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ARIZONA THE GRAND CANYON STATE

2009 State Visitors Guide Complimentary Copy

A R IZO NA THE GRAND CANYON STATE www.ArizonaStateVisitorsGuide.com

Plan your trip to Arizona – the heart of America’s Southwest. Use this guide to learn more about the weather and terrain before you pack. Our writers provide information worth reading so you won’t miss some of the state’s best attractions. This guide covers the basics and the little-known details of travel in Arizona – all you need to know to plan a memorable Arizona vacation. Nickname: The Grand Canyon State State Motto: Ditat Deus - God enriches Land Area: 113,634 square miles Capital: Phoenix Colors: blue and old gold Neckwear: bola tie Fossil: petrified wood Flower: saguaro cactus blossom Tree: palo verde Gemstone: turquoise Mammal: ringtail cat Bird: cactus wren Reptile: Arizona ridgenose rattlesnake Fish: Arizona trout Amphibian: Arizona tree frog Butterfly: two-tailed swallowtail Published by Hennen Publishing & Marketing Group 3645 N. Marshall Way, Suite 3, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 Phone (480) 664-0541 • Fax (480) 664-0591 hennenpmg.com • info@hennenpmg.com Publisher/Editor Kathleen Hennen Lockhart Art Director Tad Smith Copy Writers Dina Mishev, Joe Passov Account Executives Erin Edelstein, Taylor Lawson Cover Photo Grand Canyon National Park Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means without consent of the publisher. Every effort has been made to ensure this publication is as accurate as possible. The publisher will assume no responsibility for errors, changes or omissions.

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AR I Z O N A STATE MAP

NE VADA

Glen Canyon St. George Lake Powell Colorado City Fredonia Vermilion Cliffs Pipe Spring Lees Ferry Littlefield 89 Page Kaibab-Paiute 89A Marble Canyon Jacob Lake Vermilion Cliffs

West Coast

Grand Canyon Parashant Las Vegas

Lake Mead

o rad

Colo

Grand Canyon Temple Bar Meadview West

Hoover Dam

Grand Canyon

Hualapai

93 Chloride

Northern

180

180 64

Seligman Williams Ash Fork

163

Kayenta

Shonto

160

64 Teec Nos Pos

Mexican Water

Navajo

Tuba City 264 Moenkopi

191

Round Rock

Many Farms

89 Tonalea

North Rim Grand Canyon

Valle

Peach Springs

Supai

Monument Valley Tribal Park

Cow Springs

Grand Hualapai Hilltop 64 Havasupai Canyon Village Tusayan

1 Lake Mead

r Rive

UT AH

Chinle

Navajo

Tsaile

Canyon de Chelly

Northern

Hotevilla Keams 191 Oraibi Kykotsmovi Canyon Window Cameron Rock Ganado Second 264 Polacca Gray Mountain 2 Mesa Hubbell Hopi Trading Post St Michaels Wupatki

Sunset Crater Volcano

Leupp

191

Indian Wells

Lupton

North Central

Riordan

Colora do Riv er

CALIFORNIA

Kingman

NEW MEXICO

77 Flagstaff Sanders 99 Chambers Bullhead Walnut Homolovi Ruins Navajo City 89 Canyon Meteor Winslow Slide Rock Petrified Forest 40 Crater Oatman 95 Fort Mohave Red Rock Sedona Mormon Lake 87 Joseph City Holbrook Tuzigoot 179 Clarkdale Needles Chino Valley Jerome 191 Wikieup Dead Horse Ranch 180 377 Yavapai 89A Cottonwood Lake Montezuma Bagdad Topock 77 Jerome Montezuma Castle Prescott Valley 95 93 St. Johns Yavapai-Apache Prescott Snowflake Lake Havasu City 96 Yavapai-Prescott Heber Taylor 277 Fort Verde Camp Lyman Dewey Lake Havasu Verde Fool Hollow 61 260 Strawberry Lake Overgaard 260 Pine Mayer 89 Cattail Cove Lake Cordes Jct. Christopher Yarnell Tonto Show Low Springerville Alamo Lake 17 Agua Natural Buckskin Payson Creek Fria Pinetop-Lakeside Mountain Black Canyon City Bridge Fort Parker Tonto 71 60 Wickenburg 260 Eagar Apache Hon-Dah Apache New River McNary Greer Bouse 87 Colorado Carrizo 188 Cave Creek Aguila 60 River Alpine 72 Roosevelt 73 74 Carefree Wenden 95 La Paz Fountain Dam Gila Whiteriver 60 Salome Fort Apache Hills Ft. McDowell Surprise 88 Quartzsite Hannagan Litchfield Peoria Scottsdale 10 88 Blythe Ehrenberg Meadow Salt River Tonto San Carlos Park Glendale PHOENIX Tonopah Lost Dutchman Globe Goodyear Tolleson Apache Junction San Carlos Tempe Mesa 60 Miami Buckeye Avondale 191 Gilbert 70 Superior Chandler Gila River Queen Creek Boyce Thompson Casa Greenlee 95 Morenci Maricopa Grande McFarland Kearny Clifton Florence Hayden Winkelman Graham 85 Ak-Chin 10 Coolidge Pinal Yuma Aravaipa Pima Thatcher Territorial Ft. Yuma Casa Grande Gila Bend 8 Canyon Sonoran Desert Prison 77 Safford Eloy 79 Oracle Duncan Dateland San Yuma Yuma 15 Manuel Mt Quartermaster Picacho Roper Lake Wellton Somerton 85 Graham Depot Peak Catalina Oracle 191 10 Cocopah Catalina Ironwood Marana Mt Lemmon San Luis Forest Ajo Bowie Oro Valley Cortaro Willcox Why 10 Saguaro Tucson 186 86 Fort Bowie Saguaro Pascua Yaqui Dos Organ Pipe Quijotoa 86 Santa Cruz Cactus 89 Vail Benson Cochise Cabezas Chiricahua Sells San Xavier Tohono Sahuarita Kartchner St. David Green Valley Lukeville Oâ€™odham 181 Caverns Madera Kitt Peak Portal 80 Pearce 19 Canyon 83 82 90 Tombstone Tombstone Tubac Presidio Sonoita Courthouse Sasabe Tubac Important Roads 10 Interstate Highways Indian Reservations Sierra Vista 80 Patagonia Hereford Bisbee191 Tumacacori 15 Indian Roads State Park Divided Highways National Parks & Monuments Rio Rico 82 Coronado Douglas Scenic Roads State Parks 191 U.S. Highways Nogales Laughlin

West Coast

North Central

Phoenix & Central

Tucson & Southern

L E G E N D Points of Interest

Interstate Highways

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82 State Highways

ME XIC O

Table of

Contents

10 16 20 24 28 32

Only in Arizona Unique Events Grape Expectations World-class Wines Get Out! Arizona’s Outdoor Adventures Back in the Saddle Arizona’s Guest Ranches Liquid Refreshment Arizona’s Lakes Cactus Makes Perfect Golf in Arizona

D EST INATION S

Phoenix & Central Arizona 48 Spas 50 Activities/Attractions 52 Accommodations

Tucson & Southern Arizona 64 Accommodations 65 Spas 65 Activities/Attractions

Northern Arizona 75 Accommodations 77 Activities/Attractions

Arizona’s West Coast 82 Accommodations 82 Activities/Attractions

North Central Arizona 90 Accommodations 92 Spas 92 Activities/Attractions

Resources

7 Visitor Information 93 Mileage Map 94 RV Park Listings

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Arizona

V isitor in formation What Time Is It?

Arizona is in the Mountain Time Zone. Sometimes Arizona’s time zones get a bit confusing, especially when Day Light Savings is in effect as Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time (except on the Navajo Reservation).

Getting Here

Served by more than 20 airlines – most people fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) – the largest international airport in the Southwest. It is located in central Arizona, in the heart of Phoenix proper, and is very convenient to the entire metropolitan area. Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport provides a convenient alternative in the East Valley and is served by Vision Airlines and Allegiant Air. In the southern part of Arizona, Tucson International Airport is served by nine airlines.

Getting Around

If you want to see a lot of Arizona, renting a car is your best bet. Even if you plan to base in the Phoenix or Tucson area, you’ll appreciate being able to ‘daytrip’ to numerous attractions at your leisure. Most national car rental companies offer service at the airports. On the other hand, if you want to check into a resort and just relax in the spa or poolside, transportation options include the resort’s shuttle, private shuttles, taxis, and public transportation via bus or the new light rail. In December, 2008 the first 20-mile starter line of the METRO light rail system for Phoenix started accepting passengers.

Dressing for Travel in the Southwest

Sunglasses, hats and sunscreen are all standard attire for locals. Beyond that, bring clothing that you can layer – on the same day, you may find yourself in the desert heat and in a matter of hours, as you climb toward the mountains, or watch the sun set, you will want a light sweater or jacket. Arizona, as a rule, is pretty casual when it comes to personal attire. Few restaurants require a coat or tie.

Culture & Heritage

Many come to Arizona looking for the true Old West and, while there are plenty of authentic cowboys and Indians here, it’s not quite like in the movies. Throughout Arizona, remnants of the cowboy culture abound, whether it be a western store, a gathering of cowboy poets or a rodeo. Authentic cowboys (and cowgirls) are hard at work on working ranches as well as guest ranches. You can spot them wearing boots, tight jeans with big buckles, and Stetsons. And, while Native Americans are just a small part of the population, more than 25% of Arizona’s land is dedicated to Native American Reservations, more than any other state in the U.S. The 22 tribes comprise Arizona’s second biggest tourist attraction, behind the Grand Canyon. Native American symbols and history are everywhere in Arizona – from national parks and monuments to trading posts and art galleries. The Hispanic cultures have had a great influence on Arizona. In Southern Arizona near the border of Mexico, more signs are in Spanish than English. And the Spanish influence is evident in everything from architecture to street names to cuisine. To truly experience Arizona, it’s important to enjoy the cultural variations of Arizona, as well as the beauty of the land and attractions of the cities.

weather & topography

Arizona is incredibly diverse. From the high country to the Sonoran Desert in Phoenix and Tucson areas, Arizona’s weather and topography can be extreme. When you travel throughout the state, you will encounter deserts, mountains, and large cities (Phoenix is the fifthlargest in the country). Weather – During any season in Arizona, some part of the state enjoys near-perfect weather. Generally, the busiest season in the desert areas (southern half of the state) lasts from January through March; the next most popular is from April to May and September through December; and the season when visitors can find the greatest values is June through August. Peak and value seasons in the mountainous regions (in the northern half of the state) are the opposite of the desert areas. Peak season in some mid-climate areas of the state, such as Sedona, is from March to May and September through October. Topography – Arizona covers almost 114,000 square miles, with about 350 square miles of water surface. The state has three main topographical areas: (1) a high plateau averaging between 5,000 and 7,000 feet in elevation in the northeast; (2) a mountainous region oriented southeast to northwest with maximum elevations between 9,000 and 12,000 feet; and (3) the Sonoran Desert in southwestern Arizona with elevations as low as 100 feet above sea level.

Temperatures & precipitation

DESERT MOUNTAIN

Jan. Feb. March April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

Average High 65.9F/18.8C 70.7F/21.5C 75.5F/24.2C 84.5F/29.2C 93.6F/34.2C 103.5F/39.7C 105.9F/41.1C 103.7F/39.8C 98.3F/36.8C 88.1F/31.2C 74.9F/23.8C 66.2F/19C

Average Low 41.2F/5.1C 44.7F/7C 48.8F/9.3C 55.3F/12.9C 63.9F/17.7C 72.9F/22.7C 81F/27.2C 79.2F/26.2C 72.8F/22.6C 60.8F/16C 48.9F/9.4C 41.8F/5.4C

Average Rainfall 0.6” 0.7” 0.9” 0.22” 0.1” 0.1” 0.9” 1.0” 0.86” 0.7” 0.7” 1.0”

Average Low 16F/-8.8C 19F/-7.2C 23F/-5C 27F/-2.8C 34F/1.1C 41F/5C 50F/10C 49F/9.4C 42F/5.6C 31F/-0.5C 22F/-5.5C 17F/-8.3C

Average Average High Rainfall 43F/6.1C 2.18” 46F/7.8C 2.56” 50F/10C 2.63” 58F/14.4C 1.29” 68F/20C 0.8” 79F/26.1C 0.43” 82F/27.8C 2.4” 80F/26.7C 2.89” 74F/23.3C 2.12” 63F/17.2C 1.93” 51F/10.6C 1.86” 44F/6.6C 1.83”

Temperature – Great extremes (as much as 40 to 50 degrees F) occur between day and night temperatures throughout Arizona. During winter months, daytime temperatures may average 70 degrees F, with night temperatures often falling to freezing or slightly below in the lower desert valleys. In the summer, the pine-clad forests in the central part of the state may have afternoon temperatures of 80 degrees F, while night temperatures drop to 35 or 40 degrees F. High temperatures are common throughout the summer months at the lower elevations and can exceed 110 degrees F. Cold air masses from Canada sometimes penetrate into the state, bringing temperatures below zero in the high plateau and mountainous regions of central and northern Arizona.

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A rizona

Welcome to the Grand Canyon State

Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park

It isn’t hard to figure out

how Arizona acquired

its popular nickname, “The Grand Canyon State.” Drive five hours due north from the State Capitol in Phoenix and you’ll run right into one of the most jaw-dropping geographical wonders on earth.

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Perfect campsite in Coconino National Forest Last ride of the day - Lake Havasu What truly amazes visitors about Arizona, however, is the remarkable diversity of terrain, climate and attractions that you’ll encounter along the way. No matter what your budget, tastes or travel mode, Arizona is guaranteed to delight. From the lakes, pines and 7,000-foot elevation of Northern and Eastern Arizona to the western desert towns along the Colorado River to the appealing blend of Old World charm and big-city amenities in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona offers something for everyone.

the historic San Xavier del Bac Mission

Toss in superb spas, shopping and restaurants, major league sports and sophisticated cultural attractions, then mix with stunning natural backdrops such as Sedona’s red rocks, Tucson’s cactus forests and Flagstaff’s snow-capped mountain peaks and you have the ingredients for an unforgettable visit. With a legacy shaped from Old West, Native American and Hispanic influences, and more than 320 days of sunshine annually, Arizona is truly the jewel of the Southwest. Welcome! w w w.Ari zonaStateVi si torsGui de.com B

on ly in arizona unique events

Red Rocks Music Festival, Sedona

A Song & a D ance Alexa needed a nap!

Jan u ary Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event – Scottsdale January 11-18, 2009, (480) 421-6694, barrett-jackson.com “The Greatest Car Show on Earth” – Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction is the place to see and be seen when it rolls into Scottsdale, Ariz. every January. The Barrett-Jackson Auction Company is well known for being the premiere classic car auction company in the United States, featuring some of the most exclusive vehicles available at auction. Native American Arts Festival – Litchfield Park January 12-13, 2009, 10am-5pm, $8 Adults, (623) 935-6384 Experience the West Valley’s premier Native American Arts Festival and share in the lives of more than 200 award-winning artists. Peruse a fabulous selection of traditional and modern masterpieces including jewelry, pottery, basketry, weaving, katsinas, painting, beadwork and more while you celebrate the cultures and traditions of the Native Southwest. Enjoy authentic foods, artist demonstrations, and not-to-be missed musical performances by Brule and AIRO. Gem & Mineral Shows (and Shopping) – Quartzsite January-February, 2009, (928) 927-9321, quartzsitebusinesschamber.com Just two hours west of Phoenix, Quartzsite comes alive in January and February when most of the million-plus annual visitors converge on the town to hunt for rocks and minerals and ‘shop’ the rows of eclectic items sold out of tents (largest swap meet in the world). In addition to agates, quartz, limonite cubes and even gold, you can shop for antiques, leather goods, baskets and ethnic jewelry. After you’ve scored shopping, take a break at the local tavern known as The Quartzsite Yacht Club – it’s one of two small bars in town.

Febr u ary Arizona Fine Art Expo – Scottsdale January 15-March 29, 2009, 10am-6pm, $8 Adults, (480) 837-7163, arizonafineartexpo.com A 10-week event in north Scottsdale. Watch more than 100 designers, painters, sketchers and sculptors at work in their studios and in the outdoor working cabanas. Café de Expo offers scrumptious breakfast, snacks and lunch in the afternoon. Arizona Renaissance Festival – Apache Junction February 7-March 29, 2009, (520) 463-2600, royalfaires.com (Saturdays & Sundays only) The Arizona Renaissance Festival is a medieval amusement park, a 12-stage theater, a 30-acre circus, an arts and crafts fair, a jousting tournament and a feast – all rolled into one non-stop, day-long family adventure.

Inspired by Arizona’s radiant colors and diverse heritage, Arizona’s arts and culture landscape is among the richest in the Southwest. Rave reviews and national attention has been bestowed on Arizona’s cultural centers and fine-arts museums, many showcasing collections and touring exhibits from around the world. And, it doesn’t surprise anyone that browsing the galleries and shops is a favorite pastime for locals and visitors alike.

Walk the Arts Just about every city and town in Arizona hosts a weekly or monthly art walk, where art galleries open their doors for extended hours. Sedona’s resident artists fill over 40 in-town galleries, which on the first Friday of each month stay open as late as 8pm to give visitor’s a glimpse of Sedona’s artists. Also on the first Friday of every month, downtown Phoenix’s Art Walk includes everything from emerging galleries to the newly expanded Phoenix Art Museum staying open until 10pm. Downtown Scottsdale’s ArtWalk happens every Thursday evening from 7-9pm – just follow the ArtWalk markers on the sidewalks. Chandler’s takes place on the first Wednesday of each month, while Mesa has adopted the fourth Friday for theirs. Whichever you choose, make a night of it by combining an art walk with fine dining, drinks, or theater options in the area.

Perf orming Arts Whether it’s opera, drama, or ballet, the performing arts in Arizona are rich and diverse. Greater Phoenix is home to Arizona Theatre Company, Arizona Opera, Ballet Arizona, Broadway Theatre, Childsplay, Actors Theatre, and Center Dance Ensemble, as well as a host of public events. Tempe and Mesa both have new arts centers that host hundreds of performances as well as classes and studios. Scottsdale’s Center for the Performing Arts also hosts year-round performances that promote diversity and awareness of cultural heritage. Outside of the Valley, Bisbee’s Copper Queen Hotel hosts a murder mystery in which both actors and spectators participate. Payson holds bluegrass festivals and fiddler’s contests among the green pines. Wickenburg’s Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts 600-seat theatre hosts a variety of performances that are diverse, beautiful and high-energy. The Wall Street Journal has referred to Tucson as a “mini-Mecca for the arts” – it has its own symphony, ballet, opera and theater groups.

Palm-lined entrance to Mesa Arts Center

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events C ont. uniquely arizona

4th of July, Tempe Town Lake

Farmers Market, Scottsdale

Gold Rush Days – Wickenburg February 13-15, 2009, (800) 942-5242, wickenburgchamber.com For three action-filled days, thousands of visitors and participants enjoy the multitude of activities ranging from a shoot-out on Frontier Street, a parade, rodeo, carnival, food booths, and arts and crafts. Parada del Sol Parade, Rodeo and Events – Scottsdale February 21, 2009 (parade), February 27-March 1, 2009 (rodeo), scottsdalejaycees.com This month-long western-themed festival promotes Scottsdale as “The West’s Most Western Town.” Activities include the World’s Largest Horse Drawn Parade, Hashknife Pony Express ride, Trail’s End Celebration in Old Town Scottsdale, the Kid’s Corral Art Show and five PRCA rodeo performances and two rodeo dances.

M arch Heard Museum Indian Fair and Market – Phoenix March 7-8, 2009, (602) 251-0209 x6414, heard.org The fair features more than 650 of the finest American Indian artists including jewelers, potters, carvers, painters and weavers. Music and dance performances; Indian, Mexican, and American foods; and free Museum entrance are all included with fair admission price. Ostrich Festival – Chandler March 13-15, 2009, (480) 963-4571, ostrichfestival.com One of the “Top 10 Unique Festivals in the U.S.” – the Ostrich Races are the most popular attractions at the event, but two stages of continuous live entertainment run all day long with nationally known headliners each night. State fair-size rides and more than 150 exhibitors selling arts and crafts, as well as children’s activities, round out a whole day of fun. Spring Butterfly Exhibit at Desert Botanical Garden – Phoenix March 1-May 11, 2009, 9:30am-5pm Daily, $3 Adults, (480) 941-1225, dbg.org Hundreds of colorful butterflies flutter around as you wander through the flower-filled lush gardens.

A pri l Arizona Diamondbacks Baseball – Phoenix April-September, 2009, (602) 462-4600, diamondbacks.com Baseball, hot dogs and apple pie – all still representative of American values – and thankfully, all still affordable. Prices for single game tickets in the upper deck range from $5 to $20.

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World’s Oldest Rodeo, Prescott

Chandler Jazz Festival – Chandler April 3-4, 2009, (480) 782-2735, chandleraz.gov/jazz Bourbon Street comes to Chandler with this jazz-filled weekend, highlighting local and national bands in the stores, restaurants, streets and park, and everywhere in between in Historic Downtown Chandler. NASCAR at Phoenix International Raceway – Avondale April 16-18, 2009, (866) 408-RACE (7223), phoenixinternationalraceway.com. Race fans gather for three days of racing, sunshine and parties. Races include: Jimmie Johnson Foundation 150, Bashas’ Supermarkets 200, and SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™.

May Cinco de Mayo Celebrations – Statewide 1st week in May, 2009 Neighborhood and community Cinco de Mayo celebrations throughout Arizona are free or very reasonably priced. You’ll find lots of Latino music, dance, Mexican food and games. Farmers Markets – Statewide Various dates and locations, arizonafarmersmarkets.com Farm fresh seasonal produce and locally-produced food products available as well as arts and crafts.

J une Boats Regattas – Lake Havasu Weekends in June, (928) 230-1014, jokerswildpromotions.com A day on the lake with fun for the entire family – races, stereo contests, and parades through the infamous Bridgewater channel. High Country Festivals & Events – White Mountains Weekends in June, azwhitemountains.net Greer Days – parade, fun run/walk, music, talent show and vendors. Show Low Days – “Still Cruzin Car Show,” arts and crafts fair, vendors and an old-fashioned drive-in movie. “Chrome in the Dome” Classic Car Show, vendors, food and live radio remote in Eagar. Best of the West Fine Art Show – original works from the best Western artists from around the country at HonDah Resort. Corvette’N America Car Shows and Road Tours – Northern Arizona June, 2009, corvette-n-america.com Each June, Corvette owners from across the U.S. converge on scenic locations in Arizona for road rallies, car shows, and good old fashioned fun. Open to the public.

Batter Up Baseball Spring Training In Arizona’s Cactus League is a time-honored treat

Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale

Ju ly Hassayampa River Preserve – Wickenburg Friday-Sunday, Summer, 7-11am Birdwatching – Hassayampa River Preserve has 280 species of birds living, nesting, or migrating along its riparian corridor. Perched atop the massive trees and dead snags are some of Arizona’s rarest raptors, like the zone-tailed hawk, the black hawk and the Harris hawk. Lucky birders may sight a Mississippi kite or the elusive yellow-billed cuckoo. Enjoy seeing the free-flowing river or walk around the springfed pond in the shade of palms and cottonwoods. This is a great place to bring kids. Have a picnic breakfast in the palm grove. 4th of July Celebrations and Fireworks – Statewide Throughout Arizona, communities come together to celebrate with food, kids activities, water fun, local bands and entertainment. World’s Oldest Rodeo and Frontier Days – Prescott June 29-July 5, 2009, (866) 407-6336, worldsoldestrodeo.com Since 1888 folks have come from miles around to see what the ruckus in Prescott, Arizona was all about. Every year that ruckus gets bigger, the contestants more daring and bold. When the bulls, the horses, the clowns come to town... well, let’s just say you’ll want to see what’s kicking up all that dust.

A u g u st Red Rocks Music Festival – Sedona August 30-September 6, 2009, (928) 282-7714, redrocksmusicfestival.com The week-long event takes place in venues around Sedona and is the most important chamber and orchestral music festival in the state, attracting leading orchestras from around the country.

For ever-hopeful Chicago Cubs fans, the rallying cry at season’s end is always the same: “Wait ‘til next year!” When “next year” inevitably rolls around, the Cubs do what many Major League baseball teams do: They start fresh in Arizona. In mid-February, pitchers and catchers report to Cactus League Spring Training camps at sites scattered around Phoenix and Tucson. Within a week, their teammates join in, and embark on the annual ritual of limbering up, running wind sprints and grooving the fundamentals amid the springtime sunshine. For baseball fans of all ages, Cactus League games and practices represent a wonderful opportunity to see the sport’s established stars and upcoming prospects in an intimate, welcoming setting. Cactus League ballparks are cozier than those in the Major Leagues and players are more relaxed, so the interaction is more up-close and personal. Ticket prices are family-friendly as well. Mesa’s Hohokam Park is the longtime home-awayfrom-home for the Cubs, while Scottsdale Stadium welcomes back the San Francisco Giants every spring. Two clubs call Phoenix home, the Oakland As, who play at Phoenix Municipal Stadium and the Milwaukee Brewers, who ply their trade at Maryvale Park. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim head east to Tempe Diablo Stadium, the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners play at Peoria Sports Complex and the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers compete in Surprise Stadium. In recent years, Tucson Electric Park has showcased the talents of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox, while the Colorado Rockies have trained nearby at venerable Hi Corbett Field. The White Sox, however, are expected to move up to a new 13,500-seat stadium in Glendale by 2009, where they’ll be joined by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Also new for 2009 is Goodyear Ballpark, which greets the Cleveland Indians, followed in 2010 by the Cincinnati Reds. At the end of March, teams head back to their respective cities, leaving Arizona’s Cactus League fans with a familiar rallying cry: “Wait ‘til next year!”

Starlight Train, Verde Canyon Railroad – Clarkdale Saturday Nights, (928) 639-0010, verdecanyonrr.com Every Saturday, the canyon comes alive with nocturnal beauty and wildlife aboard the only railroad that travels through the Verde Canyon.

Septem b er Navajo Nation Fair – Window Rock September 1-7, 2009, (928) 871-6647, navajonationfair.com Every year in early September, Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation, celebrates Navajo values, beliefs and pastimes with the nine-day “World’s Largest American Indian Fair.” Attracting over 100,000 people from all over the world – singing, dancing, livestock, arts and crafts, an all-Indian rodeo, and arguably the largest inter-tribal PowWow in North America take place.

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events C ont. uniquely arizona

Hot Air Balloons, Phoenix

Grand Canyon Railway, Williams

Route 66 Days – Flagstaff flagstaffroute66days.com Route 66 Days is a weekend full of fun-filled events designed to bring back the nostalgia of Route 66 and the exciting heritage of the Mother Road.

