Northern Arizona Vacation Guide and Tips

When people think of the Southwest, they most oftendelights young visitors every year. Perhaps it's a good
envision Arizona. Indeed, the heritage of all of thething that a relative few ever venture out and discover
Southwest, from West Texas through New Mexicothe wonders of this area.
and Arizona, is rich, the combination of the lands andThough there are literally no amenities, if you're able to
peoples who have lived on them. Aboriginal peopleadd Tse Nikani and the Flat Mesa Rock scenic Route
from Mexico, (as well as those who have mixed that(Highway 191, south of Highway 160) you'll be treated
culture with the influences of the Spaniards,) Hopi,to overwhelmingly unusual land and rock formations,
Navajo, Apache and other native American tribes, theincluding places which are sacred to the Navajo
animals of the region, the desert and mountain terrains,people. Be sure to have enough fuel and bring plenty
and even the newcomer cowboys, these have allof water and perhaps a lunch with you, but make a
contributed to what we think of when we saypoint of taking this impressive byway in while you
"Southwest." No one place represents that any betterexplore northern Arizona.
though, than northern Arizona.A Must Visit route in your northern Arizona experience
The Grand Canyon is a major attraction in Northernis called Diné Tah (meaning "Among the
Arizona. One of the seven true Wonders of thePeople"). There you'll find Window Rock, the capital of
World, it embodies the vastness, as well as thethe Navajo Nation, and as surreal a landscape as
richness of color of the stony Southwest. The viewArizona has to offer. There, beginning near where I-40
from Cape Royal, to name just one amongst manycrosses the Arizona/New Mexico border, you'll find a
from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, iswealth of history and heritage, as well as everything
quintessential Southwest. The entire Kiabab Plateaufrom stark rock formations to lush forests. Those who
shares in that beauty.see these wonders firsthand will understand why the
Navajo Mountain (properly called Naat'tsis'aan by thenative people were willing to fight and die for this land.
native people,) is yet another facet of theThe Lukachukai Mountains alone are reason enough to
magnificence that is Northern Arizona. The sandstonepay a visit, but the rest of the story, the battles with
formations are exquisite, the heritage of the placethe Spaniards that spanned two centuries, long before
equally vivid. No visit would be complete without seeingthe United States became a part of the picture, and
sandstone formation called the Corkscrew in Antelopefar before that, with the Anasazi ruins from ten
Canyon.THOUSAND years ago... all of this and more wait to
There's another side to northern Arizona that somebe seen and found in northern Arizona.
have missed - the alpine areas. From Flagstaff toArizona has always been much more than the
Sedona, and the White Mountains, northern Arizonaabandoned movie studios of Tucson and the golf
breaks her fast from water and grows out dense,courses of Prescott. Do yourself a favor and discover
beautiful forest lands. The vistas from Oak Creekthe rest of Arizona, the far greater portion so few
Canyon, for example, rival any found on the side ofever see. You'll be thrilled and amazed by this, one of
the mountains near Aspen, Colorado (though few willthe greatest secrets in the United States, lying in the
ever know of it.) Slide Rock State Park, a part of Oakshadows of one of the seven Wonders of the World.
Creek Canyon, provides a natural water slide that