Arizona
Travel Guide North America USA Western United States Arizona
Introduction
Arizona, located in the heart of the south-west of the USA as a Western United States, bordered by Mexico to the south, California and Nevada to the west, Utah to the north and New Mexico to the east. The state is best known for being the home to the Grand Canyon, but also provides opportunities to see the history of the western expansion of the USA and get in a good game of golf.
Geography
Often thought of as nothing more than desert, Arizona has a wide range or geographies. Sure, there is desert in the south, but head north and you climb onto the Colorado Plateau, into which one of the natural wonders of the world is carved, the Grand Canyon.
Cities
- Flagstaff is one of the primary gateways to the Grand Canyon
- Gilbert
- Jerome - Sedona area old mining time
- Kingman
- Mesa - third largest city in Arizona, officially part of Phoenix agglomeration
- Page Springs - Northern Arizonas Napa Valley Wine Country
- Phoenix is the heart of the Greater Phoenix area and includes Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Glendale, Chandler and Peoria. Phoenix is the state's capital and largest city, and includes fine dining, many museums and an active nightlife. The Phoenix area is home to the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, the Phoenix Suns NBA team and the Arizona Diamondbacks Baseball team. Arizona State University is located in Tempe.
- Sedona is known as Red Rock Country.
- Seligman
- Tombstone was the sight of the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral, back in 1881.
- Tucson
- Williams located 60 miles south of the Grand Canyon, provides a convenient place to stay and is where you can catch the train to the Grand Canyon. It's centre is a showpiece dedicated to Route 66.
- Yuma
Discovery Maps provide free maps to many of the major towns. The maps can be found in major airports and hotels. The maps are not to scale and a bit cartoonish, but they do provide a good view of the town and list major tourist sites.
Sights and Activities
Havasu Canyon Falls
The Havasu Canyon is a side canyon of the Grand Canyon and located on the Havasupai Indian Reservation.
The Havasu Falls are the largest series of water falls feeding into the Grand Canyon. The Navajo falls is 21 metres, Havasu Falls is 37 metres, Mooney Falls is 64 meters and Beaver Falls is 10 metres.
Although not well known across the entire world anyone who has seen the Havasu Canyon falls will agree they are some of the most beautiful falls in the world. The stunning turquoise water snakes down the narrow canyon with waterless desert on both sides. To reach the falls there is only two ways. First is to take a raft down the Grand Canyon and climb up from the Colorado river. The other way is to hike into the Havasupai Indian Reservation to the town of Supai, which has no roads to it. After that hike down to the falls and camp in the camp ground. Visiting the falls is very difficult and requires a fair amount of preparation, including a permit arranged a few months in advance. For those too out of shape to hike in and out with all their gear, there are horses and donkeys that can be hired to transport people or belongings. For people looking for off the beaten track beauty this place is hard to beat.
Saguaro National Park
The Saguaro National Park was created to preserve the Giant Saguaro cacti, which only grow in the Sonoran Desert. The park consists of two districts: the Tucson Mountain District, west of Tucson, and the Rincon Mountain District, east of Tucson. There are over 165 miles (over 250 kilometres) of hiking trails throughout the park.
Other Natural Sights
- Grand Canyon National Park is one of the most stunning places on earth and is a must see!
- Oregon Pipe National Park is a great desert paradise located on the Mexican border.
- Antelope Canyon is a beautiful slot canyon located on the Navajo Nation in Page, Arizona.
- Petrified Forest National Park
- Monument Valley
- Lake Powell
Other Sights and Activities
Events and Festivals
Weather
Arizona is made up of three major geographic regions - the high plateau in the northeast, desert valleys in the southwest and a mountainous range running from the southeast to the northwest.
The higher altitude regions can receive up to 750 mm of precipitation a year, including snow in the winter months. Temperatures in the summer are hot and dry, mostly between 25 °C and 30 °C In the winter, daytime temperatures can drop into the single-digits Celsius, with temperatures well below freezing at night.
The lower desert altitudes receives little rain, and can be very hot during the summer months. In July, the desert can reach temperatures well over 40 °C or even 45 °C. The hottest temperature recorded in Arizona was 53 °C at Lake Havasu City on June 29, 1994. Temperatures drop significantly at night, even below zero at night in some places. In winter months, desert temperatures during the day can reach 20 °C, but drop down to single digits at night.
