just behind the trading post on Main, tuck into a Navajo taco (essentially a taco wrapped in Navajo fry bread instead of a tortilla) at
Hogan Restaurant before heading back out of town. Back at Rte 160 and Main, pore over beads at
Mary’s Bead Store at the Tuuvi Travel Center complex, get a cold drink, and hit the road.
Wendy Yanagihara
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
The South Rim of the Grand Canyon lies 92 miles northwest of Flagstaff and 240 miles north of Phoenix.
Do
Cameron View Information Plaza
The Books & More store carries a wide, canyon-centric selection of books, videos, artwork and gifts.
928-638-0199; Grand Canyon Village;
8am-8pm
Hopi House
Worth a look both for its architecture and its wares – a good place for high-quality Native American handicrafts.
928-638-2631; Grand Canyon Village;
8am-8pm May-Aug, 9am-5pm Sep-Apr
Kolb Studio
The Kolb brothers’ former home and studio now houses a small museum and bookstore.
928-638-2771; Grand Canyon Village; admission free;
8am-7pm;
Mary’s Bead Store
Beads, fetishes and jewelry, conveniently located in the Hopi-run Tuuvi Travel Center.
928-283-6300; Tuuvi Travel Center, Rte 160 & Hwy 264, Tuba City;
8am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat-Sun
Navajo Arts & Crafts Enterprise
Navajo cooperative selling jewelry, supplies, and some rugs and pottery.
928-679-2244; www.gonavajo.com; Hwy 89 & Rte 64, Cameron;
8am-7pm Mon-Sat, noon-6pm Sun
Tuba City Trading Post
Established in 1870 in this original building, it carries the usual tourist dreck but also fine handicrafts.
928-283-5441; Main St & Moenave Rd, Tuba City;
8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm Sat & Sun
EAT & DRINK
Canyon Village Marketplace
The deli serves pizza and other simple fare, and the grocery has all the muesli and buffalo jerky you desire.
928-631-2262; Market Plaza, Grand Canyon Village; mains $5-10;
7am-9pm;
El Tovar Lounge
The best place on the South Rim for an evening drink, especially if you can swing a seat outside.
928-638-2631; www.grandcanyonlodges.com; Grand Canyon Village; cocktails $5-7;
11am-10pm
Hogan Restaurant
Been wanting to try a Navajo taco? Here’s your chance.
928-283-5260; Main St & Moenave Rd, Tuba City; mains $8-21;
6am-10pm Mon-Fri, 7am-10pm Sat & Sun;
SLEEP
Bright Angel Lodge & Cabins
Lodge rooms with private toilets and shared showers have just enough character, though the cabins are the most coveted digs.
928-638-2631; www.grandcanyonlodges.com; Grand Canyon Village; r $79-90, cabins $111-159, ste $138-333;
Cameron Trading Post
Tour buses and indie tourists alike stop here to shop or to decompress in the famous garden.
928-679-2231; www.camerontradingpost.com; 466 Hwy 89, Cameron;
6am-10pm May-Aug, 7am-9pm Sep-Apr
Mather Campground
Big, social, with coin-operated laundry, showers and well-dispersed campsites underneath the ponderosa pines.
800-388-2733; www.recreation.gov; Grand Canyon Village; sites $18;
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Hualapai & Havasupai Journey | 
|
WHY GO Where else but here can you walk on a slab of glass suspended above the Grand Canyon’s inner gorge? And where else can you find such otherwordly blue-green pools and waterfalls? These singular experiences in sacred places take you from rim to river on reservation lands.
TIME
5 – 8 days
DISTANCE
420 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Apr – May, Sep – Nov
START
Boulder City, NV
END
Williams, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
The Grand Canyon’s human history goes much further back than to just intrepid river runners and miner-cum-entrepreneurs on the bustling South Rim. But apart from sparse ruins and petroglyphs, the whispers of its earlier Native American culture are not so readily discerned in the national park. But contemporary Native American culture lives on at the Hualapai and Havasupai Reservations, both of which occupy lands along the southern rim of the canyon.
Well-known for their beadwork and basketry, the Havasupai (whose name translates as ‘people of the blue-green waters’) share the Yuman language with the Hualapai. Both tribes arrived at the Grand Canyon around AD 1150. Today both tribes’ economic survival is tied to the tourist trade, although neither participates in the gaming industry. The traditional structure of Havasupai society, based on respect for tribal elders and the tribal council, remains in place despite outside pressures. Meanwhile, the Hualapai (‘people of the pine trees’) – known for their basketry and dolls but also the newer Grand Canyon West – continue to balance survival with their traditional values of stewardship of land they consider sacred. Each tribe administers its own section of the Grand Canyon independently of the National Park Service, and these vast lands have their own unique attractions.
