Arizona is chock jam-packed with them. Here are a few famous drives.
Hwy 89/89A: Old West meets New West
Buckle up for previous West sites, red-rock canyons and a few serious altitude gains from Wickenburg to Flagstaff. Weekend art walks, a burgeoning wine path, fashionable indie-owned outlets and restaurants all add some 21st-century sparkle.
Start within the dude-ranch city of Wickenburg, sixty miles west of Phoenix. Hwy eighty-nine leaves city via Hwy ninety-three, bending toward the Weaver Mountains find it irresistible has no selection. The road levels out at mountain topping Yarnell, then swoops simply past grassy buttes and grazing Bos Taurus within the Peoples depression.
The 30-mile stretch of Hwy 89A between Sedona and Flagstaff rises through dramatic Oak Creek canon. make sure to prevent at Slide Rock State Park, wherever the coltish Oak Creek pushes swimmers through a rockslide. The road levels off and glides through Pinus ponderosa into fun and funky Flagstaff.
Small-town America, with a facet of kitsch: Route 66
Western Arizona is home to 1 of the longest stretches of pure, pure Route sixty-six - 173 unconfined miles that ne'er be a part of the interstate. From Topock, on Arizona's western border, Route sixty-six rolls north to Oatman, passing through the town's craggy hills, mendicancy burros and hockey previous West charms. Then it's a twisting drive past tumbleweeds and saguaros on the thanks to the Black Mountains and a final push to Kingman.
Route 66 parallels the train tracks through Flagstaff. From here, must-stops embrace Meteor Crater and the Take It simple city of Winslow. end this trip in kitschy vogue by snoozing during a concrete tipi down the road in Holbrook.
Apache Trail: Rugged journey
From Apache Junction, Hwy eighty-eight heads north toward the craggy superstitious notion Mountains. initial up is that the tourist-trappy dominion town. At Lost European State Park, large blooms of desert wildflowers wait - with the most effective blooms occurring once a wet winter.
Monument Valley: painting red rock loop
From a distance, the rugged arenaceous rock formations of Monument Valley look sort of a prehistoric defence, a huddled mass of red and gold protective ancient secrets. however, as you drive nearer, individual buttes and craggy formations break from the pack, luring you nearer with sun-reflected beauty and strange shapes.
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