Holiday getaways
Thanksgiving weekend a chance to head out on road trip
Here’s something to be thankful for: Arizona is so full of great destinations and activities that you don’t have to stay cooped up with your relatives over Thanksgiving weekend. Head out and enjoy these easy day trips and overnight getaways.
Meteor Crater
Some 50,000 years ago as woolly mammoths and giant ground sloths grazed the grasslands of what would become northern Arizona, a slab of iron and nickel 150 feet across screamed through the skies.
The meteor struck with an explosive force greater than 20 million tons of TNT. The impact gouged a giant bowlshaped cavity 700 feet deep and more than 4,000 feet across, excavating several hundred million tons of rock and dirt. Kaboom!
This site east of Flagstaff is the first proven and bestpreserved impact meteor crater on the planet. There’s been some slight erosion and the bottom has partly filled in but essentially the big hole hasn’t changed much. Visitors can
enjoy comfortable facilities, including an interactive museum and a movie with lots of explosive graphics. Paved walking trails skirt the rim and lead to several prime viewing platforms.
Details: 40 miles east of Flagstaff at Exit 233 of Interstate 40. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily (until 1 p.m. Thanksgiving Day). Closed on Christmas. $18, $9 for ages 6-17. 928-289-5898, www.meteorcrater.com.
Sedona
Pack your hiking boots for a walk on one of Sedona’s most scenic trails, the Airport Loop. Connected pathways work their way around Airport Mesa, the long flattened hill overlooking the town. You’re treated to spectacular red-rock views nearly every step of the way.
If the parking area on the shoulder of the mesa is full, proceed up the hill. There’s parking for $3 at Airport Vista and you can access the route via the Sedona View Trail. This is a popular spot to enjoy a sunset if you’re spending the night.
And of course, you’ll find plenty of shopping at the galleries and stores in town in case the Black Friday bug bites you.
Details: 928-203-2900, www.fs.usda.gov/coconino.
Gold King Mine and Ghost Town
Jerome may be the only ghost town in America that has its own ghost suburb.
Sitting a mile north of Jerome, Gold King Mine and Ghost Town harbors an assortment of ramshackle buildings, a menagerie of friendly animals and a sprawling array of rusted machinery that forever teeters between ruin and redemption.
This is paradise for gearheads and photographers. Trucks, cars and nearly every other manner of conveyance lines the pathways, including incredible finds like a 1902 Studebaker electric carriage. The 1914 sawmill still fills lumber orders, both commercial grade and for artisans handcrafting furniture.
Details: 1000 Perkinsville Road, Jerome. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. $5, $3 for ages 6-12. 928-634-0053, goldkingmineghosttown.com.
Wickenburg
Founded in 1863, Wickenburg is one of Arizona’s oldest towns. While the rising thrust of Vulture Peak dominates the skyline, downtown Wickenburg is a step back in time. Century-old buildings line the streets and life moves at a more relaxed pace.
Grab a brochure from the visitor center and take the self-guided walking tour. Be sure to visit Desert Caballeros Western Museum, where cowboy life and art are well represented with works by Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Remington, Charles Russell and other heavyweights.
Plenty of Western memorabilia is on display, as well as historical dioramas and Native American artifacts. You can also get a jump on your holiday shopping with three days of sales in the Museum Store on the Fri.Sat. following Thanksgiving.
Details: Desert Caballeros Western Museum, 21 N. Frontier St., Wickenburg. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. MondaysSaturdays; noon-4 p.m. Sundays. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day and summer Mondays. $12, free for age 17 and younger. 928-684-2272, www.westernmuseum.org.
Vulture City ghost town
See the reason Wickenburg exists when you visit the ghost town of Vulture City. Twelve miles outside of town, this is the site of one of Arizona’s most productive gold mines, discovered by Henry Wickenburg.
Walk the graveled half-mile path to see the collection of weathered historic buildings surrounded by old mining equipment such as the stamp mill and headframe. Guided tours are offered at 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Details: 36610 N. 355th Ave., Wickenburg. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. daily. Closed on Thanksgiving. $15, free for age 6 and younger. 877-425-9229, www.vultureminetours.com.
Tubac
Enjoy a historic getaway and get a jump on your holiday shopping when you visit this picturesque community 40 miles south of Tucson.
Tubac nestles in a mountain-framed valley on the banks of the Santa Cruz River. It was established in 1752 as a Spanish presidio, making it the first European settlement in what would become Arizona.
Today, more than 80 art galleries and shops are clustered in the village plaza where old adobes, shady courtyards and ocotillo fences blend seamlessly with a handful of newer buildings. You’ll find paintings,
sculptures, jewelry, ceramics, yard art, handcrafted furniture, greeting cards and more.
Thanksgiving weekend bonus: The Tubac Fall Art Walk is from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 23, with demonstrations, receptions and special events all day.
Details: Tubac is about 45 miles south of Tucson off Interstate 19. 520398-2704, www.tubacaz.com.
Dolly Steamboat
Of all the outings you expect to find in the middle of the desert, a steamboat ride might seem the most unlikely. But make the drive to Canyon Lake and you can take a scenic cruise on Dolly Steamboat. The cliff-lined waterway is one of a chain of lakes along the Apache Trail formed by dams that corral the Salt River.
The road is paved as it reaches Canyon Lake northeast of Apache Junction where you’ll find a marina, restaurant and Dolly Steamboat. Riding the replica of a classic American sternwheeler offers an up-close look at the soaring cliffs that define the rugged shoreline of Canyon Lake.
The 90-minute tour explores secluded waterways with frequent sightings of desert bighorn sheep, bald eagles and other wildlife. Enjoy the captain’s narration from a comfortable seat in the lower or upper cabin or open-air observation area.
Details: 16802 State Route 88, Tortilla Flat. Scenic nature cruises cost $25, $15 for ages 5-12, $6 for ages 1-4. Check the schedule online. Twilight dinner cruises cost $55.85 ($31.77 for kids). 480-827-9144, www.dollysteamboat.com.
Besh Ba Gowah Archaeological Park
Unlike most archaeological sites, Besh Ba Gowah is a family-friendly hands-on adventure.
Visitors can walk through the corridors and explore rooms of this pueblo of the Salado people. Dating back 800 years, rooms have been reconstructed and filled with pottery and utensils of the era. It’s a rare chance to glimpse what daily life was like. There are displays throughout the pueblo and museum, which are 1 mile south of Globe.
Luminaria bonus: From 5-9 p.m. Dec. 1, the free Festival of Lights features hundreds of luminarias perched atop the pueblo walls and Native American flute music wafting through the twilight.
Details: 1324 S. Jesse Hayes Road, Globe. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. $5, free for age 12 and younger. 928-425-0320, www.globeaz.gov/visitors/besh-ba-gowah.