AOT Arizona Office of Tourism - June 2015

GET UP. GET OUT. EXPLORE ARIZONA WEEKEND TRIPS

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES Breathe in the fresh air and new experiences found in the White Mountains. pg. 4

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Monument Valley

Sightseeing Excursions

Family Fun

Water Wonders

Urban Escapes

Enjoy the unique sights around Bisbee, from wildlife to Wild West. pg. 2

Spend a fun-filled day with family, adventure, and some cute bear cubs. pg. 2

Explore the wetter side of Arizona on the Colorado River and Lake Powell. pg. 3

Dive into the urban excitement found in and around the greater Phoenix area. pg. 3

DISCOVER EASY ROAD TRIPS FOR DOING WHAT YOU LOVE. Looking to get away and enjoy your summer days in interesting, inspiring, and cooler places?

Get out and explore Arizona’s myriad of exciting and unique destinations, all close to home.

photo: Rick Petersen

Bisbee

Sightseeing Excursions

If you’ve ever wondered the difference between a stalactite

As a great reprieve from the summer heat,

Caverns will do you well. As a living underground world of

Bisbee’s Ramsey Canyon Preserve provides

long-hidden limestone caves just north of Sierra Vista, this

a moist, cool habitat for getting in some

is the world’s longest stalactite formation and one of

exceptional hiking or wildlife and bird watching

Southern Arizona’s most popular outdoor attractions. It’s

that includes 15 species of hummingbirds.

also a cool escape from the summer heat.

and stalagmite (and even if you haven’t), a visit to Kartchner

Kartchner Caverns Flagstaff Extreme

Just a short drive north of Bisbee, you can mosey into Tombstone, “The Town Too Tough To Die.”

Just a quick drive north of Sedona, you’ll be

A stroll along the town’s wooden boardwalks and

able to recall childhood memories of swinging

authentic saloons will bring you back to the days

in trees, and create new memories for your

of real Wild West icons like Wyatt Earp and Doc

kids at the treetop adventure course, Flagstaff

Holiday. But before you get out of Dodge, stick

Extreme. Kids, ages 7-11, can adventure

around for the daily reenactments of the O.K.

through the children’s course, while adults

Corral gunfights to get a real glimpse of one of

12 and older, can enjoy an adrenaline rush

the reasons the West was so Wild.

Family Fun

with up to 17 different tree-canopy obstacles

Part natural waterslide and

zip lines, and aerial surfboard.

consisting of suspended bridges, swings, nets,

part apple orchard, Slide Rock State Park in Sedona is a great

Another fun trip is getting up close and

watery escape by way of a

personal with animals in their natural

cooling creek-water chute to

environment at Bearizona Wildlife Park in

waiting swimming holes. Great

Williams. You’ll be able to see roadside herds

for young and older visitors,

of stately white bison, nimble big horn sheep,

the state park also offers

stealthy arctic wolves, and giant black bears.

surrounding hiking trails where

Then park the car and walk through Fort

the area’s indigenous wildlife

Bearizona where the family can see exciting

can be spotted.

raptors, raccoons, river otters, and adorable bear cubs.

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Tombstone

Sedona

Water Wonders Lake Powell, in Page, is another incredible aquatic playground that is best enjoyed by renting a houseboat and exploring nearly 100 major canyons around the lake. And with more miles of shoreline than all of the west coast, you’ll have plenty of beaches to set up camp, tell fireside stories, and roast marshmallows under the starlit skies.

Urban Escapes

Enjoying Arizona’s unique and watery adventures is easy during a half-day rafting trip with Colorado River Discovery, also in Page. Your guide will take you down one of the most

Travel the world via musical instruments. The MIM (Musical Instrument Museum), in Scottsdale,

majestic stretches of the enchanting Colorado River, filling you in along the way about some of nature’s other wonders like the incredible sandstone cliffs, amazing wildlife, and ancient

is the only museum in the world devoted to instruments from around the globe, and has exhibits for every country in the world. This is

petroglyphs by Ancestral Puebloan people.

a hands-on museum where you’re invited to try With a fairly quick drive from Page, the Colorado River only

different instruments in the Experience Gallery.

The instruments of famed John Lennon, Elvis

gets more incredible around Lees Ferry where you can fish for some of the biggest rainbow trout you’ve ever seen—about 20,000 worth per mile if you’re counting. From the 1,000-foot

Presley, Taylor Swift, and Carlos Santana—as well as many others—are also here for the viewing.

Musical Instrument Museum

sandstone cliffs that tower above you, to the quaint backwaters and channels where you fish, every catch is a prize when plucked from these waters.

Just show up at Topgolf, in Scottsdale or Gilbert, and you’re ready for a good time. No clubs.

No balls. Not even a good swing is needed. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, you’ll have a blast at this golf range, challenging friends and family to neon-lit bull’s-eye targets and point-scoring games with microchipped balls.

Explore a real desert oasis at Taliesin West, the former winter home of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Also a national historic landmark, Taliesin West, in Scottsdale is the epitome of architectural masterpieces for many Wright followers, and was handcrafted into his own utopian world by Wright himself. Grab a tour to see how Wright designed and built his home with cohesive designs and furnishings

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that connect deeply with the desert surroundings.

Lees Ferry

Taliesin West

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Pinetop

Outdoor Adventures Just a short drive from Pinetop, Country Club Trail offers a pictureperfect hiking opportunity where diverse and abundant wildlife is often found along or near the trails. This 3.5-mile trek is a superb way to enjoy a beautiful high-mountain summer day among Arizona’s ponderosa pines and pinion juniper woodlands.

A little further east of Pinetop, an out-and-about adventure at Lyman Lake will take you back in time by walking in the footsteps of prehistoric inhabitants and seeing the artwork they left behind. On Peninsula Petroglyph Trail you can take a gentle, quarter-mile, self-guided hike to get a firsthand look at the petroglyphs and interpretive signs left by the early Hopi occupants. It’s truly a walk back in history.

Pinetop

Known for some of the best skiing and snowboarding in the state, Sunrise Park Resort, in Greer is a spectacular way to grab a top-of-theworld view from the chairlift and enjoy a cooler summertime picnic at the top of the 10,700-foot peak. A hike down provides wonderful views of the beautiful ponderosa, blue spruce, and aspen forest. Sunrise also serves as Arizona’s only place for lift-served mountain biking trails.

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Sunrise Park Resort

SummerinAZ.com Lyman Lake