Flagstaff
Historic Downtown
At the Visitor’s Center, located in the train station in the old city center, ask for a copy of the Flagstaff Historic Walk by Richard and Sherry Magnum (it’s free). This is a bit dated (1993) but is still an excellent and highly detailed self-guided walk of about three quarters of a mile that takes the visitor past many historic buildings.
Lowell Observatory
Lowell Observatory, founded in 1894, is a non-profit astronomical research and educational outreach institution located on Mars Hill in Flagstaff, Arizona. Visitors open your mind to awe and wonder under the famously dark skies of Flagstaff, Arizona, the world’s first International Dark Sky City. Look up from anywhere in the city to see more stars than you can count. For the best views, head to Mars Hill and the grounds of 125-year-old Lowell Observatory. This is where Pluto was discovered in 1930, an event you can relive during one of the observatory’s many guided tours.
Lowell Observatory
Lowell Observatory, founded in 1894, is a non-profit astronomical research and educational outreach institution located on Mars Hill in Flagstaff, Arizona. Visitors open your mind to awe and wonder under the famously dark skies of Flagstaff, Arizona, the world’s first International Dark Sky City. Look up from anywhere in the city to see more stars than you can count. For the best views, head to Mars Hill and the grounds of 125-year-old Lowell Observatory. This is where Pluto was discovered in 1930, an event you can relive during one of the observatory’s many guided tours.
Walnut Canyon National Monument
This National Monument tells the story of the ancient Native American Indian tribes that once inhabited these cliff dwellings. The visitor center has a movie telling the story of the Sanauga Tribe. The names means “without water”. They stayed a few hundred years and then migrated South and merged with other tribes, while there are trails to the cliff dwellings, be sure to wear your hiking shoes and by all means take water.
Lava River Cave
Bring a head lamp or flashlight. Tennis shoes are fine unless there has been a heavy rain or snow. It is a very short, flat hike from the parking area. At first the hike into the cave is rocky but the further in you get the easier the walking. In two places the ceiling drops down enough I had the bend down quite a bit but then rises again. I walked upright most of the way to the end. There are no offshoots, you really can’t get lost.
Lava River Cave
Bring a head lamp or flashlight. Tennis shoes are fine unless there has been a heavy rain or snow. It is a very short, flat hike from the parking area. At first the hike into the cave is rocky but the further in you get the easier the walking. In two places the ceiling drops down enough I had the bend down quite a bit but then rises again. I walked upright most of the way to the end. There are no offshoots, you really can’t get lost.
Wupatki National Monument
Explore this fascinating ancient pueblo, located near the San Francisco Peaks, which once housed almost 100 members of the Anasazi and Sinagua tribes.