Patriots Square Park
(602) 495-3798 or (602) 261-8055
Central Ave. and Washington St.
The 2.5-acre park boasts an outdoor performing arts stage with a 10,000-watt PA system and framed by a man-made waterfall. A large parking garage is situated under the park.
South Mountain Park
(602) 495-0222
10919 S. Central Ave.
Encompassing an impressive 16,500-acre section of Phoenix, South Mountain Park is the largest municipal park in the world. It boasts more than 300 species of flora and is home to a variety of fauna. Picnic areas and ramadas, hiking trails, and scenic lookouts are offered. A paved road leads to the mountains summit where visitors enjoy a panoramic view of the valley.
Squaw Peak Recreation Area
(602) 262-7901
2701 E. Squaw Peak Dr.
Squaw Peak, part of the Phoenix Mountain Preserves, is one of the citys best-known landmarks. A 1.2-mile trail leads to the summit, which offers a spectacular view of the Valley of the Sun.
Telephone Pioneers of America Park
(602) 262-4543
1946 W. Morningside Dr.
This barrier-free park features wheelchair-accessible playground equipment, two beep-baseball fields, a therapeutic heated pool (for disabled and their families only), an activity room, and courts for handball, volleyball, tennis, and basketball. Ramadas, grills, and picnic areas also are on-site.
Tonto National Forest
(602) 225-5200
2324 E. McDowell Rd.
The forests 2.9 million acres comprise one of central Arizona’s most scenic outdoor recreation areas. Its lakes are popular sites for water sports and serve as watersheds and wildlife habitats as well. The Salt and Verde Rivers offer opportunities for tubing, rafting, and fishing. In higher elevations near Payson and Young, there are camping and other outdoor recreation opportunities. Fire restrictions may be in place during the summer season.
Out of Africa Wildlife Park
(480) 837-7779
Featured at this wildlife park are leopards, mountain lions, and tigers. The Arizona exhibit includes wolves, bears, and cougars. 2 mi. northeast of Shea Blvd. and Hwy. 87, Fountain Hills.
Papago Park/Hole-in-the-Rock
(602) 256-3220
Galvin Pkwy. and Van Buren St.
Home of the Hole-in-the-Rock landmark, this parks attractions
include the Phoenix Zoo, the Desert Botanical Garden, a golf course, museums, fishing lagoons, and hiking and biking trails.
The Phoenix Zoo
(602) 273-1341
455 N. Galvin Pkwy.
Zoo trails showcase the animals and plants of the tropics, the
African savanna, and the Arizona desert. Discovery Trail features small animals and a petting zoo and the new Harmony Farm. More than 1,300 animals make their home here.
Arizona Biltmore
(602) 955-6600
24th Street and Missouri Avenue
Deer Valley Rock Art Center
(602) 582-8007
3711 W. Deer Valley Road
Goldfield Ghost Town
(480) 983-0333
North of Apache Junction, Highway 88
In Phoenix
Camelback Mountain
(602) 256-3220
East McDonald Drive at Tatum Boulevard
Encanto Park
(602) 261-8993
15th Avenue and Encanto Boulevard
Lost Dutchman State Park
(480) 982-4485
Superstition Mountains
Papago Park
(602) 256-3220
Galvin Parkway and Van Buren Street
South Mountain Park
(602) 495-0222
10919 South Central Avenue
Squaw Peak
(602) 262-7901
2701 East Squaw Peak Drive
Telephone Pioneers of America Park
(602) 262-4543
1946 West Morningside Drive
Around Phoenix
The Apache Trail
Located on Arizona Hwy. 88, about 2 hours from Phoenix. This famous scenic drive trail will take you winding up, down, and all around through the Superstition Mountains and Tonto National Forest. You’ll pass through thickets of Cholla, Palo Verde Trees, Sauguaros and Chaparral, past the miniscule town of Tortilla Flat, and by Roosevelt Dam and Lake.
The Grand Canyon
Located on Route 180, about five hours from Phoenix. This is one of the great spectacles of the world, and words will not do it justice. Drive northwest as often as you like to bathe yourself in the magnificent presence of this 2.6 billion year old multi-hued geologic phenomenon carved by the Colorado River, the wind, and periodic shifting of the Earth’s crust.
Sedona
Located on State Route 179, about two hours from Phoenix. Reputedly a powerful geographical location where major energy currents running through the Earth’s crust converge, Sedona is replete with splendid red rock formations that seem to inspire visions of a divine power in all, no matter what their spiritual beliefs-the rocks have names such as “Cathedral Rock” and “Bell Rock,” and thousands of people come to Sedona each year on seeming pilgrimages to witness the power of these dazzling stone sculptures. It is home to hundreds of artists, and art galleries abound. On your way back to Phoenix, check out Jerome, a quirky and charming old mining town made up of beautiful Victorian houses with shaded porches built up and down a steep tree-covered mountain. The town is now an eccentric mélange of restaurants, cafes, odd museums, tiny bed and breakfasts, and galleries flanking the sides of steep streets you’ll strain your shins to scale. The juxtaposition of old clapboard houses with big-leafed shade trees grazing their roofs and desert mountain air and animals will make you feel oddly transported to a town that’s part East Coast New England, and part frontier desert Ghost Town.
Wine Country
Off of Arizona Route 83, just south of Tucson. Spanish padres many years ago were delighted to learn that the climate and geologic conditions in this area south of Tucson were ideal for growing sweet, fruity wine grapes. Currently the area boasts wineries, sophisticated and tantalizing restaurants, and a plethora of bed and breakfasts.
Other Arizona attractions not to miss include the Canyon de Chelly, the Painted Desert, Flagstaff, Tucson, and Kartchner Caverns State Park and Bisbee.
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