you stay at the newly opened Clear Sky Resorts , located approximately 30 minutes from the Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim. You’ll stay in your very own geodesic dome complete with panoramic windows, a skylight and a telescope—perfect for late-night stargazing. FOODIES Do you long to break out of your walled-in world and enter an open-air food fantasy in nature? Cloth & Flame can bring those imaginings to life. This couple-run company choreographs unforgettable farm-to-table dinners on fairy-lit, flower-festooned tables set in wild places. They’ve hosted ticketed events in the Superstition Mountains, Sedona’s red rocks, Flagstaff’s aspen forests and the edge of the Grand Canyon. The great outdoors always makes food and drink taste better—and never more so than when you’ve earned them. With Sedona Adventure Tours , you’ll launch a kayak near Cottonwood and paddle the tree-canopied Verde River. Then decant at Alcantara Vineyards to taste wines in a Tuscan-inspired farmhouse and watch bald eagles soar over the grapevines. Farm-to-table fare doesn’t get any fresher than when you can point to the fields, trees and garden that produced your dinner. At Quiessence in Phoenix, diners feast in the backyard of the farmhouse at the Farm at South Mountain. Chef Dustin Christofolo follows a slow food philosophy, so you can linger over the layered flavors of heirloom, artisanal ingredients as you sit under romantic stringed lights. In nearby Cornville, you can experience a quintessential summer treat: picking fruits, then eating them fresh from the tree. At Folded Hills Orchard , gather juicy peaches, crisp apples, tart plums and sweet blackberries from mid-June to September. ATHLETIC ASPIRERS Fitness events barely get more bucket list-y than the Bisbee 1000 , the only outdoor stair climb in the country. Every October, See the iconic Arizona spots where musician Mitchell Tenpenny filmed his “Bucket List” music video. VISITARIZONA.COM/ ARIZONA-BUCKET-LIST Ragnar Trail Arizona, Phoenix participants run or walk 4.5 miles on steps that wind through Bisbee’s colorful streets. Don a quirky costume and peek at quaint houses and gardens as you jog on paths where mules once trotted to copper mines. If your goal is to complete a full or half-marathon, the party atmosphere at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon will keep you motivated. Live bands stationed throughout the course pump up the 30,000-odd runners who race along Tempe Town Lake, past Papago Park’s red rocks and through the greenbelts of Scottsdale. Looking for a team-oriented adventure? Gather a group of eight and tackle the Ragnar Trail Arizona relay race through McDowell Mountain Regional Park near Scottsdale. Teams run day and night on saguaro-dotted peaks, covering a total of 120 miles—about 15 miles per person. For cyclists, the El Tour de Tucson is the classic charity-supporting ride. Tucson is a designated gold-level Bicycle Friendly Community, so two-wheelers from across the country beeline here to pedal 1 to 100 miles through brightly colored barrios and Sonoran Desert scenery. Civana Wellness Resort & Spa, Carefree Miraval Arizona, Tucson Clear Sky Resorts, Williams 14 VISITARIZONA.COM CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: CIVANA WELLNESS RESORT & SPA; RAGNAR TRAIL ARIZONA; CLEAR SKY RESORTS; MIRAVAL ARIZONA
Arizona Official State Travel Guide Arizona 2021-22: Page 14