The trip begins by eschewing the Vegas madness in favor of homey Boulder City: check into the historic
Boulder Dam Hotel. Rooms are on the smaller side, but are quaintly classy and within close walking distance of Boulder’s small-town commercial district. With the afternoon to spare, drive out to Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam, if you prefer) and tour the cool, cavernous interior of this engineering marvel. When you resurface, beat the desert heat by cranking up the AC and blowing back into Boulder City for a cold drink and a bite to eat at
Boulder Dam Brewing Company. Brewing a ‘bolder damn beer,’ naturally, the brewpub has a heavenly misted patio, the perfect spot to sip a Hell’s Hole Hefeweizen. On the menu is typical pub fare like the classic ploughman’s lunch of hearty bread, cheese, pickles and fresh apple slices.
In the morning, top up the gas tank for the three-hour, tooth-rattling drive to the Hualapai Reservation. Or fly in style with
Scenic Airlines, whose small planes ferry day-trippers from Boulder City airport to
Grand Canyon West. Run by the Hualapai tribe, this section of the West Rim offers windswept, unfettered views into the western canyon. And since 2007, novelty reigns with the addition of the much-vaunted
Skywalk. This U-shaped glass bridge cantilevered 4000ft over the canyon lets you look past your feet into the gaping maw below.
Another overlook not to overlook is
Guano Point, a superb picnic spot not so much for its shaded tables but for the post-lunch walk out to the point itself. There, the skeleton of a mine shaft remains, where bat guano (droppings) was once harvested for explosives, fertilizer and cosmetics. After a look at the river from above, descend via helicopter for a short trip on a pontoon boat, or book a full-day rafting trip for the next day with
Hualapai River Runners, based out of Peach Springs. Rafts put in at Diamond Creek and run several fun rapids with a stop for a short waterfall hike, then a helicopter flies you back to the rim.
After a day at Grand Canyon West, the dusty road back through Joshua tree forest puts you onto Route 66. Settle in for the night at
Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn, a quiet roadside motel with all the low-key kitsch and simple comforts you could ask of a Route 66 roadhouse, complete with a faux-ferocious T-rex out front.
Load up on eggs and pancakes at the inn’s restaurant on your third morning, before a journey into one of the most magical spots in the Grand Canyon, on the
Havasupai Reservation. Park in the Hualapai Hilltop lot and hoist your pack for the hot but beautiful 8-mile hike down to Supai village at the bottom of Havasu Canyon. Check into
Havasupai Lodge, refuel with a simple burrito at the
Village Café and go to bed dreaming of blue-green waters.
In the morning, manifest those dreams with a hike down to the 75ft-high
Navajo Falls, cascading into a gorgeous swimming hole, and
Havasu Falls, pouring a hundred feet high into another jewel-toned pool. A quarter-mile from Havasu Falls, set up camp at cottonwood-shaded
Havasu Campground to while away a few days in the canyon. Just beyond lies 200ft
Mooney Falls, named after the miner who fell to his death here in 1882 – take his misfortune to heart and take the climb down carefully. Chains and ladders aiding the climb can be extremely slippery from the water’s spray.
Beaver Falls, a series of smaller cascades, is another two miles downstream; getting there requires some scrambling, and crossing the creek several times, but in the end you’ll be rewarded with several secluded pools near the river.
DETOUR
On the Hualapai Reservation, where Diamond Creek flows into the Colorado River, Diamond Creek Campground bears the distinction of being the only spot in the Grand Canyon where you can drive directly down to the river. Rafters regularly use Diamond Creek as a put-in and take-out point; campers wishing to sleep by the river can get a first-come, first-served camping permit ($25 per person per night) at the Hualapai Lodge in Peach Springs, an hour’s drive from the campground.
If you’re short on time but thirsting for a dip in the Havasu pools, flit in for a day or overnight trip with
Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters, based out of Tusayan and Las Vegas.
Wendy Yanagihara
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Boulder City is 23 miles from Las Vegas. Take Hwy 93 south from Las Vegas toward Phoenix.
Do
Havasupai Reservation
No lodgings? No love – without a booking, you’ll be forced to leave Havasu Canyon.
928-448-2121; www.havasupaitribe.com; PO Box 160, Supai, AZ; adult/child $35/17.50, plus environmental care fee per person $5;
9am-5pm
Hualapai Reservation (Grand Canyon West)
The effort to get here and price of admission may be significant, but there’s only one Skywalk.
