I was born and raised in Arizona and I wanted to share my state with all of you, either living here now or maybe moving here in the future. Most people have no idea of the beauty this state has to offer and the diversity. I hope you enjoy the verbiage and photos of Arizona. If you have any questions or would like more information for what you are about to experience please call us, Bob and Judy Vogel, 602-571-2532. We are very proud of our state and we hope you find this information informative.

Arizona is a state with so many hidden and unknown treasures. No other state can be as diverse as Arizona from north to south, east to west, in my humble opinion.  We have moved so many people from around the world, here to the Phoenix metro area, and all are so amazed at what Arizona has to offer. Most people think that Arizona is a massive sand dune or a dry barren desert. I am going to share with you some of the most beautiful and breathtaking areas in the world that are right here in this state. If you do visit some of these areas bring the digital camera with extra memory.

 I am going to divide the state into five sections. This is section one. Please do not skip over any sections as they all offer a wide variety of beautiful scenery and wonder. Let’s start at the top of Arizona and work our way down.

This is Northern Arizona at its finest: 

 This area of Arizona offers some of the most incredible beauty one can see including one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  This area consists of Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, Williams, Lake Powell, Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, and The White Mountains.  

Flagstaff is home to the University of Northern Arizona, Snow Bowl Ski area in the San Francisco Peaks Mountain Range, the Lowell Observatory, The Arboretum, Walnut Canyon and Wupatki National Monument. Flagstaff is not what most people would expect for Arizona. The area averages 22 inches of rain a year, 100 inches of snow, winter temperature average 46 degrees, summer temperature average is 83 degrees. Flagstaff is home to the Lowell Observatory. This observatory has made major discoveries in astronomy, including the discovery of Pluto. Just southeast of Flagstaff is Walnut Canyon National Monument. This monument has ancient Sinagua Indians cliff dwellings. Hiking trails lead to 25 cliff dwellings and spectacular vistas along the canyon rim. The San Francisco Peaks are a volcanic mountain range just north of Flagstaff. Humphrey Peak at 12,633 feet is the highest elevation in the “The Peaks” and in the state. This mountain range is the home for Snow Bowl ski area, and Sunset Crater. Another area in “The Peaks” is the Wupatki National Monument. The Sinagua, Cohonina and the Kayenta  Anasazi Indians moved into this area after the eruption of Sunset Crater. One more cool area, literally, are ice caves located close to the Snow Bowl turnoff.

The Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, is simply spectacular. If one has ever questioned if there is a God then step to the edge of the Grand Canyon and your question will be answered. Only a visit in person can truly show the powerful and inspiring landscape this area offers. I have added several pictures so anyone can see why a trip to “The Canyon” is a must. I am going to give some interesting information that might show just how amazing this area is. The Grand Canyon is in northern Arizona, near the southern border of Utah and the southeast tip of Nevada. The canyon is 277 miles long, ranges in width from 4 to 18 miles and attains a depth of more than a mile. The Colorado River runs through the entire canyon. The best time of the day to visit the Grand Canyon for optimal visualization is in the early morning or later in the afternoon. The colors are much more vivid when the sun is not shining straight down on the walls of the canyon. There are three primary tourist areas at the canyon; South Rim, North Rim and West Rim. The South Rim is the most popular “rim” mainly because of the distance in mileage from Flagstaff, 80 miles or 231 miles from Phoenix. The North Rim from November to April closes due to weather conditions, snow. The Hualapai Nation built and opened, in 2007, the Skywalk on the West Rim. The Skywalk is a glass bridge that overlooks the West Rim. It is almost impossible to see all three rims in one day. Five million visitors visit the Grand Canyon every year.

Williams, Arizona is 30 miles west of Flagstaff and 60 miles from the Grand Canyon. It is mostly known for two reasons, it is part of the Historic Route 66 and from Williams one can take the Grand Canyon Railway. This train ride takes visitors directly to the South Rim, the Grand Canyon Villages and back to Williams. On the 60 mile ride you will see a mock “Old West” train robbery with all train employees in old west costumes. Especially around the winter holidays it can be an exceptionally beautiful ride through snow covered mountains on to high desert plains with colorful plateaus.