O cto b er Arizona State Fair – Phoenix October-November, 2009 (602) 268-FAIR, azstatefair.com Concerts, exhibits, contests, judging and showmanship events, midway, food, and an all-Indian rodeo. Way Out West Oktoberfest – Tempe October, 2009, (480) 491-3378, wowoktoberfest.com Rock, Country and even a little Polka. International Beer Garden, wide variety of family-friendly entertainment including clowns, dance troupes, children’s choruses, comedians and dance lessons. Annual Schnepf Farms Pumpkin & Chili Party – Queen Creek October, 2009, $14, (480) 987-3100, schnepffarms.com Admission includes: hay rides, miniature golf, maizes, country road rally, honeybee adventure, carousel rides, petting barn, pig races, 3-D scary weather haunted attraction, golden goat bridge, live entertainment on two stages, bonfires and marshmallow roasting and farmhouse museum. There’s also a sweet shop, country store, gift shops, and a spectacular fireworks show every night.

Tohono Chul Park, Tucson

Novem ber Polar Express, Grand Canyon Railway – Williams November-mid-January, 2009, 6:30 & 8pm, $14-26, (800) 843-8724, thetrain.com During a one-hour evening train journey, guests enjoy treats and a reading of the classic Christmas story on the way to the North Pole. Santa boards the train at the North Pole and presents young passengers with bells representing the spirit of Christmas and everyone sings carols on the return trip. Leaf Changing – Statewide Fall Color Hotline (800) 354-4595, fs.fed.us/news/fallcolors The Forest Service’s website offers the estimated percentage of current fall foliage, areas with greatest amount of color, recommended viewing routes and the estimated peak viewing period. Holiday Lights in Tohono Chul Park – Tucson November-December 2009, $8, (520) 742-6455, tohonochulpark.org Half a million lights and luminaria, complimentary hot cider, holiday cookies, an ornament sale and musical performances make Holiday Nights one of the most popular activities in Tucson. Festival of the Arts – Fountain Hills November & February, 10am-5pm, (480) 837-1654, fountainhillschamber.com More than 500 artists and 200,000 attendees enjoy the three-day festivals which includes bands, food and arts and crafts for sale.

December Noches de las Luminarias, Desert Botanical Garden – Phoenix November 27-December 23, 2009, (480) 941-1225, dbg.org This evening celebration of Southwest luminaries is a great place to get a flavor of the Southwest. Arizona Cardinals Football – Glendale Various dates August-December, azcardinals.com The Arizona Cardinals play professional football in the Valley of the Sun.

Laura & Charlie taking a break

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Glendale Glitters – Glendale December 7- 29, 2009, 6-10pm Nightly, (623) 930-2960, glendaleaz.com/events A breathtaking display of 1.5 million lights blanketing 12 blocks of Historic Downtown Glendale starts the holiday season off in style. Each weekend has a special theme with fun for all ages including entertainment, arts and crafts, delicious food and horse-drawn carriage rides.

Grape Ex pectations Napa isn’t the only valley making world-class wines By Dina Mishev

All 50 states now have at least one bonded winery but Arizona is the only state west of the Mississippi – not including the

Big 3 of Oregon, Washington, and California – to have any wines recommended by Robert Parker, editor of The Wine Advocate and the preeminent wine critic in the English-speaking world. And Parker hasn’t just recommended one Arizona wine, but nearly 30. According to the Arizona Wine Growers Association, the state now has 35 vineyards and 28 bonded wineries. For a complete list, and map, of the state’s wineries, go to arizonawines.com. Here are just a few favorites.

So u th & southeast Getting back to Robert Parker, he calls one of the vineyards – Callaghan Vineyards – in this region, “The best kept secret in the United States.” But, with Callaghan Vineyards having been noted as producing some of the best wines in the United States by both Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast, the Paris daily newspaper LeMonde calling its wines “astonishing,” the White House serving them at Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s retirement dinner, and The Wall Street Journal selecting a Callaghan wine as “One of 12 Best,” it’s arguable how much of a secret Callaghan is these days. Secret or not, it’s still most often Kent Callaghan himself pouring out the tastings here. Kent’s personal favorite? The 2004’s Caitlin’s.

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“It’s a blend of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. It is built for the long haul and already quite complex, just like the kid (our oldest daughter),” he said. Down the road, Sonoita Vineyards is the unofficial birthplace of Arizona viticulture. In 1973, now-retired University of Arizona soil scientist Dr. Gordon Dutt established an experimental vineyard near here. Following surprisingly good results, he and partner A. Blake Brophy planted the state’s first commercial vineyard – this one – in 1979 and opened a winery in 1983. The rest, as they say, is history. The Village of Elgin Winery is another of this area’s originals, and is housed in an appropriately historic building. Built in 1895 it was first a bordello, then a hotel, then a feed store. Suiting this history, one of Elgin Winery’s most popular blends is similar to one rumored to have been enjoyed by the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday the evening before the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Elgin Winery says its Tombstone Red, a mash of red and white grapes, pairs wonderfully with rattlesnake, tarantula, and scorpion. (It also pairs well with more conventional proteins.) Towards Willcox, Ft. Bowie Vineyards is a working farm growing pecans, walnuts, peaches, and cherries, in addition to grapes. Combining two of its crops, Ft. Bowie makes what might be one of the world’s most interesting sparkling wines: Pecan Delight. Just like it sounds, Pecan Delight is a sparkling wine bubbling with the essence of pecans.

Wine-tasting – before & after –

the vineyard tour at Page Springs Cellars Winery

N orth C entra l While the southern wine regions have been sitting center stage, the north-central region around Sedona has snuck up to become the state’s fastest-growing wine region. It might also be the country’s most eccentric. Winemakers here include retired lawyers (Jon Marcus at Echo Canyon) and rock stars (Maynard James Keenen, lead singer of Tool). The Wall Street Journal has noted both. A 2007 cover story positively raves about Page Springs Cellars Winery (particularly its Vino de la Familia Blanca 2005), Echo Canyon (a Syrah and a red blend called “Triad”), and Alcantara. The paper’s expert taster pronounced the latter’s Chardonnay a contender for a double gold at a competition. The Journal had nothing to say about rock-star Keenen’s Caduceus wines however… most likely because they couldn’t get their hands on any. Caduceus doesn’t have its own tasting room, but sells its wines at Page Springs Cellars, where it couldn’t be kept in stock for much of 2007. (It’s there now though.)

Alcantara’s - the BEST Chardonnay

The first winery on the Verde River (as opposed to Oak Creek), Alcantara will also be the first winery in the region to double as a destination resort. In 2008 the winery broke ground on a “Tuscan Village.” Including a new (larger) tasting room, the village will also have a bed & breakfast, bistro, shops, and artists-in-residence. Construction is every bit as unpredictable as a crop of grapes, but Alcantara hopes the village will be completed by 2010. Because wineries here are popping up faster than they can be kept track of – and the above are just a smattering – try arizonawines.com/northerntrail.html or the Arizona Wine Growers Association (arizonawine.org) for the most current information. If you’re short on time and can’t choose between the north and south regions, Cave Creek Wines, a gem of a wine shop hidden in a strip mall about 20 miles north of Phoenix, is a nice compromise. Cave Creek carries wines from around the world, but, of course, has a special place on its racks for Arizona wines. B

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G rape Expectations

Page Springs Cellars

So uthern A rizona W ineries Callaghan Vineyards 336 Elgin Road, Elgin, (520) 455-5322, callaghanvineyards.com Tasting Room Hours: 11am-3pm Fri-Sun Having received many accolades from the most respected wine writers and publications, it has earned its superb reputation for consistently producing fine wines year after year.

Alcantara Vineyards

Elgin Winery 471 Elgin Road, Elgin, (520) 455-9309, elginwines.com Tasting Room Hours: Please view website for wine tasting events. Wines made from grapes grown in Southern Arizona. Still produces wines in traditional fashion, hand harvesting, sorting and foot stomping the reds. Ft. Bowie Vineyards 156 N. Jefferson St., Bowie, (888) 299-5951, fortbowievineyards.net Tasting Room Hours: 8am-4pm Tues-Sat This working farm was established in 1997 near Willcox, and produces pecans, walnuts, peaches and cherries as well as grapes. Keeling-Schaefer Vineyards 10277 E. Rock Creek Lane, Pearce, (520) 824-2500, keelingschaefervineyards.com Tasting Room Hours: Visit by appointment only Located 12 miles south of the Chiricahua National Monument, tastings are $5 and include a commemorative glass.

Canelo Hills-Emma, Joan, Kathryn, Charlie & Tim Canelo Hills Vineyard and Winery 342 Elgin Road, Elgin, (520) 455-5499, canelohillswinery.com Tasting Room Hours: 11am-4pm Fri-Sun, other days by appointment Located on 10 acres in the heart of Sonoita’s beautiful grasslands, 7.5 miles southeast of the Sonoita Crossroads. Dos Cabezas Wineworks 3248 Hwy. 82, Sonoita, (520) 455-5141, doscabezaswinery.com Tasting Room Hours: 10:30am-4:30pm Fri-Sun Established in 1995, Dos Cabezas is a small, family-owned and operated winery in southeastern Arizona.

Kief Joshua Vineyards 370 Elgin Road, Elgin, (520) 455-5582, kj-vineyards.com Tasting Room Hours: 11am-5pm Fri-Sun Small family business situated on 20 acres in the middle of “winery row.” Specializing in dry, full-bodied wines crafted by hand using traditional methods. Sonoita Vineyards H.C. 1 Box 33, Elgin, (520) 455-5893, sonoitavineyards.com Tasting Room Hours: 10am-4pm Daily, except major holidays Among rolling mile-high grasslands and surrounded on three sides by mountain ranges, there are spectacular views to be savored from the first winery in the Arizona Apellation Sonoita.

Callaghan Vineyards

North C entral Arizona Wineries Alcantara Vineyards 7500 E. Alcantara Way, Verde Valley, (928) 649-8463 (VINE), alcantaravineyard.com Tasting Room Hours: 11am-5pm Daily Nestled in the Verde Valley at the confluence of the Verde River and Oak Creek (off Highway 260/Thousand Trails), 13 varietals with 14 acres under vine. Tours begin at 11:30am Fridays and Saturdays. Javelina Leap Vineyard & Winery 1565 Page Springs Road, Cornville, (928) 649-2681, javelinaleapwinery.com Tasting Room Hours: 11am-5pm Daily Boutique winery, with a limited 1,200case annual production. Located ten minutes from Sedona, along Oak Creek Greenbelt and Audubon Bird Sanctuary. Jerome Winery 403 Clark St., Jerome, (928) 639-9067, jeromewinery.com Tasting Room Hours: 12-5pm Sun-Thurs; 11am-6pm Fri-Sat Built on the side of Cleopatra Hill between Prescott and Sedona in the historic town of Jerome, featuring over 30 uniquely handcrafted, individually distinct wines. Oak Creek Winery 1555 N. Page Springs Road, Cornville, (928) 649-0290 Tasting Room Hours: 11am-5pm Daily Country setting with wine, gourmet cheese plates and gift shop. Page Springs Cellars 1500 N. Page Springs Road, Cornville, (928) 639-3004, pagespringscellars.com Tasting Room Hours: 11am-6pm Daily Family-owned winery in the Verde Valley, also manages Arizona Stronghold Vineyards (previously known as Dos Cabezas) in Willcox, Ariz.

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G et O u t outdoor adventure in Arizona By Dina Mishev

West Fork, Oak Creek Canyon

I tried. I really did.

But all the number crunching was making my head hurt more than doing taxes. Arizona just has too many public lands – be it national parks, national monuments, national forests, municipal parks, or wilderness areas (to name only a few of the various designations the state’s protected lands have) – to count. Generalizing though, it is safe to say few other states have as much public play land as Arizona… and even fewer states have a diversity of landscape that matches Arizona’s. Whether it’s desert adventuring in a panorama dotted by giant saguaro or mountain biking beneath snowcapped highlands, it’s Arizona. Since the state has more play lands and diversity of play lands than I have words, I’m confining myself to just a recommendation or two for each season. Besides, finding something on your own can be an adventure in and of itself.

Su mmer With the northern areas of the state a good 20 degrees cooler than the south – due more to their higher elevations than the difference in latitude – Sedona, Flagstaff, the Verde and Chino Valleys, and the White Mountains are where you want to be. My particular favorite area? The two million acre Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, which is most of the White Mountains. It’s got hiking, biking, ATV, and horse-friendly trails just like the state’s other five national forests, but it’s also got lakes and streams… more lakes (34) and streams (almost 700 miles) than any other forest in the Southwest, in fact. The water makes for unique scenery and for great fishing. From May through October many of the fisheries in this forest are stocked with hatchery-bred Apache trout, one of Arizona’s two native fish. Brook, Brown, Cutthroat and Rainbow trout also live here. Hannagan Meadows and the East and West Fork of the Black River are good places to cast that first fly.

Arizona Trail, Northern Arizona

Fall Chances are you don’t have the time to tackle all 800-some miles of the Arizona Trail, which traverses the state from its border with Utah to Mexico, but fall is a great time to check out one or more of its 43 segments by foot, bike, or horse. The 13.5-mile section in the Santa Rita Mountains from Gardner Canyon Road to Oak Tree Canyon takes you over Cave Creek, into Fish Canyon, and through Kentucky Camp, a collection of long-abandoned mining buildings. The segment starting at Montezuma Pass in the Coronado National Forest negotiates the crest of the Huachuca Mountains for 20 miles. In the north, just outside Flagstaff, the 14 miles of segment #32 start at a trailhead on Interstate 40, but quickly head into open country before climbing up and around Mt. Elden en route to Schultz Pass, which isn’t too far from the amenities – beer, burritos, and soft beds – of Flagstaff. Wherever you are in the state, or wherever you want to be in the state, the Arizona Trail is there. 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of its first segment opening – on the Kaibab Plateau – and now it’s 94% complete. Check out aztrail.org for segment details and trail updates.

P l ay park ranger

Organ pipe formation in the Chiracahua NM

Enjoy the outdoors while helping the outdoors by signing up on a trip with Flagstaff-based Wilderness Volunteers. Since its founding in 1977, Wilderness Volunteers has collaborated with the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management in organizing over 400 week-long, backcountry work trips in 25 states. Of course, you’ll want to sign up for one of its Arizona offerings: trail maintenance in Saguaro National Park or miscellaneous duties in the expanse of Chiricahua National Monument’s volcanic rock formations, to name but a few of the dozens on the schedule. Most trips require no previous experience and every trip is under $300, which includes meals and camping/ lodging. New winter/spring trips are posted in October and summer/fall trips in December (wildernessvolunteers.org, (928) 556-0038).

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G et O u t outdoor adventure in Arizona

Hiking In Grand Canyon

National Parks Grand Canyon National Park Located in northwestern Arizona, Grand Canyon National Park – one of the Seven Wonders of the World – is 277 miles long and averages 4,000 feet deep. Nestled within the canyon are numerous side canyons abundant with greenery, wildlife, waterfalls, raging rapids and calm, glassy pools.

Stunning Sunset at Saguaro National Park

Inspiring Palette from the Painted Desert

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Saguaro National Park Enormous cacti silhouetted by the setting sun – for most people, the giant Saguaro is the universal symbol of the American West. And yet, these majestic plants are only found in a small portion of the United States. Saguaro National Park protects some of the most impressive forests of these sub-tropical giants, on the edge of the modern city of Tucson. Petrified Forest National Park Petrified Forest National Park stretches north and south between Interstate 40 and Highway 180 near Holbrook. With one of the world’s largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood, multi-hued badlands of the Painted Desert, historic structures, archeological sites, and displays of 225 million-year -old fossils, this is a surprising land of scenic wonders and fascinating science.

Tips for outdoor activities in Arizona B Bring and drink water. There are no dependable sources of water in the desert regions. One gallon of water per person, per day is the absolute minimum. B Adjust your activity level for altitude or temperature. B Update and organize your medical information and bring it with you.

Arizona Snowbowl, Flagstaff

W inter Unless you want to go skiing – and you do that at Arizona Snowbowl outside Flagstaff, Sunrise Park Resort outside Greer, and Mount Lemmon Ski Valley, the continent’s southernmost ski area, outside Tucson – winter is the time to golf, hike, bike, and ride in the central and southern parts of the state. With nearly 16,000 acres, Phoenix’s South Mountain Park/ Preserve is the largest municipal park in the country (for comparison, New York’s Central Park is 843 acres). Covering three mountain ranges – the Gila, Guadalupe and the Ma Ha Tauk – South Mountain Park is home to over 300 species of plants, and all the typical Sonoran desert animals: sun spiders, desert tortoises, rattlesnakes, Gila monsters, geckos, horned lizards, cottontail jackrabbits, coyotes, great horned owls, roadrunners, and javalina, to name just a few. Fifty-one miles of trails satisfy hikers, horseback riders (guided trips are available), and mountain bikers of all abilities. The Phoenix area is also home to golf of all sorts. Desert style golf – target golf hitting around the area’s natural obstacles, usually barrel cacti and saguaros here – was developed in Scottsdale. Newcomers on the golf scene are courses developed on Native American lands: Whirlwind Golf Club on the Gila River Indian Reservation and We-Ko-Pa on the Ft. McDowell Yavapai Reservation are but two. Find all of the area’s courses at arizonagolfer.com.

B Learn a little about the flora and fauna before you venture out into the woods or desert. (Avoiding rattlesnakes can come in handy.) B Always tell someone where you are going and when you will return. B Do not travel in the desert backcountry without taking along appropriate maps. B Dress properly – layered clothing slows dehydration and minimizes exposure. Good hiking shoes, loose fitting natural-fiber clothing, a wide brimmed hat, sunglasses and sunscreen are a must. B Pay attention to the weather – when a violent thunderstorm breaks over the mountains and deserts, runoff cascades into the steep canyons in a matter of minutes. Flash floods can result from thunderstorms centered over mountains many miles away.

Spring Whether by horseback, foot, or bike, spring is the time to catch the wonderfully garish explosion of wildflowers in the south. Tucson residents each have their own opinion as to where the best wildflower viewing is, but Picacho State Park, northwest of the city, is near the top of everyone’s list. Poppies usually start the festivities going in February and are followed by Mojave lupine, white easterbonnets, New Mexico plumeseed, and dozens of others. All five of Picacho’s horse/bike/hike-friendly trails afford floral vistas, but the staff at the park’s visitor center is happy to point you to the trail with the present prime profusion. One note: as the site of the only Civil War battle in the state, the April 15, 1862, 90-minute-long Battle of Picacho Pass, Picacho State Park hosts massive Civil War reenactments each March, so don’t be surprised to come around a corner of the Calloway Trail and find a Union soldier on horseback. Even closer to Tucson and at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Catalina State Park is the place – well, with Saguaro National Park too, of course – to see the official state flower in bloom. Both park’s combined 10,000+ saguaros usually unfurl their white blossoms in May. The hardiest hikers check the show out from Catalina’s Romero Canyon or Sutherland trails and from the Hugh Norris Trail in Saguaro National Park. B

if only! - rock climbing near Tucson

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Bac k in the sadd l e arizona’s guest ranches By Joe Passov

Loping ride at White Stallion Ranch

Back in 1991, we all “discovered” guest ranches, thanks to the Billy Crystal movie, City Slickers, which spotlighted three middle-aged men seeking to re-discover their mojo by signing up for a guest ranch experience. In the real world, guest ranches have been around a lot longer than that. Whether your idea of a good time is yelping it up on a cattle drive or kicking back around a crackling campfire, Arizona’s guest ranches will lasso you in.

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Colt ‘Leavan Time’ - Only 2 weeks old

When I grow up - I wanna be a cowboy

Phoeni x & C entra l Wickenburg is best known for cowboys, campfires and cactus. Here, Kay el Bar Ranch is small, accommodating, rugged and original. This guest ranch took lessons from John Wayne; they believe that cell phones don’t belong on saddles, the sweetest meals follow the most spectacular Sonoran sunsets, stucco doesn’t hold a candle to adobe and, some people whisper to horses, but the smartest people let horses whisper to them. Two rides are offered daily along with weekly cattle round-ups and a cowboy college.

Breakfast ride at Tanque Verde Ranch

Also in Wickenburg, Rancho de los Caballeros – “Los Cab,” as the locals call it – offers 79 rooms, a spa, pool, tennis and a golf course so good it’s been nationally ranked. Yet, the prime attraction is horseback riding. From October to May, guests have access to 100 horses and trail rides that range from beginner to advanced. A recent favorite is team penning, where guests on horseback break up into small teams that include a cowboy and attempt to direct three yearling steers out of a dozen into a 12’ by 12’ pen. Yippee!

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Bac k in the saddle

G UE S T R AN C H E S Mayer Bumble Bee Ranch Adventures (623) 374-0002 • bumblebeeranch.com

1 House

Handicap Accessible Cattle Ranch Horseback Riding Boarding Stables Pack Trips Hiking Fishing Other Activities Swimming Pool Meals Included Bar/Lounge Room Service Concierge Full Service Spa Exercise Facilities Laundry In-Room TV In-Room High Speed Internet

Price Range ($)

Number of Rooms

arizona’s guest ranches

200-350 • • • • • • • • • •

Sassabe

Rancho De La Osa Guest Ranch (800) 872-6240 • (520) 823-4257 • ranchodelaosa.com

215-250 • • • • • •

1280 • • • • • •

Tucson

Elkhorn Ranch (520) 822-1040 • guestranches.com/elkhorn Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch (800) 728-6514 • (520) 299-1501 • haciendadelsol.com Tanque Verde Ranch (866) 676-3833 • (520) 296-6275 • tanqueverderanch.com White Stallion Ranch (888) 977-2624 • (520) 297-0252 • whitestallion.com

109-515

240+

• • • • • • •

•

• • • • • • • • • • •

160-550 • • • • • • • • • • •

•

210-795 • • • • • • • •

405-520 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

105-165

Wickenburg

Kay el Bar Ranch (800) 684-7583 • (928) 684-7593 • kayelbar.com Rancho De los Caballeros (800) 684-5030 • (928) 684-5484 • sunc.com

Yucca

Stagecoach Trails Guest Ranch (866) 444-4471 • (928) 727-8270 • stagecoachtrailsranch.com

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• • • •

D o you speak C owboy?

Kay el Bar Ranch, Wickenburg

T u cson & S outhern For sheer numbers, southern Arizona leads the way on the guest ranch front. In the Tucson area alone, there are nearly a dozen, including such historic properties as Tanque Verde Ranch and White Stallion Ranch. Founded in 1868, Tanque Verde Ranch boasts 75 rooms and the state’s largest stable, with more than 150 horses. With its scenic location next to Saguaro National Park and the Coronado National Forest, the views are incomparable from atop a horse. While there are plenty of non-equine activities to enjoy as well, don’t miss a breakfast ride up to the Old Homestead. This is cowboy life at its most authentic. Hollywood discovered the rugged charm of White Stallion Ranch back in the 1930s and has returned steadily ever since. Feature films with William Holden, Gene Autry, Jimmy Stewart and George Clooney have all been shot here. It’s easy to see why. White Stallion is beautifully situated at the foot of the Tucson Mountains and the myriad Western activities available to guests, from hayrides to rodeos to cattle penning, are first-class. To be sure, this is a working Longhorn cattle ranch, but family fun is the norm. Guests can choose between fast rides, slow rides, long rides or those that take in maximum desert scenery on steep, rocky, mountain trails – just like in the movies. Other outstanding southern Arizona guest ranches include Elkhorn Ranch, Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch Resort and Rancho de la Osa Guest Ranch in the Tucson area, Triangle T Guest Ranch in Dragoon and Sunglow Ranch in Pearce.

N orthwest In the small Mohave County town of Yucca, just south of Kingman and 25 miles east of the Colorado River sits the Stagecoach Trails Guest Ranch. Whether you arrive by ground, water or air, it’s worth the journey. Cowboy singers, campfire storytelling, visiting a local ghost town or fishing on the Colorado are among the attractions. But the most popular activity of all is breathing in the solitude of the desert as you clip-clop along the sandy washes and mountain trails. When it comes to an Arizona vacation, there’s nothing quite like being back in the saddle. B

The cowboy – that enigmatic, larger-thanlife icon of our culture – has long been considered a figure of fast hands, steel nerves, and few words. And yet, many western words and phrases have been filtered into our everyday language – “star gazin’,” “the whole shebang” – but countless others, sadly, are seldom heard in current speech: “restless as a hen on a hot Chew it Finer griddle,” “crooked as a snake in a cactus patch.” Below are some favorites that may – or may not – be useful at the guest ranch of your choice. B Above my Bend Beyond my capabilities B Apron Straps Straps on the skirt of a saddle used to hold slicker, bedroll, and other gear. B Balky The natural temperament of horses and mules – contrary enough to do anything but what the rider wants B Bite the Dust To be thrown from a horse. Every cowboy gets throwed. (It almost never happens to guests.) When you do get throwed, you’re said to have dirtied your shirt, chewed (or eaten or tasted) gravel, eaten grass, gone picking daisies, gotten dumped, gotten dusted, gotten spilled, kissed the ground, or lost your horse. (Bite the Dust was, of course, another expression for getting killed.) B Break a Horse To train a horse. Trained horses in the West are “broke,” not “broken” – “broken” would mean ruined. B Buffalo or Cow Chip Dried pie of manure (there’s even contests to see who can throw them the farthest) B Catch as Catch Can However you can get it done – the expression comes from a calf-roping contest in which the roper is allowed to throw the rope any old way as long as he snags a calf and holds it. B Catty Whompus Used to describe something that doesn’t fit properly or is out of line B Chew it Finer A way of asking the speaker to say something again in simpler terms B Coffee Boiler A person who would rather do simple tasks, like making coffee, rather than hard physical labor B Get a Wiggle On Hurry up B Hurricane Deck The saddle of an unbroken or wild horse B Mail-order Cowboy An inexperienced cowboy, usually from the East, who has expensive clothing and fancy gear. (Think Boston Legal’s Alan Shore in a recent episode.) B Spread the Mustard To put on airs B Tuck Yer Shirt Tail In Close your mouth, and essentially, hide your tongue. B When Cows Climb Trees! A cowboy expression for when he’ll do what he doesn’t mean to do – never

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Li q u id R e f reshment Arizonaâ€™s lakes By Dina Mishev

Fool Hollow Lake

The Internet really is an amazing thing. There I was, hunched and straining over my dog-eared copy of DeLorme’s

Arizona Atlas & Gazetteer – think of the most detailed road and topographic maps you’ve seen, combine them, and then make it about 100 times more detailed and you know what I’m talking about. I was trying to count the number of lakes in the state. It was going well until 58, when I couldn’t remember if I had already counted Fool Hollow Lake yet or not. And back to 1… or to the Internet. Turns out Wikipedia has already done all the counting: and come up with well over 100. Surprising a state whose official flower is a giant cactus has so much water, yes? Since Arizona has so many lakes, we’ve gone through the trouble of finding out which ones are best for what. While counting them might have proven too taxing, “researching” the best beaches and fishing holes was, amazingly, not.

