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Popular General Tips | Other General Tips Tips | All Tips (264)
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Our Friend, the Saguaro
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  • Yikes! A saguaro can weight 3000 lbs - Arizona
    Yikes! A saguaro can
    weight 3000 lbs
    by madamx
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    The first thing that comes to mind for me about Arizona is the wonderful Saguaro cactus. A symbol to many people of Arizona (and I noticed it on car license plates), the saguaro is much more than a picturesque cactus.

    It is a great contributor to the ecosystem -- the natives ate it's sweet fruit, and the fruit provides food for birds and animals. It also provides a home for birds, and the dried internal ribs can be used as building material.

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    Desert Beauty
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  • Arizona was my 2nd of 3 desert vacations in 3 years.. Number 1 being Tunisia and number 3 being Nevada. Each of them were so different from one another. I loved all the plant life here. From Giant saguro cacti to little yellow Mexican Poppies, everything was so beautiful.

    My favorite place was the Lost Dutchman State Park. It wasn't too crowded and the views were stunning.

    Relaxing in the speedboat while in the Black Canyon on Lake Mohave

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    Warm Temperatures and Warm People
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  • A bouquet to all Arizonans! - Arizona
    A bouquet to all Arizonans!
    by madamx
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    Arizona should not be called the Grand Canyon State, but the Friendliest State. A huge majority of the people we met were just so darn friendly. In fact, the rudest people we met were tourists from other states! (I won't incriminate myself by mentioning what states)

    We made many friends on this trip, and had many wonderful conversations with locals.

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    Phoenix
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  • Arizona's capital and largest city, Phoenix is known for its hot, sunny, desert climate. It sits in a wide valley known as the Valley of the Sun, which is well named, since Phoenix experiences over 300 days of sunshine per year, and summer temperatures routinely top 100 degrees Farenheit (38 degrees Celcius).

    The area was first settled by the Hohokam Indians in about 300 B.C. They constructed an elaborate system of canals to bring water from the Salt River to their crops. The Hohokam Indians mysteriously disappeared, and the Valley of the Sun remained empty until 1865, when Camp McDowell was established as a military outpost.

    In 1870, a settlement was established by Jack Swilling, a Confederate soldier, when he built a mill along the Salt River. One of the town's early settlers, Phillip Darrel Duppa, named the settlement Phoenix, because like the mythological bird which rose from its own ashes, it rose from the ashes of the Hohokam irrigation system. In 1889, the city's fortunes were guaranteed when the territorial capital was moved from Prescott to Phoenix.

    Throughout its history, Phoenix grew slowly. However, within the last few decades, the population has exploded as people have moved into the area for the warm sunny climate and an increasingly diverse economy. Nowadays, Phoenix is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, and is the center of a metropolitan area with about 4,310,000 inhabitants.

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    Tucson
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  • Tucson is situated at the north end of a 500-square-mile (1,295-square-kilometer) valley bordered by the Santa Catalina Mountains to the north, the Santa Rita Mountains to the south, the Rincon Mountains to the east, and the Boboquivari Mountains to the west. The area was inhabited by the Tohono O'odham Indians starting about 12,000 years ago, making Tucson one of the oldest continuously inhabited areas in the United States.

    Europeans first arrived in 1692 when Father Eusebio Francisco Kino founded the San Xavier del Bac Mission south of present-day Tucson. The Spanish military established a presidio in 1775, and Spanish settlers began arriving in 1776. They called their new town Tucson, after the Tohono O'odham word stjukshon (pronounced chuk-son), meaning "water at the foot of the black mountain."

    In 1854 Arizona became part of the United States when much of the Southwest was transferred to the United States pursuant to the Gadsden Purchase, which was part of the treaty ending the Mexican-American War. After that, the town became a frontier outpost for the American army. In 1880, the Southern Pacific Railroad passed through the town, which became a railroad hub and shipping center. Tucson also served for a period as the capital of the Arizona Territory, from 1867 to 1877.

    Nowadays, Tucson is the second-largest city in Arizona, with about 800,000 inhabitants in its metropolitan area. Like Phoenix, it is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States

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    It's all about the Scenery
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  • From Lava Flows to Snow Covered Peaks ... - Arizona
    From Lava Flows to Snow
    Covered Peaks ...
    by madamx
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    Arizona's environment is wonderfuly varied. You can be in desert, and 20 minutes later, be in ponderosa forest. The canyons, rock formations, wildlife, mountains -- Arizona is just AMAZING.

    You could explore a lifetime and not see it all.

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    More and more
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  • You'll be amazed at how many interesting places there are to visit. We managed to pack a lot into our week in Arizona, but there is still so much more there! A few of the things I'd like to see when I return are the Petrified forest, the Sunset Crater, Organ Pipe Cactus nat'l park, Tuscon, and the list goes on! And I'd like to go back and explore fully some of the places we only spent a few hours at. It's a gorgeous state, stay as long as you can!

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    Bright Angel Trail
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  • We pulled in around midnight and found a parking lot and crawled into the back of the truck and went to sleep. We woke up before sunrise and starting hiking the Bright Angel Trail! We made sure we had our cameras. But guess what? We didn't bring anything to eat or drink!! Well prepared for anything huh? Well we hiked to Promitory Point to get a good view of the Colorado River. It was a beautiul morning for a hike.

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    A Great Place to Find Information
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  • If you are planning trip to Arizona and would like a resource for the state the following official Arizona website will give you help: www.arizonaguide.com
    This official site is full of information. Under nature and Adventure you can search the Grand Canyon, Monuments, State Parks, and wildlife. You can explore the Old West, Native Americans, or the Hispanic Influences in Arizona by clicking on Culture. You can also search Golf, Resorts, Shopping, and Restaurants. You may choose to explore by region or city, and can access an interactive map. There is even a Kids section. Besides this and other interesting areas you will find a calendar of events, and are able to order a Visitors Guide.

    My fondest memories are hiking in the Tucson and Organ Pipe areas of Arizona. For city activities, Tucson was my favorite. We visited so many interesting places in Tucson, and we enjoyed every one we went to, especially the Desert Museum, which I have been to twice and would go to again!

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    Mount Lemon...
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  • Go to the top of mount Lemon by car.

    The ride up to the top of Mount Lemon, the nature walk with family and laying on the grass in the shade to cool and seeing a little patch of snow ( in April) still remaining on the mountain. The picture shows a winter scene ( advertisement).

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    More Arizona Tips
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