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