2020-09-03 07:57:18
With its otherworldly geology, dramatic tribal lands and concentration of national parks and monuments, Northern Arizona is a playground for road-trippers and outdoor adventurers alike. Ski through powdery snow. Hike up, up, up to Arizona’s highest peak or down, down, down into the world’s grandest canyon. Time travel to prehistoric civilizations or peer into the vast universe in hopes of making a new astral discovery. Past, present, future—the possibilities are endless in this diverse region. IN THIS REGION Flagstaff Tuba City Williams Window Rock Winslow Area Highlights GRAND CANYON Experience nature at its most awesome with a visit to Grand Canyon National Park. Get your camera ready for breathtaking views from the many scenic overlooks that dot the 277-mile-long canyon carved by the Colorado River. For a truly thrilling adventure, take a multi-day whitewater rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. WILLIAMS DEPOT/GRAND CANYON RAILWAY, WILLIAMS Begin your scenic trip aboard the Grand Canyon Railway at the historic Williams Depot, built in 1908 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroads. You’ll be sent off with a Wild West show and encounter cowboys and serenading musicians as you ride to the South Rim in a vintage train car. WUPATKI NATIONAL MONUMENT, FLAGSTAFF Explore the ruins of ancient pueblos where numerous tribes of American Indians lived, farmed and traded. Learn the incredible history of the area, which borders the gorgeous Painted Desert, on a guided hike with a Wupatki ranger who will lead you to backcountry sites not normally open to visitors. METEOR CRATER NATURAL LANDMARK, WINSLOW Visit the world’s best-preserved meteorite impact site, the result of a collision with earth nearly 50,000 years ago. Stop by the Meteor Crater Visitor Center to see artifacts and exhibits (including the Collision! 4D Experience Room), check out the indoor crater viewing area and join a guided rim tour. THE ARBORETUM AT FLAGSTAFF, FLAGSTAFF Discover more than 750 species of plants native to the Colorado Plateau and Northern Arizona showcased in greenhouses, gardens and natural habitats at the Arboretum, nestled deep within the Coconino National Forest. Listen to live music under the cool pines during the annual Summer Concert Series. NAVAJO NATION MUSEUM, WINDOW ROCK This impressive 54,000-square-foot center chronicles and preserves the rich culture of the Navajo Nation. See exhibitions of Navajo art, photography and archaeological pieces. Watch a cultural presentation in the auditorium or outdoor amphitheater. And stop by the gift shop, offering a nice selection of Navajo books and jewelry. HERITAGE SQUARE, FLAGSTAFF This popular gathering spot in the heart of historic downtown Flagstaff is surrounded by local shops and restaurants with welcoming patios. Stop by Heritage Square anytime throughout the year and you’ll find art festivals, live music and performances, children’s activities, family-friendly movie screenings and special events like Downtown Friday Nights. EXPLORE NAVAJO INTERACTIVE MUSEUM, TUBA CITY Explore the culture, history and ceremonial traditions of the Navajo people through this fascinating museum that features an authentic hogan (Navajo home). A Navajo interpreter is on hand to explain the exhibits that reflect the Navajo journey through life. FOUR CORNERS NAVAJO TRIBAL PARK, FOUR CORNERS This is the only landmark in the country where four states intersect at one point: Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. Check out the brass-and-granite marker designating the “four corners” and be sure to stop by the market where Navajo artisans sell jewelry and crafts. QUICK TRIPS THROUGH TIME From the discovery of Pluto to a 50,000-year-old meteor crater impact site, Northern Arizona is no stranger to making history. Explore more of the region’s past at these important historic sites. BY IVY MORRIS A crucial location during the Indian Wars, the 27 sites at Fort Apache Historic Park in Fort Apache—a National Register Historic District—served as a boarding school, station for African American Buffalo Soldiers, and more from the 1870s through the 1930s. Today, the site is a cultural center and museum in celebration of Apache heritage. Previously an ancient Sinagua village, Elden Pueblo Archaeological Site in Flagstaff was inhabited from about A.D. 1070 to 1275. Past discoveries, such as macaw skeletons and shell jewelry from California, have led researchers to believe this was once part of a trading system. Participate in tours—or, make a bigger impact. Participate in supervised archaeology of the area, including excavation, artifact washing and analysis. As Navajo people returned to the region following The Long Walk and life at Bosque Redondo, they adjusted to their new circumstances by trying to blend their known and new ways of life. The Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site in Ganado not only supplied items they had come to know (such as sugar, coffee and flour), but owner Sam Hubbell helped the Navajos create an economy by trading and selling handmade Navajo blankets, jewelry, baskets and pottery. The trading post continues to operate on the original 160-acre homestead, which also includes the family home, outbuildings