Arizona
Arizona
Flagstaff
Flagstaff
is a great little college town with a couple of hostels, cheap hotels, and a
quaint downtown area. Its location southeast of the Grand Canyon's South Rim and
north of Sedona
makes it a convenient base for day trips to those sights or for hiking and
camping in the nearby mountains and forests. Have a great greasy breakfast at
Kathy's Cafe downtown, see some loud and unprofessional bands at the
Monte
Vista Cocktail Lounge, or find a more
acoustic-type vibe at Charley's. There's great pizza at Alpine
Pizza and a health-Mex-type burrito at Black Bean Burrito Bar
and Salsa Company. Have a homebrew across the way from there at Flagstaff Brewing Company.
All of these places are roughly less than 200 hundred yards from each
other!
Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon National Park
is one of the world's natural wonders, earning its designation as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1979. Maybe its best description comes from the U.S. National
Park Service's website: "This canyon is a gift that transcends what we
experience. Its beauty and size humble us. Its timelessness provokes a
comparison to our short existence. In its vast spaces we may find solace from
our hectic lives. The Grand Canyon we visit today is a gift from past
generations." The South Rim is the most visited and more accessible rim and thus
has the greater tourist infrastructure, but the North Rim is well worth visiting
and equally, if not more, beautiful. Some people prefer its quieter atmosphere
and more verdant landscape. Note that North Rim visitor services and facilities
are only open from mid-May through mid-October; its higher elevation and winter
snows keep it closed in the
winter.
Comments:
The Grand Canyon is about
an eight hour drive from Los Angeles. It's doable from there if you break your
trip up with a day in Las Vegas, a four hour drive from L.A.
I went to
the Grand Canyon South Rim. It was awesome. You can fly in to Flagstaff which is
close by. Laughlin, Nevada is a very cheap place to stay between the Canyon and
southern California, if you're arriving from that direction. FYI, you can make
excellent time on Interstate 40. Even the tractor trailers were doing 85
MPH.
I'd be careful about planning a trip to the Grand Canyon too late
into the autumn. I went in late October, and it was icy. My companion slipped on
the ice and grabbed onto a handrail, and a couple of us had to drag him up from
the edge. Kind of took the fun out of doing any hiking down into the Canyon
after that.
We were there in early January, and while there was a bit of
snow on the ground, it was cold and beautiful (not even too windy in parts). I
think it would totally depend on the weather, though.
Having hiked all
over the Canyon, I'd say that late September is one of the best times to go.
You've still got some of the lingering heat of summer, but it can also get
cooler at night. The warmer interior of the Canyon will be nicer with the cooler
nights, too. I also recommend September because the North Rim will still be
open. It's further out of the way but, if you ask me, well worth the extra
mileage. The South Rim is usually PACKED with tourists (and that usually means
stupid hikers). There is one well-established campground halfway down the Canyon
from the South Rim, but there are also other (pretty rugged) campsites to go to,
should you want to hike more. If you're hiking with a family, I'd guess you
would probably want a more established site. Definitely check in with the local
tourist folks as some sites do require reservations. Again, it depends on what
you're going to do. Another option would be to hike to the bottom and hang out
at the Phantom Ranch, hike out, and then camp somewhere else nearby. One thing
that's for certain, there is A LOT to see around there. You might also check out
Lake Powell and Glen Canyon
National Recreation Area. You could rent a houseboat
(cheap if you've got people to contribute) and stay all over the lake. From
there you could drive north to Zion National Park or Bryce Canyon National Park
for the day. You can also drive south to the Grand Canyon, and the North Rim
wouldn't be too far out of your way if you were staying at the lake. There is
Antelope
Canyon to check out just outside of Page, AZ. There's also Glen
Canyon rafting tours and fishing in the lake or the Colorado River, and you're
right next to the Navajo
Reservation and some other very interesting places.
We kids
bought four or five days on Lake Powell for one of my parents' wedding
anniversaries. We enjoyed it quite a bit. It was relaxing, and yet there was
enough to do that no one really had that much cabin fever, even me who always
balks at being cooped up with my sister. For airfare, we found great flights
into Las Vegas, NV and drove from there. The drive is
beautiful.
Phoenix
Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors
Bureau
What to do: Architecture fans can
visit Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin
West in Scottsdale. The Phoenix Zoo
is also fun.
Places to eat: There are lots of good
Mexican restaurants ... like the little fast food drive-thru Mexican places that
are all over town. Carne asada burritos are a favorite. La Casa Vieja in Mesa is
a good one. Have lunch at the Phoenican Resort
or the Arizona
Biltmore (which Frank Lloyd Wright designed in
1927).
Shopping: The old town area is fun. Go to
Biltmore Fashion
Park - they have all the upscale stores like Macy's, Ralph
Lauren, etc. Head to Scottsdale and the
Fashion Square Mall.
