Arizona, New Mexico & the Grand Canyon Trips (Lonely Planet, 1st Edition) - Aaron Anderson [38]
Arboretum at Flagstaff
Cacti, wildflowers, a butterfly garden and more. Live birds of prey shows daily at noon and 2pm. 928-774-1442; www.thearb.org; 4001 S Woody Mountain Rd, Flagstaff, AZ; adult $6/6-17yr $3/under 6yr free; 9am-5pm Apr-Oct;
Grand Canyon Railway
Vintage train to the South Rim, with hotel and meal packages, and guided tours designed to fit the train schedule. 800-843-8724; www.thetrain.com; Train Depot, Williams, AZ; roundtrip adult $65-170, child $35-100; depart Williams 10am, Grand Canyon 4pm;
Grand Canyon National Park
Make advanced reservations for lunch at the canyon’s El Tovar lodge, overnight accommodation, tours and mule rides. advanced reservations 888-297-2757, same-day reservations 928-638-2631; www.gov/grca/;
Eat & sleep
Macy’s European Coffee House
Decidedly crunchy coffee shop one-half block from the train depot. 928-774-2243; 14 S Beaver St, Flagstaff, AZ; 6am-10pm, kitchen closes at 4pm;
El Rey Inn
Route 66 motel with gardened grounds. Some suites have a kiva fireplace. 800-521-1349; www.elreyinnsantafe.com; 1862 Cerrillos Rd, Santa Fe, NM; r & ste $99-220;
La Fonda
Elegant historic hotel. Catch folk singer Bill Hearne, a Santa Fe institution, at the bar on Wednesday nights. 505-982-5511; www.lafonda.com; Williams Depot, Santa Fe, NM; r $319-539;
Lodge
Adobe-style roadside motel with updated rooms and friendly service; request the Lodge building. 877-563-4366; www.thelodgeonroute66.com; 200 E Route 66, Williams, AZ; r & ste $90-150;
Weatherford Hotel
Serving travelers to the Grand Canyon since 1900. Look for the wrap-around 2nd floor porch. 928-779-1919; www.weatherfordhotel.com; 23 N Leroux St, Flagstaff, AZ; r $60-175;
USEFUL WEBSITES
www.flagstaffarizona.org
www.santafe.org
SUGGESTED READS
Inventing the Southwest: The Fred Harvey Company and Native American Art, Kathleen Howard
Nothing Like It In the World: The Men Who Build the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869, Stephen Ambrose
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
TRIP
26 Flagstaff’s Northern Playground
29 Ghosts of the South Rim
37 48 Hours in Santa Fe
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Return to beginning of chapter
ARIZONA TRIPS
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48 Hours in Greater Phoenix
Cactus League Spring Training
Big Skies & Weird Science
Steak-Lovers’ Arizona
A Slice of Native America
Cowboy Time
Photographing Monument Valley
Arizona Architecture
Tiny Towns of Rim Country
Arizona in Tune
Southern Desert Wanderings
Grapes & Hops in the Desert
Into the Vortex
Sedona Red Rock Adventure
Tracing Arizona’s Cultures
Flagstaff’s Northern Playground
Day Trips from Phoenix
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Arizonans are proud to be the Grand Canyon’s home state but we’ll tell you there is much more to the place than a giant hole in the ground. Plus the weather here is just about perfect – how can you beat nearly a full year’s worth of sunshine and big blue skies?
Still, although you may know there’s much more to Arizona than golf and the Grand Canyon, it’s not always easy to pinpoint exactly which hidden treasures you wish to show your visiting mother-in-law or your best friend from Tennessee. Don’t worry, that’s where we come in. We’ll have you drinking wine in the desert, discovering vortexes and New Age crystal shops in the beautiful red rocks around Sedona, following the Cactus League spring training trail or hunting for ghosts in Wild West Jerome. These 16 Arizona trips give you the knowledge to plan the ultimate insider trip, capable of blowing your in-laws out of the water. Forget about the Grand Canyon for now – we agree it’s a fabulous hole, which is why we devote an entire chapter to the region. These trips are all about Arizona’s unique attitude, and get to the heart of her cowboy chic meets old fashioned Wild West vibe.
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