Fishing There are nearly 30 species of sporting fish found throughout the state. And each and every Arizona lake, not to mention stream and river, has at least one kind living in it. Even better? Many lakes are regularly stocked. (For the stocking schedule, go to azgfd.gov and click on fishing.) Without stocking, Lake Mead has an amazing July through November striped bass season – think so many of them feeding near the surface, the water looks like it is boiling. There are also largemouth bass, trout, catfish, tilapia, sunfish, and crappie in the lake. For a completely different fishing experience – alpine rather than desert – head for the White Mountains. The lakes here – the number of them, the variety of species living in them, the uniqueness of these species, the size of the fish, the beauty of the scenery – make for a fishing Nirvana. The White Mountains are home to the native Apache trout, as well as brooks, browns, cutthroat, and rainbow, some bass species, and catfish (among others). Fisheries here are controlled by either Arizona Game and Fish Department or the White Mountain Apache Tribe. The latter has come up with what may very well be the best idea ever:

Speedboat on Lake Havasu

Rent-a-Lake. That’s right. The WMAT has set aside two lakes, Hurricane and Cyclone, for the general public to rent. If you rent them for the day, at $300 and $400, respectively, the lake, its fish, its campgrounds, and all the associated amenities belong to you and your guests, and only you and your guests. If you don’t mind sharing your lake and fish, Horseshoe Cienega Lake, where an angler once nabbed a near-17-pound brown trout, is 18 miles east of Pinetop on Arizona 260. In between Horseshoe Cienega Lake and the rent-a-lakes in terms of crowds is Chevelon Canyon Lake, 60 miles from Payson. Anyone who’s gotten the necessary permit can fish at Chevelon, but it does require a hike of about a mile to get to. One look at the size of the browns there though, and you’ll see the effort was worth it.

Best La k e to b e Seen

She’s somebody’s perfect ‘girl’ :) - Lake Havasu

Hundreds of thousands of college students can’t be wrong. Lake Havasu is the place to take spring break (through March and April). Rent a boat and tie into a flotilla; jump off a giant cliff; dance all night at a bar overlooking the Colorado River; drive a jet ski under the London Bridge; or lie out on a sandy beach. Whatever you do though, make sure to have your best face on; there’s no doubt people will be looking.

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Boating There are boats and then there are boats. The new Antelope Point Marina in the Navajo Nation section of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area rents the latter, specifically custom houseboats built by Forever Houseboats. Antelope Point’s smallest rental is 59 feet. All come with flat screen satellite TVs, state-of-theart kitchens, wet bars, and even water slides. If you had one of these boats anywhere but Lake Powell, it’d be easy to spend all your time moored in the marina. But Lake Powell, at 186 miles long with more shoreline than you can imagine – if you drew a line along the shore then pulled it straight, it would be longer than the distance from Canada to Mexico – is best experienced by boat. Some might argue the only way to really experience it is by boat. Lake Powell has 96 named canyons and countless smaller ones; most are accessible only by boat. With water levels higher than they have been in years, you can delve deeper into canyons and see areas of the lake that have been inaccessible for some time. Lake Mead, larger than Lake Powell, is equally popular with boaters, and has several marinas that rent various types of boats. Cruise slowly along its shoreline and look for wildlife from bighorn sheep to bobcats, eagles, feral burros, coyotes, and foxes as well as improbably diverse plant life.

Beaches and Swimming Of course you think of sand when you think of Arizona: the state is home to the Sonoran Desert. And the Mojave Desert. And the Great Basin. And, well, the list goes on. Arizona’s sand isn’t confined to deserts though. Lake Powell has amazing red sand beaches that actually squeak beneath your feet. Part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the 67-mile long Lake Mojave has beaches best accessed by boat, especially if you’re looking to have one all to yourself (and this isn’t an impossibility here). Black Canyon, two miles uplake from Willow Beach, is a good place to start that hunt. Escape the summer heat of the Valley of the Sun at Saguaro Lake, in the Tonto National Forest 41 miles from Phoenix. Butcher Jones Beach is the largest of Saguaro’s beaches, but it doesn’t take long to find smaller splotches of sand. Saguaro also has some of the best swimming around: its depth, about 120 feet, keeps the water refreshingly cool even in the middle of summer. B

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Cactus makes perfect By Joe Passov

golf in arizona The Boulders Club

It’s a shame that golf course architect Dr. Alister MacKenzie never made it to Arizona. The good doctor, who in the 1920s created Georgia’s Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament, had a simple credo when it came to course design: “Variety is everything in golf.” He would have been smitten with the Grand Canyon State. Few other states can boast of such diversity. From the Ponderosa pines and 7,000-foot elevation of Flagstaff to the juniper-, sagebrush- and red rockfilled high deserts of Sedona and Prescott to the cactus-covered mountain slopes of Greater Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona offers every golf backdrop imaginable, except one with beaches. Best of all, there’s fistfuls of courses, hotels, restaurants and activities to fit every budget.

Phoeni x / S cottsdal e The logical starting place for any golf trip to Arizona is the Greater Phoenix area, a region known locally as the Valley of the Sun. A vast array of courses await – from traditional, treelined tracks to desert, target-style layouts – a roster that includes both special occasion “trophy” courses as well as plenty of value-oriented places to play. Most importantly, with 330 days of sunshine per year and more than 200 courses from which to choose, getting aboard a lush, green course amid warm and clear weather is never a problem. Don’t forget that golf and hotel rates plummet from May 1st through September 1st, so if you can handle the heat, you’ll be rewarded with serious value.

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Probably the most famous course in Greater Phoenix is the TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium course, next-door to the Fairmont Scottsdale, and home to the best-attended golf tournament in the world, the PGA Tour’s FBR Open in late January. Designed by Valley resident Tom Weiskopf and his then-partner Jay Morrish, the Stadium boasts loads of strategically sound holes, most memorably the island-green, par-5 15th and the driveable par-4 17th, each backdropped by the McDowell Mountains. Of course, you can’t leave without sampling the bleacher-filled par-3 16th, the rowdiest hole on the PGA Tour. Highly anticipated in early 2009 is the newly restored Papago Municipal course in Phoenix, which underwent an extreme makeover in 2008. Short on frills, but long on value, this rolling 7,000-yard layout embraces a desert/parkland mix, with the unique ancient stone Papago Buttes as backdrops. Continuing to roll with the “stones” theme, a must-play for visitors is The Boulders in Carefree, just north of Scottsdale. While both the North and South courses at this top-ranked resort are camera-worthy, it’s undeniable that the South has the more spectacular holes, including the par-4 1st and par-5 5th, with greensites tucked into six-story boulder complexes and the 6th, 7th and 8th, which tee off atop the prehistoric rocks. Among the stellar collection of top-rated golf resorts in Greater Phoenix are acclaimed newcomers such as the Four Seasons at Troon North, with its recently refurbished Monument and Pinnacle courses, the 27-hole Kierland Golf Club, and the 36-hole JW Marriott Desert Ridge’s Wildfire Golf Club. Among the classic

mainstays that continue to shine strong are the Arizona Biltmore and the Camelback Inn, each with two courses as well as the venerable Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa, west of Phoenix, which sports 54 holes. Speaking of the West Valley, Sports Illustrated named Raven Golf Club at Verrado #1 Public Golf Course in Phoenix.

T u cson and Beyond While Tucson will never match Phoenix/Scottsdale for sheer quantity, it holds its own as one of the America’s greatest warm weather golf destinations. Five-star resorts, dramatic mountain vistas in every direction and a healthy collection of newly renovated municipal courses, several of which have played host to PGA and LPGA Tour events, highlight Tucson’s golf offerings. The venerable Omni Tucson National Resort & Spa offers up the Catalina and Sonoran courses. The former played host to the PGA Tour from 1965 through 2006 and features mature trees and wall-to-wall grass. For more modern desert golf, check out Loews Ventana Canyon’s two courses. The 107-yard par-3 3rd on the Mountain course plays to a tiny green engulfed by a hillside full of Saguaro cacti. Twenty-five years after laying out the 27-hole Westin La Paloma, Jack Nicklaus has returned to craft the new Ritz-Carlton Dove Valley course in Marana, which opens in 2009, just prior to hosting the PGA Tour’s Accenture Match Play Championship. If Tiger Woods’ knee is mended, he’ll come to town as defending champion. Don’t neglect Tucson’s municipal tracks, including Randolph North, Dell Urich and El Rio. Each is bargain-priced

Raven Golf Club at Verrado - # One Public Course in Phoenix and each has hosted its share of Hall-of-Fame players. Less than two hours northwest of Phoenix are Prescott and Sedona, two of the Southwest’s true golf secrets. Victorian-infused Prescott serves up handsome views of the San Francisco Peaks, the Granite Dells and the Prescott National Forest. At 5,000 exhilarating feet is StoneRidge Golf Course, a five-year-old rollercoaster ride in Prescott Valley that calls for accuracy and uphill approaches in the high desert. Nearby, in the Red Rock splendor of Sedona is Sedona Golf Resort and Oak Creek Country Club. Each is cocooned by stark, giant rock formations that are so powerfully beautiful, it’s tough to keep your head down. It’s hard to find a spot in Arizona without stubbing your toe on a quality golf course. The White Mountains of Eastern Arizona dish out Silver Creek Golf Course, while out west, along the Colorado River is London Bridge Golf Club in Lake Havasu. Not far from the Grand Canyon is the desert-style Lake Powell National, while west of Flagstaff, high up in the Ponderosa pines, is Elephant Rocks. Head for the Mexican border south of Tucson and you’ll run into charming Tubac Golf Resort and then Rio Rico. Word to the wise: bring extra golf balls, sunscreen and camera disk space. If you’re golfing Arizona, there’s a lot to cover. B

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Cactus makes perfect golf in arizona

Famo u s Footsteps Play Where the Pros Play The average baseball fan can’t run the bases at Boston’s Fenway Park, nor toss a football around with his pals at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field. He and his buddies can, however, recreate the same golf shots his heroes hit. Here’s a rundown on where you can create Hall-of-Fame golf memories of your own.

The infamous 16th at the FBR Open - TPC Scottsdale

Adv. Booking Policy Golf Shop Bar/Lounge Restaurant

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ASU Karsten Golf Course, Tempe Future Ryder Cup stars such as Phil Mickelson, Per-Ulrik Johansson and Paul Casey have honed their skills on this diabolically challenging Pete Dye design on the edge of the Arizona State University campus.

Par

Wigwam Golf Club

Location

Tucson National Golf Club (Catalina course), Tucson Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Johnny Miller all captured Tucson Opens here in the 1960s and 1970s, but each had to close the deal on the 443-yard, par-4 18th hole, one of the PGA Tour’s toughest, thanks to a serpentine fairway that slithers between two lakes.

Number of Holes

TPC Scottsdale (Stadium course) Home to the PGA Tour since 1987, its 16th hole was also the scene of one of golf’s most historic holes-in-one in 1997, when rookie Tiger Woods electrified the crowd in the third-round with a soaring 9-iron that found the bottom of the cup.

GOLF

Phoenix & Central Arizona

Arizona Grand Golf Course Semi- (602) 431-6480 • arizonagrandresort.com Phoenix 18 71 6300 Private • • • • • Bellair Golf Club (602) 978-0330 Glendale 18 59 3493 85.0 56.2 Public • • • • The Boulders Club Semi- (800) 553-1717 • (480) 488-9028 • theboulders.com/atvg Carefree 36 72 6811 72.6 137 Private • • • • • Camelback Golf Club (480) 596-7050 • camelbackinn.com Scottsdale 36 - - - - Public • • • Desert Canyon Golf Club (480) 837-1173 • desertcanyongolf.com Fountain Hills 18 71 6489 69.9 125 Public • • • • • Desert Sands Golf Course (480) 832-0210 • desertsandsgc.com Mesa 18 65 4029 59.8 88 Public • • • • Legacy Golf Resort (888) 828-FORE • (602) 305-5550 • legacygolfresort.com Phoenix 18 71 6908 72.1 128 Public • • • • • Links at Queen Creek (800) 796-4459 • (480) 987-1910 linksqueencreekgolfclub.com Queen Creek 18 72 5901 67.1 113 Public • • • •

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Sedona Golf Resort

GOLF

Phoenix & Central Arizona

Lookout Mountain Golf Club at Tapatio Cliffs Semi- (602) 866-6356 • pointegolf.com Phoenix 18 71 6617 70.1 131 Private • • • • • Los Caballeros Golf Club Semi(800) 684-5030 • (928) 684-2704 • loscaballerosgolf.com Wickenburg 18 72 7100 73.0 135 Private • • • • • McCormick Ranch Golf Club (480) 948-0260 • mccormickranchgolf.com Scottsdale 36 72 7187 74.4 130 Public • • • • • Millennium Golf Packages (800) 243-1332 • (480) 948-5050 millenniumhotels.com/golf Scottsdale 36 72 - - - - • • • Mission Royale Golf Club (800) 796-4460 • (520) 876-5335 missionroyalegolfclub.com Casa Grande 18 72 6633 71.1 122 Public • • • • • Mountain Shadows Golf Club (800) 796-4453 • (480) 905-8999 Paradise Valley 18 56 3066 57.5 96 Public • • • • • mountainshadowsgolfclub.com Ocotillo Golf Resort (888) 624-8899 • (480) 917-6660 • ocotillogolf.com Chandler 27 72 7016 72.2 133 Public • • • • • Rancho Manana Golf Club (480) 488-0398 • ranchomanana.com Cave Creek 18 70 6016 66.7 128 Public • • • • • Raven Golf Club at Verrado (623) 388-3008 • ravenatverrado.com Buckeye 18 7258 73.8 132 Public • • • • • 72 San Marcos Golf Course Semi(877) 766-3386 • (480) 963-3358 • sanmarcosresort.com Chandler 18 72 6626 70.7 122 Private • • • • • Scottsdale Golf and Lodging (888) 799-4284 • (480) 837-4284 • scottsdalegolf.com Scottsdale - - - - - - Scottsdale Silverado Golf Club (800) 796-4403 • (480) 778-0100 Scottsdale 18 72 6057 68.0 116 Public • • • • • scottsdalesilveradogolfclub.com Starfire at Scottsdale Country Club (800) 785-4421 • (480) 948-6000 • starfiregolfclub.com Scottsdale 27 72 6335 68.9 123 Public • • • • • Sundance Golf Club (800) 796-4458 • (623) 328-0400 • sundancegolfaz.com Buckeye 18 72 6818 72.0 125 Public • • • • • TPC Scottsdale (888) 400-4001 • (480) 585-4334 • tpc.com/scottsdale Scottsdale 36 71 7216 74.6 138 Public • • • • • Troon North Golf Club Semi(480) 585-5300 • troonnorthgolf.com Scottsdale 36 71 7025 73 147 Private • • • • • Whirlwind Golf Club (480) 940-1500 • whirlwindgolf.com Chandler 36 72 7218 73.4 132 Public • • • • The Wigwam Golf Club (623) 935-9414 • wigwamresort.com Litchfield Park 54 72 7430 74.5 135 Public • • • •

Tucson & Southern

La Paloma Country Club (520) 299-1500 • lapalomacc.com Tucson 27 36 3463 72.3 144 San Ignacio Golf Course (520) 648-3469 • sanignacioinn.com Green Valley 36 71 6704 72.0 135 Starr Pass Golf Club (800) 503-2898 • (520) 670-0400 • starrpass.com Tucson 27 72 7008 74.8 144 Tubac Golf Resort (800) 848-7893 • (520) 398-2021 • tubacgolfresort.com Tubac 27 72 6870 71.7 131 Tucson National-Catalina & Sonoran Course (520) 877-2309 • tucsonnational.com Tucson 36 72 6610 71.9 134 Ventana Golf Courses, Mountain and Canyon, Managed by Troon (800) 234-5117 • (520) 577-4015 • loewshotel.com Tucson 36 72 6819 72.6 140

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North Central Arizona

Sedona Golf Resort (877) 733-9888 • (928) 284-9355 • sedonagolfresort.com StoneRidge Golf Course (928) 772-6500 • stoneridgegolf.com

Arizona’s West Coast

Bridgewater Links (800) 624-7939 • (928) 855-4777 • londonbridgeresort.com

Sedona

6646

70.6

128

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Prescott Valley

7052

71.2

132

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Lake Havasu City

1567

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& CENTRAL Arizona

Joya Spa treatment at InterContinental Montelucia Resort

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Croquet on the lawn at Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa

Greater Phoenix has risen to be the fifth largest city in the U.S., yet maintains

By Joe Passov

a small-town ambiance. To be sure, there are plenty of “Big City” amenities, such as professional sports teams, innovative restaurants, a superior international airport and a modern public transportation system. Nonetheless, the city’s historic Southwestern and Native American roots and relaxed Western hospitality remain firmly entrenched. Saddle up for a horseback ride, stroll through a downtown art gallery or just look out at the cactus-studded mountains, drenched in a reddish-purple sunset and the raw, distinct beauty of the place locals call “the Valley of the Sun” registers instantly.

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& CENTRAL Arizona

Cattle drive with Real cowboys at Fort McDowell Adventures

Day hike at Cave Creek Park

Aguila

Cave Creek New River 74 Carefree 87 17 Fountain 60 Hills Ft. Surprise Scottsdale Tonopah Litchfield McDowell 88 Peoria Lost 10 Park Glendale PHOENIX Salt River Dutchman Goodyear Boyce Thompson Arboretum Tolleson 60 Apache Junction Tempe Mesa Avondale Buckeye Gilbert Superior Gila River Chandler Queen Creek Boyce 85 Casa Thompson 10 Grande Maricopa McFarland Kearny Hayden Winkelman 8 Gila Ak-Chin Casa Grande CoolidgeFlorence Pinal Bend Sonoran Desert 77 Eloy San 79 85 Manuel 15 10 Oracle Hassayampa Wickenburg River Preserve

Hassayampa River Preserve

L E G E N D

Indian Reservations National Parks & Monuments State Parks Points of Interest

Important Roads Divided Highways Scenic Roads Interstate Highways

10 Interstate Highways

15 Indian Roads 191 U.S. Highways 82 State Highways

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Casa Grande National Monument

Greater Phoenix doesn’t actually revolve around the fortunes of the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks

and Arizona Cardinals. It only seems that way. In reality, the successes of the town’s pro sports teams help keep Phoenix on the national map, but locals and tourists alike are very aware that this is a city with so much more. The Valley of the Sun (Greater Phoenix) encompasses 23 contiguous cities with Phoenix in the center surrounded by Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Glendale, Peoria, Fountain Hills, Wickenburg, and other smaller communities. Downtown Phoenix is bustling with renewed energy, spearheaded by the arrival in 2009 of the METRO light-rail system and the major expansion of the Convention Center. Glendale is now an international dateline for significant sporting events, such as the 2008 Super Bowl and the 2007 BCS National Championship Game in college football. Scottsdale is more dynamic than ever, thanks to the debut of the Scottsdale Waterfront and SouthBridge retail areas. And that’s just for starters. With more than 3 million citizens, Greater Phoenix is a sprawling hub in the Sonoran Desert, its spokes jutting out in every direction to connect towns and attractions throughout central Arizona. When you include top-rated arts, shopping, dining, and outdoor attractions, plus the world-class Sky Harbor International Airport, the nation’s eighth busiest, it’s easy to see why Greater Phoenix is the political, commercial and recreational heart and soul of the Southwest.

McDowell Mountains

The S onoran Desert F l or a & F a u n a

The Sonoran Desert is home to thousands of species of plants and animals offering the most diverse desert habitat in the world, probably due to the fact it gets more rainfall than any other desert. That said, the Sonoran Desert boasts more than 330 days of sunshine each year, making almost every day a good day to explore. Among the stunning wildflowers and succulent plants, the towering Saguaro with its human-like arms reaching P hoenix up to 50 feet tall has become the most recognizable Delve into the region’s cultural center with a trip to the Heard and unique symbol of the Sonoran Desert. In addition Museum, an unmatched representation of Native American art to the saguaro cactus, there are also cacti with funny and folklore. Don’t miss a visit to the gift shop. It’s a treasure names (not so fun to touch though) such as jumping trove of the finest in locally produced crafts. The perfect cholla, prickly pear, and barrel – the University complement is a stop-off at the recently expanded of Phoenix Stadium was designed to resemble a Phoenix Art Museum, followed by a walk through barrel cactus. the Phoenix Museum of History, which entertains in The Sonoran Desert fauna fit their environment Greater Phoenix interactive fashion at Heritage and Science Park. A final perfectly (most are nocturnal) and some are Convention & stop on the “learning is fun” circuit is the nearby Arizona quite unique characters. The Mexican gray Science Center, where a planetarium, a five-story, giantVisitors Bureau, wolf, the mountain lion (cougar or puma), the screen theater and a slew of permanent and temporary coyote, the great horned owl, the golden eagle (602) 254-6500, exhibits will amuse young and old alike. and the rattlesnake are all found here. Of these, visitphoenix.com Downtown Phoenix owes its vibrant resurgence to you’re most likely to see the rattlesnake. Most many factors, including a new urban campus for Arizona rattlesnakes, when disturbed, normally try to State University, new hotel and convention facilities, new withdraw. But if they think they are cornered, the restaurants and even a new identity, called Copper Square, explosive sizzling buzz of their rattles is an unmistakable which consists of 90 city blocks of residences, businesses and warning to retreat. attractions. If you’re touring the area and have any questions Not all desert fauna are dangerous, the cactus wren about concert and theater venues, athletic events, art gatherings (Arizona’s State Bird) is usually found sitting on top of such as “First Fridays” or just about anything else, flag down an the saguaros, especially when they are in bloom. And, orange- and khaki-clad Copper Square “Ambassador.” They’re though not the cartoon type, there are plenty of real there to help. New for 2009 in downtown Phoenix, the entire roadrunners here. You will spot them by their tails month of March is Phoenix Arts Month. Six major annual art standing straight up as they dart in front of your path. festivals and exhibitions will occur on different weekends in Desert tortoises allow you to get quite close for a photo, March, each representing a different facet of the arts and culture however, make sure you don’t try to pick these animals milieu of the city. up as it may harm them. After the museum/theater/art gallery romp, you might be The Sonoran Desert’s beauty can most easily be craving an empty-your-lungs shout-out. Fortunately, a plethora experienced through sanctuaries and botanical gardens of seasonal sporting venues awaits to let you indulge. The around the state. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum NBA’s Phoenix Suns take their aim at the US Airways Center, near Tucson is world-renowned for its presentation of a home they share with the Phoenix Mercury, the WNBA 2007 native plants and animals in habitats replicating natural Champions and with the Arena Football League’s Arizona environments. In Phoenix, the Desert Botanical Garden Rattlers. The facility will take center stage internationally when is one of only 44 botanical gardens accredited by the it hosts the 2009 NBA All-Star game in February. Spring, summer American Association of Museums and hosts one of the and early fall is the time to catch the Arizona Diamondbacks world’s finest collections of desert plants.

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& CENTRAL Arizona at Chase Field. The retractable roof means the game might be indoors or outdoors, but the stadium’s biggest splash might be its unique swimming pool, situated just beyond the home run fence in right-center field. If spring’s your thing, in terms of baseball, catch the Oakland A’s and Milwaukee Brewers at home in Phoenix for Cactus League action. Be that as it may, odds are pretty good that you’ve touched down in Phoenix to experience one of the sunniest, driest climates on earth – and that means outdoor fun – which Phoenix boasts in

abundance. Hikers will quickly warm to the trails at Piestewa Peak, where a dazzling view of downtown Phoenix awaits those who ascend to the top. Camelback Mountain, an aptly named local landmark, South Mountain Park, the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and the Papago Buttes are other sterling examples of back-to-nature fun for those looking to hike, bike or walk the desert. Practically next door to the Papago Buttes are the wide paved walkways of the Phoenix Zoo and of the Desert Botanical Garden, both of which will instill everything you

ever wanted to know about local flora and fauna. As you might expect, there’s no shortage of outstanding dining experiences in Phoenix proper, with an emphasis on continental and southwestern fare. What’s unexpected is that downtown Phoenix lays claim to what many critics call the best pizza in the U.S. You might have to kick back a while before a table opens at the tiny, charming Pizzeria Bianco, but anyone who has inhaled a slice or two from Chris Bianco’s prize-winning pies agrees it is worth the wait. B

The new METRO light-rail - all aboard...

P hoenix R ising Phoenix, Ariz. didn’t climb to be the nation’s fifth-largest city by standing still. In 2008, Phoenix took a quantum leap. Three major projects will make their debuts by January 1, 2009, projects that elevate Phoenix to another level when it comes to service and facilities for its citizens and for its visitors. Five years and $600 million in the making, the newly expanded, architecturally stunning Phoenix Convention Center boasts state-of-the-art audio and video technology in its three-building campus, as well as ecologically-friendly features such as solar paneling and a water-harvesting garden. The day the new Sheraton Downtown Phoenix opened in October 2008, it became Arizona’s largest hotel, with 1,000 guestrooms. Located a block from the new convention center, the Sheraton provides central Phoenix with the mega-hotel it has long sought to attract the nation’s largest conventions. Visitors will appreciate its proximity to downtown’s cultural attractions and sports venues. After a full day of sightseeing, folks can refresh in a 2,000-sq.-ft. pool and in a 6,500-sq.-ft. fitness center and spa.

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To get around to see all of Phoenix’s new attractions, savvy travelers will board the $1.3 million METRO light-rail system that kicked off in late December 2008. The initial 20-mile line links Phoenix to Mesa and Tempe and will include stops at the Heard Museum, the Phoenix Art Museum, Chase Field and the US Airways Center. The quiet, air-conditioned trains operate up to 20 hours per day, seven days a week. Eventually, the METRO light-rail system will transport riders to Sky Harbor International Airport. Be sure to visit raillife.com for up-to-date information on the light rail. Downtown Phoenix will host the 2009 NBA All-Star Game at US Airways Center. Broadcast to over 200 countries, the weekend’s events will kick off February 13th with the Rookie Challenge, followed by NBA All-Star Saturday Night, which includes the Shooting Stars Competition, Skills Challenge, ThreePoint Shootout, and the fan-favorite Slam Dunk Challenge. The weekend will end on Sunday, February 15th with the 58th NBA All-Star Game, where the best of the east and west will meet and battle to see which conference is the best. Welcome to the big-time, Phoenix!

