Arizona, New Mexico & the Grand Canyon Trips (Lonely Planet, 1st Edition) - Aaron Anderson [77]
Matterhorn Inn
The outdoor pool and Jacuzzi are nice for post-hike unwinding; floating on your back you can see the towering red rocks. Pets are $10. 928-282-7176; www.matterhorninn.com; 230 Apple Ave, Sedona; r $120-180;
Southwest Inn at Sedona
Upper units have the best views. Low water usage for plants and lots of recycling are just a few of the green touches. 928-282-3344; www.swinn.com; 3250 W Hwy 89A, Sedona; r incl breakfast $130-240
USFS
Operates five campgrounds along N Hwy 89A: Bootlegger, Cave Springs, Manzanita, Pine Flat East, and Pine Flat West. Search the website for rates and availability. 877-444-6777; www.recreation.gov; Sedona
USEFUL WEBSITES
www.visitsedona.com
LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
TRIP
23 Into the Vortex
26 Flagstaff’s Northern Playground
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Return to beginning of chapter
Tracing Arizona’s Cultures
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WHY GO From the Native Americans who first called this place home to the successive waves of adventurers who came to Arizona in search of fame, fortune or just a better life, the history of Arizona is the sum of its pioneering people. Strike it rich – in stories, at least – by retracing their steps.
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TIME
3 days
DISTANCE
450 miles
BEST TIME TO GO
Year-round
START
Flagstaff, AZ
END
Bisbee, AZ
ALSO GOOD FOR
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On a journey from the north of the state to one of the southernmost cities, get ready to trek across more than 1000 years of history. Start at the beginning – or as close to it as possible – in the mountain town of Flagstaff, where the cool climes, plentiful water and food-giving forest must have seemed a godsend to the area’s first inhabitants. The Museum of Northern Arizona is an essential introduction to Native American culture, especially in the northern half of the state.
Move forward in time to an Arizona that wasn’t yet a state as you head south on I-17 for 63 miles and look for the signs to Prescott. There, the Sharlot Hall Museum is a fun place even for the museum-adverse. Instead of the typical museum experience of looking at exhibits, here you wander into log cabins to see them decked out in period furnishings.
Just down the street from the museum, check into the good old days at the Hassayampa Inn. Opened in 1927, just 15 years after Arizona became a state, it’s a good place to get a feel for the days when everybody really did know your name. Prescott feels like a Midwestern town with its antique shops and people who say hi to strangers.
Say “so long, friend” to the Midwestern vibe and head south to thoroughly modern Phoenix. Catching the I-17 is the quickest way to traverse the 100-or-so miles. Have lunch at the all-organic Arcadia Farms Café and visit the Heard Museum, where the café is located. In the museum, peruse the photographs of the late US senator Barry Goldwater, who traveled the state far and wide with his camera and picked up Native American art along the way – much of it on display here.
History and fresh minty flavors collide with a bang at Pho Bang. It’s US senator and former POW John McCain’s favorite Vietnamese place in Phoenix – at least according a signed photograph of him that used to adorn the place. At 17th Ave and Camelback Rd, it’s just 4 miles from the Heard Museum.
To experience a little slice of Japan transplanted to the desert, head 6 miles south to 3rd Ave and Culver St and wander the Japanese Friendship Garden. This 3.5-acre park has a koi pond, stone bridges over small ponds, a 12ft waterfall and a tea house. Planners from Phoenix’s sister city of Himeji helped design this oasis of calm.
Nearby, at 3rd and Jefferson Streets, pay homage at the Sun Mercantile Building to the Chinese who came west to build the railways. It’s the last building left from Phoenix’s Chinatown and activists are fighting to keep it standing. Notice how many of the