Top Things to do in Arizona
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Things to do in Arizona, United States: The Best Geologic Formations
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. Cathedral Rock
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5,917 reviews
Towering red rock formation, part of the Cathedral Rock Trail.
Reviewed By Cristine4412 - Pittsburgh, United States
It's a relatively easy hike to the base of Cathedral Rock, and from there you can choose the more challenging hike up the rock, or take the flat Templeton trail around the base.
2. Mogollon Rim
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 260 reviews
This 2,000-foot-high escarpment stretches 200 miles across central Arizona into New Mexico.While sightseeing is the favored pastime along the Rim, it also boasts a historic system of hiking and horseback trails, a couple of picturesque lakes for boating and fishing, plus backcountry skiing for the truly adventurous.
Reviewed By whatagreatlife - Charleston, United States
Stunning views!! Amazing landscape and how different to the lower desert! AZ is such a diverse state!!
3. Spider Rock
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 358 reviews
A dramatic 800-foot monolith that was formed more than 230 million years ago.
Reviewed By RichardR1672
I was working for the State of Az in an official capacity back in 1977 and my team was sent to Chinle for an investigation.. While there I had befriended some of the Navajos and asked if I could go to see Spider Rock aka 'Shaking Rock' and Canyon de Chelly. A couple Navajo Indians were willing to take me everywhere I wanted.....back in those days it was a lot less restricted as to where you could venture. It took a while to get to Spider Rock....the 'road' if you call it that was a nightmare to navigate. I recall standing at the very base of Spider Rock and looking up....it was marvelous. Part of the movie "McKenna's Gold was filmed right there in that valley with Spider Rock. The 2 Navajos with me recall seeing some of the actors ---especially Gregory Peck in town ( Chinle ) and some were "extras" in the movie. Some of the elder Navajos still believed in the 'old ways' and lived in the valley. They built and lived in structures called 'Hogans'...very small and round structures made from Adobe. ...the 2 with me also told me strongly if I wanted to take pics of the older Navajos living in the valley to ALWAYS ASK them 1st if ok to take their pic...why?...some elder Navajos felt if you took their pic you had captured their soul!...so I asked and a few did wave me off or said no, yet I got some good pics of some. Some did not speak English and the 2 with me acted as interpreters. I also got a very private tour of parts of Canyon de Chelley that were forbidden to the general public. Back in the 1970's it was not known much nationally as it is today, however when they did the movie scenes there some Navajos were against it and some welcomed it. The elders felt part of their land was sacred and did not want outsiders coming...others felt it would bring tourists to spend money in Chinle which was badly needed. Overall back then, some liked the white man and some did not...yet the ones I met were pretty nice...just a couple rude ones only. Again, this is some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen and got to see some sacred areas where no one else will...that's a shame. In some of their more sacred areas that I was granted permission to visit...an elder chanted words to protect me and there was a feeling about some of those spots that I still cannot explain today...very strange...like I was among spirits or something. I do not know how much of the area and the people have changed now over 43 yrs ago when I was there. It was much more unrestricted then than now I am quite sure. If you want to see raw nature beauty you have got to go there if in that area......also the Petrified Forest is not all that far from there...that is a must see as well.....good luck and enjoy all of it...you will be most glad you went....by the way the box below only gave me just a few date/year choices of when I visited...no dates to choose that are over a year old, so I just chose Sept 2019...because it will not let me post my comments here if I did not put in something...but I was there in 1977.
4. Hope Arch
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By smatso - Phoenix, United States
It's worth finding Hope Arch. However, one should be accompanied by a Navajo guide since it is on the reservation. Google maps will get you very close to the arch. You need to look for large rock outcroppings to the right near the road which are called "fins". If you go past the transmission lines, you've gone too far. You can drive your vehicle to the arch but requires 4 wheel drive and again, be cognizant that you are on the reservation. It's about a 3/4 mile hike to the arch. Follow the road and you'll see it jutting out from the line of mountain in the distance as you follow the tire tracks. It's about 7 miles off of 191 on dirt road to the "fins".
5. Mount Tipton Wilderness Reserve
6. Hole in the Rock
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,027 reviews
Reviewed By jesseo582 - Jackson, United States
Close to the zoo and botanical gardens, this is a an extremely accessible and fun park! And, in early November, there were few people enjoying it. I was especially glad to read interpretation here that the rock had Native astronomical significance. For many it’s a place to scramble. But the picnic facilities, cacti, birds and rabbits I found were most enjoyable.
7. Rainbow Bridge National Monument
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 723 reviews
The world's largest natural bridge, nearly as high as the Statue of Liberty, spans 275 feet across the water.
Reviewed By jjgautreau - Poway, United States
See my review of Renegade Boat Rentals. I had decided to take my grandchildren on a trip and had always wanted to go to Rainbow Bridge so I started researching the best way to do it. In all we would have 13 people traveling and I knew I needed a boat that would hold up to 14 people. We found it at Renegade Boat Rentals. I'm glad we rented with them as the experience was well worth the money. We headed out to Rainbow Bridge from the Wahweep Stateline Marina at about 8am. It took us about 2.5 hours to get to the turnout for Rainbow Bridge. Luckily, the boat had a great navigation system. We averaged about 25 miles per hour on the way out and had I been more familiar with the boat, I could have easily averaged 35 miles per hour. There is no sign from the main lake to the Rainbow Bridge turnoff until after you make the turnoff so knowing where you are going is helpful. The ride through the narrow canyon to the Rainbow Bridge boat dock was spectacular. There were not as many signs as there were turns, but we made it to the dock and luckily it wasn't that crowded. Tying off at the dock was a little difficult because there were D rings on the dock instead of Cleats. The intent was to pass the line through a D ring and use the cleat on the boat but it took about 1/2 hour to figure that out. The walk to Rainbow Bridge was about a mile up a slight grade on sandy but rocky ground. It was a nice little hike and the scenery was beautiful . The hike was well worth it. I was surprised at how many people weren't wearing masks. The return trip to the dock was pretty uneventful other than a group of about 35 people who decided to stand in the middle of the narrow trail and talk to each other without any consideration of people walking by. When we got back to the dock, it was completely full and there were several boats waiting to dock.
8. Bell Rock
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4,873 reviews
Reviewed By cookpias - Los Angeles, United States
There was a fairly easy hike from the Bell Rock trailhead in between Bell Rock and the courthouse formation, completely around the rock itself which gave wonderful views and a nice way to stretch our legs and enjoy the setting.
