Falling into autumn
Enjoy the season’s color at locations around the state
The monsoon has passed, the desert has cooled and leaves are turning beautiful colors in the high country. This is road-trip weather. There’s plenty to see and do all over Arizona in the fall. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
See the writing on the wall
Encompassing 5,000 acres in northern Arizona, Rock Art Ranch is a working cattle ranch and home to one of the best-preserved and most extensive collections of ancient petroglyphs in the world.
The monsoon has passed, the desert has cooled and leaves are turning beautiful colors in the high country. This is road-trip weather. There’s plenty to see and do all over Arizona in the fall. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
See the writing on the wall
Encompassing 5,000 acres in northern Arizona, Rock Art Ranch is a working cattle ranch and home to one of the best-preserved and most extensive collections of ancient petroglyphs in the world.
Tucked away in scenic Chevelon Canyon, panels of images etched into the rocks adorn cliff faces, alcoves and overhangs. Brantley Baird has opened his family ranch, situated between Winslow and Holbrook, to researchers and visitors alike.
Rock Art Ranch, purchased by Baird’s parents in 1945, features a museum stocked with artifacts found on the property and ones that have been passed down through the family. A Navajo hogan and sweat lodge are also part of the ranch, as well as recently excavated Anasazi pueblos with a kiva.
The petroglyphs can be found throughout a 2-mile stretch of highwalled Chevelon Canyon with the highest concentration of panels covering a quarter-mile section flanking the entry point.
Reservations are required for a visit. Directions will be given at that time. Entry fee is $35; free admission for returning visitors and children under 12.
Details: 928-386-5047.
Pay respects to fallen heroes
Hollywood is set to tell the story of the elite firefighters who died battling the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013. “Only the Brave,” starring Josh Brolin and Jeff Bridges, is scheduled to open Oct. 20.
But this is a personal story for all Arizonans and can be experienced in a personal way by visiting the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park in Yarnell.
Visitors can hike the steep slopes of the Weaver Mountains on the Hotshots Trail. It’s a climb of 1,200 feet for just under 3 miles leading to an observation deck overlooking the site where the firefighters died. Along the way, 19 plaques have been placed to honor each fallen man.
For those who can’t make the 7-mile round trip hike, there is a commemorative display accessible to all at the park entrance just off State Route 89, two miles south of Yarnell.
Details: azstateparks.com/hotshots.
Off season at a swimming hole
Experience the quieter side of Slide Rock State Park during its annual Fall Fest. Without the water-sliding, cannonballing, splish-splashing crowds of summer, you can quietly enjoy the remarkable beauty of Oak Creek tumbling across bare stone, framed by rising cliffs.
Frank Pendley arrived at this scenic spot in 1907 and acquired the land as part of the Homestead Act of 1910. He planted orchards and farmed the land.
Fall Fest, which is from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct., 21, celebrates the harvest. There will be food, games, a hayride, apple-sorting demonstrations and exhibits of vintage tractors and flywheelers. Slide Rock State Park is 7 miles north of Sedona on State Route 89A. Admission is $10 per vehicle.
Details: azstateparks.com/slide-rock.
Discover the next John Wayne
Guns will be blazing and heroes will be riding off into the sunset in Willcox Oct. 20-22, at least on the silver screen. The Wild Bunch Film Festival is dedicated to the Western genre and subgenres. Or maybe saloon girls and town drunks will ride off into the sunset because these are indie films.
The festival is a competitive event for emerging filmmakers and screenwriters. And with titles like “A Fistful of Candy,” it’s hard to know what to expect. Movies are shown in the Willcox Historic Theater downtown. Details: www.thewildbunchfilm festival.com.
Hike in a cool canyon
The 380-acre Ramsey Canyon Preserve sits at an ecological crossroads where the Sierra Madre of Mexico, the Rocky Mountains and the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts all overlap. Such a collision of habitats leads to a level of biological diversity rarely found in the state.
More than 170 types of birds have been seen in the lush defile carved from the eastern slope of the Huachuca Mountains south of Sierra Vista. The Nature Conservancy took over management of the canyon in 1975 and purchased additional acreage.
The visitor center includes a gift shop and bookstore with nature-themed merchandise, snacks, shirts, hats and birdwatching accessories. $6 per person, free for children under 16.
Details: www.nature.org/arizona.
Stroll down Main Street
Cottonwood celebrates Historic State Route 89A with its Walkin’ on Main event. The segment of 89A stretching from Jerome through Cottonwood is one of only three highways recognized by Arizona as an official historic road.
Spend a fall day enjoying live music, a display of classic cars, a juried art show and an outdoor wine tasting. It takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 11 in Old Town Cottonwood, a collection of historic buildings dating to the 1920s and ‘30s. Everything is free except for the wine tasting, which will set you back $15 for five tickets to sample the goods of more than a dozen local wineries.
Details: www.azwom.com.
Celebrate Southern Arizona cultures
Head south to Tumacacori National Historical Park in December for La Fiesta de Tumacacori. It celebrates the many cultures of the Santa Cruz Valley throughout its long history. More than 50 food and craft vendors dish up traditional and contemporary creations. Live music and dancing carry on throughout the weekend and there are plenty of familyfriendly activities.
The fiesta takes place starting at 10 a.m. Dec. 2-3. Sunday begins with a procession through the grounds to the historic church, followed by a multicultural Mass in front of the church. The grounds and mission are open throughout the weekend and admission is free. Father Eusebio Kino established Tumacacori Mission in 1691. The park is 45 miles south of Tucson, at Exit 29 off Interstate19.
Details: www.nps.gov/tuma.
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