2
Frommers Arizona and the Grand Canyon Table of Contents Chapter 1: The Best of Arizona The best Places to Commune with Cactus The best Active Vacations The best Day Hikes & Nature Walks The best Scenic Drives The best Golf Courses The best Bird-Watching Spots The best Offbeat Travel Experiences The best Family Experiences The best Family Vacations The best Museums The best Places to Discover the Old West The best Places to See Indian Ruins The best Places to See Petroglyphs & Pictographs The best Luxury Hotels & Resorts The best Family Resorts The best Hotels for Old Arizona Character The best Bed & Breakfasts The best Swimming Pools The best Places to Savor Southwest Flavors Chapter 2: Arizona in Depth Arizona Today Looking Back at Arizona The Lay of the Land Arizona Flora & Fauna Arizona in Books, Music & Film 3
Arizona in Print Arizona in Song Arizona on Screen Eating & Drinking in Arizona Chapter 3: Planning Your Trip to Arizona When to Go Climate Arizona Calendar of Events Entry Requirements Passports Visas Customs Medical Requirements Getting There & Getting Around Getting to Arizona Getting Around Money & Costs ATMs Credit Cards & Debit Cards Staying Healthy Regional Health Concerns If You Get Sick Crime & Safety Specialized Travel Resources LGBT Travelers Travelers with Disabilities Family Travel Senior Travel Student Travel Responsible Tourism Special-Interest & Escorted Trips Special-Interest Trips Packages for the Independent Traveler Escorted General-Interest Tours 4
The Active Vacation Planner Staying Connected Mobile Phones Internet & E-Mail Newspapers & Magazines Telephones Tips on Accommodations Chapter 4: Suggested Arizona Itineraries Regions in Brief Arizona in 1 Week Arizona in 2 Weeks Arizona for Families A Sojourn in Southeastern Arizona Native Trails of Arizona Arizona in the Winter Chapter 5: Phoenix, Scottsdale & the Valley of the Sun Orientation Arriving Visitor Information Neighborhoods in Brief Getting Around By Car By Public Transportation By Taxi Scottsdale North Scottsdale, Carefree & Cave Creek Central Phoenix & the Camelback Corridor North Phoenix Downtown, South Phoenix & the Airport Area Tempe, Mesa & the East Valley West Valley 5
Scottsdale North Scottsdale, Carefree & Cave Creek Central Phoenix & the Camelback Corridor Downtown, South Phoenix & the Airport Area Tempe & Mesa Chandler & Gilbert Dining with a View Cowboy Steakhouses Espresso Bars, Bakeries & Ice-Cream Parlors Breakfast & Brunch Seeing the Sights The Desert & Its Native Cultures Art Museums History Museums & Historic Landmarks Science & Industry Museums Museum Miscellany: Planes, Flames, Cars & More Architectural Highlights Wild West Theme Towns Parks & Zoos Especially for Kids Organized Tours & Excursions Spectator Sports Spas Shopping Antiques & Collectibles Art Books Chocolate Fashion Gifts & Souvenirs Jewelry Malls & Shopping Centers Native American Arts, Crafts & Jewelry 6
Outlet Malls & Discount Shopping Western Wear Phoenix & Scottsdale After Dark The Club & Music Scene The Bar & Pub Scene The Performing Arts Casinos A Side Trip from Phoenix: The Apache Trail En Route to Tucson Attractions Along the Way En Route to Northern Arizona Chapter 6: Central Arizona Wickenburg Exploring the Area En Route to Prescott Prescott Exploring the Town Shopping Prescott After Dark Jerome Exploring the Town The Verde Valley A Railway Excursion 7
National Monuments & State Parks Other Verde Valley Attractions & Activities Sedona & Oak Creek Canyon Exploring Red-Rock Country Oak Creek Canyon Attractions & Activities Around Town Organized Tours Shopping Sedona After Dark Chapter 7: The Grand Canyon & Northern Arizona The Grand Canyon South Rim Desert View Drive Grand Canyon Village & Vicinity Hermit Road Hiking the Canyon Other Ways of Seeing the Canyon Activities Outside the Canyon The Grand Canyon North Rim Exploring the Park En Route to or from the North Rim North of the Park Flagstaff 8
Seeing the Sights Flagstaff After Dark Williams Exploring the Area: Route 66 & Beyond Family Attractions Havasu Canyon & Grand Canyon West Havasu Canyon Grand Canyon West Other Area Activities & Dine Kingman Exploring the Area & Dine Chapter 8: The Four Corners Region: Land of the Hopi & Navajo Winslow One Big Hole in the Ground Other Area Attractions The Hopi Reservation The Villages Exploring the World of the Hopi Cultural Tours Dances & Ceremonies 9