877-716-9378; www.destinationgrandcanyon.com; Grand Canyon West, AZ; admission $30, parking $20;
7am-7pm Mar-Oct, 8am-4:30pm Nov-Feb
Hualapai River Runners
The only company to do one-day river trips in the Grand Canyon.
928-769-2219, 888-255-9550; www.destinationgrandcanyon.com/runners.html; Hualapai Lodge, 900 Rte 66, Peach Springs, AZ; one-day motorized trips $328;
8am-5pm;
Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters
Departures from Boulder City, Las Vegas and Tusayan.
702-736-7243, 888-635-7272; www.papillon.com; Grand Canyon National Park Airport, Hwy 64, Tusayan, AZ; admission adult/child from $120/100;
5am-11pm;
Scenic Airlines
Helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft tours to Grand Canyon West.
702-638-3300, 800-634-6801; www.scenic.com; 3900 Paradise Rd, Suite #185, Las Vegas, NV; 1-day motorized trips $328;
5am-11pm;
EAT & DRINK
Boulder Dam Brewing Company
Fresh, unadorned pub grub complements the tasty house beers.
702-243-2739; www.boulderdambrewing.com; 453 Nevada Way, Boulder City, NV; mains $5-9;
11am-9pm Sun-Thu, 11am-midnight Fri & Sat
Village Café
This Havasupai cafe has a limited and relatively pricey menu, but it’s the only game in town.
928-448-2111; Supai, AZ; mains $10;
7:30am-7:30pm
SLEEP
Boulder Dam Hotel
Rates at this elegant Boulder Dam landmark include continental breakfast and free wireless internet.
702-293-3510; www.boulderdamhotel.com; 1305 Arizona St, Boulder City, NV; r $59-109
Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn
A non-cutesy Route 66 motel with amenities like wi-fi, pool, ATM and convenience store.
928-422-3223, 877-422-4459; www.gccaverns.com; Mile 115, Rte 66, AZ; r $75-85;
Havasu Campground
Surprisingly spacious and shaded by cottonwoods, with spring water and pit toilets.
928-448-2121, 928-448-2141; Havasupai Camping Office, PO Box 160, Supai, AZ; adult/child $17/8.50;
check in 9am-5pm
Havasupai Lodge
Rooms at the lodge sleep up to four people; they have air-conditioning but no TVs or phones.
928-448-2111, 928-448-2201; www.havasupaitribe.com; PO Box 159, Supai, AZ; r $145;
check-in 8am-5pm
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
- TRIP
- 7 Dam Diving
- 29 Ghosts of the South Rim
- 30 South Rim Art
Return to beginning of chapter
Hiking the North Rim | 
|
WHY GO Having lived and worked at the Grand Canyon for over 10 years – with a quarter of his job involving actual time roaming the backcountry – Ranger William Reese lets us in on the best of the North Rim, from spectacular sunset overlooks to multiday backcountry treks.
TIME
5 – 15 days
DISTANCE
300 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
May – Oct
START
Jacob Lake, AZ
END
Tuweep, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
“I don’t wanna say it’s like a cult, but people who make the effort to come here typically do their research beforehand; they read up and are more savvy about the Grand Canyon,” says Reese. “They’re mostly hikers, though not necessarily hardcore hikers, and birders. Some stay for up to two months at a time. But they really run the whole gamut.”
Situated about 44 miles from the rim,
Jacob Lake Inn is a welcome place to lay your head at the end of a long drive to the canyon. The inn is equipped with spacious rooms and appealing, heated cabins at the junction of Hwys 67 and 89A. In the morning, get the homemade toast with your eggs at
Jacob Lake Inn Restaurant, and don’t forget to pick up a couple of the big, home-baked peanut-butter cookies for later.
Driving through the hills of ponderosa forest that open out on rolling meadows in Kaibab National Forest, look out for mule deer as you approach the entrance to the park. Stop by the
North Rim Backcountry Information Center to pick up a backcountry permit if you plan to do any multiday hikes or camp out on the North Rim. It’s also a good idea to drop by just to find out about current weather and road conditions in and around the park.
Then get your first eyeful of the grand North Rim view as you enter the stone portico of Grand Canyon Lodge, pass through the sunroom and out along the narrow, quarter-mile path to
Bright Angel Point; though paved, the path follows the spine of this promontory and has steep dropoffs on either side in some places. But the outcrop gives huge, unobstructed views into the canyon and across to the South Rim. On clear days, you can see all the way to the San Francisco Peaks, over 80 miles south.