Outdoor activities:
Go hiking at South Mountain
where there are a lot of trails or head east to the Superstition Mountains
and Canyon
Lake. There's lots of hiking opportunities there as well. Near
Canyon Lake is a little town called Tortilla Flat
that has a fun little restaurant with dollar bills attached to the walls. It
burned down in the early '90s and was rebuilt and quickly replastered with
money.
Phoenix - Trip Report - April 2005
Phoenix is a
great city! I had a blast and forgot how beautiful the desert is (also forgot
how vital SPF30 is).
Friday we went to Bank One Ballpark for an
exhibition game between the Diamondbacks and Red Sox. Muhammad Ali was there! We
sat in the outfield next to the pool. I was a bit disappointed that the roof was
on because it was a gorgeous afternoon. There were more Red Sox fans in
attendance than Diamondback fans!
Friday night we had dinner at
Durant's.
The restaurant is very dark, the food is overpriced, and the wait staff is very
annoying. I haven't left California in awhile so it was a shock to remember that
in some places people can smoke while eating!
Saturday my friend and I
went for a hike on Camelback
Mountain. There are amazing views of the valley from the peak. We
walked there and back, about 12 miles round trip. The desert is absolutely
gorgeous in the early morning hours. We had a tasty omelet post-hike at
la Madeleine.
Saturday night I went to a wedding and reception
that was held in the gardens of a small art gallery, Alwun House.
Post-reception we all headed to Bikini Lounge. Too self-consciously alternative
for my liking.
Sunday morning I did the Walk of Shame and went to Gay
Denny's for a morning-after brunch. We then spent the day at the Phoenix Pride
Festival where a friend-of-a-friend performed. The festival was held at the
Indian School which seemed v-e-r-y intriguing but was closed (hopefully for
renovation).
A couple of other nice things about the city:
- All the
hiking!
- The airport is a quick 10 - 15 minute bus ride from downtown.
-
Despite being warned otherwise, I found the city bus system to be easy to
use.
All in all, a lovely weekend.
Southern Arizona Driving
Loop - Phoenix to Tucson and beyond
Day 1: Head west on I-10 until
Highway 85 (south). This will take you down the west side of the Sonoran
Desert National Monument. You'll cross I-8 near
Theba and continue south on 85, eventually getting to Ajo. You'll be right next
to Organ
Pipe Cactus National Monument. You'll head that way
and do the Puerto
Blanco Drive. You could stick around
in this area and walk across the border for some Mexican eats in Sonoyta. You
could do the Ajo Mountain drive instead; it's shorter.
Day 2: Backtrack
up to Why, Arizona on Highway 85 and then take Highway 86 east to Tucson. This
route will take you through the heart of Tohono O'Odham
lands. Once you get to Tucson, you could stay there and explore
the city a bit that night. It's a nice place.
Day 3: Take I-10 east until
Willcox where you can store up before your trip to Chiricahua National Monument.
Take Highway 186 south(east) to Chiricahua
National Monument where you can camp out
for the next 2 - 3 days. Tons of hiking and some really cool stuff to see. I've
NEVER ran across another person when I've gone there.
Days 4, 5, & 6:
In and around the Monument. You could drive the 65 miles to Tombstone, Arizona
one day for a somewhat cheesy look at the historic western town. Bisbee is a little further down
the road from there and is quite the unique town as well. You could just hang
out in quiet solitude and do some hiking and camping.
Day 7: Return to
Tucson - or Phoenix - via I -10 west.
Tempe
Tempe Convention and Visitors
Bureau
In-town touristy stuff: See the
world's tallest
fountain in Fountain Hills about 30 minutes northeast of Tempe. On
the hour the fountain shoots a stream of water up in the air for about 15
minutes.
Places to eat: Eat some good Mexican food while
you're in Tempe. There are hole-in-the-wall fast food joints like Filiberto's.
The carne asada burrito is good for meat lovers. There's also recommend
The
Vine and Pete's Fish and Chips
(various locations).
Nightlife: Check out Mill Avenue
near the Arizona State University campus. Also, check to see if anything is
happening at the Frank-Lloyd-Wright-designed Gammage Auditorium.
Day trip: Visit Sedona, Arizona, considered one
of the spiritual vortexes of the world with some wonderful red desert vibes.
It's only about 75 minutes north of Tempe, right along highway 89, and it's an
interesting little town.
Tucson
Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors
Bureau
Comments:
I went to Tucson
several years ago and had a great time. The old
Biosphere 2 experiment is down there and open
to the public. It's expensive, but I thought it was really interesting. Also,
there is great hiking and camping on Mt. Lemmon, THE FIRST & PERHAPS
ONLY peak in the U.S. named after a woman, Sarah Lemmon. They have amazing pie
at the top at one of two bakeries. Also, sorta nearby (in the truly southwest
sense of "close") is Organ Pipe National Monument. Haven't been but have heard
it's great. Pack SPF 30 sunscreen and a hat!