Getting There
By Plane
Many cities have major airports, but the majority of flights into Arizona arrive in Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (IATA: PHX, ICAO: KPHX). The closest airport to the Grand Canyon with major scheduled service is Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (IATA: FLG, ICAO: KFLG).
By Train
A number of trains stop en route between the central states and California in Arizona. The trains are operated by Amtrak and include:
- The The Southwest Chief between Chicago and Los Angeles, stopping in Flagstaff and Winslow, Arizona, among other places in the state.
- The Sunset Limited between New Orleans and Los Angeles. The train stops in places like Yuma and Tucson, Arizona.
- The Texas Eagle travelling between Chicago and Los Angeles. The train operates daily between Chicago and San Antonio, Texas, but only three times a week continues from San Antonio to Los Angeles, stopping in places like Yuma and Tucson as well.
By Car
Arizona is well connected to the rest of the USA by the Interstate highway system, as well as smaller local roads. Highway 10 runs from Los Angeles, through Phoenix and into New Mexico. Highway 40 generally follows the route of historic Route 66, from California through Flagstaff and into New Mexico and towards Albuquerque, New Mexico.Highway 93 connects the state to Las Vegas, Nevada, and there are local highways running north to Utah and Colorado.
Arizona has a number of border crossings with Mexico, including crossings at Yuma and Nogales.
By Bus
Bus service to Arizona is available from Greyhound. Service runs from numerous spots with the USA to a number of locations in Arizona, including Flagstaff, Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma. TUFESA Bus Lines offers service from Mexico.
By Boat
Arizona is a land-locked state and a desert, so there are few options to arrive into the state by boat.
Getting Around
By Plane
A number of airlines service intrastate travel.
By Train
Amtrak provides passenger rail service throughout the state, including: the The Southwest Chief stopping in Flagstaff and Winslow, Arizona; the Sunset Limited with stops in Yuma and Tucson; and the Texas Eagle.
Grand Canyon Railway offers service between Williams and Grand Canyon National Park
By Car
The state is well crossed by highway, and driving often provides the best way to see many of the options. Highways are well maintained, but some of the roads in the national parks and other smaller country roads may only be passable by four wheel drive vehicle.
Car rentals are provided by a number of companies, and can be picked up at most major airports. Try not to rent a car at Phoenix airport, as there is a major surcharge. Instead, rent cars in downtown Phoenix. Note that sometimes car rentals have restrictions on where the vehicle can go, so be sure to verify with the rental company if you plan to drive out of state or into Mexico.
Many international rental companies have a wide selection of rental cars and these include Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.
If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.
For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.
Arizona has a number of National Scenic Byways which offer a great way to explore the state crossing beautiful landscapes. Mostly, there are lots of national parks, state parks or monuments along the way and it's generally a better alternative than the faster but boring Interstate Highways.
By Bus
Bus service to Arizona is available from Greyhound. Service runs from numerous spots with the USA to a number of locations in Arizona, including Flagstaff, Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma.
By Boat
Other than river rafting trips, pleasure trips on Lake Havasu or Lake Mead or jet boats through the rapids of the Colorado river, there is little opportunity to travel between locations by boat.
Eat
Drink
Sleep
- The Francisco Grande is a popular hotel and golf resort located in Casa Grande. The Francisco Grande first opened in 1959 and served as a training camp for the San Francisco Giants. Hollywood elite like John Wayne and Pat Boone were frequent visitors of the hotel. The hotel became a popular golf resort in the early 1980s. Today it is still considered to be the premiere golf course in Arizona. In 2003, the hotel went through an $8.5 million-dollar renovation.
Hotel and Motel Chains
There are dozens of hotel and motel chains, ranging from budget to top end. Allthough they are not the most charming accommodations, they usually have a very decent midrange service with good rooms and are generally good value. At least you know what to expect and in some cases they are either the only or the best option in the area. Some of them include:
Contributors
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from http://utrecht.travellerspoint.com
GregW (24%)
from Greg Wesson's Esoteric Globe
as well as Peter (4%), Sidra-Pete (2%), Lavafalls (2%), Herr Bert (2%), bentivogli (1%)
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