Head back in to the rim, pick up sandwiches, salads and drinks at
Deli in the Pines, and then drive out to the
Widforss Point trailhead. This 5-mile trail follows the edge of a forested plateau, a pleasant walk in the shade with great rim-side views most of the way. The trail ends with the expansive views at Widforss Point, where you can enjoy a quiet picnic. Hike back the way you came, or stay the night somewhere in the woods; there’s at-large camping here, with a backcountry permit.
DETOUR
“In the spring, the Thunder River/Deer Creek hike is a great backcountry hike if you have at least three days. At Surprise Valley, if you head east, you’ll get to the cave where Thunder River Waterfall flows out. If you head west, there’s another river and waterfall. The flowers will be blooming – mariposa lilies, prickly-pear cactus, columbine – it’s really pretty.”
Ranger William Reese
“The North Rim has great hikes through rolling hills and forests of ponderosa pines, firs and spruce. Sometimes you’ll even see a few Rocky Mountain maples, which turn a bright fuschia color in the fall, and the aspens turning golden. That’s my favorite time here – mid- to late-September, when you have long sunny days, and there’s a hard-to-describe sort of magical feeling here,” says Reese.
When you arrive back at the lodge, make a reservation at the mule desk for a ride into the canyon the next day with
Canyon Trail Rides, then cross the room and line up a dinner reservation at the
Grand Canyon Lodge Dining Room. Pair your buttery wild salmon with one of the organic wines on the list, or just let the killer views from the high-ceilinged room enhance the flavors of your meal. After dinner, walk back out along the rim and look across the dark canyon at the twinkling lights of Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim. Then fall into sweet sleep in a cabin at
Grand Canyon Lodge or your site at the
North Rim Campground.
On your second day, saddle up for a mule ride down the
North Kaibab Trail; the full-day trek goes all the way to Roaring Springs, 5 miles down and the main source of water for both the North and South Rims. But if you’re here to hike, hoof down on your own feet to see this wealth of water in the desert. With a backcountry permit, you can camp at Cottonwood Campground, 2.2 miles further down from the Roaring Springs trail junction, and hike back out the next day. The trail begins with steep switchbacks through aspen and fir, and on your ascent, you’ll want to avoid this last, 3-mile section of the hike during the heat of the day. Passing through Supai Tunnel and crossing the Redwall Bridge, the canyon walls rise steeply as you descend. Though the trail has some steep dropoffs, it’s wide and well-maintained, and you’ll marvel at how the trail passes from conifer forest to limestone cliff to scrubby desert as you hike.
Either way you do it, treat yourself on your return with a cocktail from the
Roughrider Saloon – take your glass out to the lodge terrace and put your feet up to drink in the view. Now that you’ve been below the North Rim, you’ll have a deeper appreciation of this massive, complex gorge.
DETOUR
“There’s lots of human history at Swamp Ridge: Teddy’s Cabin, the North Bass Trail. And it offers easy access to Powell Plateau, a living lab – a few different schools actually study there. It’s never been mined, never logged, so there’s never been a road there. The huge eco-question is: what would a natural eco-logical ponderosa forest look like? And this is the answer. You could do a day hike to the rim, or spend several days exploring.
Ranger William Reese
You’ll need to wake early the next morning for the full-day hike out to
Point Imperial, along the Ken Patrick Trail. Point Imperial is one of the highest places on the North Rim, at 8800ft, with a terrific view of what explorer John Wesley Powell considered the start of the Grand Canyon. From here you can see Nankoweap, the Vermilion Cliffs, Marble Canyon and the Painted Desert. It’s a superb locale for viewing the sunrise, and you can camp here without a backcountry permit as it’s in Kaibab National Forest.
If you don’t have two days to hike out and back (one day if you can park a vehicle at each end), you can just drive out for a look – the road goes right out to the point. Continue along the road to
Cape Royal, and enjoy an easy ramble to stupendous views of the canyon. There’s even a designated wedding site here on a jutting precipice for romantics seeking an appropriately dramatic backdrop to their big day.
With similarly stunning 270-degree views of the Painted Desert, San Francisco Peaks, and good views of where the river has cut into the Kaibab Plateau,
Cape Final is “one of the best places imaginable to watch the sunset,” Reese says. “If you’re interested in geology, you’ll see some really amazing stuff here.” You’ll often find that the rocky outcrop at the end of the trail is completely deserted, apart from a raven or three. You’ll need a backcountry permit if you want to stay at the one primitive campsite perched right next to the edge on the rim, with the bazillion-dollar view all to yourself. Otherwise, try to time your hike for sunset, and bring a headlamp for the 1½-mile walk out.