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Scottsdale and the N ortheast Valle y

horseback riding, you can look forward to a dizzying array of options. Of course, after all of that activity, the body may It wasn’t that many years ago that need some pampering. Where luxury spa Scottsdale was better known for rodeos treatments are concerned, Scottsdale is and round-ups than for retail therapy and virtually unbeatable. Among the elite are relaxing at the spa. Today, there’s an easy the Sanctuary Spa at Sanctuary Camelback co-existence between the Old West and the Mountain Resort, Spa Avania at Hyatt new. Vestiges of the town’s cowboy legacy Regency, Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont blend seamlessly with its superb collection Scottsdale and Joya Spa at the new of top-ranked golf resorts, cutting edge InterContinental Montelucia Resort. art scene and pleasing excess of clubs and If you’ve got a taste for adventure, restaurants. What has never changed are satisfy the craving with the compelling mountain a Jeep tour, hot air panoramas, myriad cultural ballooning, or even a opportunities and endless roll through the desert at grab-bag of appealing Scottsdale Convention night, via a Desert Storm outdoor attractions. Hummer Tour. They’ll & Visitors Bureau, It’s little wonder why two outfit you with infrared (480) 421-1004, upscale national magazines goggles so that you can experiencescottsdale.com recently named Scottsdale see the region’s unique as the best city in the U.S. Fountain Hills & Fort critters even in the dark. for golf. Serious golfers have McDowell Tourism, Calmer pursuits, albeit long flocked to the 200-plus (480) 837-1654, richly entertaining ones, courses that are sprinkled visitfhfm.com occur during January, throughout the Valley of the when the celebrity-laden Sun. Traditional tree-lined classic car shows come “parkland” courses, nineto town, among them hole “beginners” courses and dramatic the nationally televised Barrett-Jackson “target-style” desert courses all beckon, Collector Car Auction. In February, the but for those seeking top-rated “trophy” cars drive away from the WestWorld courses, Scottsdale overflows. facility, replaced by horsepower of If you’re not a golfer, don’t fret. Whether a different kind – the pageant-filled you’re into tennis, hiking, biking or Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show. March

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Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright design

brings the San Francisco Giants to town for Spring Training baseball. Giants and Yankees and others in baseball uniforms used to frequent the Pink Pony in downtown Scottsdale. Some 50 years later, the restaurant is going strong along Scottsdale Road, which manages to hang onto a few old-style buildings and hitching posts amid the modern surroundings. What’s more pronounced downtown for fans of the Old West are numerous galleries replete with paintings and sculptures, along with a small concentration of western wear stores. Scottsdale once featured a tag line, “the West’s most Western town.” You can still find remnants if you know where to look. North Scottsdale is chock-full of tasteful new developments that are nicely integrated

C ele b rit y Scottsdale Celebrity-spotting in Scottsdale is inevitable, as guests at Scottsdale’s newest resorts can attest. Arizona’s first W Hotel, which just opened in downtown Scottsdale, consists of 224 guestrooms, the Bliss spa, Sushi Roku restaurant and 18 luxury W residences. It’s already a hot spot for the beautiful people. Also making its debut late in 2008 is InterContinental’s first U.S. resort property, called InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa, bringing Andalusian-style luxury to the city’s list of world-class properties. In addition to the 31,000-sq.ft., Moorish design Joya Spa, the property also boasts five pools and a private wedding chapel with cathedral ceilings and wooden beams. Guests can enjoy activities such as wine tastings, star gazing and cigar rolling in addition to a myriad of new restaurants including Prado, the signature restaurant and centerpiece of the Montelucia Resort, which features woodfired grilling with a Spanish accent. Its direct, breathtaking views of Camelback Mountain and the resort pool, fountains and lush grounds are reason enough to visit. Other new high-profile resort restaurants that began taking reservations in 2008 were SWB, a southwest bistro and Alto ristorante e bar, at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch, Rita’s Kitchen and BLT Steak at the

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Camelback Inn, a JW Marriott Resort & Spa and Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak at the Fairmont Scottsdale. Xona Resort Suites just reopened after a comprehensive, multi-million-dollar renovation and addition of the new Asada Desert Grille restaurant specializing in regional cuisine. Boasting 431 all-suite guestrooms that are one-, twoand four-bedroom suites, the hotel also caters to golfers with on-site golf experts.

Spa treatment at Xona Resort Suites

into the desert, but a few old standbys remain firmly entrenched. Greasewood Flats, Reata Pass and Pinnacle Peak Patio are three restaurants that represent the old guard, they were hewn in the days where paved roads were a rarity. Pinnacle Peak serves up western-style steaks, but visitors inevitably depart chuckling over the neckties that adorn the walls and ceilings. A longstanding practice was to sever the necktie of any city slicker who ambled into the restaurant. For those who want to plunge into the cowboy way, pay your tuition at Scottsdale’s Arizona Cowboy College, where you’ll learn the tools of the trade at a real-live cattle ranch. For many Scottsdale visitors, however, the mantra remains, “Shop ‘til you drop.” Retail excitement reaches fever pitch in the winter/spring months, when outdoor shopping is a joyous occasion, but whether you’re inside or out, there are countless options to buy ‘til you’re happy. Return visitors likely have fond memories of Old Town, Kierland Commons and Scottsdale Fashion Square, but two new kids on the shopping block, the Scottsdale Waterfront and the Mix at SouthBridge, have created serious buzz. Old Town is a paradise for walkers, with as much to photograph as there is to buy. Don’t miss Bob Park’s Horse Fountain and the stores that surround it. Kierland offers an ideal blend of indoors and outdoors, as well as a something-for-everyone experience with hotels, luxury loft living, shopping and dining. Scottsdale Fashion Square dazzles with stores ranging from Gucci to the Gap. Landscaped pathways and pedestrian-only bridges highlight the Scottsdale Waterfront, which overlooks the Arizona Canal and boasts some of the Valley’s hottest dining emporiums, such as P.F. Chang’s, Pink Taco and Olive & Ivy. Nearby, the Mix at SouthBridge caters to the hip and the eclectic, with no chain stores or chain restaurants to be had. New for 2009 is the Metro Brasserie

restaurant, along with the congregation of the retail shops on the first level. Favorite holdovers include Jennifer Croll for shopping and the Canal restaurant, which hosts daily fashion shows on its runway. The legendary Fifth Avenue Shopping District in Old Town Scottsdale serves as a gateway to a world-famous concentration of boutiques and art galleries that fan out to Main Street and Marshall Way. Balmy Thursday evenings, when galleries extend their hours for the Scottsdale ArtWalk, are the most enjoyable way to browse and buy. You can stay in the neighborhood to celebrate your purchases because it’s home to the most eclectic grouping of nightspots in the Valley. Party spots range from Vegas-influenced, A-Lister haunts such as Jackrabbit Lounge, Suede and Devils Martini, to rock-meets-western Saddle Ranch Chop House. More Vegas-style action is available at two Casino Arizona locations in Scottsdale, belonging to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and a third, the Fort McDowell Casino, east of Scottsdale, is the creation of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. Culture cravers will seek out Taliesin West, architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s one-time winter retreat and Cosanti, the workshop of futurist Paolo Soleri, whose hand-crafted bronze and ceramic wind chimes have long been one of the state’s most distinctive keepsakes. Those with a sense of whimsy might check out the burgeoning arts scene in Fountain Hills east of Scottsdale, home to the world’s tallest manmade fountain. It sprays on the hour. Fountain Hills’ incredible views and natural terrain also provide for a wide range of outdoor activities including hiking, biking, boating and some of the more challenging and picturesque golf courses you’ll find in the country. Fountain Hills is home to two major annual events, the Fountain Festival of Arts and Crafts and the Great Fair. Held on the Avenue of the Fountains, these 3-day juried shows with nearly 500 artists attract an estimate 170,000 visitors each, and feature food booths, musicians, and a beer garden. Looking to kick back? The charming, artsy town of Carefree north of Scottsdale has an “Easy Street,” and an intersection of “Ho” and “Hum.” Not to be outdone, the rustic town of Cave Creek next door introduced the world to chili beer, consisting of a bottle of tasty brew that also holds a spicy jalapeno pepper. The beauty of Scottsdale and its surrounds is that there’s something for every taste. B

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and Fiesta Mall each offer more than 140 specialty stores and eateries. The East Valley is known as an activityMesa’s newest offering is Mesa Riverview oriented destination, its neighbors being featuring a mix of well-known stores the Superstition Mountains and the Tonto alongside independent retailers. Boasting National Forest – the fifth-largest forest in more than 1.3 million sq. ft. of retail space, the country and one of the most-visited this entertainment complex is anchored by “urban” forests in the U.S. The breathtaking Arizona’s only Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Superstition Mountains rise some 2,000 World. 2009 brings the opening of Toby feet into the sky and offer hiking and horse Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill – a 600- Trail map at Tonto National Forest entrance trails to fit every level of enthusiast. Legend seat restaurant featuring an 80-foot guitar has it that hidden in these parts is a rich bar with live concerts and dancing. comedy shows and contemporary dance vein of gold. For more than 150 years, Although Mesa is just 20 minutes companies are all part of Tempe’s arts and starry-eyed prospectors have hiked up from Downtown Phoenix and Phoenix’s cultural scene. On campus, ASU’s Gammage and down the mountains in Sky Harbor International Auditorium, a Frank Lloyd Wright design, search of Lost Dutchman’s Airport, Mesa’s own Phoenix- offers a selection of art shows, plays, Mine. What anybody can Mesa Gateway Airport offers musicals, concerts and speakers. Visitors find, however, are the a convenient alternative. to Tempe will also enjoy the newly opened Mesa Convention dazzling kaleidoscopes of Allegiant Air and Vision Tempe Center for the Arts. & Visitors Bureau, wildflowers that blanket Airlines currently operate here. Mill Avenue, which adjoins the (480) 827-4700, the foothills in springtime Tempe teems with vibrancy – University, crackles with a vibrant mix of following healthy winter visitmesa.com from Mill Avenue to Tempe clubs, shops and restaurants. Some 250 rains. Nearby is Tortilla Flat, Beach Park – the city has an businesses – from charming coffee shops Tempe Convention an old stagecoach stop on eclectic vibe and plenty to see to quaint stores and nightclubs – offer & Visitors Bureau, the way to three of Arizona’s and do. Admittedly, Tempe’s entertainment galore. Sidewalk artists and (480) 894-8158, best boating and fishing myriad attractions get dwarfed entertainers frequent the area giving the exploretempe.com spots, Canyon, Apache and by its anchor tenant, Arizona scene a lively and spontaneous sense of fun Roosevelt Lakes. City of Chandler, State University, one of the and excitement. Mesa has nearly overtaken (480) 782-3037, nation’s largest institutions of At the north end of Mill Avenue, Tempe Tucson as the state’s second higher learning. This is especially Town Lake is a two-mile-long riverbed visitchandler.com largest city, yet its claim to true on football Saturdays, when offering an urban oasis awash in boating fame nationally rests on its more than 70,000 maroon- and opportunities, from kayaks to cruises. The status as the spring training gold-clad fans pile into Sun Devil Stadium to banks of the lake are encircled by five miles baseball home to the Chicago Cubs, whose cheer on their team. The school’s successful of trails for running, biking, in-line skating followers turn every March exhibition baseball and basketball teams have loyal and bicycling. game into an event. followings as well. Nevertheless, there’s Tempe has an amazing line-up of special Mesa’s cultural opportunities abound. plenty more to explore in Tempe beyond the events including art and music festivals, Mesa’s impressive Arts Center is a sporting scene. marathons, and spring training games gathering place of cultural opportunities Funky local bands, award-winning local for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. and is the largest arts and entertainment theater, blockbuster Broadway productions, For shopping enthusiasts, the new Tempe venue of its kind in the Southwest. It houses four theaters, five art galleries, and 14 art studios. This is in addition to Mesa’s already impressive selection of unique museums. The Arizona Museum for Youth, a child-oriented fine arts center, was voted At the new 250-acre Mesa one of the nation’s best children’s museums Riverview, country music superstar by USA Today. The Mesa Historical Toby Keith’s new restaurant, I Museum showcases artifacts from Mesa’s Love This Bar & Grill, is the pioneer days. The Arizona Museum of first to open in Arizona and only Natural History presents history back to the fourth location nationwide. the dinosaurs, including a 10,000-year-old The restaurant will feature live mammoth, Indian petroglyphs, Spanish concerts, dancing, drinks and a conquistadors and frontier history. full menu of good ol’ American It’s no surprise that one of the most favorites. popular activities for visitors is shopping, Mesa Riverview - Love this place The strikingly magnificent and Mesa doesn’t disappoint. Downtown Tempe Center for the Arts (TCA), Mesa’s numerous shops and restaurants houses a state-of-the-art, 600-seat theater, a 200-seat studio theater and a are mostly locally-owned with one-of-a3,500-sq.-ft. gallery. Overlooking Tempe Town Lake, a pedestrian bridge is kind offerings. Dana Park Village Square is scheduled for completion in 2010 that will complete a loop around Tempe a 400,000-sq.-ft. fashion-focused lifestyle Town Lake and join the north bank with the south in front of the TCA. center and includes some of the nation’s most popular high-end retailers and unique boutiques. Superstition Springs Center

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Artsy E ast Valle y

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Marketplace’s 1.3 million sq. ft. of retail space is an open-air, pedestrian-oriented environment. Arizona Mills’ 175 stores all offer discount prices and IKEA Home Furnishings, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, is also value-priced. Nearby, Chandler is home to a fistful of family attractions, including Rawhide, which dishes out a dose of the Wild West with stunt shows, shootouts, stagecoach rides and sing-alongs. And thrill-seekers will warm to Chandler’s Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, where students have included NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson and John McCain’s wife, Cindy. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Chandler’s Downtown Square is going through an amazing renaissance with the introduction of urban living, additional boutique shops and restaurants, as well as entertainment to create a vibrant, eclectic arts and cultural district. The historic square has also become a favorite with its variety of award-winning, local restaurants, including an Arizona winery and microbrewery. The square is anchored by Arizona’s first golf resort, Crowne Plaza San Marcos Golf Resort. Along with Historic Downtown, shopping in Chandler can be found at Casa Paloma, Chandler Pavilions, the Falls at Ocotillo and, the enormous Chandler Fashion Center with its mix of 240 different retail shops and restaurants. The first Wednesday of each month features an art walk in downtown. Unique annual events include the Jazz Festival, Classic Car & Hot Rod Show, Tumbleweed Tree Lighting event, Ostrich Festival, and a Cinco de Mayo celebration including Chihuahua races. An hour southeast of Chandler is the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, an ancient archeological site made of caliche that dates to Hohokam dwellers from the 13th century. Perhaps the perfect place to wrap up your East Valley adventure is at Boyce Thompson Arboretum, where the newly completed Children’s Garden offers kids a full-sensory desert experience including a human sundial and maze. B

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will house the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox starting in 2009. It’s hard to imagine that only 30 years Glendale’s charmingly preserved ago, the towns west of Phoenix were downtown district is a haven for those comprised of cotton fields, citrus groves, in search of antiques and collectibles. cattle ranches and an Air Force base. Downtown is wonderfully preserved in Today, Luke Air Force Base has got plenty the shady Murphy Park and the picketof company. fenced yards of the cutest Glendale is the big shops and boutiques. This enchilada out west, thanks retro-chic destination into its prime attraction, corporates two distinct Glendale Office the University of Phoenix neighborhoods, home to of Tourism, Stadium, home to the NFL’s more than 90 specialty (623) 930-4500, Arizona Cardinals, the shops, boutiques, eateries NCAA’s Tostitos Fiesta Bowl visitglendale.com and museums that get and special events. Tours national attention for the City of Peoria, are available to see not only retail-chainfree collection visitpeoriaaz.com the retractable roof, but the of shops slinging vintage retractable, roll-in, roll-out Wickenburg Chamber clothing, turn-of-(last)-cennatural grass field as well, of Commerce, tury furniture and even an engineering feat unique outwickenburgway.com pop-culture collectibles. in the U.S. Look for the Glendale is home to one2009 NCAA West Regional of-a-kind museums that pay in Men’s College Basketball tribute to everything from to arrive in March and optimism runs beads to the police profession. Spend a day realistically high to host a future Final Four. exploring these fantastic displays beginning Adjacent to the big stadium is a smaller at The Bead Museum, which weaves a sibling, the Jobing.com Arena, which serves fascinating story of the global history of as home for the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes, beads with its 110,000 pieces. You can as well as to concerts and ice skating also pick up crafty supplies in the museum events. Glendale’s newest sports facility, a store. Don’t miss the Police Museum that 13,500-seat baseball spring training site, pays tribute to Glendale’s finest.

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Sailboats on Lake Pleasant

Historic Downtown Glendale is famous for its festivals and events, such as the Chocolate Affaire, Jazz & Blues Festival, Fiesta Glendale and Glendale Glitters. The Glendale Glitters Holiday Lights Spectacular begins the day after Thanksgiving and lasts through mid-January with a million multi-colored lights creating a sparkling canopy over ten square blocks. In addition to Historic Downtown, shoppers can also delight at one of the largest malls in the region – Arrowhead Towne Center. Conveniently located just off the Loop 101 freeway, the mall features water fountains, a movie theater and more than 170 shops and restaurants.

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True colors at University of Phoenix Stadium

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Eight – yes, count them – major league baseball teams will call the West Valley their spring training home by March 2010. Peoria and Surprise have blossomed as spring training homes for a quartet of major league teams, the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners in the former, and the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers in the latter. Glendale’s new 13,500-seat facility will house the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox starting in 2009. Both Ohio teams are coming to Goodyear; the Cleveland Indians debut in 2009 with the Cincinnati Reds following in 2010. Westgate City Center continues to ramp up its multitude of events including concerts for New Year’s Eve, Fiesta and BCS Bowl games, and, most recently, “American Idol” viewing parties. This sports and retail complex has the perfect location next to the NFL’s newest stadium (home of the Arizona Cardinals) and the Jobing.com arena (home of the NHL Coyotes) venues. At the Zanjero District, just north of the Westgate City Center, is Cabela’s – the world’s foremost outfitter. In addition to quality outdoor merchandise, the 160,000-sq.-ft. showroom is an educational and entertainment attraction, featuring a décor of museumquality animal displays, huge aquariums and trophy animals interacting in realistic re-creations of their natural habitats.

Even with a setting as beautiful as the natural Sonoran Desert, Peoria’s attractions are definite standouts – from the second largest lake in Arizona to nationally recognized sporting events, and from arts and entertainment opportunities to new independent restaurants and shopping. Surrounding the Peoria Sports Complex is the city’s Entertainment District featuring a wide variety of shopping, dining, and entertainment opportunities including live performances at several unique venues. Arizona Broadway Theatre produces six to eight major musical theater productions each year, encompassing a wide spectrum of Broadway favorites. The new $13 million, 20,000-sq.-ft. Performing Arts Center is home to Theater Works, Arizona’s largest community-based theater group. The Center offers performances throughout the year as well as workshops and classes for all ages and performers. Nearby, the Challenger Space Center of Arizona – part of an international network and affiliated with the Smithsonian Institute – allows visitors to simulate a space mission, varying from a trip to the moon to a visit to a comet. On the northern end of the city, nature enthusiasts enjoy the luminous waters of Lake Pleasant, the “Jewel in the Desert.” At 10,000 acres, the lake is Arizona’s second-largest and appropriately named. Two marinas offer a full selection of fishing boats, speedboats and jet skis. The Desert Outdoor Learning Center offers excellent information about not only the lake, but also the surrounding desert area. The 26,000-sq.-ft. facility provides 30 different programs ranging from dinosaur history and stargazing, to life in the desert complete with guided hikes. Avondale’s horizon ripples with the peaks of the Sierra Estrella Mountains, but the real action is at your feet, amid the groundpounding, pulse-raising excitement of Phoenix International Raceway, which plays host to two NASCAR events annually. If you’re yearning for a slice of the Old West, Wickenburg delivers. Check into Wickenburg’s Rancho de los Caballeros Resort and you’re issued your own horse. Of course, his meal plan and yours are very different. Located an hour’s drive northwest of Phoenix, Wickenburg is an old mining town with enough modern enticements to snag locals and tourists alike. The Desert Caballeros Western Museum, with its cowboy art, is one superb attraction. The Nature Conservatory’s Hassayampa River Preserve, where clear streams and migratory birds thrive, is another. B

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Alvadora Spa, Royal Palms Resort

S pas Reward. rejuvenate. Relax. Aji Spa at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort (602) 385-5759 • ajibrochure.com Aji, meaning “sanctuary,” is Arizona’s only authentic Native American spa and features treatments based on ancient Pima and Maricopa traditions. Indulge in a cultural awakening.

Amansala Spa/Salon at Scottsdale Resort & Conference Center (480) 596-7555 • visitamansala.com A rejuvenating oasis of relaxing and therapeutic massages, aromatic body wraps, European skin care treatments and personal salon services awaits you at Amansala Spa/Salon.

Alvadora Spa at Royal Palms Resort (800) 672-6011, (602) 977-6400 alvadora.com Reconnect within the serenity of an intimate spa that indulges the senses with natural therapeutic treatments utilizing the benefits of the herbs, minerals and oils indigenous to the Mediterranean.

Arizona Biltmore Spa at Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa (800) 950-0086, (602) 381-7632 arizonabiltmore.com/spa The award-winning Arizona Biltmore Spa is dedicated to the art of wellness and the use of natural ingredients – a calming destination that will awaken your spirits and invigorate your senses.

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Ah - I So deserve this. - Arizona Grand Spa Arizona Grand Spa at Arizona Grand Resort (602) 431-6484 • arizonagrandresort.com A visit to the Arizona Grand Spa will rejuvenate your mind and body. Whether it is a relaxing massage, cleansing body treatment or one of our many salon services, spa guests are sure to appreciate all the spa has to offer.

Joya Spa at InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa (480) 627-3020 • joyaspa.com The essence of Spain in Paradise Valley – conceived by renowned spa creator Sylvia Sepielli – Joya Spa is located in a spacious two-story, 31,000-sq.-ft. building with 5,200 sq. ft. of outdoor space. A true jewel of the resort, it features 19 treatment rooms, signature Hammam Ritual, spa boutique, fitness studio, restaurant and rooftop pool. The Red Door Spa at The Wigwam Resort (623) 856-4967 • wigwamresort.com Designed to complement The Wigwam’s signature adobe-style architecture, the clean, modern design of the Red Door Spa gives a sophisticated flair to all of the service and treatment areas, relaxation room, café and locker rooms. The Salon & Day Spa at The Scottsdale Plaza Resort (800) 832-2025, (480) 951-5150 scottsdaleplaza.com Overlooking Mummy Mountain, spa-goers can relax in the essence of the desert with a relaxing massage or a rejuvenating facial. Sanctuary Spa at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa (800) 245-2051, (480) 948-2100 sanctuaryaz.com The intimate Sanctuary Spa offers Asianinspired treatments in twelve indooroutdoor treatment rooms along with a relaxing meditation garden, watsu pool, movement studio and fitness center. Spa Avania at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort (480) 483-5558 • spaavania.com Carved out of the serene beauty of Arizona’s Sonoran Desert comes Spa Avania, the first complete spa experience choreographed to the science of time and the body’s natural daily rhythms and requirements. The Spa at Camelback Inn (800) 922-2635, (480) 596-7040 camelbackspa.com Come visit the Spa at Camelback Inn and indulge in the offerings of a full-service destination spa, and experience the ambiance and magic of the Sonoran Desert. The Spa at Carefree Resort & Villas (888) 488-9034, (480) 488-5300 carefree-resort.com Boutique spa with six treatment rooms. Themed treatments and services including a hot stone massage. Reservations required. The Spa at CopperWynd Resort & Club (877) 707-7760, (480) 333-1835 copperwynd.com Boutique spa and nail salon. Customized spa packages and signature treatments.

Tocaloma Spa & Salon at Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort (602) 375-4645 • tocalomaspa.com Recently named among the top ten spas in Arizona, Tocaloma pampers guests with aesthetic services, massage therapy, manicures, pedicures, complete hair services and body treatments. Tocasierra Spa & Salon at Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort (602) 906-3820 • tocasierraspa.com Tocasierra Spa, Salon and Fitness offers the

latest in exercise equipment, aerobic classes and personal training, as well as beauty treatments, services and therapies. Willow Stream Spa at The Fairmont Scottsdale (800) 908-9540, (480) 585-2732 willowstream.com Willow Stream Spa offers an open-air rooftop pool, waterfall therapy pool, garden, fitness center and classes, lounges, saunas, steam room, swiss showers and eucalyptus inhalation rooms.

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Activities/Attractions Arcadia Farms at the Heard Cafe (602) 251-0204 • arcadiafarmscafe.com

Phoenix

Taste regional Southwestern flavors exquisitely prepared with fresh ingredients in the beautiful setting of the Heard Museum. Sip a glass of wine, enjoy lunch or try a delicious dessert.

Arizona Grand Athletic Club (602) 431-6484 • arizonagrandresort.com

Phoenix

Voted one of the “Top 10 Fitness Facilities in Arizona.” The Arizona Grand Athletic Club is one of the few award-winning Arizona spas and fitness facilities in Phoenix and offers more exercise options than any other Phoenix resort.

Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum (602) 771-1611 • mines.az.gov

Phoenix

Discover the Treasure! 3,000 beautiful minerals, rocks, fossils, meteorites, gemstones and mining information. Great gift shop with jewelry, minerals and books.

Arizona Outback Adventures (480) 945-2881 • aoa-adventures.com

Scottsdale

Arizona’s premier outfitter for guided hiking, biking and kayaking tours. AOA also operates the largest fleet of bicycle rentals in the Southwest.

AZ Sun Circuit Quarter Horse Show (480) 419-6318 • suncircuit.com

Scottsdale

The largest quarter horse circuit show in the world. Roping, reining, jumping and more. Great shopping with hundreds of western-themed vendors. Free to the public.

Berlin Gallery at the Heard Museum Shop (602) 346-8250 • berlingallery.org

Phoenix

Premier retail destination for contemporary American Indian art and represents 20 artists. Sculpture, paintings, glass and mixed media fill the gallery.

Biltmore Fashion Park (602) 955-1963 • shopbiltmore.com

Phoenix

The original luxury shopping destination in Phoenix in a lush garden of shopping and dining experiences surrounded by the historic Biltmore District.

Bison Western Museum (480) 837-8700 • bisonwesternmuseum.com

Scottsdale

Arizona’s premier Bison, Western and Native American collection, featuring Buffalo Bill exhibit, movie props from Dances With Wolves, Scottsdale’s Flagg Family Art Collection and more.

Castles N’ Coasters (602) 997-7575 • castlesncoasters.com

Phoenix

Conveniently located off I-17 at the Dunlap exit. Over 14 exciting rides and attractions. Arizona’s finest family fun and thrill park.

Chandler Fashion Center (480) 786-9307 • chandlermall.com

Chandler

Comprised of nearly 200 shops and restaurants including Nordstom, Dillard’s, Sears, Coach, Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn.

Commemorative Air Force Aviation Museum (480) 924-1940 • azcaf.org

Mesa

Phoenix’s only aviation museum displays military artifacts and 25 flying and static aircraft, including the famous B-17G “Sentimental Journey.” Tours and pre-scheduled flights are available.

Cubs Spring Training Packages with Best Western Mesa Inn • (480) 964-8000

Mesa

Call direct for Cubs spring training packages with special seating for our guests. Hohokam Stadium is only two miles away.

Desert Botanical Garden (480) 941-1225 • dbg.org

Phoenix

Desert Botanical Garden is home to the world’s largest collection of arid-land plants from deserts of the world in a unique outdoor setting.

Desert Storm Hummer Tours (480) 922-0020 • dshummer.com

Scottsdale

Experience why we are voted and endorsed by National Geographic as “One of America’s Top 100 Adventure Tours!” Daily Sonoran adventures for families, singles, couples and groups since 1995.

Desert Voyagers Guided Raft Tours (480) 998-7238 • desertvoyagers.com

Scottsdale

Join us for a raft or kayaking float trip down the lower Salt River, home to coyotes, roadrunners, wild mustangs and bald eagles.

Detours of Arizona (480) 633-9013 • (866) 438-6877 • detoursaz.com

Chandler

Detours offers guided tours to all Southwest destinations. Expert guides and luxury vans with ten leather captain’s chairs make the most of your vacation time.

