Trying to decide where to spend cool-country time this summer?
Here’s a guide to high-country cities and towns close enough to Phoenix
for a soothing weekend trip.
Distance from Phoenix: 146 miles
Average daily low and high temperatures during July: 50 and 81
Mix a casual attitude with a college city and cool mountain air and you get Flagstaff. At the base of the San Francisco Peaks and at the intersection of interstates 40 and 17, the city was founded in 1894. It’s loaded with gorgeous views and plenty of eateries, bars and places to stay. Flagstaff also plays host to festivals throughout the summer.
Points of pride include a charming and walkable downtown, the Arizona Historical Society’s Pioneer Museum, Lowell Observatory, the Museum of Northern Arizona and the Arboretum at Flagstaff, all of which are great for families.
DETAILS:
1-800-842-7293
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce
Mayer, Cordes Junction, Arcosanti
Distance from Phoenix: 60 to 70 miles
Average daily low and high temperatures during July: 66 and 96
Motorists often whiz past Mayer on the way from Phoenix to Prescott. If they stopped, they would find historical buildings, including the elementary school. Mayer was founded in 1881 by businessman Joseph Mayer, and the area at one time was home to several mining operations. Not far from the highway is a smelter smokestack that can’t be missed, a reminder of the town’s mining past.
Arcosanti, the futuristic community founded by architect Paolo Soleri to provide “an alternative to urban sprawl,” is home to 85 people. Mary Hoadley, a self-described idealist from the 1960s, has lived in the Cordes Junction community for 34 years. “It’s a great privilege,” she said. Visitors can stay at Arcosanti and use it as a base camp for exploring central Arizona, Hoadley said.
DETAILS:
1-(928)-632-4355
1-(928)-632-6217
Arcosanti
Distance from Phoenix: 93 miles
Average daily low and high temperatures during July: 58 and 92
Payson is a drive-through kind of town because it’s so close to the Valley. But there are places to explore here, and the town serves as the gateway to the Mogollon Rim. The town’s Rim Country Museum offers a glimpse into the past with a replica of an old hotel, the area’s first U.S. forest ranger station and a 1905 log cabin.
About 11 miles north of Payson is Tonto Natural Bridge, believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world, rising 183 feet over a 400-foot-long tunnel that measures 150 feet across at its widest point.
Be sure to visit Natural Travetine Bridge in Payson. Underground springs with mineral-laden waters have built up large deposits of travertine (calcium carbonate) that is extraordinary to visit and explore.
DETAILS:
1-(928)-474-4515
Rim Country Regional Chamber of Commerce
Distance from Phoenix: 190 miles
Average daily low and high temperatures during July: 52 and 82
It’s probably no surprise that there are lots of lakes and streams (more than 60) and plenty of pine trees (exact number not available) around this White Mountain hamlet. That means plenty of trout and other fish, as well as hiking trails.
Visitors also can browse art and antiques shops in the area. Plenty of campsites are available, and the region has golf courses and a casino, the Hon-Dah Resort Casino and Conference Center.
Pinetop and Lakeside were founded in the 1880s by Mormon settlers. The towns incorporated as one in 1984.
DETAILS:
1-800-573-4031
Pinetop-Lakeside
Distance from Phoenix: 102 miles
Average daily low and high temperatures during July: 57 and 89
When it comes to bragging rights, this city has ‘em. Prescott was the first territorial capital of Arizona and still boasts a charming Courthouse Plaza, which often hosts art shows and festivals during the summer. Its cute downtown is filled with antiques shops, art galleries, and places to eat and relax.
From gorgeous Victorian-style houses to picturesque Thumb Butte, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
DETAILS:
1-800-266-7534
City of Prescott
Visit Prescott
Distance from Phoenix: 87 miles
Average daily low and high temperatures during July: 61 and 90
Bordered by the Prescott National Forest, this young community is growing quickly. According to the Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce, the town grew from 8,858 people in 1990 to more than 20,000 today.