On the next day, take a high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicle to
Point Sublime, a place that lives up to its name. It’s hard to get there and totally worth it – this is classic, breathtaking Grand Canyon scenery. Don’t even think about taking a low-clearance vehicle down the dirt road, which is deeply rutted in some sections, and be well versed in the art of changing a tire. The 18-mile road to Point Sublime begins at the Widforss Point parking lot and passes through ponderosa forest before reaching a clearing. It then enters the forest again and eventually tapers into piñon and juniper scrub. The point is an excellent place to camp and contemplate the views of the canyon’s buttes and spires as the light and shadow slither over them.
Returning from Point Sublime the next day, you’ll have to leave the park, drive through the town of Fredonia and take a 61-mile BLM washboard road to get to your next, most remote port of call, so consider spending the night outside the park. Set yourself up in one of the older cabins at the
Kaibab Lodge, 18 miles from the rim, to get a jump on the next day’s drive to Tuweep.
With one of the most outstanding overlooks in the park,
Tuweep is not typical of the North Rim. On the western end of the canyon and at a low elevation of 4552ft, it’s extremely hot, and has more open views within the canyon, with fewer spires and buttes. The 3000ft vertical drop to the Colorado is nothing if not stunning, and at this point in the canyon, it’s only about a mile across to the South Rim. Because of its remoteness, it has more of a wilderness feel to it. There are 10 primitive, first-come, first-served campsites, and as with Point Sublime, you’ll need a four-wheel-drive to bump out there on the rough road. Be prepared for the unexpected – bring more water than you think you’ll need, a spare tire or two, and your sense of adventure.
Wendy Yanagihara
DETOUR
Allow at least four days to hike the challenging but rewarding rim-to-river Nankoweap Trail. Or camp at the trailhead, which itself is located in the Kaibab National Forest. According to Reese, “The geology out there is so fascinating, if you know where the fault lines are going; they are so complex but so distinct. The trailhead is a great viewpoint for that.”
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Take I-15 north from Las Vegas through St George, then head eastward to Hwy 89 and south on Hwy 67.
Do
Canyon Trail Rides
Book half-day or full-day mule rides upon arrival at the Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim.
435-679-8665; www.canyonrides.com; North Rim; rides $30-125;
7am-5pm, mid-May–mid-Oct
North Rim Backcountry Information Office
You’ll need a backcountry permit for Cottonwood Campground or one of the campsites on the North Rim.
928-638-7868; www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/backcountrypermit.htm; North Rim;
8am-noon & 1-5pm mid-May–mid-Oct
EAT & DRINK
Deli in the Pines
Get packaged but fresh takeout, or eat in at this one budget spot on the North Rim.
928-638-2611, 928-645-6865; www.grandcanyonforever.com; North Rim; mains $5-10;
7am-9pm mid-May–mid-Oct;
Grand Canyon Lodge Dining Room
Although the window tables are the most coveted for the views, you can’t really go wrong at any table.
877-386-4383; www.grandcanyonforever.com; North Rim; mains $5-27;
6:30-10am, 11:30am-2:30pm, 4:45-9:45pm mid-May–mid-Oct;
Jacob Lake Inn Restaurant
During the winter, dining is only available at the counter and the kitchen closes a half-hour earlier. Located 44 miles north of North Rim.
928-643-7232; www.jacoblake.com; mains $5-15;
6:30am-9pm;
Roughrider Saloon
Get espresso and pastries here in the morning, and post-hike cocktails to sip on the terrace in the evening.
928-638-2611, 928-645-6865; www.grandcanyonforever.com; North Rim;
11:30am-11pm mid-May–mid-Oct
SLEEP
Grand Canyon Lodge
Comfortable, quiet cabins with private baths and heaters.
877-386-4383; www.grandcanyonforever.com; North Rim; r $107, cabins $111-156;
mid-May–mid-Oct;
Jacob Lake Inn
The peaceful, sweet cabins are a better deal than the perfectly comfortable motel rooms. Located 44 miles north of North Rim.
928-643-7232; www.jacoblake.com; r $108-147, cabins $84-136;
Kaibab Lodge
Acceptable alternative if you can’t get a booking at Grand Canyon Lodge and don’t want to stay as far as Jacob Lake. Located 18 miles north of North Rim.
928-638-2389; www.kaibablodge.com; cabins $85-155;
mid-May–mid-Oct;
North Rim Campground
Has a general store, a gas station, a coin-operated laundry and ponderosa-shaded campsites.