Heard Museum (602) 252-8840 • heard.org

Phoenix

Experience American Indian art and cultures, internationally noted exhibit galleries, guided tours, sculpture courtyards and gardens, world-class shopping and exquisite dining at Arcadia Farms at the Heard Cafe.

Heard Museum Shops (602) 252-8344 • heardmuseumshop.com

Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise

Whether you’re starting an art collection or shopping for gifts, the Heard Museum Shops offer original, authentic American Indian art to fit every need. Locations in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise and online at heardmuseumshop.com.

Heard Museum North Scottsdale (480) 488-9817 • heard.org

Scottsdale

Two exhibitions, guided tours, a Heard Museum Shop, Arcadia Farms Cafe and a sculpture garden offer visitors a great Southwest experience at this community location of the Heard Museum.

Surprise

Enjoy an exhibit about Southwest American Indians, a small gallery with changing displays, frequent guided tours and a Heard Museum Shop at this community location of the Heard Museum.

Kierland Commons (480) 348-1577 • kierlandcommons.com

Scottsdale

Unique, upscale Main Street lifestyle center that artfully blends retail shopping, dining and entertainment, featuring 70 high-end specialty stores.

Koli Equestrian Center (602) 796-3495 • koliequestrian.com

Chandler

Located in the heart of the Gila River Indian Community, Koli Equestrian Center, offers miles of breathtaking scenery and horseback riding trails you and your family are sure to enjoy.

Max’s Arizona’s Legendary Sports Bar (623) 937-1671 • phoenixgreyhoundpark.com

Glendale

With greyhound and thoroughbred wagering, great food, lots of TVs to watch your favorite team and the largest football helmet collection in the state. What more could you ask for?

Heard Museum West (623) 344-2200 • heard.org

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Activities/Attractions Open Road Tours (800) 766-7117 • (602) 997-6474 openroadtours.com

Phoenix

We are the Grand Canyon specialists providing sightseeing and adventure travel; halfday, full-day and multi-day tours to Sedona, Flagstaff, Monument Valley and more!

Phoenix Greyhound Park (602) 273-7181 • phoenixgreyhoundpark.com

Phoenix

The best bet in the Valley. Located at 38th Street and Washington, it combines exhilarating greyhound racing with delicious food for a complete entertainment experience.

Pueblo Grande Museum (877) 706-4408 • (602) 495-0901 pueblogrande.com

Phoenix

Discover the past at Pueblo Grande Museum. Experience a prehistoric Hohokam ruin. Fascinating exhibits feature the ancient Hohokam and southwestern themes. Museum store with authentic Indian arts.

Rawhide Western Town & Steakhouse (480) 502-5600 • rawhide.com

Chandler

Howdy Pardner! Come enjoy our town and all Rawhide has to offer, from our world renowned Steakhouse & Saloon, to our unique shops and wide variety of attractions. Our 1880’s western frontier town is full of fun, good eatin’, great shoppin’, and a true taste of the old west you will not find anywhere else in Arizona.

Scottsdale Fashion Square (480) 941-2140 • fashionsquare.com

Scottsdale

The Southwest’s distinctive address for premier shopping, dining and entertainment, with four major department stores and nearly 50 exclusive shops.

Stellar Adventures (602) 402-0584 • stellaradventures.com

Phoenix

Tame the rugged desert landscape on a H1 Hummer, Military M1009 4 x 4 or guided ATV tour. Night-vision and Stargazing tours available.

Stuffington Bear Factory (602) 225-9513 • stuffington.com

Phoenix

Visit one of the last working teddy bear factories in the USA. Come make a stuffed animal anytime or take a free tour at 1pm Monday - Saturday.

Taliesin West/ Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation (480) 860-8810 • franklloydwright.org

Tempe Marketplace tempemarketplace.com Wigwam Fun Department (623) 856-1027 • wigwamresort.com/recreation

Scottsdale

Often acclaimed as the greatest architect of the 20th century, Frank Lloyd Wright discovered the Arizona desert in the late 1920’s. By 1937, he built a permanent home, studio and architectural campus on 600 acres of magnificent, rugged desert in the McDowell Mountains in northeast Scottsdale.

Tempe

With 1.3 million sq. ft. and over 120 retailers, restaurants and entertainment venues, we have it all. Located at the Loops 101 and 202. Get here!

Litchfield Park

On behalf of The Wigwam Fun Department, we look forward to providing an exceptional leisure experience for our guests, country club members and local market!

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Pets Allowed Handicap Accessible Free Airport Trans. Free Cont. Breakfast Restaurant Room Service Bar/Lounge Concierge Swimming Pool Full-Service Spa Exercise Facilities Golf on Site Wi-Fi/Internet

Accommodation Type

Senior Discount

Price Range ($)

Carefree Resort & Villas

Number of Rooms

& CENTRAL Arizona

Accommodations Carefree

Carefree Resort & Villas (888) 488-9034 • (480) 488-5300 • carefree-resort.com

382

Villas of Cave Creek (480) 595-1200 • starwoodvillarentals.com

149-299

• Resort • • • • •

295

89-599

• Resort • • • • • • • • • •

197

99-219

• Hotel • • • • • • • • •

106

159-299 Hotel • • • • • • • •

500

109-475 Resort • • • • • • • • • • •

Cave Creek

100-1,200 • Resort • • • • • • • • • •

Chandler

Crowne Plaza® San Marcos Golf Resort (877) 766-3386 • (480) 812-0900 • sanmarcosresort.com Hilton Phoenix/Chandler (800) HILTONS • (480) 899-7400 • phoenixchandler.hilton.com Holiday Inn at Ocotillo (800) 887-5096 • (480) 203-2121 • holidayinn.com/hschandleraz Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa (866) 716-8134 • (602) 225-0100 • wildhorsepassresort.com Windmill Suites of Chandler (800) 547-4747 • (480) 812-9600 • windmillinns.com/cha.htm

127

75-175

• Hotel • • • • • •

Fountain Hills

CopperWynd Resort & Club (877) 707-7760 • (480) 333-1900 • copperwynd.com Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites (888) Holiday • (480) 837-6565 • holidayinn.com/fountainhills

229-429 Resort • • • • • • • • •

104

99-299

• Hotel • • • • • • • •

89-169

• Lodge • • • • • •

149

89-219

• Hotel • • • • •

160

70-150

• Hotel • • • • • • • • •

331

139-439 Resort • • • • • • • • • • •

Gila Bend

Best Western Space Age Lodge (866) 683-7722 • (928) 683-2273 • bestwesternspaceagelodge.com

Glendale

Hampton Inn & Suites Glendale/Westgate (623) 271-7771 • phoenixglendalesuites.hamptoninn.com

Goodyear

Quality Inn & Suites - Goodyear/Phoenix (877) 424-6423 • (623) 932-9191 • qualityinn.com/hotel/az304

Litchfield Park

The Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa (623) 935-3811 • wigwamresort.com

Mesa

Arizona Golf Resort & Conference Center (800) 528-8282 • (480) 832-3202 • azgolfresort.com Best Western Dobson Ranch Inn (800) 528-1356 • (480) 831-7000 • dobsonranchinn.com Best Western Mesa Inn (480) 964-8000 • bestwestern.com/mesainn Best Western Superstition Springs Inn (480) 644-1164 • bestwestern.com Hampton Inn Phoenix/Mesa (800) HAMPTON • (480) 926-3600 • phoenixmesa.hamptoninn.com Hilton Phoenix East/Mesa (480) 833-5555 • hiltonphoenixeast.com Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites (800) Holiday • (480) 964-7000 • mesaphxhi.com Hyatt Place Phoenix-Mesa (888) 492-8847 • (480) 969-8200 • hyattplacephoenixmesa.com Phoenix Marriott Mesa (888) 236-2427 • (480) 898-8300 • marriott.com/phxmm Quality Inn & Suites Phoenix/Mesa (480) 964-2897 • qualityinn.com/hotel/AZ276

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186

varies

• Resort • • • • • • • • • • •

221

79-189

• Hotel • • • • • • • •

59-169

• Hotel • • • • • •

115

89-199

• Hotel • • • • •

260

varies • • • • • • • •

246

50-250

• Hotel • • • • • • • •

152

99-399

• Hotel • • • • • •

275

89-249

• Hotel • • • • • •

117

55-155

• Hotel • • • • • •

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PHO EN IX

Pets Allowed Handicap Accessible Free Airport Trans. Free Cont. Breakfast Restaurant Room Service Bar/Lounge Concierge Swimming Pool Full-Service Spa Exercise Facilities Golf on Site Wi-Fi/Internet

Price Range ($)

114

59-149

293

295-675 Resort • • • • • • • • • •

Senior Discount

Number of Rooms

Arizona Biltmore Resort

Accommodation Type

& CENTRAL Arizona

Accommodations Mesa

Windemere Hotel and Conference Center (800) 888-3561 • (480) 985-3600 • resortmesa.com

• Hotel • • • • • • •

Paradise Valley

InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa (480) 627-3200 • icmontelucia.com Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa (800) 245-2051 • (480) 948-2100 • sanctuaryaz.com

340-4000 Resort • • • • • • • • •

Phoenix

Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa (800) 950-0086 • (602) 955-6600 • arizonabiltmore.com 738 Arizona Grand Resort (602) 438-9000 • arizonagrandresort.com 740 Best Western Airport Inn (800) 528-8199 • (602) 273-7251 • bwphoenixairportinn.com 117 Best Western InnSuites Hotel & Suites (888) 7-Phoenix • (602) 997-6285 • innsuites.com 109 Courtyard by Marriott Phoenix West/Avondale (623) 271-7660 • marriott.com/phxcy 127 Embassy Suites Phoenix Airport at 24th Street (800) 362-2779 • (602) 957-1910 182 phoenixairport24th.embassysuites.com

100-250

• Resort • • • • • • • • • • •

179-699

• Resort • • • • • • • • • •

varies

• Hotel • • • • • • • • •

99-249

• Hotel • • • • • •

89-219

• Hotel • • • • • • •

69-329

• Hotel • • • • • • • • • •

H    ﹐                        ﹒ O                         ﹒

The Arizona Biltmore has a storied past of presidents, movie stars and cosmopolitan culture. Crowned the “Jewel of the Desert” in 1929, Arizona’s historic Grand Dame remains an oasis of refinement and luxury. Isn’t it time you became a part of her story?

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800. 950 arizonabiltmore.com 0086

Pets Allowed Handicap Accessible Free Airport Trans. Free Cont. Breakfast Restaurant Room Service Bar/Lounge Concierge Swimming Pool Full-Service Spa Exercise Facilities Golf on Site Wi-Fi/Internet

Accommodation Type

Senior Discount

Price Range ($)

Number of Rooms

Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort

Accommodations Embassy Suites Phoenix Biltmore (800) EMBASSY • (602) 955-3992 232 99-399 • Hotel • • • • • • • phoenixbiltmore.embassysuites.com Embassy Suites Phoenix at 44th Street (800) 447-8483 • (602) 244-8800 229 79-209 • Hotel • • • • • • embassysuites.com Embassy Suites Phoenix North (800) 426-6632 • (602) 375-1777 • phoenixnorth.embassysuites.com 314 varies • Hotel • • • • • • • Hampton Inn Phoenix Airport North (877) 777-3210 • (602) 267-0606 106 79-189 Hotel • • • phoenixairportnorth.hamptoninn.com Hampton Inn & Suites Phoenix North/Happy Valley (623) 516-9300 • phoenixhappyvalleysuites.hamptoninn.com 125 99-199 Hotel • • Hampton Inn - Phoenix/Midtown (Downtown Area) (800) HAMPTON • (602) 200-0990 99 79-249 • Hotel • • hamptoninn.com/hi/phoenix-midtown Hilton Phoenix Airport (800) 728-6357 • (480) 894-1600 • phoenixairport.hilton.com 257 99-289 • Hotel • • • • • Hilton Suites Phoenix (602) 222-1111 • phoenixsuites.hilton.com 226 99-299 • Hotel • • • • • Holiday Inn Phoenix Downtown North (800) Holiday • (602) 595-4444 • holidayinn.com/phx-downtown 136 79-259 • Hotel • • • • • • Homewood Suites by Hilton - Phoenix North/Happy Valley (623) 580-1800 • phoenixhappyvalley.homewoodsuites.com 134 99-199 Hotel • • Hotel San Carlos (866) 253-4121 • hotelsancarlos.com 121 79-179 • Hotel • • • • • Hyatt Place Phoenix North (800) 833-1516 • (602) 997-8800 • hyattplace.com 127 99-329 • Hotel • • • • Hyatt Regency Phoenix (800) 233-1234 • (602) 252-1234 • phoenix.hyatt.com 696 99-599 • Hotel • • • • JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa (800) 835-6206 • (480) 293-5000 • jwdesertridgeresort.com 950 209-459 Resort • • • • • Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort (800) 947-9784 • (602) 997-2626 • pointehilton.com 563 99-379 • Resort • • • • • • Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort (800) 947-9784 • (602) 866-7500 • pointehilton.com 585 99-379 • Resort • • • • • • Radisson Hotel Phoenix City Center (800) 333-3333 • (602) 604-4900 160 189-239 • Hotel • • • • radisson.com/phoenixaz_citycenter Royal Palms Resort and Spa (800) 672-6011 • (602) 840-3610 • royalpalmsresortandspa.com 119 199-3000 Resort • • • • • • Sheraton Crescent Hotel Phoenix (800) 423-4126 • (602) 943-8200 • sheratoncrescent.com 342 79-250 • Hotel • • • • • • Sleep Inn Phoenix Airport (800) 631-3054 • (480) 967-7100 • airportsleepinn.com 105 59-169 • Hotel • • • • Sleep Inn Phoenix North (800) 927-6058 • (602) 504-1200 • choicehotels.com/hotel/az140 61 59-500 • Hotel • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Scottsdale

AZ Trails Travel Services (888) 799-4284 • (480) 837-4284 • arizonatrails.com Camelback Inn, A JW Marriott Resort & Spa (800) 24-CAMEL • (480) 948-1700 • camelbackinn.com 453 Chaparral Suites Resort (800) 528-1456 • (480) 949-1414 • chaparralsuites.com 311 Courtyard by Marriott - North Scottsddale (800) 321-2211 • (480) 922-8400 • marriott.com/phxcn 153

varies All types varies Resort • • • • • • • • • 119-259

• Resort • • • • • • • • • • •

100-300

• Hotel • • • • • • •

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PHO EN IX

Pets Allowed Handicap Accessible Free Airport Trans. Free Cont. Breakfast Restaurant Room Service Bar/Lounge Concierge Swimming Pool Full-Service Spa Exercise Facilities Golf on Site Wi-Fi/Internet

Price Range ($)

167

50-130

• Motel • • •

378

99-289

• Resort • • • • • • • • •

270

89-325 Hotel • • • • • • • • • •

649

159-3800 Resort • • • • • • • • • • •

162

119-439

122

109-309 Hotel • • • • • • •

199

99-299

• Hotel • • • • • • •

235

109-349

• Resort • • • • • • • • •

210

59-139

• Hotel • • • • • • •

194

159-359

• Resort • • • • • • • • • •

127

99-399

• Hotel • • • • • • •

492

199+

• Resort • • • • • • • • • • •

175

89-399

• Resort • • • • • • • • • •

111

110-330 Resort • • • • • • •

228

135-400 Resort • • • •

250

99-499 Resort • • • • • • •

404

- Resort • • • • • • • • • •

Senior Discount

Number of Rooms

Camelback Inn, A JW Marriott Resort

Accommodation Type

& CENTRAL Arizona

Accommodations Scottsdale

Days Inn Scottsdale at Fashion Square Mall (480) 947-5411 • dayinnscottsdale.com Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort (800) HILTONS • (480) 947-5400 • paradisevalley.doubletree.com Embassy Suites Phoenix/Scottsdale (602) 765-5800 The Fairmont Scottsdale (800) 441-1414 • (480) 585-4848 • fairmont.com/scottsdale Gainey Suites Hotel (800) 970-4666 • (480) 922-6969 • gaineysuiteshotel.com Hilton Garden Inn Scottsdale North/Perimeter Center (480) 515-4944 • scottsdalenorth.stayhgi.com Hilton Garden Inn Scottsdale Old Town (480) 481-0400 • scottsdale.gardeninn.com Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas (800) HILTONS • (480) 948-7750 • scottsdaleresort.hilton.com Hospitality Suite Resort (800) 445-5115 • (480) 949-5115 • hospitalitysuites.com Hotel Valley Ho (866) 882-4484 • (480) 248-2000 • hotelvalleyho.com Hyatt Place Scottsdale/Old Town (888) HYATTHP • (480) 423-9944 • hyattplace.com Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch (800) 55.HYATT • (480) 444-1234 • scottsdale.hyatt.com Millennium Resort Scottsdale McCormick Ranch (800) 243-1332 • (480) 948-5050 • millenniumhotels.com Scottsdale Camelback Resort (800) 891-8585 • (480) 947-3300 • scottsdalecamelback.com The Scottsdale Links Resort (877) 444-8044 • (928) 282-1271 • arizonatourismcenter.com Scottsdale Luxury Suites (888) 990-1326 • (480) 419-6975 • luxurysuites.com The Scottsdale Plaza Resort (800) 832-2025 • (480) 948-5000 • scottsdaleplaza.com Scottsdale Resort & Conference Center (800) 540-0727 • (408) 991-9000 • thescottsdaleresort.com The Scottsdale Villa Mirage (877) 444-8044 • (928) 282-1271 • arizonatourismcenter.com Sheraton Desert Oasis (866) 207-8599 • (480) 515-5888 • starwoodvillarentals.com Springhill Suites North Scottsdale (888) 287-9400 • (480) 922-8700 • marriott.com/phxsh The Westin Kierland Villas (866) 837-4273 • (480) 624-1700 • starwoodvillarentals.com Wingate by Wyndham Scottsdale (800) 228-1000 • (480) 922-6500 • scottsdalewingate.com Xona Resort Suites Scottsdale (888) 222-1059 • (480) 585-1234 • resortsuites.com

• Hotel • • • • • •

326

79-359

• Resort • • • • • • • • •

225

135-450 Resort • • • • •

300

100-200

• Resort • • • • • • •

123

100-300

• Hotel • • • • • • •

298

150-300

• Resort • • • • • • • • • •

117

79-259

• Hotel • • • • • •

428

269-339 Resort • • • • • • • •

Sun City/Sun City West

Best Western Inn & Suites Sun City (623) 933-8211 • bestwestern.com/innsuitesofsuncity

varies

• Hotel • • • • •

115

89-169

• Motel • • • • • •

127

65-150

• Hotel • • • • • •

Surprise

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites (623) 975-5540 Windmill Suites in Surprise (800) 547-4747 • (623) 583-0133 • windmillinns.com/sun.htm

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Pets Allowed Handicap Accessible Free Airport Trans. Free Cont. Breakfast Restaurant Room Service Bar/Lounge Concierge Swimming Pool Full-Service Spa Exercise Facilities Golf on Site Wi-Fi/Internet

Accommodation Type

Price Range ($)

158

69-129

• Hotel • • • • •

224

99-289

• Hotel • • • • • • • • • •

187

95-240

• Hotel • • • • • • • •

128

99-299

• Hotel • • • • •

160

99-249

• Hotel • • • • • • • • •

123

99-350

• Hotel • • • • • • • •

100

59-189

• Hotel • • • • • •

303

99-349

• Hotel • • • • • • • • • •

68-120

• Hotel • • • •

Senior Discount

Number of Rooms

Tempe Mission Palms Hotel

Accommodations Tempe

Best Western Tempe by the Mall (800) 822-4332 • (480) 820-7500 • bestwesterntempe.com Embassy Suites Phoenix - Tempe (800) EMBASSY • (480) 897-7444 • embassysuitestempe.com Four Points by Sheraton Tempe (480) 968-3451 • fourpointstempe.com Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites (480) 831-9800 • hiexpress.com/tempeaz Hotel Tempe/Phoenix Airport InnSuites (888) 2TEMPE7 • (480) 897-7900 • hoteltempephoenix.com Hyatt Place Tempe/Phoenix Airport (888) HYATT-HP • (480) 804-9544 • hyattplace.com Quality Inn Phoenix Airport (877) 424-6423 • (480) 967-3000 qualityinn.com/hotel-tempe-arizona-az072 Tempe Mission Palms Hotel (800) 547-8705 • (480) 894-1400 • missionpalms.com

Wickenburg

Los Viajeros Inn (800) 915-9795 • (928) 684-7099 • losviajerosinn.com

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Tu cson

& Southern Arizona

Culture abounds in Tucson! Folklorico dancers

58 â€˘ 58

A r i z o n a O f f i c i a l S tat e V i s i t o r â€™ s G u i d e

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Truly target golf at Ventana Canyon Golf Course

You don’t have to be a (highly) experienced, award-winning, professional

By Dina Mishev

writer to know there’s no way to squeeze into one article all the interesting, historic, unusual, tasty, funny, cultural, and beautiful places to see and things to do in this sun-blessed, saguaro-full, southern-most region of Arizona. Squashing the Louvre into your living room would be easier. Here goes though, on one condition: you have to promise you won’t try to squeeze everything this area has to offer into a way-too-short vacation. Enjoy as many of Tucson’s 320 annual days of sunshine as you can.

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T u cson

& Southern Arizona

Kartchner Caverns State Park

Tumacacori National Historic Park

Big Nose Kate’s Saloon in Tombstone

Tubac artist

Ft. Bowie National Historic Site

Picacho Oracle 10 Catalina Catalina Peak 191 Ironwood Marana Mt Lemmon Bowie Ajo Forest Oro Valley Cortaro Willcox Why 10 Tucson Saguaro 186 Organ Pipe 86 Saguaro Dos Fort Bowie Quijotoa 86 Santa Cruz Pascua Yaqui Cactus Cabezas Cochise 89 Vail Benson Lukeville Sells San Xavier Tohono St. David Chiricahua Sahuarita Green Valley Madera O’odham Kitt Peak Pearce 181 Portal 19 Canyon 83 Kartchner 80 Tubac Presidio Caverns Tombstone L E G E N D Sonoita 90 Tombstone Courthouse Indian Reservations Sasabe Tubac Patagonia Sierra Vista 80 National Parks & Monuments 191 Patagonia Coronado Hereford Tumacacori Bisbee State Park State Parks 82 Rio Rico Points of Interest Douglas Nogales Important Roads 10 Interstate Highways

Divided Highways Scenic Roads Interstate Highways

15 Indian Roads 191 U.S. Highways 82 State Highways

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M EXI CO

Live Butterfly Exhibit - Tucson Botanical Gardens

T u cson Arizona’s second-largest city has been a long time favorite. People – Native Americans, Spanish, Mexican, AngloAmerican – have been living in this area for around 10,000 years. Considering this, it’s no wonder Tucson has so much going on. It’s been growing and developing as a city longer than anywhere else in the country. Since history is such a part of this area, let’s start there. An affiliate of the Smithsonian Museum, the Arizona State Museum is the largest and oldest anthropological museum in the Southwest. Its permanent collection includes several hundreds of thousands of artifacts – Navajo textiles, Mexican folk masks, basketry, Seri materials – some dating back 13,000 years. Its collection of whole-vessel Southwest Indian pottery – over 20,000 specimens – is the world’s largest (and much more interesting than it sounds). In addition to its expansive permanent collection, the museum stages temporary exhibits. Through 2010, catch Set in Stone: 2,000 Years of Gem and Mineral Trade in the Southwest. It was designed to complement the annual, and wildly popular, Tucson Gem and Mineral Show (usually held every February; 2009 marks the 55th annual). For a museum of an entirely different sort – the kind you’d get if you mixed natural history with a zoo and threw in a sprinkle of botanical garden – head for the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It covers the entire Sonoran environment in one you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-itspace. Over 1,200 different desert plants thrive in six different habitats, with a hummingbird aviary, mountain lions, ocelots, and Mexican wolves thrown in for good measure … and, well, because they’re as much a part of the Sonoran desert as soaptree yucca, barrel cactus, and desert globemallow. If you want to catch the animals in action, I recommend as early of a morning visit as you can motivate for (the museum opens as early as 7:30).