Founded in 1966, Prescott Valley doesn’t have the history that other Arizona towns have. Hiking trails, lookout areas and camping facilities are offered at nearby Mingus Recreation Area (1-928-759-3090), on Arizona 89A between Jerome and Prescott Valley, and Fain Park offers fishing and hiking trails. For good, clean fun, try Mountain Valley Splash (1-928-775-3165), the outdoor aquatic center at Mountain Valley Park. The Splash is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
DETAILS:
1-(928)-772-8857 or Town of Prescott Valley or Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce
Distance from Phoenix: 119 miles
Average daily low and high temperatures during July: 65 and 96
Sedona’s sandstone cliffs and rock formations are a ravishing shade of red, and then there’s all that green in Oak Creek Canyon. The New Age lifestyle is also alive and well in this city. In May 2003, Sedona was named USA Weekend’s “Most Beautiful Place in America” in its annual travel report.
Visitors should head for Slide Rock State Park, where kids of all ages can get in the water; Red Rock State Park, which teaches the younger crowd about area geology and history; local Native American ruins; and a trolley tour or, for the more hardy traveler, a Jeep tour.
DETAILS:
1-800-288-7336
Visit Sedona
Distance from Phoenix: 174 miles
Average daily low and high temperatures during July: 57 and 86
The story goes that two men, C.E. Cooley and Marion Clark, decided the place just wasn’t big enough for both of them. So they decided to let a card game decide which one would start packing. Clark purportedly said, “If you can show low, you win.” To which Cooley is said to have replied, while displaying a deuce of clubs, “Show Low it is.”
That’s why the city’s Chamber of Commerce is on a street named Deuce of Clubs and why another major street is named Cooley. Locals recommend visits to Fool Hollow Lake for wildlife viewing and fishing, and to the Show Low Historical Museum or Show Low Park, which hosts summer concerts on Saturday nights.
DETAILS:
1-888-SHOW LOW (746-9569)
Show Low Chamber of Commerce
Distance from Phoenix: 172 miles
Average daily low and high temperatures during July: 56 and 90
First, clear your mind of alpine settings and woodsy cabins. Snowflake sits at about 5,600 feet, making it the northernmost White Mountain town, but it receives less than 10 inches of snow each year and has a mild climate.
“It’s deserty, not piney,” said Nancy Noble, secretary for the Snowflake-Taylor Chamber of Commerce. Taylor, Snowflake’s sister town, is about three miles away.
Visitors can tour historical homes, many of which were built by settlers in the 1880s and are on the National Register of Historic Places. For touring information, call 1-(928)-536-4881. Another good bet is Stinson Museum, full of Snowflake history.
DETAILS:
1-(928)-536-4331
Snowflake-Taylor Chamber of Commerce
Distance from Phoenix: 170 miles
Average daily low and high temperatures during July: 58 and 84
Named for mountain man and trapper Bill Williams, this self-described “Gateway to the Grand Canyon” was founded in the late 1800s and sits along historic Route 66.
Visitors to the city should check out the Grand Canyon Railway Museum and Old West Main Street, a new “living history” museum with re-enactments of circa-1890s life.
Just watch out if you’re out and about around 7 p.m. from May through Labor Day. Gunfighters – or folks dressed up and pretending to be – take over the downtown streets and mild chaos ensues, to the delight of visitors.
DETAILS:
1-(928)-635-1418
Williams – Gateway to the Grand Canyon
Distance from Phoenix: 184 miles.
Average daily low and high temperatures during July: 62 and 93
People all over the world have heard about this city, about 50 miles east of Flagstaff. Immortalized in the Eagles’ hit Take It Easy, Winslow now has a Standin’ on the Corner Park, at Kinsley Avenue and Second Street (historic Route 66). Visitors will find a mural of a pretty blonde in a pickup truck combined with a life-size statue of a young man with a guitar. And there’s still a chance to be part of the whole thing by having your name printed on a brick in the park’s sidewalk.
Locals also recommend checking out – and checking into – a recently restored 1929 hotel, La Posada.
DETAILS:
1-(928)-289-4366
Explore Route 66
Source for temperatures and mileage (measured from central Phoenix): Arizona Department of Commerce
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