928-638-7814; http://reservations.nps.gov; North Rim; campsites $25;
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
Return to beginning of chapter
Lazing on Lake Powell | 
|
WHY GO Controversy be damned, Lake Powell provides a cool respite from the desert heat. Paddling the lake in a kayak is ideal for exploring its small coves and side canyons – or let a guide do the paddling on a smooth-water float on the deep green waters below Glen Canyon Dam.
TIME
3 days
DISTANCE
190 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Apr – Oct
START
Page, AZ
END
Marble Canyon, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
Even as you approach the lake, a glimpse of its sapphire-blue water through the undulating heat waves is almost enough to cool you down a smidge. Sliding a foot over the side of your kayak feels magnitudes better, and a quick, brave dip in the Colorado will take the edge off any heat-singed soul, as the water temperature hovers around a deliciously shivery 47°F year-round.
Ease onto the water with someone else at the oars with
Colorado River Discovery in Page. Running smoothwater floats on motorized or rowed rafts, these trips leaving from Lees Ferry are a relaxed introduction to the steep canyon walls and swirling eddies of the Colorado. Expert guides relate the rich history and geology of the canyon as you drift. Get your land legs back with a midday hike to
Horseshoe Bend, about 4 miles south of Page. The payoff is huge, with the trail only three-quarters of a mile and leading to a sudden dropoff at the crazy bend in the river that gives this lookout its moniker.
Backtracking to the dam, browse the interpretive displays at
Carl Hayden Visitor Center for some fascinating background on Lake Powell – completion of the enormous Glen Canyon Dam in 1963 culminated in the controversial flooding (and thus demise) of its eponymous canyon, creating Lake Powell in its place. Hour-long tours of the dam depart throughout the day, but if engineering isn’t your thing, just wander out back for a look at the dam, and ponder how one ecosystem was created as another was destroyed, and how the controlled release of its water impacts communities and ecosystems from the dam to the ocean hundreds of miles away.
As the day’s heat dissipates by degrees, check into one of the mom-and-pops on Page’s “Old Motel Row”.
Debbie’s Hide A Way is one favorite, with homey, fully-equipped suites and a slightly loopy garden peppered with tikis out back, an inviting spot for evening beers. For dinner, stroll over to Lake Powell Blvd and snag a terrace table at
Fiesta Mexicana for Mexican comfort food and margaritas. Though both branches on the boulevard serve good chile rellenos, be careful which branch you choose, as the terrace-less one doesn’t serve booze.
But don’t overdo it with the powerful margaritas, because next morning you’ll be perfecting your power-paddle on Lake Powell. The easiest way to get on the water is to rent a kayak at
Lake Powell Boat Rentals at Wahweap, in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. You’ll be sharing the water with houseboats, wakeboarders and Jet Skiers, but you’ll also see catfish jumping and wild ducks and grebes feeding along the shoreline. You could meander the lake’s coves and side canyons all day, but even given an hour you can paddle northwest around
Lone Rock, a curious sandstone monolith rising out of the water.
If you’re a more ambitious kayaker, consider going DIY. Hit up the friendly boating experts at
Bill and Toni’s Marine in Page. The no-nonsense but twinkly-eyed Bill and Toni will set you up with a kayak and everything else you’ll need, such as bare-bones roof racks and paddles. They will also offer tips on the best places to launch and explore around the region. If a Jet Ski is more your speed, they rent personal watercraft, too.
DETOUR
It’s motionless and rock-solid, but the sinuous sandstone swirl known as The Wave in the Paria Canyon–Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness will move you anyhow. Only 10 walk-in permits are issued daily at the Bureau of Land Management office (http://paria.az.blm.gov) on Hwy 89 north of Page, just after mile marker 21. Show up before 9am (Utah time!) to enter your name in the daily lottery; if you win a spot, your permit is good for the following day. Plan for a six-hour hike.
After your time on the boat, and shrugging off your PFD (personal flotation device), give the arms a rest and limit yourself to simply lifting a G&T to your lips at the
Rainbow Room. Floor-to-ceiling windows bring the lake right to your table at Page’s swankest eatery, where sustainably caught fish and hormone-free beef get their Southwestern flair from flavors like green chile and roasted corn.
Save the serious geological mind-boggle for your third day, with a visit to
Rainbow Bridge National Monument, the largest natural arch in the world at 290ft tall and spanning 275ft. Hidden uplake on the Navajo Reservation, one look at the massive red arch against blue sky will explain why it’s held sacred significance for local Native Americans throughout the ages. If you’re not up for the multiday backcountry hike to Rainbow Bridge,
Lake Powell Scenic Cruises runs full-day trips, departing from Wahweap Marina.
FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD
Take your sweet time paddling side canyons and sleeping under the stars on a multiday kayak-camping trip. Camping on Lake Powell doesn’t require a permit (for stays shorter than 14 days) but does necessitate self-sufficiency and the packing out of all waste. For more information, visit the website for Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (www.nps.gov/glca). Be sure to get current information on conditions, as some cuts and canyons may be inaccessible due to varying lake levels.
Leaving Lake Powell, have one last splash in the Colorado at
Lees Ferry before spending the night in quiet Marble Canyon. Nestled at the foot of the burnt-orange
Vermilion Cliffs, the roadside
Lees Ferry Lodge is an appealingly unfussy motel, with porch chairs in front of the cobble-stone building providing front-row seats for stargazing before bed.
Wendy Yanagihara
Return to beginning of chapter
TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Page lies about 135 miles north of Flagstaff, a straightforward drive along Hwy 89 through the Navajo Reservation.
DO
Bill & Toni’s Marine
Rent everything from kayaks to personal watercraft to boats here, and get insider information on the best places to explore.
928-645-2599; [email protected]; 803 Vista Ave, Page, AZ; full-day kayak rental $25-45;
7am-7pm
Carl Hayden Visitor Center
Offers information on local activities and has excellent interpretive displays.
928-608-6404; Glen Canyon Dam, Hwy 89, AZ; admission free;
8am-6pm Memorial Day-Labor Day, to 4pm Dec-Feb, to 5pm rest of yr
Colorado River Discovery
Along with smooth-water trips, it also offers kayak backhaul services to Lees Ferry.
888-522-6644; www.raftthecanyon.com; 130 6th Ave, Page, AZ; half-day river trip adult/child $70/60;
6am-6:30pm;
Lake Powell Boat Rentals
The easiest way to get on the water: rent, launch, paddle and drop off a kayak at Wahweap.
928-645-1111; www.lakepowell.com; Wahweap Marina, UT; full-day kayak rental $28;
7am-7pm
Lake Powell Scenic Cruises
Enjoy a full-day cruise on Lake Powell, the highlight of which is Rainbow Bridge.
800-528-6154; www.lakepowell.com; Lake Powell Resort, 100 Lakeshore Dr, Page, AZ; adult/child $148/92;
7am-7pm;
EAT
Fiesta Mexicana
As festive as the name suggests, with down-home Mexican fare.
928-645-4082; 125 South Lake Powell Blvd, Page, AZ; mains $7-12;
11am-10pm
Rainbow Room
Lake views take the cake at Lake Powell Resort’s restaurant.
928-645-1162; www.lakepowell.com; Lake Powell Resort, 100 Lakeshore Dr, Page, AZ; mains $12-28;
6am-10pm
SLEEP
Debbie’s Hide A Way
Suites at Debbie’s come complete with full kitchens, bathrooms and spacious living areas.
928-645-1224; www.debbieshideaway.com; 117 8th Ave, Page, AZ; r $39-159;
Lees Ferry Lodge
The 10 rooms at this small motel are uniquely and comfortably furnished, and the porches are perfect for watching sunsets.
928-355-2231; [email protected]; Hwy 89A, Marble Canyon, AZ; r $70-112;
USEFUL WEBSITES
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
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Polygamy Country | 
|
WHY GO Upswept hairdos and pastel prairie dresses, averted eyes and gaggles of children. No, you haven’t stepped into a Laura Ingalls Wilder time warp, this is modern-day southeastern Utah, where the Mormon religion holds strong, and a polygamous splinter group has taken the faith to some pretty serious extremes.
TIME
2 days
DISTANCE
90 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Sep – Oct
START
St George, UT
END
Hildale, UT
ALSO GOOD FOR
Polygamy has been causing controversy ever since Mormon prophet Joseph Smith revealed the principle in 1843. Within a few years the church leader had been murdered and the Saints driven from Illinois to the Utah Territory. But for all the effect polygamy had in populating western states (second church president Brigham Young was purported to have had as many as 35 wives, 65 children and countless great-great-great grandchildren – this author included), the practice lasted a surprisingly short time. The official Mormon church, known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) today, espoused plural marriage for only 50 years. In fact, the LDS excommunicates multiple marriagers.