The Pima Air and Space Museum has more than 275 historic aircraft, including John F. Kennedy’s Air Force One, which you are allowed in, MiG fighters, World War II planes, helicopters, and cargo carriers that dwarf even our 50-foot tall saguaros. There’s also the Museum of Contemporary Art, which, since it is relatively new – it opened in 1998 – is still building its permanent collection, but mounts six to eight temporary exhibitions a year featuring the work of artists from around the world. Tucson is also home to the only Children’s Museum in southern Arizona (not surprisingly, Dinosaur World and Electri-City are among the most popular exhibits). At the University of Arizona Museum of Art, see paintings by 15th century Spanish master Fernando Gallego, Jackson Pollack, Georgia O’Keefe and Wassily Kandinsky. If your taste runs more to fine art photography than fine art, the collection at the Center for Creative Photography, also at U of A, includes the archives of over 50 photographers, including Ansel Adams, Lola Alvarez Bravo, Richard Avedon, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, W. Eugene Smith, and Edward Weston, among others. In 2009, Tucson Botanical Gardens presents Arizona’s only live, tropical butterfly exhibit, and at DeGrazia Gallery, a retrospective exhibition of 100 works of art by Tucson artist Ted DeGrazia (19091982) are displayed as part of a centennial celebration commemorating the 100th anniversary of the artist’s birth. Not art-related at all, but yet another testament to how much the U of A contributes to the area, is Biosphere 2, a three+ acre, airtight mini-earth complete with rainforest, ocean, savannah, desert, wetland, and agricultural areas. The school took over the giant terrarium in 2007 after it had fulfilled its original research mission and was threatened with demolition. No longer sealed, it is now open to the public for tours. w w w.Ari zonaStateVi si torsGui de.com B

T u cson

& Southern Arizona All this history, education, and culture will undoubtedly make you hungry, so how about grabbing something to eat? A New York Times reporter once wrote, “much of what is good about Tucson doesn’t look so good from the street.” In general, I don’t know that I’d agree – the 13 blocks of adobe homes in the Barrio Historico downtown look great from the street – but I have to admit it can sometimes be true when it comes to restaurants. Opened in 1952, Mi Nidito, in South Tucson, looks like any corner Mexican joint, but then you walk in, order a cheese crisp, topopo salad, or chimichanga and realize you won’t have to eat again for weeks. And that you’ll never again be happy with a cheese crisp or chimichanga anywhere else. Janos is one of the exceptions to the rule of restaurants tasting better than they look. Its exterior and interior décor is every bit as elegant as its food is inspired. Opened in 1983 by Janos Wilder and wife Rebecca, this restaurant has served cuisine highlighting local ingredients since well before the Oxford American Dictionary tagged “locavore” as the word of 2007. When opening Janos, Wilder hired gardeners before he ever advertised for staff. If you

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have a green thumb and want to grow some of the traditional ingredients Janos uses, stop by the Native Seeds/SEARCH store on Fourth Ave.; it stocks 2,000 accessions of crops grown by Native people from the Apache to Yaqui. Know that wherever it is you decide to eat, there’s no shortage of places to walk, ride, or golf it off. Saguaro National Park, home to approximately 1.3 million of the state’s signature plant, sandwiches the city. Saguaro East is the larger of the two slices, but Saguaro West is denser – there really are cactus forests there – and, the top of Signal Hill has petroglyphs of animals scratched into rock hundreds of years ago by the Hohokam people. Northeast of Tucson at the foot of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Sabino Canyon Recreation Area has miles of trails for hiking and biking. Sabino Lake Trail #30 leads to a popular wetland bird watching spot. Bear Canyon Overlook provides one of the best panoramic views of Tucson and the surrounding mountains. Hit it at sunset and make sure your camera’s memory card has lots of room. Another place absolutely made for photos – but definitely not made by

Biosphere 2

Mother Nature – is San Xavier del Bac Mission. Built of brick and adobe plastered together with sand, lime, and, yes, prickly pear cactus juice in the late 18th century, San Xavier (HA-veer if you want to sound local) has been called the Sistine Chapel of North America for the colorful paintings and icons on interior walls and ceilings. It’s also been called – more originally, not to mention poetically, the “White Dove of the Desert.” You’ll understand why as soon as you catch a glimpse of it from the highway. It is several miles south of the city. Somewhere in between all this sightseeing and eating, if you’re a golfer you’re going to want to squeeze in at least a few games. The area’s three-dozen courses include classic and desert courses designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., Tom Fazio, Tom Weiskopf, and Jack Nicklaus as well as five of the country’s best municipal courses. The city’s historic El Rio course was the original home of the Tucson Open and Randolph Golf Course is the current site for the PING/ Welch’s LPGA Championship. Starting in 2009, the world’s top 64 golfers will come to Tucson’s Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Dove Mountain for the World Golf Championships, a.k.a. the Accenture Match Play Championship. Many of Tucson’s great places to stay are also great attractions themselves. Enjoy the luxury of one of the top destination spas in the world. Tucson is home to two of the most acclaimed; Miraval Tucson and Canyon Ranch. Or, stay at a fine resort where the golf course or tennis court is just steps away from your front door. Loews, Westin, Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton, and Doubletree all have Tucson properties offering the finest in Southwestern hospitality and comfortable amenities. To experience the Old West, stay at an authentic guest ranch. The unofficial center of dude ranch country, Tucson has a guest ranch to suit everyone’s taste. The relaxed White Stallion Ranch, home to the True family since 1965 and featured in movies, on TV, in rock videos, and even in Playboy and Sports Illustrated’s Swim Suit Edition, sits on 3,000 acres at the foot

guide. And even then, you can only visit two greater variety of avian species, the Madera Canyon Recreational Area to the west has areas of the two-and-a-half-mile long cave. Nearby Tombstone is famous for its some of the most diverse bird-watching in gun slinging history – you’ve heard of the country: trogons, elf owls, sulfur-bellied the shootout at the OK Corral? Doc flycatchers, and painted redstarts are but a Holliday? Wyatt Earp? – but, personally, few of the 300+ resident and migratory I like its rose history better. Confirmed by birds you could spot here. Arivaca Cienega, the Guinness Book as the world’s largest, managed by the Buenos Aires National Tombstone is home to a rose bush that Wildlife Refuge, is another hotspot for ornithologists. A rare desert covers a dumbfoundingly wetland, it’s a must-stop for immense area: 8,000 sq. ft., migratory birds. or about four times as large South of Madera Canyon, as the average U.S. home. Metropolitan Tubac – “where art and history “Bush” just doesn’t seem like Tucson CVB, meet” is the town’s slogan – the right word to describe (888) 2-TUCSON, certainly deserves its reputation this feat of nature. Even visittucson.org as a hip, happening, historic so, it blooms every April, smaller town. Tubac Presidio cheered on by the annual State Park and the mission Rose Parade and Festival at Tumacacori are nearby; since 1996. 2009 will mark the 124th blooming of the bush, a rose of in 2002 the local golf resort underwent the Lady Banksia variety, a species native a $40 million expansion; and half of the businesses in town are art galleries of some to western China. Only slightly older than the rose bush is sort. But there’s no doubt Tubac has been the most famous gunfight in history. The “discovered”; 25% of homeowners live shootout at the OK Corral happened in 1881 elsewhere. Just to the west in Arivaca, there and is frequently reenacted in Tombstone is an even a higher-than-average number of today. Delve further into the town’s rough- artists per capita. Get a cup of coffee and and-tumble past with a visit to the Boot Hill a pastry at Gadsden Coffee Company – Graveyard. Don’t waste time looking for the the coffee is roasted on-site – and wander graves of any of the Earp brothers though; into the Artists Co-Op of Arivaca: leather clothing, photography, hand-painted tiles, none are buried here. Catch another superlative – decorative gourds, and mesquite furniture “Hummingbird Capital of the U.S.” at and sculpture are conveniently collected nearby Sierra Vista. If you’re looking for a under one roof. B

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of the Tucson Mountains. For pampering with your ponies, try Tanque Verde Guest Ranch, nominated for a 2008 Conde Nast Award of Excellence for Best Ranch, and home to La Sonora Spa.

So u thern A ri z ona It doesn’t take much to get away from Tucson – 15 minutes in the right direction and you’ve got no idea one of the country’s fastest-growing cities is behind you. But what if you want to really get away? The Kitt Peak National Observatory at 6,882 feet on the Tohono O’odham Reservation has 26 telescopes, 24 of them optical and two radio, pointed towards the heavens. Eight astronomical research institutions do work here. Kitt Peak is the largest collection of optical telescopes in the world. Each night, three scopes are dedicated to the public’s use. A lucky few members of the public (who are willing to pay around $350) can participate in an all-night “advanced” stargazing program. Most wanna-be astronomers are content with several hours of guided gazing however: expect to see nebulae, star clusters, galaxies, and planets before heading back down the mountain around 9 p.m. After experiencing outer space, head for inner space at Kartchner Caverns State Park, nine miles south of Benson. (Since 1880 when Benson was founded as a stopping point for the Butterfield Overland Stage mail delivery route, it has been the gateway to Cochise County.) A limestone cave over 50,000 years in the making – and still being made – Kartchner is home to the world’s longest soda straw stalactites (over 21 feet), the world’s most extensive formation of brushite moonmilk, the first reported occurrence of “turnip” shields, and the state’s tallest and most massive column, the 58-foot tall Kubla Khan. Even if you can’t tell a turnip shield from a totem though, Kartchner will entrance you. It is doubtful the moon looks this alien. Because the cave’s ecosystem is so fragile – it’s the only living cave in the world open to visitors – the only way to see it is with a

Cochise Stronghold For 15 years, Cochise Stronghold was the home and base of operations for Chiricahua Apache chief Cochise and his 1,000-some followers, a good portion of who were warriors. Located at an elevation of about 5,000 feet in the Dragoon Mountains in the Coronado National Forest, the stronghold’s appeal as a natural fortress is evident even today. Rock climbers from around the world come here to scale its steep granite faces and domes. You don’t need to go up to enjoy this area though; a well-marked, four-mile hiking/ equestrian trail connects East Cochise Stronghold Campground to West Stronghold Canyon via Stronghold Divide. Cochise was buried somewhere here after his death in 1874… the exact location was kept secret however.

4-mile hike - Cochise Stronghold

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T u cson

Pets Allowed Handicap Accessible Free Airport Trans. Free Cont. Breakfast Restaurant Room Service Bar/Lounge Concierge Swimming Pool Full-Service Spa Exercise Facilities Golf on Site Wi-Fi/Internet

Price Range ($)

69-239

75-195

Hotel • • •

189-249

B&B • • • • •

105-225

Hotel • • • • •

Senior Discount

Number of Rooms

Westin La Paloma Resort

Accommodation Type

& Southern Arizona

Accommodations Green Valley

Inn at San Ignacio Condo Hotel & Golf Club (888) 450-5444 • (520) 393-5700 • sanignacioinn.com

• Resort • • • • • •

Nogales

Candlewood Suites (520) 281-1111 • candlewoodsuites.com/nogales Hacienda Corona de Guevavi (888) 287-6502 • (520) 287-6503 • haciendacorona.com Holiday Inn Express (888) 465-4329 • (520) 281-0123 • hiexpress.com/nogalesaz

Sierra Vista

America’s Best Value Inn (520) 459-5380 • innworks.com/sierravista Candlewood Suites (877) 226-3539 • (520) 439-8200 • candlewoodsuites.com/sierravista Holiday Inn Express (888) 465-4329 • (520) 439-8800 Sierra Suites (520) 459-4221 • sierravistasuites.com

50-90

• Motel • • • • •

75-155

Hotel • • •

119-139

Hotel • • • • •

100

90-119

• Hotel • • • • •

69-89

• Motel • • •

103-349

• Resort • • • • • • • • • • •

Tombstone

The Historic Downtown Larian Motel (520) 457-2272 • tombstonemotels.com

Tubac

Tubac Golf Resort & Spa (800) 848-7893 • (520) 398-2211 • tubacgolfresort.com

Tucson

Arizona Inn (800) 933-1093 • (520) 325-1541 • arizonainn.com 95 169-3200 Resort • • • • • • • Best Western InnSuites Hotel & Suites (888) 7-TUCSON • (520) 297-8111 • innsuites.com 159 99-249 • Hotel • • • • • • • • Embassy Suites Tucson Paloma Village (800) 362-2779 • (520) 352-4000 119 99-399 Hotel • • • • • • tucsonpalomavillage.embassysuites.com Four Points by Sheraton Tucson University Plaza (520) 327-7341 • fourpoints.com/tucsonuniversityplaza 150 60-260 • Hotel • • • • • • Hampton Inn Tucson Boulevard (520) 918-9000 • hamptoninn.com 126 89-209 • Hotel • • • • • Hilton Tucson El Conquistador, Golf & Tennis Resort (800) 325-7832 • (520) 544-5000 • hiltonelconquistador.com 428 129-289 Resort • • • • • • • • • Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Tucson Airport North (800) 465-4329 • (520) 746-1161 • holidayinntucsonairport.com 300+ 79-179 • Hotel • • • • • • • Hotel Congress (800) 722-8848 • (520) 622-8848 • hotelcongress.com 40 59-119 Hotel • • • • Hotel Tucson City Center InnSuites Hotel (888) SuiteChoice • (520) 622-3000 • hoteltucsoncitycenter.com 268 99-249 • Hotel • • • • • • • • • Hyatt Place Tucson Airport (888) 492-8847 • (520) 295-0405 • hyattplace.com 120 109-149 • Hotel • • • • • • • JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa (520) 792-3500 • jwmarriottstarrpass.com 575 varies Resort • • • • • • • • Loews Ventana Canyon Resort (800) 234-5117 • (520) 529-2020 • loewshotels.com 398 165-3,000 Resort • • • • • • • • • • Omni Tucson National Resort (800) THE-OMNI • (520) 297-2271 • omnitucsonnational.com 79 109-499 • Resort • • • • • • • • • Palo Verde Inn & Suites (800) 997-5470 • (520) 294-5250 • starboundinn.com 173 59-139 • Hotel • • • • • • • •

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• • • • • • • • • •

• • •

Pets Allowed Handicap Accessible Free Airport Trans. Free Cont. Breakfast Restaurant Room Service Bar/Lounge Concierge Swimming Pool Full-Service Spa Exercise Facilities Golf on Site Wi-Fi/Internet

Accommodation Type

Senior Discount

Price Range ($)

Number of Rooms

Westward Look Resort

Accommodations Quality Inn Tucson Airport (877) 424-6423 • (520) 623-7792 136 59-189 • Hotel • • • • • qualityinn.com/hotel-tucson-airport-az224 Radisson Suites Hotel Tucson Airport (800) 333-3333 • (520) 225-0800 • radisson.com/tucsonaz 204 varies • Hotel • • • • • • • • • Ramada Inn & Suites Foothills (888) 666-7934 • (520) 886-9595 • ramadafoothillstucson.com 115 65-249 • Hotel • • • • • Ramada Limited Tucson (866) 622-6491 • (520) 622-6491 • tucsonramadalimited.com 132 55-129 • Hotel • • • • • Sheraton Tucson Hotel & Suites (800) 257-7275 • (520) 323-6262 • sheraton.com/tucson 216 varies • Hotel • • • • • • • • The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa (800) WESTIN-1 • (520) 742-6000 • westinlapalomaresort.com 487 varies Resort • • • • • • • • • • Westward Look Resort (800) 722-2500 • (520) 297-1151 • westwardlook.com 244 149-379 Resort • • • • • • • • Windmill Suites of Tucson (800) 547-4747 • (520) 577-0007 • windmillinns.com/tuc.htm 122 75-175 • Hotel • • • • •

• • • • • • • •

Activities/Attractions DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun (800) 545-2185 • (520) 299-9191 • degrazia.org

Tucson

Viva DeGrazia! 2009 Centennial Celebration at national historic district of Southwestern art and architecture. Adobe gallery, gift shop, mission, artist’s home on 10-acre foothills retreat.

The Gold Room (520) 917-2930 • westwardlook.com

Tucson

A Tucson dining tradition offering contemporary cuisine, panoramic city and mountain views, indoor/outdoor dining and an award-winning wine selection.

La Encantada (520) 299-3566 • laencantadashoppingcenter.com

Tucson

A two-level, outdoor specialty center and a pathway to your favorite stores and unique boutiques located in the lush landscape of the Tucson desert.

Pima Air and Space Museum (520) 574-0462 • pimaair.org

Tucson

Largest aviation and space museum west of the Rockies featuring over 250 aircraft on 80 acres of land. Self guided and docent led tram tours.

Sahuarita

This is the lone, still fully intact Titan II missile site. Observe the ICBM warhead, tour launch control center, missile silo and simulated launch.

Willcox

Depicts the life and career of singer, songwriter, actor and TV star Rex Allen, plus the Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Titan Missile Museum (520) 625-7736 • titanmissilemuseum.org Rex Allen Arizona Cowboy Museum (520) 384-4583 • rexallenmuseum.org

S pas Reward. rejuvenate. Relax. Hashani Spa at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and Spa (520) 791-6117 • hashanispa.com Experience the ancient healing techniques and traditions of the indigenous desert people in a luxurious, relaxing environment when you spend a day at the Hashani Spa. Red Door Spa by Elizabeth Arden at The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa (520) 742-7866 Full-service salon and spa which offers total indulgence for an hour, half a day, or all day. Escape through the Red Door.

Sonoran Spa at Westward Look Resort (800) 722-2500, (520) 917-2467 westwardlook.com Treatments are inspired by ancient desert rituals and remedies, offering peace, relaxation and comfort to those that need an escape from the every day. The Spa at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort (800) 234-5117, (520) 529-7830 loewshotels.com A place to relax, to heal and to grow. The Spa at Loews helps you to find beauty and balance – both inside and out.

Tubac Golf Resort & Spa The Spa at Tubac Golf Resort & Spa (800) 848-7893, (520) 398-3545 tubacgolfresort.com A 4,000-sq.-ft. luxurious world class spa offers complete tranquility, state-of-the-art spa amenities with specially designed treatments indigenous to the Southwest region.

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N o rt h e r n Arizona

Passing on traditions, Tia & Monica, Navajo Nation

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Vermilion Cliffs - Ride the Wave

Northern Arizona’s diversometer goes to ||. It’s as if this part of the state looked “diverse”

By Dina Mishev

up in the dictionary and decided to take it way past the traditional superlatives. Obviously, the Grand Canyon is here. So are 63 of the largest flying land birds in North America, the endangered California Condor. And the observatory from which Pluto was discovered. And the oldest continuously inhabited villages on the continent. And the world’s first proven and best-preserved meteorite impact crater. Did you know Lake Powell – which, yup, is also here in northern Arizona – has more miles of shoreline than the combined Pacific Coast states? Who’s with us in petitioning Webster’s to make “uber-diversiest” a word?

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Glen Canyon

Mexican Water Monument Valley Vermilion Cliffs Page Lake Powell Tribal Park 163 Lees Ferry 89A 89 KaibabPaiute Kayenta Marble Jacob Lake Vermilion CliffsCanyon Shonto 191 98 Round Rock 59 67 Navajo Cow Springs 160 Many Farms

Colo

iver R o rad

North Rim Grand Canyon

Supai

Grand Hualapai Hilltop 64 Havasupai Canyon Village Tusayan 18 180 Gray Mountain Valle 89 180 Seligman

Cameron

Wupatki Sunset Crater Volcano

Ash Fork 40 Williams Riordan

89 Tonalea Tuba City 264 Moenkopi

Chinle

Navajo

64 Tsaile

Canyon de Chelly

Indian Wells

Leupp

191

87 77 Flagstaff 99 Walnut Homolovi Ruins 179 Canyon Meteor 40 Crater Winslow Mormon Lake 87 Joseph City Holbrook 77

Lupton Sanders 40

Chambers Navajo Petrified Forest

180

191

St. Johns Snowflake Taylor 277 Lyman Fool Hollow 61 Lake 260 Overgaard Lake Show Low Springerville Fort Pinetop-Lakeside Apache Hon260 Eagar Dah McNary Greer Alpine Heber

Havasu Falls, Grand Canyon

Whiteriver

Fly fishing at Lees Ferry

L E G E N D

Indian Reservations National Parks & Monuments State Parks Points of Interest

Hotevilla Keams 191 Oraibi Kykotsmovi Canyon Window Second Polacca 264 Ganado Rock 2 Mesa Hubbell Hopi Trading Post St Michaels 8

377

Important Roads Divided Highways Scenic Roads Interstate Highways

Teec Nos Pos

10 Interstate Highways

15 Indian Roads 191 U.S. Highways 82 State Highways

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Lomaki Ruins at Wapatki NM

Petrified Forest

Gran d C any on You’d think it’d be hard to come up with something new to write about one of the planet’s most (justifiably) writtenabout places. But of course, when it’s the Grand Canyon, nearly two billion years in the making and the only one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World in the United States, it’s not. What is difficult however, is using words to do this 277mile long chasm that Mother Nature has made at least twice as deep as man has made any structure tall, justice. Because really, how can you describe standing at, say Skeleton Point, three-some miles down the South Kaibab Trail, gawping out and up at the craggy, no-signs-of-civilizationhere North Rim and down at the outburst of green fertility along the banks of the Colorado? Even if you snap some National Geographic-worthy photos and are able to temporarily channel Longfellow’s poeticism when recounting the episode to friends, you’ll only be part-way there. There are numerous spots along both rims from which to gape at the grandiosity – at the South Rim we recommend the Yavapai Observation Station and, if you want to kill two birds with one stone, the El Tovar dining room; on the more isolated, only-open-in-summer North Rim, go for the Cape Royal Scenic Drive. Even better is to become part of the scenery by descending into the canyon. It’s really a shame fewer than one percent of the five million annual visitors do it. (More people actually arrive at the South Rim via train – the Grand Canyon Railway departs daily from Williams – 65 miles south, than set foot on the banks of the Colorado.) From the top of the Canyon, there are two ways to get down: hiking or on the back of a highly-trained, Velcro-footed mule as part of a pack guided by a professional muleteer. President Teddy Roosevelt opted for the latter. During summer high season, mules take up to 40 intrepid explorers per day down the 4,000-some feet to the floor of the Canyon, where a night at Phantom Ranch, the only non-camping lodging beneath the Canyon’s rims, usually awaits. A third way to see the bottom bypasses both the North and South Rims… by sending you right down the rapids of the Colorado in a wooden boat or rubber raft. Outfitter-led trips last from one day to three weeks. If you’re looking for more of a California Condor-type view – this, along with the Vermilion Cliffs to the north are where these giant birds live – you’ve got more options: small planes and helicopter tours, hot air balloon rides, and scenic drives.

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N ort h e r n Arizona

B ig ( an d B e t ter) Sw i tz e r l and While the Grand Canyon’s place in world geology is undisputed, the scale of its mountains isn’t quite as obvious. In fact, I was downright skeptical when told Arizona was more mountainous than Switzerland. Could the Grand Canyon state really be hillier than Heidi’s homeland? The skepticism disappeared within hours of arriving in the White Mountains, the second-highest mountain range in the state, though. They go on forever, not even stopping when Arizona turns into New Mexico. The dozen-or-so towns – including several on the White Mountain Apache Reservation – nestled in the Whites and pushing against the borders of the twomillion-acre Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest generally sit at 8,000 feet. The elevation might have you gasping for air, but you won’t ever have to worry about overheating. In the summer, the White Mountains are usually 20 degrees cooler than Phoenix, two hours away, which is a good thing when there are 900 miles of hiking and biking trails to cover here.

Meteor Crater

Come winter, it’s obvious why the state’s busiest ski resort is outside Greer. Between 250 and 300 inches of snow fall annually at Sunrise Park. Not that it’s fair to engage in a scenery war with a neutral country, but mountains aren’t the only thing this area has over Switzerland. Does Switzerland have any volcanoes, much less a volcanic field? The 405 dead volcanic cones of the Springerville Volcanic Field cover an area the size of Rhode Island. And Switzerland certainly doesn’t have a yawning, 4,000-foot wide,

570-foot deep meteor impact crater where astronauts have trained for missions to space. Near Meteor Crater is the combined Petrified Forest/Painted Desert National Park, where the name could lead your imagination slightly astray. It’s not actually a stone forest scattered amongst garishly rainbowed sand – as a younger me might have once thought – but rather fossilized wood chunks haphazardly speckling sand an ancient watercolorist might have spilled on. It is the largest petrified “forest” in the United States though.

Flagstaff

Hubbell Trading Post - authentic & one-of-a-kind finds

t ra ding p o sts Chances are you’ve seen Navajo weavings and Native American jewelry even if you’ve never yet set foot in the Navajo Nation. Both are popular and collected around the world. While it is possible to buy rugs and jewelry directly from artists in villages, for the best selection, as well as a bit of an education, head for any one of half-a-dozen reputable, and historic, trading posts within the Navajo Nation. My favorites? In Ganado, the Hubbell Trading Post was operated by members of the Hubbell family from the time it was purchased in 1878 until it was sold to the National Park Service in 1967. It is the oldest operating trading post on the reservation, is listed as a National Historic Site, and offers almost as many demonstrations by various Native American artists as it does rugs. Owned and operated by the Navajo Nation, the Navajo Arts and Crafts Enterprise is headquartered in the Nation’s capital, Window Rock, with branches in Chinle, Cameron, and Kayenta.

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After communing with nature, you’ll appreciate Flagstaff’s smart, small-town sophistication and hip history. But fear not, if it’s still nature you want, Flag’s got that too … the oft-snow-capped San Francisco Peaks just outside town are the highest mountains in the state. It’s a toss up whether Flag is best known for being the home of Northern Arizona University, the Lowell Observatory, and the Museum of Northern Arizona; a former hot spot along Route 66 and a current mountain biking mecca; or for having more hometown microbreweries per capita than any other town of 60,000 (Beaver Street Brewery, Mogollon Brewing Company and Flagstaff Brewing Company). After a few hours here – especially if one or two of these hours is on a stool with a cold pint in hand – you won’t really care what Flag’s biggest claim to fame is. You’ll like the town for its schizophrenia. This area was popular long before Flagstaff was around though. Early settlers arrived 15,000 years ago. No ruins survive from these particular pioneers, but, as is the case elsewhere in the state, Sinagua structures dating back about a millennium still stand as monuments to their construction skills, and windows into the past, of course. At Wupatki National Monument, the Sinagua (a name derived from the Spanish

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More Info

Arizona’s White Mountains, azwhitemountains.net Flagstaff Convention & Visitors Bureau, (928) 779-7611, flagstaffarizona.org Grand Canyon Chamber & Visitors Bureau, (888) 472-2696, grandcanyonchamber.com Navajo Tourism, (928) 871-6436, discovernavajo.com Page Lake Powell Tourism Bureau, (888) 261-7243, pagelakepowelltourism.org

for “without water”) were particularly prolific with their building. Wupatki Pueblo itself is the biggest of the ruins within the monument – 100 rooms stretching up three stories and flanked by a bit of an early-American entertainment complex: an area believed to have been a ball court and another thought to be an amphitheater or dance plaza. Other ruins inside the park and easily reached by car include Nalakihu, Citadel, Lomaki, and the imaginatively positioned, atop a giant sandstone outcrop, Wukoki. Had your fill of history? Head for the hills. We recommend Mars Hill or Humphreys Peak (alternately called Mt. Humphreys). The former is the home of the Lowell Observatory and where astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto in 1930. The latter is near Arizona Snowbowl, the state’s second-busiest ski resort, and is the tallest peak in the state at 12,634 feet. A four-and-a-halfmile hiking trail wends it way to the summit from the Snowbowl parking lot. Savor the last mile of this ramble as it traverses the only region of alpine tundra in the state. Not so much into a hardcore hike? Snowbowl has a lift open year-round that’ll get you well up Mt. Agassiz, one of Humphreys’ neighbors. Over at Mars Hill, named in honor of the years that observatory founder Percival Lowell

San Francisco Peaks, Flagstaff

spent studying that planet, Lowell Observatory does offer daytime tours, but – it’s much cooler to look through its 24-inch telescope at night. Experience a different kind of cool at the Galaxy Diner on Route 66. The “Mother Road” has longsince been replaced by interstates, but it remains one of Flagstaff’s main drags. Although the Galaxy menu includes such gems as the Chubby Checker Triple Decker and Wolfman Onion Rings, you don’t really come here for the food (unless you’re a parent and it’s a Wednesday, when the diner feeds kids for free). Fridays you come to check

The Other C anyons

Check it out - Antelope Canyon

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There’s a reason you can only visit Antelope Canyon outside Page with a guide: you’ll need someone to snap your photo around every new bend in this unlikely bi-level maze of sandstone slot canyons. To the east, almost at the border with New Mexico, Canyon de Chelly National Monument’s Anasazi ruins and mercilessly soaring rock walls see only a fraction of the visitors the Grand Canyon does. Check out the White House Ruin trail on your own, or hire a guide to take you deeper into the monument, perhaps to Mummy Cave, in Canyon del Muerto (“muerto” means “dead”). Since there are still Navajo here living traditional lives, you might also ask your guide if you could visit a village or two. If you’re looking for art – weaving or jewelry – and can’t make it to a trading post, the modern Navajo towns in the area are a good bet.

out the classic cars belonging to the local Route 66 Cruisers club. Saturday night it’s free swing dancing lessons. The rest of the week, you come for an orgy of neon and ‘50s memorabilia set to a soundtrack (spit out by a vintage jukebox) of Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, and Bobby Darin classics. If it is your palate you’re looking to please, head for Martan’s Burrito Palace, easy to find on San Francisco Street in downtown. Just look for the bedazzling profusion of (Techni)color exploding out of a Hobbit-y doorway. Enter and be prepared for a faceoff with a burrito the size of your head.

