Northern Arizona Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Northern Arizona is a region in Arizona, a state of the United States of America. It is most famous for the Grand Canyon but includes a wide range of other destinations that are notable for their scenery and diversity.

Map of Northern Arizona

• 34.3425-112.10061 Arcosanti — a planned community in Arizona notable for its crafts
• 35.221111-112.4872222 Ash Fork
• 35.115556-114.5886113 Bullhead City
• 34.566667-111.8561114 Camp Verde
• 36.989444-112.9780565 Colorado City — the largest polygamist community in the US may also be the remotest town in the lower 48, both geographically and culturally (though this is rapidly changing)
• 34.732145-112.0185656 Cottonwood — a more populated city close to the Red Rock region of Sedona and the Verde River Valley
• 35.199167-111.6311117 Flagstaff — the biggest city in the area
• 36.949444-112.5216678 Fredonia — gateway to the Grand Canyon
• 34.748889-112.1138899 Jerome
• 36.714167-110.26027810 Kayenta
• 35.208333-114.02583311 Kingman — gateway to Nevada and California
• 34.9475-111.45222212 Mormon Lake Village
• 36.914167-111.45972213 Page — slot canyons and Lake Powell
• 35.534444-113.42333314 Peach Springs
• 34.541667-112.46944415 Prescott
• 34.86-111.78916716 Sedona — Red Rock mountains and crystal healing energy vortices
• 35.328333-112.87416717 Seligman
• 36.129167-111.23861118 Tuba City — largest town in the Navajo Nation
• 35.249444-112.1919 Williams — gateway to the Grand Canyon and Route 66
• 35.028611-110.70083320 Winslow

• 35.414444-114.1994441 Chloride — a "living ghost town" just off the road to Vegas
• 36.993611-111.4869442 Glen Canyon National Recreation Area — Lake Powell
• 36.3-112.63 Grand Canyon – the world's most famous canyon
• 36.4-113.74 Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument – a national monument protecting the western end of the Grand Canyon
• 36.1267-112.0095 Kaibab Plateau
• 36.186944-109.5736116 Navajo Nation
• 36.678332-110.5409727 Navajo National Monument
• 34.716111-111.918 Page Springs — Wine Country, Northern Arizona's answer to the Napa Valley
• 36.861944-112.7372229 Pipe Spring National Monument — a site of historical interest near Fredonia.
• 35.365579-111.50065210 Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument — preserves an 11th-century volcanic cinder cone of scenic and scientific interest.
• 36.806389-111.74111111 Vermilion Cliffs National Monument — beautiful colorful cliffs and rock formations
• 35.171667-111.50972212 Walnut Canyon National Monument — an important archaeological site in a scenic setting
• 35.565556-111.38694413 Wupatki National Monument — also has interesting archaeological sites

For purposes of this article, North (Arizona) is taken to be everything in the state north of Interstate highway 40 (following the historic Route 66), west of (and including) Winslow and east of Kingman. The region also extends southward along I-17 from Flagstaff toward Phoenix, to include attractions within 20 miles or so of the highway north of Greater Phoenix. This definition is arbitrary, as region definitions for this state vary.

This is a geographically diverse area that contains not only the famous Grand Canyon but also some mountainous country near Flagstaff and lesser canyon/mesa terrain to the east and west. Part of Navajo Nation falls within this region. There are a number of national parks and monuments here, many of them either clustered around Flagstaff or within Navajo Nation. Flagstaff makes a good base of operations from which to explore these attractions, most of which do not feature lodging themselves.

The northernmost part of this region is separated from the rest of it by the Grand Canyon and is known as the "Arizona Strip" - no relation to the "Strip" in Las Vegas, although that city isn't far away as the crow flies. Getting to the Arizona Strip from elsewhere in northern Arizona can be tricky owing to the obvious logistical difficulties imposed by the Canyon, and as a result, it has acquired a cultural identity that in many regards has more to do with southern Utah than with the rest of Arizona. First settled by Mormon pioneers, the area features several areas of interest such as Pipe Spring National Monument, a onetime Mormon outpost, and Colorado City, a polygamist community on the Arizona-Utah border.

English in the state of Arizona represents a blend of North Midland and South Midland dialects without clear regional differences. Although English is the primary language of Arizona, many primary and secondary Spanish speakers are prevalent due to the state's proximity to Mexico. Much of the regional language and place-names are directly influenced by Spanish and the local Native American languages. With the possible exception of the Navajo word hogan (earthand-timber dwelling), the linguistic influence of Arizona's Yuma, Papago (Tohono O'odham), Pima(Akimel O'odham), Hiaki (Yaqui), Apache, Navajo(Dine), and Hopi tribes is strongly limited to place-names, including Arizona itself, Yuma, Havasu, Tucson, and Oraibi.

Regional airports with air service:

• Flagstaff, connecting to Phoenix.
• Page, with service from Las Vegas and Phoenix - with Contour Airlines.
• Prescott, connecting with Los Angeles and Denver with United Airlines.

Air service to Bullhead City and the Grand Canyon airport in Tusayan has existed in the past.

Amtrak rolls through the region on the Southwest Chief, Amtrak's main line through the southwestern United States, runs east-west through the region, with a major and well-centralized stop in Flagstaff as well as smaller stations in Winslow, Williams and Kingman (daily departure; Chicago - Kansas City - Albuquerque - Flagstaff - Los Angeles).

Primary access into northern Arizona is by road.

• Interstate 17 (I-17) is a north-south intra-state route, connecting Flagstaff and Phoenix (and can be a complete zoo on the weekends as Phoenicians get out of town).
• Interstate 40 (I-40) is an east-west cross-state route, coming from California across the Colorado River, connecting Kingman, Ash Fork, Williams, Flagstaff, Winslow, and Holbrook; continuing into New Mexico, heading to Albuquerque.
• Historic Route 66 follows the route of I-40 along this region's southern edge, with points of interest along the way and reasonably good roads leading north and south. I-17 connects Flagstaff and Phoenix (and can be a complete zoo on the weekends as Phoenicians get out of town).

Access from the north is distinctly limited by the daunting terrain of the Grand Canyon.

• US Highway 89 and 89A (ALT 89) enter from Utah north of the Grand Canyon. US 89 crosses Glen Canyon into Page, and US 89A crosses into Arizona further west just south of Kanab. US 89 contiues south from Page and eventually connects to I-40 near Flagstaff.

• U.S. Route 93 (US 93) is a major north-south route which gets a lot of Phoenix-Vegas traffic; US 93 starts in Wickenburg, runs through Kingman and on towards Hoover Dam, Las Vegas and on wards into Nevada.

Flagstaff and Sedona are the only towns in this region large enough to have significant nightlife. Visitors to the region should note that alcoholic beverages are prohibited within Navajo Nation.

• North – continue north to the Canyon Country region of the state of Utah, if you enjoy the canyon country found here.
• South – Western Arizona, Greater Phoenix or Mogollon Rim regions of Arizona.
• East – Northwest New Mexico.
• West – Southern Nevada with Las Vegas, and or Southern California Desert.