That doesn’t mean the practice faded away. Start talking to residents in the staunchly Mormon
St George, and you may be regaled with stories of polygamous friends or suspiciously large broods of similar-age kids tumbling out of minivans. St George is, after all, the closest urban center to Hildale-Colorado City, the town where an estimated 7000 polygamy-practicing members of a cult-like splinter sect, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), live.
Start your day in St George as the Mormon pioneers would have. OK, so settlers wouldn’t have sipped espresso, but they would have recognized the baked cinnamon-apple smell wafting from the
Bear Paw Café. Fruit and nuts were some of the first local crops planted. Look for the mulberry trees (planted to feed silk worms) that shade the old town streets as you stroll past mercantile buildings on N Main and Tabernacle Sts. The dry goods are gone, but you can still lap up ice cream under pressed-tin ceilings at
Thomas Judd’s Store (c 1911), part of the Green Gate Village Inn historical B&B community.
To get a feel for high-end pioneer polygamist life, mosey over to the
Brigham Young Winter Home (1873), where in October apples drip from some of the original orchard trees. Young, and presumably several of his wives, were among the first “snowbirds” to flock to St George for the mild winters. Though not as lavish as today’s clifftop getaways, the intricately carved woodwork does belie a richer-than-thou lifestyle.
During Brigham Young’s 30-year tenure, the 1877
St George Temple was the only temple completed and in service. Unless you’re a member, entry’s barred, but you can admire the huge slabs of hand-chiseled rock, plastered and painted a glowing white. At night, uplighting makes the scene all the more ethereal. Exceptionally polite visitors center volunteers will happily answer questions. (Don’t worry, no one will try to convert you – unless you ask.) But note that members aren’t big on talking about polygamy these days. It’s no wonder, considering the crimes that have been associated with polygamous offshoot sects. If you want to get the real story, you’ll have to descend the back stairway and search through the stack at the
Book Cellar. Margi and Karin stock frank Mormon and FLDS memoirs, and have some tales to tell themselves.
After dining on artisanal entrées at the Painted Pony, take your bedtime reading back to your room in the
Seven Wives Inn, where the original owner of the 1873 Victorian sequestered polygamists fleeing persecution in a secret attic room. Stay in the “Jane” room and you’ll be sleeping under the same eaves where the current innkeeper’s ancestor once hid (yes, he did have seven wives).
RELIVING HISTORY
Meet the big man, Brigham Young himself, with Historic St George Live! (www.stgeorgelive.org). Costumed docents lead bus tours to historic sights where noted 1870s residents tell their stories and answer questions. In addition to the church president, look for local missionary and farmer Joseph Hamblin.
If day one was dedicated to mainstream Mormonism, day two represents the radical fringe. First stop is any superstore near St George, like the
Walmart in Washington. Be respectful, but you’ll be hard pressed not to notice FLDS women cruising the aisles in ankle-to-wrist dresses, their long hair teased skyward and wrapped in a bun. What looks like several generations (mother, daughter, granddaughter) are likely to be “sister wives,” all married to one man.
Other than a proliferation of 17,000-sq-ft houses (for multiple wives and even more multiple children), the twin towns of
Hildale-Colorado City on the Utah–Arizona state line appear pretty normal. But this is where FLDS leader Warren Jeffs imposed increasingly strict edicts in this polygamous community before his conviction in 2007 – including the widely reported actions of closing the schools, banning private books (TV had long been taboo), banishing teenage boys out onto the streets of St George and forcing girls as young as 13 to marry men 40 years their senior.
DETOUR
Twenty miles from Colorado City, Pipe Spring National Monument (www.nps.gov/pisp) is quite literally an oasis in the desert. The constant supply of water attracted both Paiute Native Americans and Mormon settlers. During the late 1800s, the ranch here was a stop on the “Honeymoon Trail” – a route Arizona Mormons followed traveling to be married at the St George Temple.
We don’t recommend driving around town too much; nonresidents have been followed and police are FLDS members. But do pop into the
Merry Wives Café; it’s run by those in a less insular polygamist sect from Arizona. As you admire the large family portraits and the pastoral mural of women romping through a field hand-in-hand, it starts to sink in. Not much has changed in 150 years. Polygamy is still practiced, and it’s still stirring things up.
Lisa Dunford
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TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
From Las Vegas follow I-15 northeast 120 miles then take Utah exit 6 west into St George.
DO
Book Cellar
A fiercely independent bookstore in conservative country, Book Cellar carries roughly 20,000 new and used titles.
435-652-0227; www.sgbookcellar.com; 130 N Main St, St George;
10am-5pm
Brigham Young Winter Home
The furnishings a
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