F o u r C o r n e rs Cou n t ry Four states might come together in the most northeastern part of Arizona, but the true stars of this area are a fifth and sixth entity: 5) the Navajo Nation and 6) Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The largest reservation in the country both in population, about 200,000 Navajo, and area, 26,000 square miles (bigger than West Virginia and smaller than South Carolina) – the Navajo Nation includes modern cities, far-removed villages, natural wonders, and historic treasures. Also contained within its considerable borders, yet independent, is Hopiland, home to Hopi Indians for over 1,500 years. Today about 7,000 Hopi live in Hopiland, some of them in the two oldest known continuously inhabited villages on the continent, Walpi and Old Oraibi. The latter, which dates from around 1150 A.D., doesn’t do official tours, but the aerie Walpi does. Built on the top of First Mesa (in traditional pueblo style, Hopiland villages are based around three mesas), Walpi presents a pretty accurate picture of what an Ancestral Puebloan village looked like: small stone houses budding out of an exiguously vegetated rockscape. Back out in the Navajo part of the Navajo Nation, the oldest villages have fallen into ruins now preserved as the

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Navajo National Monument. One of the three major groups of ruins in the monument, Keet Seel, is the bestpreserved cliff dwelling in the southwest. Unfortunately, seeing Keet Seel requires a 16-mile roundtrip hike. Rangers do lead free guided trips to it however. More popular are the guided trips to Betatakin, also a well-preserved cliff dwelling, but less than a mile from the monument’s visitor center. After visiting Keet Seel or Betatakin, you won’t go to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park for its ruins, although it does indeed have them, along with petroglyphs and currently-resided-in hogans. What you go to Monument Valley for are its towering, iron oxidized sandstone forms that seem to have fallen here from an alien world. And now, with the late 2008 opening of the VIEW Hotel and Spa, the first non-camping lodging inside the valley, you can spend a luxurious night in their shadows, complete with a private balcony that looks out on some of the most Martian of the towers, buttes, pinnacles, and spires. If that’s not enough – and it most likely won’t be – drive the park’s 17-mile self-guided tour. If you want to hike or drive elsewhere in the park, you are required to hire a guide. To Monument Valley’s west, the 1.2-million-acre Glen Canyon National Recreation Area doesn’t require a guide. Considering that Lake Powell, the ebbing and flowing heart of this area, is the secondlargest man-made lake in the country (Lake Mead is bigger) and has nearly 100 side canyons flowing into it, a good map is a great idea though. The most popular activities on Lake Powell are houseboating, jet skiing, swimming, fishing, and kayaking and canoeing, although there is also scuba diving and snorkeling. (Wahweap and Antelope Point marinas rent a variety of watercrafts.) Camping is allowed anywhere – isolated side canyons are prime spots – and although there are no designated hiking trails along the lake, it is possible to walk most of the shoreline. Powell is definitely best explored by boat however. One of its main attractions, Rainbow Bridge, a natural bridge tall and wide enough for the U.S. Capitol Dome to sit beneath it, is either a hours-long hike or a comfortable two-hour boat ride. For those who prefer looking at the lake rather than being on it, there are 18 holes at Lake Powell National, outfitters in Page that rent mountain bikes you can take onto the NRA’s backcountry roads, and official tours of the dam that impressively controls all Lake Powell’s water, the 710-foot-tall Glen Canyon Dam. B

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No rt h er n Pets Allowed Handicap Accessible Free Airport Trans. Free Cont. Breakfast Restaurant Room Service Bar/Lounge Concierge Swimming Pool Full-Service Spa Exercise Facilities Golf on Site Wi-Fi/Internet

Accommodation Type

Senior Discount

Price Range ($)

Little America Hotel & Resort

Number of Rooms

Arizona

Accommodations Alpine

Hannagan Meadow Lodge (928) 339-4370 • hannaganmeadow.com

70-200

104

89-109

• Hotel • • • • •

108

89-129

• Hotel • • • • • •

79-119

29-125

• Hotel •

79-159

• Hotel • • • • •

120

49-129

• Motel • • • • • • •

119

109-209

• Hotel • • • • • • • •

131

• Hotel • • • • • •

155

• Hotel • • • • • •

112

• Hotel • • • • • •

247

99-199

• Resort • • • • • • • • •

50-175

49-159

• Hotel • • • • •

183

99-169

• Hotel • • • • • • • •

70-150

• Hotel • • • • • •

44-169

• Hotel • • • •

250

75-195

• Resort • • • • • •

232

99-230

Hotel • • • • • • • •

218

107-156

Lodge • • •

907

60-420

Hotel • • • •

216

69-175

• Hotel • • • • • •

121

89-249

• Hotel • • • • • •

Amberian Peaks Lodge & Restaurant (800) 556-9997 • (928) 735-9977 • peaksaz.com

115-295

Lodge • • • • •

Super 8 Motel (800) 800-8000 • super8.com

49-89

Motel • • •

Chinle

Best Western Canyon de Chelly Inn (800) 327-0354 • (928) 674-5875 • canyondechelly.com Holiday Inn Canyon de Chelly (800) Holiday • (928) 674-5000 • holidayinnchinle.com

Flagstaff

Arizona Snowbowl’s Ski Lift Lodge & Cabins (800) 472-3599 • (928) 774-0729 • arizonasnowbowl.com Canyon Inn (888) 822-6966 • (928) 774-7301 • canyoninnflagstaff.com Comfort Inn (800) 490-6562 • (928) 774-2225 • comfortinn.com/hotel/az080 Days Inn West (866) 422-4470 • (928) 774-5221 • daysinn.com Embassy Suites Flagstaff (928) 774-4333 • embassysuites.flagstaff.com Fairfield Inn by Marriott (800) 574-6395 • (928) 773-1300 • fairfieldinnflagstaff.com Holiday Inn Express Flagstaff (800) 533-2754 • (928) 714-1000 • hiflagstaff.com Hotel Aspen Flagstaff InnSuites Hotel (928) 774-7356 • (800) 898-9124 • innsuites.com Little America Hotel & Resort (800) 352-4386 • (928) 779-7918 • littleamerica.com/flagstaff Mormon Lake Lodge (928) 345-2227 • mormonlakelodge.com Quality Inn I-40 & I-17 (800) 4CHOICE • (928) 774-8771 • choicehotels.com/hotel/az003 Radisson Woodlands Hotel Flagstaff (800) 333-3333 • (928) 773-8888 • flagstaffwoodlandshotel.com Ramada West Flagstaff/Grand Canyon (877) 703-0291 • (928) 773-1111 • flagstafframada.com Super 8 (800) 654-4667 • (928) 774-4581 • flagstaffsuper8.com

Grand Canyon

Best Western Grand Canyon Squire Inn (800) 622-6966 • (928) 638-2681 • grandcanyonsquire.com Canyon Plaza Quality Inn (866) 698-2012 • (928) 638-2673 • grandcanyonqualityinn.com Grand Canyon Lodge - North Rim (877) 386-4383 • (928) 638-2611 • grandcanyonlodgenorth.com Grand Canyon National Park Lodges (800) 297-2857 • grandcanyonlodges.com Grand Canyon Red Feather Lodge (800) 538-2345 • (928) 638-2414 • redfeatherlodge.com The Grand Hotel (888) 634-7263 • (928) 638-3333 • grandcanyongrandhotel.com

Greer

Holbrook

Lodge •

Lodge • • • •

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N ort h e r n Pets Allowed Handicap Accessible Free Airport Trans. Free Cont. Breakfast Restaurant Room Service Bar/Lounge Concierge Swimming Pool Full-Service Spa Exercise Facilities Golf on Site Wi-Fi/Internet

Price Range ($)

109

• Motel • • • •

70-130

• Hotel • • •

Senior Discount

Number of Rooms

Lake Powell

Accommodation Type

Arizona

Accommodations Kayenta/Monument Valley

Anasazi Inn - Tsegi (928) 697-3793 • anasaziinn.com Best Western Wetherill Inn (928) 697-3231 • gouldings.com Goulding’s Lodge & Tours (800) 874-0902 • (435) 727-3231 • gouldings.com Holiday Inn Monument Valley (800) Holiday • (928) 697-3349 • holidayinnkayenta.com The View Hotel (435) 727-5555 • monumentvalleyview.com

Lodge • • • • •

163

89-179

95-300

Marble Canyon Lodge (800) 726-1789 • (928) 355-2225 • marblecanyonlodge.com

45-135

• Hotel • • • • •

Bison Ranch Resort Suites (866) 342-4766 • (928) 535-6990 • bisonranchsuites.com

99-169

• Resort • • • • •

132

69-199

• Hotel • • • • • •

153

89-169

• Hotel • • • • • • • •

69+

• Motel • • • • •

Marble Canyon

Overgaard/Heber Page/Lake Powell

Best Western at Lake Powell (888) 794-2888 • (928) 645-5988 • innatlakepowell.com Courtyard by Marriott Page (877) 905-4495 • (928) 645-5000 • courtyardpage.com Lake Powell Days Inn & Suites (877) 525-3725 • (928) 645-2800 • daysinn.net Lake Powell Resort (800) 528-6154 • (928) 645-2433 • lakepowell.com Quality Inn Lake Powell (866) 645-8851 • (928) 645-8851 • explorenavajo.com

Pinetop-Lakeside

Buck Springs Resort (800) 339-1909 • (928) 369-3554 • buckspringsresort.com Holiday Inn Express Pinetop (800) 465-4329 • (928) 367-6077 • innofpinetop.net Roundhouse Resort (928) 369-4848 • rhresort.com Woodland Inn & Suites (866) PINETOP • (928) 367-3636 • woodlandsuites.com

Show Low

• Hotel • • • • • •

350

- Resort • • • • • • • • • •

129

24 73 58 42

• Hotel • • • • • •

75+ Resort • • 64-169

• Hotel • • • •

St. Michaels

Taylor/Snowflake

Hotel • • • • • • •

85-205 Resort •

Best Western Paint Pony Lodge (928) 537-5773 • paintponylodge.com 50 69-149 Navajoland Inn & Suites and Denny’s Restaurant (928) 871-5690 • navajoland-innsuites.com

Hotel • • • •

59-89

Hotel • • • • • •

• Motel • • • • • •

Silvercreek Inn/Rodeway Inn (888) 246-5440 • (928) 536-2600 • choicehotels.com 42 50-100 • Hotel • • •

Tuba City

Quality Inn Navajo Nation (800) 644-8383 • (928) 283-4543 • explorenavajo.com

Williams

Grand Canyon Railway Hotel (800) 843-8724 • (928) 773-1976 • thetrain.com Quality Inn Mountain Ranch Resort (866) MTRANCH • (928) 635-2693 • mountainranchresort.com

Window Rock

297

109-169

• Hotel • • • • • •

79-169

• Resort • • • • • • •

Quality Inn Navajo Nation Capital (800) 662-6189 • (928) 871-4108 • explorenavajo.com

La Posada Hotel (928) 289-4366 • laposada.org

99-169

Winslow

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Hotel • • • •

Hotel • • • • Hotel • • • • •

Activities/Attractions Antelope Canyon Tours (928) 645-9102 • antelopecanyon.com Antelope Point Marina (800) 255-5561 • AntelopePointLakePowell.com

Page

Join our tour of Antelope Canyon. Awe-inspiring petrified sand dunes carved by nature are a must-see.

Lake Powell Discover numerous canyons and majestic Rainbow Bridge aboard a houseboat. Soak up the solitude – or run on waves for hours with watercraft rentals.

Arizona River Runners (800) 477-7238 • (602) 867-4866 • raftarizona.com

Grand Canyon

Experience the adventure and tranquility of a Grand Canyon whitewater river-rafting trip. Enjoy three to 13 days in one of the world’s seven natural wonders.

Arizona Snowbowl (928) 779-1951• arizonasnowbowl.com

Flagstaff

Offers 2,300 vertical feet of skiing, with 32 trails and four lifts. Summer brings the Scenic Skyride, disc golf, banquets and dining.

Canyoneers, Inc. (800) 525-0924 • (928) 526-0924 • canyoneers.com

Flagstaff/ Grand Canyon

World class, Grand Canyon whitewater rafting trips. Motorized or rowing. Three- to 14-day adventures. Friendly, professional guides. Great interpretive program! National Park service concessioner. Operating since 1936.

Explore Navajo Interactive Museum (928) 640-0684 • ExploreNavajo.com

Tuba City

An extraordinary look at Navajo people, its society, its accomplishments and its historic contributions. Explore a culture unlike any other.

Flagstaff Mall (928) 526-0940 • flagstaffmall.com

Flagstaff

The only indoor regional shopping center serving all of Northern Arizona offering a collection of 70 stores including Dillard’s, Sears and JCPenney.

Grand Canyon Railway (800) THE-TRAIN • thetrain.com

Grand Canyon/ Williams

Travel from Williams to the Grand Canyon aboard a vintage train that dates back to 1901. Select from different classes of train service and enjoy live, entertainment as you traverse high desert and pine forest. It’s historic Western train travel to an American icon.

Maverick Helicopters (928) 638-2622 • maverickhelicopter.com

Grand Canyon

Provides a once in a lifetime scenic flight over the Grand Canyon with state-of-the-art helicopters in air conditioned comfort.

Meteor Crater (928) 289-2362 • meteorcrater.com

Flagstaff

The best preserved meteorite impact site on earth! 550 feet deep, 2.4 miles circumference and one mile across. Guided rim tours, interactive displays, exhibits, gift shop and Subway®.

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park (435) 727-5555 • MonumentValleyView.com

Monument Valley

One of the most unique locations on earth! This is the very first Tribal Park ever established, and by the amazing panorama of Red Rock and natural beauty, one can see why.

National Geographic Visitor Center - IMAX (928) 638-2468 • explorethecanyon.com

Grand Canyon

See Grand Canyon IMAX® Movie, purchase park passes, free maps, exhibits and book tours. One mile from Grand Canyon National Park South Rim entrance.

Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters (800) 528-2418 • (928) 638-2419 • papillon.com

Grand Canyon

Fly with Papillon and experience the majestic beauty of the Grand Canyon offering helicopter tours, plane tours, all-day excursions, bus tours, canyon landings and more!

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W es t C o ast Arizona

The Oatman burros love treats.

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A day at the Beach by the famous London Bridge

Whether looking at the man-made or the Mother Nature-made, Arizona’s West Coast

By Dina Mishev

is a region of both striking superlatives – the largest man-made lake in the country, the world’s tallest suspension bridge, the remotest sections of the Grand Canyon – and extraordinary eccentricities – the country’s only free-roaming bunch of wild burros, a hotel once literally split in two when its owners got in a fight (over a woman, of course), a landlocked yacht club. Here’s the best of both.

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W es t Co as t Arizona

Littlefield

St. George Colorado City Fredonia Pipe Spring

Grand Canyon Parashant

Grand Canyon

Las Vegas

iver

Colo

Lake Mead Grand Hoover Canyon Dam Temple Bar Meadview West

oR rad

Lake Mead 93

Hualapai Chloride

Kayaking at Hoover Dam

Peach Springs

Laughlin 68 40 Kingman Bullhead City Oatman 95 Fort Mohave Needles Wikieup Topock Bagdad

Route 66, Kingman

Colora do Riv er

Lake Havasu City Lake Havasu Cattail Cove Alamo Lake Buckskin Mountain Parker Bouse Colorado River 72 Wenden 95 La Paz 60 Salome Blythe Quartzsite 10 Ehrenberg

Intaglios -Etchings by todayâ€™s Native American

L E G E N D

Dateland Ft. Yuma Yuma Territorial Prison Yuma Wellton 8 Algodones Yuma QuarterSomerton master Depot Cocopah San Luis

Indian Reservations National Parks & Monuments State Parks Points of Interest

state line - do New Yearâ€™

s 2x -1x on each side

ancestors

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Important Roads Divided Highways Scenic Roads Interstate Highways

10 Interstate Highways

15 Indian Roads 191 U.S. Highways 82 State Highways

Grand Canyon SkyWalk

Gran d C any on We st The Grand Canyon Caverns here are cool and all, but since March 2007 the Hualapai who live in this area as well as the hundreds of thousands of visitors who pass through are all atwitter about the Star Trek-y Grand Canyon SkyWalk, a glassfloored suspension bridge impossibly (yet very safely) dangling 70 feet out over the rim of the canyon. Grand Canyon SkyWalk opened to much fanfare – with famed astronaut/moon-walker Buzz Aldrin taking the first steps out on it – as the center of Grand Canyon West, a lesser known, but no-less beautiful area of the Grand Canyon that is part of the Hualapai Reservation. It’s easy to spend hours on the bridge, locked in place by the vertiginous view and/or splaying your arms and playing Superman, but you can also take some time to learn about the Hualapai culture as well as the cultures of the other three tribes that have called the canyon home for centuries, the Hopi, Paiute, and Havasupai. Adjacent to the SkyWalk is The Indian Village, complete with authentic dwellings made by each of the tribes and a 250seat amphitheater for daily presentations and performances. Future plans include a museum, movie theater, VIP lounge, gift shop, and several restaurants. In nearby Peach Springs, the reservation’s tribal headquarters and a former famed stop along Route 66, you can arrange for helicopter tours of the canyon as well as a whitewater trip with Haulapai River Runners, the only outfitter in the Grand Canyon to offer one-day trips. In addition to more than a million acres of land, the Hualapai Reservation encompasses 108 miles of the Colorado that only their guides and boats can access. And, getting back to Grand Canyon Caverns, they are pretty cool and shouldn’t be ignored.

Cen t r a l W e st C oast Yes, the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, the country’s largest man-made lake (Lake Powell, in the center of northern Arizona is the country’s second largest), are feats of engineering about on par with the Grand Canyon SkyWalk, but my favorite thing to see in this region is much more sophomoric: burros. Yup. Burros. Or, if you prefer,

the Hotel Brunswick (built in 1909); 59 other properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places; and a city park built around Engine No. 3759, a coal burning steam locomotive built in 1928 and presented to the city by the Santa Fe Railroad after it was retired. The multiuse Powerhouse building, which opened in 1907 to supply power to the town as well as area mines but was put out of business donkeys. It’s not all burros I’m partial to by the completion of the Hoover Dam in though, just the “wild” ones roaming the 1938, today provides a home for The Carlos streets of Oatman, spryly trotting along Elmer Photography Gallery, the Historic behind you like an unshakable shadow if Route 66 Museum, and the Historic Route you have even a crumb of food in a pocket. 66 Gift Shop, all worth spending some I try to imagine Clark Gable and Carol time in. Lombard honeymooning among these And now back to that feat of engineering asses, and I can’t. But they did, staying that is the Hoover Dam. A visit to this area at the Oatman Hotel (used in the movies wouldn’t be complete without seeing it, the How the West Was Won, Foxfire, and second highest dam in the U.S. and possibly Edge of Eternity) for a night the only large-scale federal in March 1939. project ever finished two full Descended from the years ahead of schedule. trained burros used by miners Built between 1931 and Yuma Convention working here in the late 1936 in the Black Canyon & Visitors Bureau, 1800s, today’s population of the Colorado River, the (928) 376-0100, remains quite tame. They Hoover Dam today gives visityuma.com wander politely, if insistently, tours to nearly one million into town each morning in people every year. Countless Lake Havasue City, search of handouts of carrots additional millions drive (928) 453-3444, and burro pellets – nearly over it via U.S. 93. (You’ll golakehavasue.com every store in town sells both. only be able to drive over They roll around town all day, the dam until mid-2010 posing for photos when the though, at which point the mood strikes, and then, as night begins Hoover Dam Bypass Project, including to fall, ramble back to their homes in the 2,000-foot long, 900-foot high the hills. On slow visitor days, they can Colorado River Bridge will be completed.) actually outnumber people (Oatman’s The dam, which was the largest electricyear-round population is about 159). power generating station and the world’s To the north, Kingman doesn’t have largest concrete structure when it was burros, but it does have what was the first built, was designated a National Historic three-story building for counties around, Landmark in 1985.

More Info

Brush with Celebrity Although Kingman’s Hotel Brunswick is no longer the only threestory building for counties around, it is still a luxury to stay there. Run by the Pfaffs, who relocated to Kingman from their Gulf Coast home after Hurricane Katrina, Hotel Brunswick has, in my humble opinion, the cutest rooms and the best food in town. And Clark Gable once slept there. If you stop in, make sure to ask the Pfaffs about the 1912 feud between the original owners that caused the building to be divided into two with a giant wall (that was finally removed in the 1960s).

Hotel Brunswick

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W es t C o as t Arizona

Lake Mead, the 110-mile long lake-inthe-middle-of-the-Mojave created by the Hoover Dam, was so unique as to require the federal government to come up with an entirely new designation: Lake Mead was named the country’s first National Recreation Area in 1964. The Lake Mead NRA also includes 67-mile-long Lake Mojave, created when David Dam went up. A very different experience than Lake Mead, Lake Mojave, is often no wider than the Colorado River was before this section was dammed. Its widest point is four miles.

Sou th West Co as t In this southwestern corner of the state you can party like it’s 1999 and play prisoner like it’s 1879. And then tee off at the state’s best municipal golf course as rated by Golf Digest (Desert Hills Municipal), get your ornithology on trying to spot some 380 species of birds, and, finally, fly over some of the only intaglios in the country, and world, for that matter. Out of all the lakes in western Arizona, Lake Havasu is the one that calls most every collegian within a thousand miles come spring break. And, while Lake Havasu is

home to the world’s largest antique, the London Bridge, which was moved here brick by brick from its original home spanning the Thames River, students aren’t coming here for a history lesson. Lake Havasu has 400-some miles of coastline and marinas renting everything from jet skis to houseboats. Between Lake Havasu and Yuma Territorial Prison, near Bouse, are some of those intaglios mentioned above. If you don’t think you know what an intaglio (intãl’yo) is, think again. You’ve seen photos of the Nazca Lines in Peru? Or at least you

Activities/Attractions Black Canyon/ Willow Beach River Adventures (800) 455-3490 • BlackCanyonAdventures.com

Lake Mead

Launch at the base of Hoover Dam and float 12 miles down the Colorado River with a knowledgeable tour guide. Enjoy extraordinary scenery and wildlife viewing.

Keepers of the Wild Nature Park (928) 769-1800 • keepersofthewild.org

Valentine

Located on Historic Route 66 this one of a kind sanctuary is fun for the entire family. Gift shop, safari tours and much more. Closed Tuesdays.

Mohave Museum of History and Art (928) 753-3195 • mohavemuseum.org

Kingman

Visit the Mohave Museum and experience the pioneer past. The Museum has artifacts that share the county’s history in the mining of gold, silver, turquoise and copper. Also houses an intimate collection of Andy Devine memorabilia. Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday 1-5pm. Both Paradise Casinos have over 800 slots, 21 table games, six live poker tables, 250-seat bingo hall, 24-hour restaurant and two bars with live entertainment.

The Peanut Patch (928) 726-6292 • thepeanutpatch.com

Yuma

A cute country store. Tours available. Many homemade products such as over 50 different flavors of fudge, peanut brittle, peanut butter, and chocolates. Samples offered of many items.

Temple Bar Resort and Marina (800) 255-5561 • TempeBarLakeMead.com

Lake Mead

Known for its namesake of massive rock formations and its 20 mile-long unobstructed waterski runs, it’s ideal for renting houseboats and watercrafts for fishing and exploring.

Willow Beach Marina (928) 767-4747 • WillowBeachHarbor.com

Lake Mead

Close access to magnificent Hoover Dam, majestic Emerald Cave and secluded Hot Springs. Enjoy extraordinary scenery and wildlife viewing by kayaks, canoes or powerboat rentals.

Price Range ($)

101

89-125

• Motel • • • • •

Hampton Inn (928) 855-4071 • lakehavasucity.hamptoninn.com

162

109-199

• Hotel • • • • • • • •

London Bridge Resort (800) 624-7939 • (928) 855-0888 • londonbridgeresort.com

122

Jet ski on the Colorado River

Senior Discount

Number of Rooms

Pets Allowed Handicap Accessible Free Airport Trans. Free Cont. Breakfast Restaurant Room Service Bar/Lounge Concierge Swimming Pool Full-Service Spa Exercise Facilities Golf on Site Wi-Fi/Internet

Yuma

Accommodation Type

Paradise Casinos (888) 777-IWIN • Paradise-Casinos.com

Accommodations Kingman

Best Western Kings Inn & Suites (800) 750-6101 • (928) 753-6101

Lake Havasu City

- Resort • • • • • • • • •

Parker

BlueWater Resort & Casino (888) 243-3360 • (928) 669-7000 • bluewaterfun.com 200 49-329 Resort • • • • • •

Yuma

Best Western InnSuites Hotel & Suites (888) YUMA-SUITE • (928) 783-8341 • innsuites.com

166

99-249

• Hotel • • • • • • • • •

Ramada Chilton Conference Center (928) 344-1050 • ramadayuma.com

121

59-129

• Motel • • • • • • • • • •

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saw the latest Indiana Jones movie or the supernatural thriller Signs, both of which featured shots of the Nazca Lines? What in Peru are called the Nazca Lines, etchings made into the desert sand hundreds of years ago that are so large as to only be able to be properly appreciated and recognized from the air, are here called intaglios. The ones here are believed to have been made by ancestors of today’s Native Americans. The most spectacular intaglios in the area, the Blythe Intaglios, are best appreciated by hiring a pilot and plane at the Parker Airport, a request the pilots there are used to. Or, easily accessible by car, head for two smaller intaglios – the biggest Blythe one is 170 feet tall. On the paved road from Bouse to Quartzsite is “The Fisherman.” Ten miles east of Parker on Shea Road is “The Snake.” While these intaglios were etched into the desert sand, at the Yuma Territorial Prison, prisoners cut their own cells into cliffs. Used from 1876 until 1909, at which point it was briefly repurposed as a high school – the Yuma Union High School mascot, a criminal, of course – the Yuma prison is now a state historic park. It too might look familiar to you from the movies. The original (1957) 3:10 to Yuma was filmed here as was its 2007 remake of the same name. B

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N ORTH C E N TRA L Arizona

The Worldâ€™s Largest Kokopelli!! - Verde Valley

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Jerome - Once a copper mining town, is now an artistsâ€™ haven

North Central Arizona is America the Beautiful made better: there are

By Dina Mishev

mountain majesties – albeit more red than purple – and fruited plains… and also archeological sites, rodeos, cowboy and Native American history, spas, golf, shopping, stylish towns, and art. And best yet? Perched between desert (to the south) and the soaring San Francisco Peaks (to the north), the area also has pretty much perfect weather. All year long. Spend the morning hiking before whiling away the afternoon at a winery, but make sure not to linger too long lest you not have enough time check out 1,000-year-old ruins before your scheduled sunset hot air balloon flight. Yes, there are plenty of people who come here for vacation and never leave.