Shopping & Dine En Route to or from the Hopi Mesas The Petrified Forest & Painted Desert Exploring a Unique Landscape Other Reasons to Linger in Holbrook The Window Rock & Ganado Areas Exploring the Area Shopping Canyon de Chelly National Monument Exploring the Canyon Shopping Navajo National Monument Exploring the Monument Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park Exploring the Park Activities Outside the Park & Dine Driving on to Colorado or New Mexico: The Four Corners Meet Lake Powell Glen Canyon National Recreation Area 10
Rainbow Bridge National Monument Antelope Canyon Watersports Other Other Area Attractions Chapter 9: Eastern Arizona s High Country Payson & the Mogollon Rim Country Other Area Attractions Scenic Drives Pinetop-Lakeside Other Area Attractions Greer & Sunrise Park Springerville & Eagar Indian Ruins Museums The Coronado Trail 11
& Dine Chapter 10: Tucson Orientation Arriving Visitor Information City Layout Neighborhoods in Brief Getting Around By Car By Public Transportation By Taxi On Foot Downtown & the University Area East Tucson The Foothills West Tucson, Oro Valley & Marana Near the Airport Outlying Areas Spa Resorts Guest Ranches Downtown Central Tucson & the University Area East Tucson The Foothills West Tucson, Oro Valley & Marana Cowboy Steakhouses Late-Night Noshing Bakeries, Cafes & Quick Bites Seeing the Sights The Tucson Area s (Mostly) Natural Wonders 12
Historic Attractions Both Real & Reel Art Museums History Museums & Landmark Buildings Science & Technology Museums Parks, Gardens & Zoos Especially for Kids Organized Tours Spectator Sports Spas Shopping Antiques & Collectibles Art Books Crafts Fashion Gifts & Souvenirs Jewelry Malls & Shopping Centers Mexican & Latin American Imports Native American Art, Crafts & Jewelry Western Wear Tucson After Dark The Club & Music Scene The Bar, Lounge & Pub Scene The Performing Arts Casinos Chapter 11: Southern Arizona Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Exploring the Monument En Route to Tucson Tubac & Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge 13
Art & History in the Santa Cruz Valley Shopping Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge Other Nogales Exploring North & South of the Border & Dine Patagonia & Sonoita Bird-Watching, Wine Tasting & Other Area Activities Sierra Vista & the San Pedro Valley Attractions Around Benson Attractions Around Sierra Vista Birding Hot Spots & Other Natural Areas Other Tombstone Gunslingers & Saloons: In Search of the Wild West Bisbee Exploring the Town 14
Bisbee After Dark Exploring the Rest of Cochise County Willcox Southwest of Willcox East of Willcox Douglas & Environs Birding Hot Spots North Toward Phoenix: The Safford Area & Mount Graham Chapter 12: Arizona s WestCoast Lake Mead National Recreation Area Dam, Lake & River Tours Bullhead City & Laughlin, Nevada Casinos & Other Indoor Pursuits Boat Tours Lake Havasu & the London Bridge London Bridge Land, Lake & River Tours Watersports Golf Lake Havasu City After Dark En Route to Yuma 15
Yuma Historic Sites Downtown Yuma Desert Touring Golf Yuma After Dark East Toward Tucson West Toward San Diego Chapter 13: Fast Facts Airline Websites 16
Arizona & the Grand Canyon 2011 By Karl Samson Published by: Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 Copyright 2011 Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978/750-8400, fax 978/646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201/748-6011, fax 201/748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Wiley and the Wiley Publishing logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates. Frommer s is a trademark or registered trademark of Arthur Frommer. Used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. ISBN 978-0-470-60750-3 (paper); ISBN 978-0-470-87719-7 (paper); ISBN 978-0-470-90496-1 (ebk) Editor: Anuja Madar Production Editor: Heather Wilcox Cartographer: Andrew Murphy Photo Editor: Richard Fox, Alden Gewirtz Cover Photo Editor: Richard Fox Design and Layout by Vertigo Design Graphics and Prepress by Wiley Indianapolis Composition Services Front cover photo: Scenic view of the rocks of Sedona through the branches of a bristlecone pine tree George Oze/Alamy Images 17