and a visitor center. Housed in Holbrook’s former courthouse, built in the late 1800s, the Navajo County Historical Society has been curated entirely by past residents. Browse items donated over decades by the city’s settlers, ranchers, cowboys, government officials, businessmen and more. The objects—including pharmaceuticals, uniforms and electronics—give a sense of Holbrook’s history and culture. Similarly, the Stinson Pioneer Museum in Snowflake displays artifacts from the region’s prehistoric Indians to its pioneers. The loom of Lucy Hannah Flake (wife of one of Snowflake’s founders, William Jordan Flake) is displayed in one of two rooms, which have been restored to depict what life was like when Snowflake was more territory than town. In addition to preserving the history and cultures of the region, the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff collected natural history and indigenous objects. Founded in 1928 by zoologist Dr. Harold S. Colton and artist Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton, a museum curator spent more than 50 years organizing the collection. Exhibits include anthropology, botany, fine art, geology, paleontology and zoology. DINING IN FLAGSTAFF BY NORA BURBA TRULSSON JOLT OF JAVA Wake your brain with a signature drink made with espresso, grass-fed butter, coconut oil and coconut milk at Stronghold Coffee Company, a socially conscious cafe (bring your own mug to cut down on waste) that offers house-baked goodies, breakfast bowls, kombucha and smoothies—plus plenty of caffeine. BREAKFAST CLUB Locals line up along the street for MartAnne’s Burrito Palace’s hearty, mod-Mex dishes (said to have magical restorative powers after a late night of partying). The art-filled diner has a breakfast-all-day menu featuring chilaquiles, egg burritos and banana split French toast—not to mention bloodies, margaritas and mimosas to take the edge off. IT STARTED IN NAPLES Craving real Neapolitan pizza? Get a quick fix at Pizzicletta, where the wood-fired oven cooks pizzas in 90 seconds. Start with the marinated Castelvetrano olives, followed by the Margherita pizza—a Bianco-DiNapoli tomato sauce base topped with house-made mozzerella, fresh basil and olive oil--and finish your meal with rich and creamy gelato. COWBOY CULTURE Download a passport and map, and then hit the Flagstaff Brewery Trail. Sip a Tower Station IPA at Mother Road Brewing Company, Railhead Red at Beaver Street Brewery or Piehold Porter at Historic Brewing Company—all on the trail. When your passport’s full, go to Flagstaff Visitor Center for a commemorative pint glass. WATER ADVENTURES Warm water, spectacular scenery and nearly 2,000 miles of shoreline draw sun-seekers to Lake Powell, which stretches from northern Arizona into southern Utah. Head to Wahweap Marina to rent personal watercrafts, paddleboards, kayaks—even houseboats—or to spend the night at Lake Powell Resort. With its towering canyon walls, thrilling whitewater rapids and star-filled nights, rafting the Grand Canyon is truly a bucket list adventure. Choose your level of thrill—from a 13-day oar trip through the entire canyon to a 3-day motor trip paired with Western-style fun—with Arizona River Runners, in business for more than 50 years. Comprising 1.25 million acres, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area boasts plentiful water features, from the Instagram-famous Horseshoe Bend to sprawling Lake Powell. Raft, stand-up paddleboard, canoe or kayak along the Colorado River through this scenic area with Kayak Horseshoe Bend, offering convenient up-river backhaul service directly from fishing hotspot Lees Ferry. Bring all your water toys—jet skis, speedboats and water skis—to Lyman Lake State Park, where you’ll find a 1,500-acre reservoir with no watercraft size restrictions. The west end of the lake, however, is buoyed off as a no-wake zone, making it ideal for anglers looking to snag walleye, catfish and largemouth bass from the snowmelt waters. INCREDIBLE Landscapes BY TERESA BITLER Some of the Southwest’s most unique landscapes can be found in Northern Arizona. SUNSET CRATER VOLCANO NATIONAL MONUMENT This spot looks so out of this world that parts of it doubled for the moon when astronauts needed a place to train for lunar landings. Explore this lava-altered landscape for yourself on a hike through loose cinder at the flow’s edge. PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK Not a forest in the traditional sense, this national park amazes with views of colorful mesas, buttes and badlands—not to mention the fossilized wood the park is named for, as well as petroglyphs, hoodoos and a stretch of historic Route 66. NAVAJO NATIONAL MONUMENT Tucked into the sandstone alcoves of behemoth canyons, this archaeological treasure is comprised of cliff dwellings built by Ancestral Pueblo people that date back to A.D. 1300. See the dwellings on a guided tour or on the 1.3-mile self-guided Sandal Trail. NAVAJO NATION’S MONUMENT VALLEY TRIBAL PARK Instantly recognizable as an icon of the American Southwest, this dramatic landscape is punctuated by monoliths, mesas and spires. Trek 4 miles on the self-guided Wildcat Trail loop to see some of the park’s most famous rock buttes.
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