Arizona Things to Do Tips by windsorgirl

The Grand Canyon

I think if you happen to find yourself anywhere near Arizona, you should make a point to visit the Grand Canyon. This is a must see activity that everyone should do at least once in their life. There really is nothing else like it and seeing it for the first time was a moving experience for me.

You can access the Grand Canyon from the North Rim, near the Utah border, or from the West near the Nevada border or from the South Rim, which would have to be the most popular vantage point. I was lucky enough to see it from all three locations and I understand why the South Rim is so busy, it certainly provided the most impressive views.

See my Grand Canyon pages for more info and photos.

Website: http://www.nps.gov/grca

Little Colorado River Gorge

As you are leaving the Grand Canyon National Park eastward from Desert View Drive, it won't be long before you notice a scenic lookout to your left for the Little Colorado River Gorge. The lookout is a short walk from a small parking area where the Navajo Indians have some trinkets for sale.

The gorge is a very steep drop of over 800 feet to the Little Colorado River and beware there are no handrails to keep you from tumbling over the edge!

Directions: 20 miles east of Desert View in the Grand Canyon National Park on Hwy 64

Monument Valley

Our last stop in Arizona was at Monument Valley. This area is on a Navajo Indian Reservation and is a magical place of rocky red buttes some as tall as 1000 feet rising from the Arizona plains.

The colours of the rock, vegetation and sky was surreal. See my Monument Valley pages for more photos and info.

Directions: located on US163 in northeastern Arizona right on the Utah border

Hoover Dam

The colossal Hoover Dam was completed in 1935 giving this desert region a reliable water supply from the Colorado River and inexpensive electricity to boot.

At 726 feet high, it is a very impressive structure and definitely worth a visit. You can take a $10 tour of the facilities (print your own discount coupon from the website for $1 off) or you can just walk over the dam and view it from both the Nevada and Arizona sides of the canyon.

Here's another money saving tip: park your car on the Arizona side, there is plenty of free parking here and you will enjoy the views as you walk across the dam to the visitor's centre. Parking on the Nevada side is $5.

Notice in the photo how low the water level is. Apparantly it is 50 feet lower than it should be due to an eight year drought in the region. The dam has lost 40% of its generating power because of this.

Directions: Hoover Dam is located on the I93 at the border of Nevada.

Website: http://www.hooverdam.usbr.com

Supai and Havasu Falls

This is a corner of the Grand Canyon, that not many tourists get to see. It is located west of the National Park and is part of the Havasupai Indian Reservation. Supai is a small village at the bottom of the Grand Canyon with beautiful waterfalls and a turquoise blue creek running through it.

The only way into Supai is by helicopter, horse or by foot. It is an 8 mile hike and well worth it once you lay eyes on this secret oasis. See my Supai pages for more info and photos.

Directions: Supai is accessed from Hualapai Hilltop which is located 76 miles north of Peach Springs.

Website: http://www.havasupaitribe.com

Get Your Kicks on Route 66

Route 66 is America's most famous road. The original Route 66 was completed in 1926 but not completely paved until 1937. It stretched 2,448 miles from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. It symbolizes the freedom of the open road and is linked to the growth of automobile travel.

Route 66 lost it's status as America's main thouroughfare as new multilane highways were built to replace it in the 1970's.

However, in Arizona, the largest continuous section of "The Mother Road" still exists between Ash Fork and Topock.

We drove from Kingman to Ash Fork, stopping overnight at Peach Springs. We found very little traffic on Route 66 and enjoyed the slower pace and desert scenery. There are a few of the old buildings and signs from the early days still in use and preserved along the road.

Website: http://www.azrt66.com

Kingman

Kingman is the Heart of Historic Route 66. Here you will find a Route 66 museum located at the Power House Visitor's Centre. The staff here was very helpful with all of our Arizona questions and provided us with a free map of a self guided tour of Route 66. There is also a gift shop here where you can pick up your own Route 66 souveniers.

Just down the road from the Visitors Centre you can't miss the bright pink and green facade of Mr. D's Route 66 Diner. It has retained it's retro 50's style perfectly.

Directions: Kingman is located at the junction of Interstate 40, Route 66 and Hwy 93. It is located 73 miles southeast of Hoover Dam and 143 miles west of Flagstaff.

Website: http://www.azrt66.com

Hackberry along Route 66

At the tourist information in Kingman, we were directed to visit the General Store in Hackberry. The owner has been collecting Route 66 memorabilia for years and it is all on display outside and inside of the store. It is completely free of charge and there were many tourists who had stopped as we did to marvel at this outdoor museum. It is also a great place to pick up a cold drink or ice cream.

Directions: Hackberry is located 40 miles north of Kingman on Route 66.

Website: http://www.azrt66.com