 | Arizona Off the Beaten Path | Tips 1 - 10 of 161 |  |
Popular Off the Beaten Path | Other Off the Beaten Path Tips | All Tips (161) V Bar V used to be a working ranch located on the edge of Beaver Creek. To reach V Bar V, you must travel on fairly good dirt roads (do not attempt this trip if it is raining) There is a small information centre where you must register, and the petroglyphs are located on a cliff face about a 5 minute walk from the information centre.
V Bar V is the largest petroglyph site in the Verde Valley, and they have identified about 1,032 individual petroglyphs here. You can even see where the rancher in the late 1800's tried to add his name to the petroglyphs by chiselling his initials on the rock face.
V Bar V is only open Friday through Monday, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, and they can close the site at any time for various reasons, such as research or archeological digs. So, if you plan to head out, you takes yer chances. However, if you are even remotely interested in petroglyphs, it is well worth your while.
Directions: it's hard to explain how to get there, as the site is on unmarked dirt roads, so your best bet is to ask the park service personnel at Montezuma Well, as the site is not far from there. They will give you a clear map and directions, and perhaps can phone for you to see if the site is open for visitors. Leave a Comment
|
 | |  |
Visiting Arizona?
Read reviews about Arizona Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
We came across this little place called Willow Beach Harbor where we rented a speed boat. It's located on Lake Mohave below the Hoover Dam. You can drive your boat past almost up to the dam through these great canyons, very cool! The water was painfully cold about 50 degrees! It was over a hundred outside so it was quite a contrast! There are places along the river where you can pull over and get out and explore. unfortunately we only had a couple hours before the place closed so we didn't have much time to linger. Make sure to get there early and make a day of it.
It's truly one of the most beautiful places I've been. Leave a Comment Phone: 928) 767-4747
|
Located in the Superstition mountains, Lost Dutchman State Park was the location of a hidden goldmine kept secret by Jacob Waltz known as "the Dutchman"
We arrived in early spring and all of the california poppies were in bloom, it was just breathtaking. A great place to hike, take pictures and relax. There are a few different trails leading up to the focal point of this park, the rock formations. The trails wind forever though the fields of thousands of flowers dotted with the occasional cacti.
There are picnic and camping facilities in the park
Loat Dutchman is also at the beginning of the "Apache Trail" which I will list in the things to do section.
6109 N. Apache Trail
Apache Junction, Arizona 85219 Leave a Comment
|
This site gives you great bang for your buck: a chance to see rock art that is 6,000 years old, and a chance to climb into an ancient Singaua dwelling.
Palatki is situated in a beautiful red rock canyon and the cliff dwelling you can go into was occupied from 100 to 1300. There are a couple of short, rocky, fairly steep trails to see the sites. If you think you will have trouble walking these, you can view the dwellings from a viewpoint on a loop trail, but not the rock art. There are very informative interpreters stationed at the art and the dwellings. You even get a chance to see 900 year old fingerprints, where someone was applying mud to the dwelling. Do make time to see this site if you can.
You reach Palatki by driving on dirt and gravel roads, and don't attempt this trip if it is raining as conditions on the roads can deteriorate rapidly. You must phone ahead and reserve yourself a spot as there are only 20 parking spaces available at one time.
The site is open from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, 7 days a week.
Directions: Head south on Highway 89A, and make a right-hand turn onto FR 525, about 8 miles from Cottonwood. Then, follow the signs. Watch carefully for the turn-off, as the sign is quite small. If you do miss it, there is a left hand turn bay heading north on Highway 89, and plenty of turn arounds located on the Highway, if you do drive past the turn-off. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
The small village of Tubac was first settled about 250 years ago when the Spanish established a garrison along the Santa Cruz River to protect the area from the Apaches. It was the first European settlement in what is now Arizona. During its tumultuous history, the town was attacked by the Apaches, abandoned, re-established as a mining town, abandoned again, and finally resettled again.
In the 1940s, Tubac became an artists' colony when the Dale Nichol's Artist School opened. Many of the artists and students who attended the school stayed, and opened studios and galleries. Nowadays, Tubac has a population of 250 and contains dozens of chic art galleries, shops, and restaurants.
Tubac comes from a Tohono O'odham Indian word meaning "black pool of water" or "low area" referring to its site along the Santa Cruz River. Leave a Comment
|
Visiting Arizona?
Read reviews about Arizona Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
In the northern part of the state there are beautiful forests and mountains. Not what one usually pictures when mentioning Arizona. On the way to the Grand Canyon, somewhere along Rt 180 in the Kaibab National Forest, we pulled over in a rest stop to enjoy the scenery for a bit Leave a Comment
|
On the way to the Grand Canyon from Scottsdale, we stopped in Camp Verde to see Montezuma's Castle. It's not a castle at all, but Native American dwellings built into a cliffside about 875 years ago. Visitors are not allowed inside, you must view the buildings from below. You may want binoculars. Worth a stop!
Take exit 289off of I-17 and follow the signs! Leave a Comment
|
This could also be listed as a Must See as it is one of my favorite places in Arizona. I have spent a number of weeks around this area, and although this is far from any towns of much size and one of the least visited places in the state, I would love to return here again and stay for another extended period. This desert is absolutely beautiful, and if you are lucky enough to visit it after a series of rains, surprisingly green. In this monument you will find mountain landscape as well as the desert. Organ Pipe is 516 square miles in size and is open year-round. The visitor center includes audiovisual programs, exhibits, interpretive activities, information, and a bookstore. Two winding scenic drives on graded dirt roads are available as well as numerous hiking trails. Summers are very hot here and can also bring rain, so winter is a more comfortable time to visit the area. For more information about this park, its drives, and hiking trails see my Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument pages. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
Being so close to I-40, this is more like a 'ON the beaten path' tip, but I love this stopping point along my route and just wanted to share it with you ...
The Hopi Travel Plaza has clean bathrooms, several food choices from fast food to a sit-down restaurant. It's located south of I-40, and a local museum/dinosaur park is on the northside of the same exit. Nothing much else is out in this area :)
Three different shopping areas will keep you distracted if you wish - well priced Native American jewelry is in the center kiosk, and rock shop that sells local and more distant samples, and a western wear store w/ kitshy t-shirts as well as nicer leather and denim.
There is also an arcade, and laundromat, gas station (of course), and even a truck/RV wash.
All who work here are always friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable about the local area - including the local Native American lands, nearby national parks, and the petrified forest.
FYI-Though I haven't used the trucker facilities, a trucker friend tells me they have the best shower rooms for hundreds of miles. Truckers live in their trucks, and use truck stops to gas up, fill their bellies, distract themselves and get cleaned up. He tells me their rentable shower rooms are marble and have great water pressure and temperature controls. You get a free shower w/ a 50 gallon gas purchase so ... for the rest of us, we'll just have to live vicariously - and pay :) Leave a Comment Phone: Phone: 928-524-6243Other Contact: Fax: 928-524-9095
|
| | |
The Huachuca Mountains, near Sierra Vista, offer a variety of activities, from beautiful picnic areas, to hiking and camping.
There are also numerous completely abandoned mining caves for spelunking, though do so entirely at your own risk. No tours, entry fees, or safety ropes here!
I wandered through several caves as a kid, encountering bats, bugs, darkness, waist deep water, old mining carts, and a variety of stalactites/stalagmites. What fun! Leave a Comment
|
|
|
on April 18, 2005
on April 16, 2004
on August 27, 2007
on September 1, 2003
on May 6, 2005
on September 12, 2003
