Arizona Travel Guide
Flagstaff
Flagstaff stands out amongst the towns and cities of Arizona. It is not huge, just less than 50,000 population, but it has an appeal-lacking elsewhere. Flagstaff also serves as an ideal base for visiting the Grand Canyon, the Navajo Reservation, the Coconino National Forest and the Petrified Forest National Park.
I sha'nt bore you with the details of how the process of petrification works but suffice to say these 'trees turned to stone' are well worth a visit.
Three National Monuments also lie nearby; Sunset Crater, Wupatki and Walnut Canyon all offer something different. Sunset Crater Monument is of particular interest to anyone curious about geology; the crater is the result of a volcanic eruption nearly a thousand years ago.
The town of Flagstaff is home to the Northern Arizona University and a reasonable museum (Museum of Northern Arizona). The town retains something of its Wild West past as well as being a stop off on the old Route 66. Flagstaff has decent restaurants and bars and a pleasant atmosphere but the real interest in the town is as a base for further exploration of the surrounding countryside.
Grand Canyon
Wow.
Now you may hear or read about the Grand Canyon things that surprise you. Not to do with its scale or grandeur not to do with the ancient forces that have sculpted this most spectacular of places, or the quality of the light, the ever-shifting view that changes by the minute. No, there are those who depart the Grand Canyon deflated. I think this is just a response to a sensual overload; it may be that for some people the Grand Canyon is too much.
It is huge, the North Rim is 8000 feet above sea level, at its narrowest the gorge is 4 miles wide and at its deepest 18 miles. The full official length of the canyon is 277 miles, formed as the Colorado River flows through the Kaibab plateau.
There are number of ways of seeing the canyon other than just driving up to it and peering over the edge. There are many companies running river trips and hiking trips, these are of varying degrees of hardship and duration. 5 million visitors a year descend on the Grand Canyon. For any excursions or organised trips you need to book well in advance. The same applies to local hotels. If you wish to solo hike then you will still need to get a backpacking permit from the Backcountry office. Numbers of these are controlled so again you need to book. It is possible to drive along both rims of the canyon stopping at any one of a number of outlook points. You can also use traditional mule trekking methods to explore or less traditionally, you could take a helicopter ride.
The South Rim also offers two museums one of which has a geological theme, the other relates to local Pueblo history and culture. For those interested in Native American lifestyles a trip to the Havasupai Reservation will reward the effort.
The Grand Canyon National park is well served by campsites, picnic areas, hotels and restaurants.
One thing to be aware of is that the North and South Rim areas are very distinct parts of the Gorge. A road connecting them is 215 miles in length, even though they are only ten miles apart. The North Rim is the least accessible and therefore least visited, it's also colder (being at higher altitude) which means access is restricted after the snows come in winter. The South Rim enjoys warmer drier weather and 90% of the visitors.
The Grand Canyon and its myriad of attractions are at their busiest between late May and early September. The North Rim is closed to all but the best equipped between mid October to mid May.
The splendour of the Grand Canyon is such that it defies words. Sight of this massive manifestation of Mother Nature at her most magnificent is an intensely personal experience. As my old English lecturer once said 'it kind of makes you worry that you will find everything else a bit of a disappointment.'
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