Back cover photo: Left: A man in a slot canyon, Navajo Nation, Arizona Whit Richardson/Getty Images; Middle: Rafters brave the class 8 waters of Granite Rapid, one of the largest on the Colorado, USA, Arizona, Grand Canyon NP Blickwinkel/Alamy Images; Right: Saguaro cactus, Red Rock State Park Theo Allofs/Corbis For information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877/762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317/572-3993 or fax 317/572-4002. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic formats. Manufactured in the United States of America 5 4 3 2 1 18
About the Author Karl Samson lives in Oregon, where he spends his time juggling his obsessions with traveling, gardening, outdoor sports, and wine. Each winter, to dry out his webbed feet, he flees the soggy Northwest to update the Frommer s Arizona & the Grand Canyon guide. Karl is also the author of Frommer s Seattle and Frommer s Washington State. How to Contact Us In researching this book, we discovered many wonderful places hotels, restaurants, shops, and more. We re sure you ll find others. Please tell us about them, so we can share the information with your fellow travelers in upcoming editions. If you were disappointed with a recommendation, we d love to know that, too. Please write to: Frommer s Arizona & the Grand Canyon 2011 Wiley Publishing, Inc. * 111 River St. * Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 frommersfeedback@wiley.com An Additional Note Please be advised that travel information is subject to change at any time and this is especially true of prices. We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirmation when making your travel plans. The authors, editors, and publisher cannot be held responsible for the experiences of readers while traveling. Your safety is important to us, however, so we encourage you to stay alert and be aware of your surroundings. Keep a close eye on cameras, purses, and wallets, all favorite targets of thieves and pickpockets. Frommer s Star Ratings, Icons & Abbreviations Every hotel, restaurant, and attraction listing in this guide has been ranked for quality, value, service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating system. In country, state, and regional guides, we also rate towns and regions to help you narrow down your choices and budget your time accordingly. Hotels and restaurants are rated on a scale of zero (recommended) to three stars (exceptional). Attractions, shopping, nightlife, towns, and regions are rated according to the following scale: zero stars (recommended), one star (highly recommended), two stars (very highly recommended), and three stars (must-see). In addition to the star-rating system, we also use seven feature icons that point you to the great deals, in-the-know advice, and unique experiences that separate travelers from tourists. Throughout the book, look for: special finds those places only insiders know about fun facts details that make travelers more informed and their trips more fun kids best bets for kids and advice for the whole family special moments those experiences that memories are made of overrated places or experiences not worth your time or money insider tips great ways to save time and money great values where to get the best deals The following abbreviations are used for credit cards: 19
AE American Express DISC Discover V Visa DC Diners Club MC MasterCard Travel Resources at Frommers.com Frommer s travel resources don t end with this guide. Frommer s website, www.frommers.com, has travel information on more than 4,000 destinations. We update features regularly, giving you access to the most current trip-planning information and the best airfare, lodging, and car-rental bargains. You can also listen to podcasts, connect with other Frommers.com members through our activereader forums, share your travel photos, read blogs from guidebook editors and fellow travelers, and much more. 20