Next Chapter | Table of Contents
Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe. Rising where the Sonoran Desert meets the Superstition Mountains, the Valley of the Sun is filled with resorts and spas, shops and restaurants, and more than 200 golf courses.
Grand Canyon National Park. One of nature’s longest-running works in progress, the canyon exalts and humbles the human spirit. Whether you select the popular South Rim or the remote North Rim, don’t just peer over the edge—take the plunge into the canyon on a mule train, on foot, or on a raft trip.
North-Central Arizona. Cool, laid-back towns here are as bewitching as the high-country landscape they inhabit. There are quaint escapes such as Prescott and Jerome, Sedona with its red-rock buttes, and the vibrant university town of Flagstaff.
Northeast Arizona. This remote area includes the stunning surroundings of Monument Valley. Alongside today’s Navajo and Hopi communities, the breathtaking Canyon de Chelly and Navajo National Monument are reminders of how ancient peoples lived with the land.
Eastern Arizona. Summer visitors flock to the lush, green White Mountains and the warm colors of the Painted Desert. Petrified Forest National Park protects trees that stood when dinosaurs walked Earth.
Tucson. The modern history of Arizona begins here, where Hispanic, Anglo, and Native American cultures became intertwined in the 17th century and still are today. Farther out, city slickers enjoy horseback rides at some of the region’s many guest ranches, or luxury pampering at world-class spas.
Southern Arizona. Splendid mountain and desert scenery evokes the romanticized spirit of the Wild West. Enduring pockets of westward expansion are the largest draw today: notorious Tombstone and the mining boomtown Bisbee.
Northwest Arizona and Southeast Nevada. This underexplored corner of Arizona includes Lake Havasu City and its bit of Britannia in the form of London Bridge; old-fashioned Americana around Kingman on legendary Route 66; and Hoover Dam and Laughlin’s casinos, a short jaunt away in Nevada.