Saguaro National Park: With units both east and west of Tucson, this national park preserves “forests” of saguaro cacti. It’s the very essence of the desert as so many imagine it. You can hike it, bike it, or drive it. See p. 366.
Tohono Chul Park: Although not that large, this Tucson park packs a lot of desert scenery into its modest space. Impressive plantings of cacti are the star attractions, but there are also delightful wildflower displays in spring. See p. 376.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument: A smaller, multi-trunked relative of the giant saguaro, the organ pipe cactus lives only along the Mexican border in southern Arizona, about 100 miles west of Tucson. This remote preserve has hiking trails and a couple of scenic drives. See p. 427.
The best Golf Courses
Troon North Golf Club (Scottsdale): Designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, this semiprivate, desert-style course is named for the famous Scottish links overlooking the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde—but the similarities end there. Troon North has two 18-hole layouts; the original Monument Course is still the favorite. See p. 86.
The Gold Course at the Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa (Litchfield Park, near Phoenix): Are you a traditionalist who eschews those cactus-filled desert target courses? Reserve a tee time on the Wigwam’s 7,100-yard resort-style Gold Course, a longtime Arizona legend. See p. 87.
Gold Canyon Golf Resort (Apache Junction, east of Phoenix): This resort offers superb golf at the foot of the Superstition Mountains. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th holes on the Dinosaur Mountain Course are truly memorable, crossing the foot of Dinosaur Mountain. See p. 112.
We-Ko-Pa Golf Club (northeast of Scottsdale): Located on the Yavapai Nation, this top-rated golf club has two challenging 18-hole courses bounded by open desert and stupendous views. See p. 88.
Sedona Golf Resort (Sedona): Not all of Arizona’s best courses are in the Phoenix and Tucson areas. Up in red-rock country, at the mouth of Oak Creek Canyon, the Sedona Golf Resort boasts a traditional course with terrific red-rock views. See p. 202.
Lake Powell National Golf Course (Page): One of the most scenic golf courses in the state, its fairways wrap around the base of the red sandstone bluff Page sits on, walls of eroded sandstone come right down to the greens, and one tee box is on top of the bluff. Stunning. See p. 329.
Ventana Canyon Golf and Racquet Club (Tucson): Two Tom Fazio–designed desert-style courses, the Canyon and the Mountain, play through some of the state’s most stunning scenery. If I had to choose between them, I’d play the Mountain Course. See p. 379.
Omni Tucson National Resort (Tucson): With wide expanses of grass on 18 holes and an additional 9 holes of desert-style golf, this course, once the site of the PGA Tour’s Tucson Open, is both challenging and forgiving. The 18th hole was considered one of the toughest finishing holes on the tour. See p. 380.
The best Family Experiences
Grand Canyon National Park: It’s an iconic family vacation destination, and for good reason: Breathtaking views aside, you’ve got trails to hike, mules to ride down into the canyon (if your kids are old enough), rafting trips both wild and tame, and even a train ride to and from the canyon. See chapter 6.
Kartchner Caverns: Visiting this living cave in southern Arizona is an adventure in itself, as you traverse airlocks down into a spectacular underground world with strange and rare cave formations. See p. 448.
Arizona–Sonora Desert Museum: No dusty museum, this is actually a zoo featuring the animals of the Sonoran Desert. Exhibits include rooms full of snakes, a prairie-dog town, enclosures with bighorn sheep and mountain lions, and an aviary full of hummingbirds. Both kids and adults love this place. See p. 361.
Old Tucson Studios: Cowboy shootouts, cancan girls, and horseback rides make this old movie-studio set loads of fun for the family. You might even get to see a movie or commercial being filmed. See p. 365.
Tombstone shamelessly exploits its Wild West history with staged gunfights and bawdy saloons—but it’s still undeniably fun.
The O.K. Corral: Tombstone may be “the town too tough to die,” but poor Ike Clanton and his buddies the McLaury boys have to die over and over again in continual reenactments of the town’s iconic gunfight. See p. 455.
Dude Ranches: Ride off into the sunset with your family at one of Arizona’s many guest ranches. Most have lots of kid-oriented activities. You’ll find several around Wickenburg (p. 164), Tucson (p. 382), and Cochise County (p. 473).
Floating on a Houseboat: Renting a floating vacation home on Lake Powell (p. 330) or Lake Mead (p. 483) is a summer tradition for many Arizona families. With a houseboat, you aren’t tied to one spot and can cruise from one scenic beach to the next.
The best Museums
Heard Museum: One of the nation’s premier museums devoted to Native American cultures, this Phoenix institution has not only historical exhibits (including a huge kachina doll collection) but also an excellent museum store, annual exhibits of contemporary Native American art, and frequent dance performances and demonstrations of traditional skills. See p. 59.
Musical Instrument Museum: Housing thousands of musical instruments from all over the world, this huge Phoenix museum has galleries organized by countries and continents, as well as exhibits of such rare instruments as the first Steinway piano ever made and the Steinway piano on which John Lennon composed “Imagine.” See p. 151.
Phoenix Art Museum: This large art museum has acres of wall space and houses an outstanding collection of contemporary art as well as a fascinating exhibit of miniature rooms. See
of cactus.