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NORTH C E N TRA L Arizona

Peach Springs

Tiger Splash at Out of Africa Wildlife Park

Seligman

Montezuma Castle National Monument

Ash Fork

Slide Rock Red Rock Sedona Tuzigoot 179 Chino Valley Clarkdale Cottonwood Jerome Bagdad 89A Jerome Montezuma Castle Prescott Yavapai-Apache Camp 96 Yavapai- Dewey Verde Fort 93 Verde 260 Strawberry Prescott Mayer Cordes Jct. Pine 89 Yarnell Christopher Tonto Natural Bridge Tonto 17 Agua Natural Creek Payson Black Canyon City Fria Bridge Tonto 71 60 Wickenburg Aguila 87 188 Apache Cibecue Canyon Carrizo 73 Roosevelt Dam Gila L E G E N D Fort Apache Whiteriver Indian Reservations National Parks & Monuments State Parks Points of Interest

15 191 82

Important Roads Divided Highways Scenic Roads Interstate Highways Indian Roads U.S. Highways State Highways

Superior

Globe Miami

Hayden Kearny Winkelman

San Carlos San Carlos

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191 Greenlee

Morenci Graham Clifton Aravaipa Pima Thatcher Canyon Mt Graham Safford Duncan 191 Roper Lake

Cibecue Canyon, San Carlos

Hannagan Meadow

Roper Lake

Red Rock State Park, Sedona

R ed M o u n ta i n M a je s t ie s ( S edona) If Sedona’s freakishly beautiful ochre rock towers shooting skyward out of fragrant scrub seem familiar… at least until you remind yourself you’ve never been here before, don’t worry. Ever seen Universal Soldier (Jean-Claude Van Damme)? How about the original (1950) 3:10 to Yuma? Or the John Wayne/Gail Russell oater Angel and the Badman? At least 76 feature films and countless TV

episodes and commercials have been fully or partially shot in Sedona. Sedona hasn’t inspired only Hollywood. Statistics backing this up are difficult to come by, but as it is oft-repeated around town and because Sedona is the kind of place that doesn’t need the outside world to tell it what it already feels, we’ll run with it: there are more artists per capita here than anywhere else in the country. Raku pottery, hand-hammered wind chimes, fine jewelry, juniper furniture, oil paintings, bronze

sculpture – they’re all imagined, and made, and sold, here. To check out the latter, head to Tlaquepaque. Actually, art galleries are everywhere in Sedona, but at Tlaquepaque – which you don’t have to pronounce correctly to enjoy (it’s Tla-keh-pah-keh, in case you want to try) – it’s all conveniently, and very cutely, close. Modeled on a Mexican Village, Tlaquepaque serves up a main course of arts and crafts with a side of specialty shops and, because you’ll want to spend the better part of a day wandering its maze of pedestrian paths and too-quaint alleys, restaurants. (Our favorite place to refuel? How Sweet It Is) For art of another sort – say that created by none other than Mother Nature – head for Oak Creek Canyon. Hike the Eagle’s Nest Trail in Red Rock State Park. Channel your inner child sliding down slippery rock sluices (one 30 feet long) at Slide Rock State Park. Gawp at towering walls and absurdly abrupt abysses – preferably from the safety of a designated pull-out – along Highway 89A. Sit outside at the Four

w il d & sc e ni c

Wild ride on the Verde River While we’re sure you’ve enjoyed – or will enjoy – looking at all of this America-the-Beautiful scenery, Arizona isn’t really a look-but-don’t-touch kind of place. Four of the state’s six national forest are partially or completely in the North Central region: Coconino, Prescott, Tonto, and Apache-Sitgreaves. Between them they’ve got a stupefying variety of scenery. And with this varied scenery comes varied activities: fishing, boating, hiking, scenic drives (we like the 400-some switchbacks of the 123-mile Coronado Trail Scenic Byway), rock climbing, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Since there is pretty much every type of outdoor activity imaginable available here,

your best bet is to check in with one of the Forest Service Offices in the area, whether online or in person. Coconino, the most central, is a good place to start: www.fs.fed.us/r3/ coconino. True water explorers head for Arizona’s only Wild and Scenic River, the Verde, for fantastic fishing as well as doit-yourself canoeing and kayaking on mostly scenic waters. (Riffles can morph into larger waves during spring snowmelt though.) Near Globe, professional outfitters guide trips on the class III and IV Salt River. Salt trips start in oak and juniper forests before the river descends into lower elevations and the saguaro-rich Sonoran Desert.

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NORTH C E N TRA L Arizona

Diamond L’Auberge Restaurant, sipping a mojito (made with mint grown in the chef’s own garden) or glass of wine, nibbling at Braised Lamb Wrapped in Swiss Chard, and watching the creek burble past. If you visit April through October, try for a table on the outside terrace. Any time of year, book an appointment at L’Auberge’s beyond-tranquil spa.

F r u it e d P l a ins (V er de Va l l e y) There’s an area in the western United States that produces some amazing wines. And it’s not Napa. Or rather, it’s in addition to Napa. South and west of Sedona, the Verde and Chino Valleys produce wines so fine three Presidents have poured them for foreign dignitaries at the White House. Javelina Leap, Caduceus (an effort of the multi-talented lead singer of the rock band Tool), Alcantara, Page Springs Cellars, and Granite Creek are some of the wineries in the area that welcome visitors. Purely in the interest of scientific inquiry we’re sure, The Wall Street Journal conducted a blind taste test that had Arizona wines

facing up against biggies from California, Washington, and Oregon. The findings? Arizona labels topped nearly every category. A particular high-scorer was Alcantara’s 2005 Chardonnay. If you plan ahead and arrive at Granite Creek, the state’s first certified organic farm, armed with a picnic lunch, you can enjoy it while watching resident peacocks swagger about under impressively arthritic elms. Not surprising given this local wine and vine scene Clarkdale’s scenic Verde Canyon Railroad, built between 1912 and 1913 by 250 men, 200 mules, and unknowable amounts of dynamite, does weekly “Grape Train Escapes.” Even if your timing doesn’t match up with one of these Friday rides, the 40-mile out-andback chug along the banks of the Verde River is worth the four hour investment. (The railroad operates year-round.) Make sure to tear your eyes from the canyondefining sandstone and black basalt cliffs and the canopy of cottonwoods, sycamores, and ash that stretch like an umbrella over the Verde River to scan for wildlife – deer, javelina, and antelope yearround and, in winter, numerous birds of prey including bald eagles.

If you look behind you as the train pulls out of Clarkdale, you’ll see the former copper mining town of Jerome impossibly suspended high up on the side of Cleopatra Hill. Don’t let that view be your only experience of the town once dubbed, “the wickedest town in America.” Long since transformed into one of the chicest towns in America, Jerome is perhaps the only town that can contest Sedona’s per capita artist claim. In addition to bringing your appreciative eye, make sure to pack your walking shoes. Most towns spread out. Clinging to Cleopatra Hill as it does, Jerome had no option but to spread up. Bottom to top, the town stretches 1,500 vertical feet. You can certainly drive bottom to top, but the Grilled Achiote Rubbed Pork Tenderloin served up at The Asylum, a former hospital repurposed as an eclectic Southwestern restaurant, is a brilliantly scrumptious boost for wellused muscles. And there’s nowhere finer than an outside or window-side table here from which to appreciate Jerome’s precarious perch. On clear days you can see more than 50 miles, past Sedona and to the San Francisco Peaks.

Across the Wilderness (Prescott and Payson) Starting with first things first, the pronunciation of Prescott isn’t quite as obvious as you might think. It’s “press-kit.” And no, we don’t know why. What we do know is that Prescott was a consequence of a gold rush that started in 1863 and soon thereafter – say, the next year – when Arizona became an official territory, was named the territorial capital. For much of the rest of the century, it remained the most important, as well as the richest, city in the state. The town could have died in 1890, when a fire maliciously consumed most every building, but plucky residents quickly rebuilt. With no such structure-destroying disasters since, about 500 of these 1890s-era homes and commercial buildings, all very well-preserved and -looked after, are the reason Prescott is awash with National Historic Districts. In 2006, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Prescott one of a dozen “Distinctive Destinations.” Historic structures include a schoolhouse, dozens of doily-esque Victorians, several of which of course have been happily amended into bed and breakfasts, a governor’s log “mansion,” and The Palace, which has been serving up brews and news for almost 120 years. If you’re crunched for time, get the biggest bang for your historic

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More Info

Peavine Trail, Prescott

Pets Allowed Handicap Accessible Free Airport Trans. Free Cont. Breakfast Restaurant Room Service Bar/Lounge Concierge Swimming Pool Full-Service Spa Exercise Facilities Golf on Site Wi-Fi/Internet

Accommodation Type

continuous rodeo. Paysonites hosted their first rodeo in 1884. Zane Grey’s tales of the West, particularly of this Rim Country area, might have been monumental in scope, but the tiny cabin he wrote them in just outside Payson in the 1920s certainly wasn’t. The cabin went down in a forest fire in 1990, but Payson’s Rim Country Museum has created a reconstruction of it, as well as an exhibit on Grey’s life. Pretty much the exact geographical center of Arizona, Payson is also smack in the middle of the titanic Tonto National Forest. Check out the sidebar for outdoor adventuring opportunities in the Tonto and the rest of the region, but, just in case you’re an article skimmer, let us point out one of the forest’s if-you-don’t-see-this-you’llreally-be-sorry features: Tonto Natural Bridge. The largest natural travertine bridge in the world, Tonto rises a stratospheric 183 feet (almost a third the height of St. Louis’ famous Gateway Arch, the country’s tallest manmade monument) and is a robust 150 feet wide. B

Senior Discount

Best Western Inn of Sedona

Price Range ($)

buck at Sharlot Hall Museum, whose grounds are home to several of Prescott’s most significant old buildings. Nothing in Prescott can compare in age to what you’ll see at Tuzigoot National Monument and Montezuma Castle National Monument though. If you were a Sinagua Indian and it was nearly a millennium ago, these areas were the place to be. Tuzigoot preserves the ruins of a 110-room village Sinagua called home from (about) 1125 until (about) 1425. Montezuma Castle was the Jerome of its time, going up rather than out. Its 20-rooms soar five stories up a cliff overlooking Verde Valley. Over in Payson, resting in the shadow of the 200-mile long, 2,000-foot deep wound slicing the landscape from southwest of Flagstaff to the White Mountains that is the Mongollon Rim, we’re back to a more modern, but no less interesting, history. Payson is cowboy country. While Prescott is home to the world’s oldest rodeo, Payson is home to the world’s oldest Number of Rooms

ASedona Oak Creek Canyon Chamber of Commerce, (928) 204-1123, visitsedona.com Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce, (928) 634-7593, visitcottonwoodaz.org Camp Verde Chamber of Commerce, (928) 567-9294, campverde.org Prescott Area Coalition for Tourism, (928) 445-2000, (800) 266-7534, visit-prescott.com Rim Country Regional Chamber of Commerce, (928) 474-4515, rimcountrychamber.com Jerome Chamber of Commerce, (928) 634-2900, jeromechamber.com Graham County Chamber of Commerce, (928) 428-2511, visitgrahamcounty.com

Accommodations Camp Verde

Days Inn & Suites (800) 747-9011 • (928) 567-3700 • daysinn.com

65-125

• Motel • • • •

89-139

• Hotel • • • • • •

89-129

• Hotel • • • • • • •

90-125 B&B • •

varies

• Hotel • • • • • •

50-130

• Motel • • • • •

Cottonwood

Best Western Cottonwood Inn (866) 549-7803 • (928) 634-5575 • bestwesterncottonwoodinn.com Cottonwood Quality Inn (800) 710-4207 • (928) 634-4207 • qualityinn-az.com

Globe

Noftsger Hill Inn Bed & Breakfast (877) 780-2479 • (928) 425-2260 • noftsgerhillinn.com

Payson

Best Western Payson Inn (800) 247-9477 • (928) 474-3241 • bestwesternpaysoninn.com

Prescott/Prescott Valley

Americas Best Value Inn - Prescott (928) 776-1282 • innworks.com/prescott

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NORTH CENTRA L Pets Allowed Handicap Accessible Free Airport Trans. Free Cont. Breakfast Restaurant Room Service Bar/Lounge Concierge Swimming Pool Full-Service Spa Exercise Facilities Golf on Site Wi-Fi/Internet

Accommodation Type

Senior Discount

Price Range ($)

Springhill Suites, Prescott

Number of Rooms

Arizona

Accommodations Americas Best Value Inn - Prescott Valley (928) 772-2200 • americasbestvalueinnprescottvalley.com Days Inn of Prescott Valley (800) 329-7466 • (928) 772-8600 • daysinn.com/hotel/04213 Hassayampa Inn (800) 322-1927 • (928) 778-9434 • hassayampainn.com Residence Inn by Marriott (928) 775-2232 • marriott.com/prcri SpringHill Suites by Marriott (888) 466-8440 • (928) 776-0998 • marriott.com/prcsh

50-152

• Motel • • •

69-99

• Motel • • • • •

129-249 • Hotel • • • • • • •

109-269 • Hotel • • • • • •

105

99-259 • Hotel • • • •

189-305 • B&B • • •

100

155-450 Hotel • • • • • • • •

139-399 • Resort • • • • •

110

150-200 • Hotel • • • • • • •

205-395 B&B •

159-349 • B&B

155-175 B&B • •

Sedona

Alma de Sedona Inn (800) 923-2282 • (928) 282-2737 • almadesedona.com Amara Hotel, Restaurant and Spa (800) 815-5790 • (928) 282-4828 • amararesort.com Best Western Arroyo Roble Hotel & Creekside Villas (800) 773-3662 • (928) 282-4001 • bestwesternsedona.com Best Western Inn of Sedona (800) 292-6344 • innofsedona.com Briar Patch Inn (888) 809-3030 • (928) 282-2342 • briarpatchinn.com Canyon Villa Bed & Breakfast Inn of Sedona (800) 453-1166 • (928) 284-1226 • canyonvilla.com The Canyon Wren - Cabins for Two (800) 437-9736 • (928) 282-6900 • canyonwrencabins.com Enchantment Resort (800) 826-4180 • (928) 282-2900 • enchantmentresort.com Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa (877) 273-3762 • (928) 284-4040 • hiltonsedona.com L’Auberge de Sedona (800) 581-0217 • (928) 282-1661 • lauberge.com Matterhorn Inn (800) 372-8207 • (928) 282-7176 • matterhorninn.com Orchards Inn of Sedona (800) 682-3181 • (928) 282-2405 • orchardsinn.com Radisson Poco Diablo Resort (877) 282-5755 • (928) 282-7333 • radissonsedona.com The Ridge on Sedona Golf Resort (877) 444-8044 • (928) 282-1271 • arizonatourismcenter.com Sedona Real Inn (800) 353-1239 • (928) 282-1414 • sedonareal.com Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa (866) 312-4111 • (928) 203-4111 • sedonarouge.com Sedona Springs Resort (866) 469-8222 • (928) 204-3400 • 8664myvacation.com The Sedona Summit Resort (877) 444-8044 • (928) 282-1271 • arizonatourismcenter.com Sedona Super 8 (800) 858-7245 • (928) 282-1533 • sedonasuper8.com Villas at Poco Diablo (866) 469-8222 • (928) 204-3300 • 8664myvacation.com Villas of Sedona (866) 469-8222 • (928) 204-3400 • 8664myvacation.com

220

350-1625 Resort • • • • • • • • • •

219

119-299 • Resort • • • • • • • • • •

195-800 Lodge • • • • • • •

99-179

119-279 Hotel • • • •

137

149-299 • Resort • • • • • • • • •

236

200-400 Resort • • • • • •

109-350 • Hotel • • • • • • • •

219-339 Hotel • • • • • • • •

42 417 66

• Motel • • •

125+ Resort • • 200-600 Resort • • • • • • 79-139

• Hotel • • • • • • • •

155+ Resort •

175+ Resort • •

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NORTH C E N TRA L Arizona

Spa at L’Auberge de Sedona

Spas Reward. rejuvenate. Relax. Amara Spa at Amara Resort & Spa (800) 815-5790 amararesort.com Indulge in ultimate relaxation at Amara Spa with a massage, facial, body treatment or daily yoga classes, all reflecting the beauty and spirit of Sedona. Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa (877) 273-3762, (928) 284-6975 hiltonsedonaspa.com Luxuriate and pamper yourself in this spacious 20,000-sq.-ft. spa therapy center. The fully equipped facility features a wide

array of world-class spa treatments, lap pool and therapy spa, exercise opportunities and offerings to soothe mind and body – all in the unforgettable setting of Red Rock Sedona. Mii amo, a Destination Spa at Enchantment (888) 749-2137, (928) 203-8500 miiamo.com Ranked by Travel and Leisure readers as one of the world’s top destination spas, Mii amo offers three-, four- and seven-night all-inclusive programs or “journeys.”

Spa at L’Auberge (800) 420-1693 • laubergespa.com Surrounded by lush natural beauty, Spa at L’Auberge is an intimate retreat. Experience a tranquil treatment in the spa, a private airy creekside cabana or the romantic setting of your own cottage. Sumptuous spa cuisine is also available. Spa at Sedona Rouge (928) 203-4111 • sedonarouge.com “Beauty through Wellness” and customized spa treatments are the hallmarks of The Spa at Sedona Rouge. Discover your best life, feeling well inside and out.

Activities/Attractions Blazin’ M Ranch (800) 937-8643 • blazinm.com

Cottonwood

Tantalize your taste buds and tickle your funny bones with a knee-slapping good time at the Blazin’ M Ranch. Old West fun, an all-you-can-eat BBQ, and live cowboy entertainment.

Out of Africa Wildlife Park (928) 567-2840 • outofafricapark.com

Camp Verde

Bring this page for $5 off per person. What to expect: Authentic African Safari, tigers playing with staff and toys, entertaining, educational, unrehearsed shows, huge natural habitats - a feeling of animals and us together.

Sedona

Since 1958, providing the most talked about off-road adventures in the Southwest. Our award-winning excursions are known as the premier “must-do” tours in Sedona.

Clarkdale

Arizona’s longest-running nature show. Eagles, Indian ruins and the beauty of the Verde River highlight this half-day train ride. Year-round with special events and holiday celebrations.

Pink Jeep Tours (928) 282-5000 • pinkjeep.com Verde Canyon Railroad (800) 293-7245 • verdecanyonrr.com

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A RIZONA

Mileage & Elevation Map

180 Seligman Williams 5,242’ 6,780’ 24/4 0:25

Colorado

12/19 0:15

Quartzsite 880’

81/131 1:25

53/8 5 1:00

10 Interstate Highways

15 Indian Roads 191 U.S. Highways 82 State Highways

191

Safford 3,177’

27 79/1 0 1:2

30/48 0:30 19 12/ 5 0:1

21/3 4 0:20

27/44 0:30

22/35 0:20

Benson 3,929’

Willcox 4,181’

23/ Tombstone 3 0:2 7 4,743’ 19/31 5 Sonoita 19 2,500’ 0:20 15/24 0:20 Bisbee 80 16/26 Rio Rico 0:20 4,780’ 3,900’ Sierra Vista 25/40 4,719’ 0:30 17/27 Douglas 0:15 Nogales 4,173’ 3,955’ 3 8/1 0:10

0’ - Elevation in feet

Important Roads Divided Highways Scenic Roads Interstate Highways

131/211 2:15

Tucson 2,704’ 82/132 1:10

27/44 0:30

Alpine 9,520’

Globe 2,495’

27/44 0:30

59/95 1:00

Springerville 7,051’

0:55

55/88 0:55

123 76/ 20 1:

Miles/Kilometers Appr. drive time

Lukeville 1,500’

Sells 2,409’

Gallup 6,472’

8/13 0:10

L E G E N D

5 40/6 5 0:4

ICO

59/95 1:00

191

57/9 2 1:00

PinetopLakeside 7,200’

59/95 1:00

Show Low 6,415’ 51/82

36/5 8 0:40

74/119 1:30

61/ 9 0:5 8 0

49/79 0:40

47/76 0:50

Payson 5,157’

Mesa 48 PHOENIX 39/63 Goodyear 1,250’ 10 Tempe 0:50 /77 0:40 60 Chandler Florence Gila Bend 1,530’ Casa Grande 778’ 60/97 1,464’ 0:50

Holbrook 5,262’ 180

62/100 1:05

Peoria Glendale

Why 1,458’

MEX

33/53 0:35

32/52 0:30

1 44/7 0 0:4

120/194 1:40

00 62/1 5 1:0

17 Scottsdale

36/58 0:40

83/134 1:30

28/45 0:30

Blythe 397’

25/40 0:20

7 48/7 0:40

Chambers 6,000’

34/55 0:30

31/ 5 0:30 0

81 50/ 00 1:

6 78/12 1:20

42/68 0:40

69/111 1:10

Winslow 4,941’

60/97 0:50

13/21 :20 71 44/ 45 12/ 0 0:15 :0 0: 19 15

36/58 0:40

0:50

29/47 0:30

36/58 0:40

97 60/ 00 1:

Ganado 6,662’ 47/7 38/61 0:40

59/95 1:00

Sedona 4,827’

Camp Verde Cordes Jct. 3,990’ 3,810’ Wickenburg 2,386’ 63/102 60 0:55

Parker 452’

25/40 0:20

24/39 0:30

109 /1 1:50 76

35/56 0:35

ver

Yuma 216’

89 Prescott 89A 5,045’

63/102 1:05

48/77 0:50

Second Mesa 5,700’ 62/100 1:05

47 29/ 0 0:3

Lake Havasu City 781’

Cottonwood 3,550’ 17/27

67/108 1:10

30/48 Flagstaff 7,011’ 0:25 26/42 0:30

Chinle 5,506’

16/26 0:20

19/31 0:20 48/77 0:50

Ash Fork 5,160’

41/66 0:35

21/34 0:25

54/8 7 0:55

Tuba City 4,960’

Cameron 2,402’

79/ 12 1:20 7

191

34/ 0:3 55 0

58/94 1:00

12/19 0:15

11 0:1 /18 0

35/ 5 0:3 6 5

1 75/12 1:00

Kingman 3,449’

49/79 0:50

Needles 983’

CALIFORNIA

23/ 3 0:2 7 0

35/56 0:35

2 57/9 0 1:0

Peach Springs 4,950’

15 71/1 5 1:1

Bullhead City 695’

San Luis 50’

43/69 0:45

44/71 0:45

0 31/5 0:30

118 73/ 20 1:

160

Grand Canyon Village 6,500’

Hoover Dam

163 Kayenta 41/66 5,641’ 0:45

NEW MEXICO

54/87 0:55

North Rim 8,824’

Las Vegas 2,030’

23/37 0:25

35/5 6 0:40

89A Jacob Lake 2,400’

6 66/10 0:70

94 120/1 1:40

35/56 0:35

90/ 1 1:3 45 0

70/112 1:15

Monument Valley Tribal Park 64

19/31 0:20

COLORADO

Page 4,188’

25/4 0 0:30

NEVADA

UTAH

Fredonia 4,800’

17/27 0:20

St. George 2,860’

MEXICO

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Number of Spaces

Senior Adult Park Park Models for Rent Pet Friendly Laundry Swimming Pool Organized Activities Internet Access Golf on Site Tennis on Site Restaurant Exercise Facilities Handicap Accessible Hot Tub/Jacuzzi Recreational Facilities

Yuma Sunset

Location

RV Par ks

Phoenix, Casa Grande, Mesa, Apache Junction

varies

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Phoenix & Central Arizona Active Resort Communities (800) 478-3864 • (480) 218-1112 azactiveresorts.com Apache Palms RV Park (480) 966-7399 • apachepalmsrvpark.com Campground Buena Tierra (888) 520-8360 • (520) 836-3500 campgroundbuenatierra.com Desert Sands RV Park (623) 869-8186 • desertsandsrv.com Desert’s Edge RV Village (623) 587-0940 • desertsedgerv.com Equity Lifestyle Properties & Encore RV Resorts (877) 362-6736 • (602) 674-5690 • rvonthego.com Fiesta Grande RV Resort (877) 362-6736 • (520) 836-7222 • rvonthego.com Good Life RV Resort (800) 999-4990 • (480) 832-4990 • goodliferv.com Green Acres RV Park (602) 999-1673 • greenacresrvparkmesa.com Mesa Spirit RV Resort (877) 924-6709 • (480) 832-1770 • mesaspirit.com Monte Vista Village Resort (800) 435-7128 • (480) 833-2223 • rvonthego.com Orangewood Shadows RV Resort (800) 826-0909 • (480) 832-9080 orangewoodshadows.com Paradise RV Resort (877) 362-6736 • (623) 977-0344 • rvonthego.com Phoenix Metro RV Park (877) 582-0390 • (623) 582-0390 phoenixmetrorvpark.com The Resort RV Park (866) 386-1101 • (480) 986-8404 theresortrvpark.com Silveridge RV Resort (800) 354-0054 • (480) 373-7000 • silveridge.com Sundance 1 RV Resort (888) 332-5335 • (520) 426-9662 • sundance1rv.com Sunrise RV Resort (877) 633-3133 • (480) 983-2500 robertsresorts.com Superstition Sunrise RV Resort (800) 624-7027 • (480) 986-4524 superstitionsunrise.com Towerpoint RV Resort (800) 444-4996 • (480) 832-4996 towerpointresort.com Viewpoint RV, Golf & Tennis Resort (877) 362-6736 • (480) 373-8700 • rvonthego.com

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Tempe Casa Grande Phoenix

80 • • •

•

150 • • • • • • • 70 • •

•

Phoenix Phoenix, Casa Grande, Show Low

1000+

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Casa Grande

767

• • • • • • • • • • •

Mesa

1156

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Mesa

211 • • • • • •

• •

•

• •

•

Mesa

1800

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Mesa

832

Mesa

474

• •

Sun City

950

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Phoenix

310

• • • • • • • • • •

Mesa

792

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Mesa

687

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Casa Grande

711

• • • • • • • •

• •

Apache Junction

501

• • • • • • • • •

• •

Apache Junction

1119

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Mesa

1112

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Mesa

1937

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Number of Spaces

Tucson & Southern Arizona Butterfield RV Resort (800) 863-8160 • (520) 586-4400 • rv-resort.com

Benson

173

Tucson Meadows (520) 298-8024 • tucsonmeadows.com

Tucson

144

• • • • • •

Voyager RV Resort (800) 424-9191 • (520) 574-5000 • voyagerrv.com

Tucson

1535

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Northern Arizona Grand Canyon Railway RV Park (800) 843-8724 • (928) 635-4010 • thetrain.com

Williams

124 • • • • •

J&H RV Park (928) 526-1829 • flagstaffrvparks.com

Flagstaff

Kaibab Camper Village (800) 525-0924 • (928) 643-7804 • kaibabcampervillage.com

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Grand Canyon

60 • •

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Meteor Crater RV Park (800) 478-4002 • (928) 289-4002 • meteorcrater.com

Flagstaff

72 • •

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Mormon Lake Lodge RV Park & Campground (928) 354-2227 • mormonlakelodge.com

Flagstaff

75 • •

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Arizona’s West Coast West Coast Arizona West RV Resort (866) 726-1481 • (928) 726-1481 • azwestrv.com

Yuma

225

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Caravan Oasis RV Park (800) 348-1480 • (928) 342-1480 • caravanoasisresort.com Yuma 570 • • • • • • • • • • Shangri-La RV Resort (877) 742-6474 • (928) 342-9123 • shangrilarv.com Yuma 302 • • • • • • • • • Sun Vista RV Resort (800) 423-8382 • (928) 726-8920 • sunvistarvresort.com Yuma 1230 • • • • • • • • • • •

North North CentralCentral Arizona Distant Drums RV Resort (877) 577-5507 • (928) 554-8000 distantdrumsrvresort.com Camp Verde 158 • • • • • • Oxbow Estates RV Park (800) 520-5239 • (928) 474-2042 Payson 51 • • • Rancho Sedona RV Park (888) 641-4261 • (928) 282-7255 • ranchosedona.com Sedona 84 • • •

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