Top Things to do in Arizona
10 Canyons in Arizona That You Shouldn't Miss
The state of Arizona is one that features a fantastic diversity of landscapes and areas of geological interest. North Arizona is famous for the Grand Canyon, a colorful chasm with steep rocky walls more than a mile deep and stretching some 277 miles alongside the Colorado River. Other notable destinations in North Arizona include Flagstaff set alongside the San Francisco Peaks which has the largest ponderosa pine forest, Museum of Northern Arizona, and is close to a number of national parks and monuments. On the south side of Arizona lies the city of Phoenix, the largest in Arizona. Notable day trips in Phoenix include the Heard Museum which is one of America's largest collections of Native American art, Phoenix Museum of History, as well as the Desert Botanical garden which has a great collection of desert plants.
Restaurants in Arizona
1. Rock Art Canyon Ranch
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 142 reviews
Offers tours of some of the best preserved petroglyphs in the country.
Reviewed By noworries2000 - Federal Way, United States
OMG! I have travelled all over the world and this is one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Brantley Baird is a piece of living history of the West. He and his family have a 5000 acre working ranch outside of Winslow and they will happily share the history of how their family helped settle the area and show you many amazing artifacts they've kept in their family from the 1800s and early 1900s. After sharing that amazing history they will take you out and show you some of the archaeological dig sites, and let you roam the area on your own and explore the canyons with the pottery, tools, and petroglyphs from the natives who inhabited the area 9000 years ago. I spent an entire day in the canyons exploring the artifacts the natives left behind and I likely missed half of them. Call ahead and make a reservation - they keep the groups small so they can personalize the tours. Take along comfortable hiking shoes, plenty of water, a good camera, good binoculars, and a cooler of munchies. There is an excellent picnic spot above the canyon that is a great rest stop before/after you climb into the canyon. The steps are steep - not good for people who are even partially immobile. I took hundreds of pictures down in the canyon and even swam in the pools of water to cool off. Please respect the area and resist the urge to pick up pottery shards or stone tools that you will surely see walking around. The place is a national heritage site and Brantley and his family have done a great job preserving and protecting it. When you make reservations, be sure to have them text you the simple driving instructions and map that will easily guide you to the ranch (about 40 minutes outside of Winslow). Don't rely on your GPS to find the place - you will likely not find it. (Online maps and directions from search engines such as Google or Bing are wrong.) Plan to spend the day, or even ask about staying overnight. The roads driving around the ranch itself are a bit rough, so make sure your car has good tires and clearance. There is so much to explore, you won't see it all in just a few hours. Above all, these are some of the nicest people you will ever meet! Enjoy!
2. Grand Canyon North Rim
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2,349 reviews
Word of mouth has that the more remote, harder to get to and therefore less crowded North Rim offers a more authentic Canyon experience and better views. However, there is no bus service on this rim and it is closed during the winter.
Reviewed By 751morganb - San Francisco, United States
A lot of people told us about the beauty of the North Rim. After a visit, we understood why. Words like spectacular and marvelous would not describe it good enough. At the same time, a lot of people told us this is worth a trip because of its remote location. We loved it, not because it was less crowded than the South Rim, but because of its beauty. When that is said, if you will not get the chance to go here, but will get the chance to visit the South or West Rim, we would say: GO! All places are amazing. If you visit the North Rim, make sure also to drive over to Cape Royal and stop on the way on the Walhalla overlook, Roosevelt Point overlook, Vista Encantada and Point Imperial. We also recommend to do the hikes Cape Royal Trail as well as Bright Angel Point.
3. Grand Canyon South Rim
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 23,049 reviews
The most developed area of Grand Canyon National Park, the South Rim offers amenities such as bus service, hotels and water stations, but is also more crowded than the North Rim. Scenic highlights include Pipe Creek Vista and Yavapai Point.
Reviewed By E9542BPjeffh - Toronto, Canada
Just came back from 3 days at the Grand Canyon. We did 3 wonderful tours, including the Sunset tour along the south rim to see the spectacular sunset on the canyon, the desert view tour to explore the native history, and the all day 4 by 4 inner rim tour from Williams down into the canyon to the Colorado river. What an experience....rugged beauty, hiking and wildlife....not to be missed in your lifetime!
4. Canyon del Muerto
5. Paria Canyon
6. Lower Antelope Canyon
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 6,659 reviews
Reviewed By 160rebeccal
We did the early morning tour with Dixie Ellis’ and it was so beautiful! Our tour guide, Dominic, was excellent and provided all sorts of information ranging from local plants, the shaping of the canyon, historical uses of the canyon, and not-to-be -missed photo ops. We are completely satisfied and highly recommend it!
7. Peralta Canyon
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 50 reviews
Reviewed By AnitaJack - Sartell, United States
Took us 2 hours to reach the Weaver's Needle viewpoint, and was it worth it! We hiked an additional 20 minutes to reach the lone tree just to the right of the needle. Highly recommended . We brought oranges for a snack at this sight. Our knees felt it on the way down. 4 1/2 hour hike.
8. Carr Canyon
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 31 reviews
Reviewed By 594judithk - Sierra Vista, United States
This is a dirt road, and if you are going up as far as possible, you need to be comfortable driving narrow winding dirt roads. That said, the higher you get the better the view. You can see all over. It's marvelous
9. Antelope Canyon
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 8,236 reviews
Located near Lake Powell, this "slot" canyon is considered sacred by the Navajo.
Reviewed By 267mabell - San Diego, United States
We joined the Antelope Canyon Navajo tour for the Upper Canyon 2 days ago We did the 12pm noon tour. The sandstone formation is amazing Our guide Lorita told us the history and geological facts and showed us how to take pictures with our smartphone camera in every corners and angles and how to take advantage of the light that come through the top It made this the highlight of this road trip I highly recommend this tour.
