FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — In summer, Arizona is known for dashboard-melting afternoons and low temperatures that top some other states’ highs. But there’s more to the state than cactus and heat, and the Grand Canyon is hardly the only place worth visiting this time of year.
Flagstaff, at about 7,000 feet elevation, is more like the Rocky Mountains than the desert, with towering peaks, pine trees and mild temperatures. Heck, you might even need a jacket.
“There are certainly visitors who come up at night and are amazed at how cold it is,” said Kevin Schindler, outreach manager for Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory.
Located about 2 1/2 hours north of Phoenix, Flagstaff has become a vacation spot filled with interesting bars and restaurants, along with plenty of family fun.
In addition to the Lowell Observatory, with its massive telescope, ancient cliff dwellings can be explored at Walnut Canyon National Monument just a few minutes away.
Flagstaff also makes a great jumping-off point for other major regional attractions. In addition to the Grand Canyon 90 minutes north, the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest are driving distance toward the east, and Hoover Dam isn’t too far away heading west.
Head east on Interstate 40, and you’ll find Meteor Crater, the most well-preserved impact site in the world. Just west of town is Bearizona, where black bears and a large variety of animals can be seen up close on foot or in a car.
Touristy and artsy Sedona is about a half-hour drive through impressive Oak Creek Canyon, where you can stop to take a dip and a slip at Slide Rock State Park.
Here are five places in Flagstaff worth checking out with your family:
Lowell Observatory
1400 W. Mars Hill Road, on a hill above central Flagstaff; or 928-774-3358. Summer hours: Open daily 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Adults $10, children ages 5-7, $4, students/ seniors $9.
Lowell has one of the largest telescopes available for public use, a 32-foot antique that’s 24 inches in diameter housed inside a rotating dome. Percival Lowell founded the observatory in 1894 to look at Mars and other celestial objects, and it has been the site of some major astronomical discoveries, including Pluto, the rings of Uranus and the first evidence that the universe is expanding. There’s a separate site — away from the lights of Flagstaff — where four larger telescopes are used for research, but visitors can look through the old Clark telescope to see clear images of Saturn’s rings, nebulas and galaxies millions of light-years away. The main telescope shows a couple of predetermined images each night, and observatory staff sets up smaller telescopes around the campus. A visitor center offers interactive displays and information on the cosmos, a planetarium and viewings of sunspots and flares at certain times during the day.
Bearizona
1500 E. Route 66, Williams, about 30 miles west of Flagstaff off I-40; or 928-635-2289. Open March-December (bears hibernate in January and February), 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closing time varies with daylight hours). Adults, $16, children 4-12, $8.
Bearizona, which opened last year, offers a drive-through area with buffalo, free-ranging bighorn sheep, burros and wolves, and a walk-through section with baby animals, but its main attraction is a drive- through black-bear paddock. Outside of having a bear wander into your campsite, this is probably as close to one as you’ll get without fear of being attacked. About a dozen bears wander around, playing, rooting in the dirt and lazing in the water hole. They’re naturally curious and may approach your car; Bearizona advises guests to keep moving if animals get too close.
Walnut Canyon National Monument
About 8 miles east of Flagstaff, exit 204 from I-40; or 928-526-3367. Open daily, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. summers. Adults, $5.
The drive here from the interstate is relatively flat and uninteresting, giving no indication of the impressive canyon ahead. At the visitor center, the Earth seems to drop off at the edge of the parking lot; years of erosion from a now-diverted creek have created a zigzag of layered rocks that goes down 400 feet. The canyon alone would be worth seeing, but the 900-year-old cliff dwellings along its walls make it a must-see. Originally inhabited by ancestors of modern-day Hopi and Zuni peoples, the canyon features about 300 cliff dwellings under rock rims where people lived and stored food and water.
If you’re up for a hike, the Island Trail is the way to go for a good look at the well-preserved cliff dwellings. The loop, nearly a mile, goes straight down into the canyon and loops around a circular peninsula of rock that features numerous dwellings before climbing back up the canyon.
Meteor Crater
About 30 miles east of Flagstaff, exit 233 from I-40, near Winslow; or 928-289-2362. Open daily, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. summers. Adults, $15, children ages 6-17, $8.
The world’s best-preserved meteor impact site is an intriguing piece of natural history. Nearly a mile wide and more than 550 feet deep, the crater isn’t close to being the largest in the world — Vredefort Dome in South Africa is 180-plus miles wide — but is impressive because limited erosion has left it virtually intact. Impact was nearly 50,000 years ago — long before humanoids were believed to be in the area — and was created by a meteor estimated to be 150 feet in diameter and traveling about 11 miles per second.
The site is in the middle of the flat, high desert and only distinguishable by the raised sides of the uplift from impact. Guests can view the crater from inside the visitors center or take the walkway down to the edge.
Slide Rock State Park
On Highway 89A, in Oak Creek Canyon, between Flagstaff and Sedona; or 928-282-3034. Open daily, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. summers. Carload of up to four adults, $20 ($3 per person after that).
It’s one thing to go down man-made tubes and slides in a water park, but a natural rock slide surrounded by pine trees and impressive peaks makes the experience a bit more memorable. Considered one of the nation’s top swimming holes, Slide Rock Park features a natural chute swimmers can slide down and some great spots along the creek to just wade or swim.
The park is 7 miles north of Sedona, where the towering red-rock formations are a must-see.
Where to stay.
For a great family experience, try the Mormon Lake Lodge, 1991 S. Mormon Lake Road, Mormon Lake; or 928-354-2227. Located about 30 minutes southeast of Flagstaff, the lodge is set in a 300- acre Ponderosa pine forest. The log cabins have a rustic feel, yet are nicely appointed inside. Facilities and activities include horseback riding, mountain-bike rentals, 20 miles of groomed trails, a superb steakhouse, an 1880s- style saloon, rodeos in summer and snowmobiling and cross country skiing in winter. Rates range from $54 to $345 per night, depending on cabin style, size and amenities.
