Step outside the Valley and explore the grandeur of Arizona’s national parks and monuments.
| Casa Grande Ruins Coolidge 520-723-3172 Learn the ways of the Valley’s original Hohokam settlers, their villages, architecture and use of farming irrigation canals. |
Saguaro National Park Tucson 520-733-5153 See the world’s most iconic cacti in this protected 143 square mile park. |
| Grand Canyon 928-638-7888 www.nps.gov/grca Visiting this majestic, overwhelming creation is one of the great privileges of a lifetime. Walk the South Rim and hear a dozen languages being spoken. Drive your car an hour and realize you’ve hardly scratched the surface. Hike or ride a burro down the canyon and see mankind etched in rock. Tour the El Tovar Hotel and eat in the elegant dining room. Timeless in its beauty and ever changing in light and shadow, the Grand Canyon is ethereal. |
Red Rock State Park 4050 Lower Red Rock Loop Rd., Sedona 928-282-6907 The beautiful red rocks of this 100 year-old town are showcased here. Twenty minutes away is Slide Rock State Park, where thousands of persons every year go slipping and sliding in the water down smooth sandstone. |
| Jerome State Historic Park Jerome 928-634-5381 This 100 year-old copper mining town is rich in character—and characters. |
Lake Powell Page 928-608-6404 The sky at sunset seems almost painted in neon here. Here is paradise for boating, fishing, camping, geology and archaeology. |
| Kit Peak National Observatory 520-318-8726 Located about 50 miles southwest of Tucson, astronomers the world over seek to find a window of the universe. An 18-story observatory and the world’s largest solar telescope are featured. |
Tuzigoot National Monument Clarkdale 928-634-5564 Educational exhibits illustrate Indian life from atop a hill. Created in the early 1400s, more than 200 Sinagua Indians lived here in about 100 rooms with limestone walls. |
| Organ Pipe National Monument Ajo 520-387-6849 The Sonoran Desert’s plants and wild life create a fascinating ecosystem. |
Sunset Crater National Monument Flagstaff 928-526-0502 Nearly one thousand years old, these cinder cones among the highest mountain in Arizona are wondrous. |
| Petrified Forest National Park Petrified Forest 928-524-6228 Puerco Indian ruins amid a forest of petrified wood. |
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Cool Towns
| Bisbee Located 5,000 feet above sea level in southeastern Arizona, this old mining town has a special charm. |
Prescott The original territorial capital of Arizona is surrounded by a national forest. Truly, this is an Old West Town that’s long on history and architecture. |
| Flagstaff Nearly 7,000 feet above sea level and a road trip up the switchbacks from Sedona, Flagstaff is home Northern Arizona University, the San Francisco Peaks and a rich Native American tradition. |
Sedona & The Oak Creek Canyon Here you’ll find seekers, settlers, retirees, the well to do and a respite from the world. Red rock majesty surrounds this town of 20,000 on two sides. At night, it’s dark, it’s quiet and the stars shine brightly. |
| Payson Lake and hiking country abound in this rim country area of the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest. |
Tombstone Visit the Zane Grey Cabin at Green Valley Park. |
| Pinetop/White Mountains Real outdoor mountain country amid pine trees. |
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