Lake Powell, wow, this lake is almost as spectacular as the Grand Canyon.  I guess it should be since it is the upper portion of the Grand Canyon. Glen Canyon Dam was built along the Colorado River thus creating Lake Powell. A small portion of the lake is in Arizona with a large portion in Utah. This lake is the second largest man made lake in the United States with 186 miles long and 1,960 miles of shoreline plus in some portions 400 feet deep. This area is classified as a high desert area due to its 3,700 feet elevation. You could spend the next 30 years exploring Lake Powell and still not experience all it offers. With 96 major rock canyons to explore, most by boat, you had better get started. Some of the famous areas to visit are Rainbow Bridge, pictured below, Antelope Canyon, simple unbelievable and pictured below, Padre Bay, Gunsight Buttes and Cookie Jar Butte. The absolutely best way to experience Lake Powell is by houseboat. Houseboats can be rented at Wahweap Marina, and Bull Frog Marina. Other marinas along the way are Halls Crossing Marina, Antelope Point Marina and Hite Marina. I have been fortunate to experience four house boat trips on Lake Powell and I hope to take many more in the future. One piece of advice I would like to share, when the summer storms roll in, anytime in the afternoon, please respect the lightening!

Monument Valley provides perhaps the most enduring and definitive images of the American west. This is an area of free standing sandstone rock forms that rise majestically from the desert floor. Some of the rock forms go as high as 1,000 feet tall and create an amazing desert landscape. Most of you will think you have seen this area before but it was probably in movies and postcards. Monument Valley is entirely within the Navajo Nation, in the northeastern corner and on the Arizona/Utah borders. Some of the special photos you have seen, including below, are “The Mittens”, Merrick Butte, Three Sisters and Ear of the Wind. This place is a natural wonder.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument is located on the Navajo Indian Reservation by the town of Chinle. The Canyon de Chelly system actually comprises four main gorges, Canyon del Muerto, Black Rock Canyon, Canyon de Chelly and Monument Canyon, with many side ravines, branching into the Defiance Plateau. A couple of popular sites to see are Spider Rocks and White House Ruins. Spider Rocks are twin 800 foot towers of rock isolated from the canyon walls and a site of special significance for the Navajo. The area is made of red stone canyons that cut an almost tropical path of tree and flowers through the desert, all year round. Other special rock formations in this area to keep an eye out for includes Shiprock, a 1700 foot dormant volcano, Lupton Tea Pot, Grand Falls, Elephant Feet, El Capitan, Church rock, and Baby Rocks.

The White Mountains are absolutely beautiful and offers four seasons and plenty of snow each year. Located northeast of Phoenix and approximately a three hour drive many Phoenix and Tucson residents own cabins or rent cabins to escape the heat of summer or enjoy a festive holiday season. A combination of pine and aspen trees make the areas changing of the seasons very colorful. Many people in Arizona and New Mexico enjoy Sunrise Park ski area. The larger city around this area is Show Low with towns such as Pine Top, Lakeside and Springerville offer plenty of service to meet ones needs. Greer is a small community tucked back into the mountains that offers incredible camping and fishing. The Little Colorado River runs through Greer and along with the White River supplies several local lakes in the area, such as, Greer Lakes, Big Lake, Holly Lake and Sunrise Lake. The White Mountains are in the Fort Apache Reservation and Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. When traveling from the Phoenix area to the White Mountains, you will pass through the Town of Payson, the gateway to the Mogollon Rim, in the Tonto National Forest. If you fish, ski, camp, off road, hike, mountain bike, horseback ride, read, relax or just enjoy Gods beauty, this is the place.

You have now experienced the Northern section of Arizona. I do hope this will inspire many of you to travel to this area and enjoy these sites first hand. Many additional pictures of the area can be found at the end of the sections of Arizona. A very important point to keep in mind when traveling through Arizona, we have many American Indian Nations. The Native American Tribes in Northern Arizona include the White Mountain Apache Tribe, the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, the Havasupai Indian Nation, the Hualapai Tribe, Kaibab-Pauite Tribe, the Tonto Apache Tribe and the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe. On every reservation the Indian Tribes have their own laws that we must abide by and respect. We also need to respect every ruin, piece of artifact, anything that represents the proud heritage of the Indian Nations.