Bucket list for summer
With careful planning, an Arizona vacation is still an option during the coronavirus pandemic.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned in 2020, it’s just how quickly things can change. • Usually when summer rolls around, the vacation options across Arizona seem endless. But due to the new coronavirus pandemic, many popular getaways are off-limits. • Yet with a little careful planning, high-country escapes — with social distancing — are still an option. So here’s an Arizona bucket list appropriate for the summer of 2020. Remember to travel with caution, follow good health practices, and behave responsibly when outdoors or around other people. • Also, get the latest information about your destination before proceeding. Check for fire restrictions and other closures. We know how quickly things can change.
Hiking
Constellation Trails, Prescott: The Constellation Trails are a tangled web of pathways through the stunning Granite Dells. Near the trailhead is a commemorative plaque honoring the five crewmen of the Air Force Lockheed C-121G Super Constellation who perished when their plane crashed nearby in 1959. Cause of the crash is still unknown.
Signs with maps are posted at each junction and all trail segments together total less than 3 miles as they wind their way through the Dells. Brutish boulders rise in sudden thrusts while others lay about in jumbled heaps.
This is a land of dramatic textures. The trail slithers among rocky clusters and gains just enough elevation to offer wide-ranging views. Small grottoes and narrow passageways make this a fun hike for kids.
Where: Trailhead is on State Route 89 directly across from the Phippen Museum.
Admission: $3 parking fee. Difficulty: Easy.
Length: 2.74 miles in total.
Details: 928-777-1590, http://www.prescott-az.gov.
Hiline Trail, Sedona: From the trailhead at Yavapai Vista follow Kaibab Trail to Hiline, which soon wiggles through a narrow gully to a rocky slope and then tilts upward, an eyebrow of a trail pasted against the tall promontory known as the Pedestal.
The climb is steady and views grow expansive as you ascend. Look for Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte and Cathedral Rock, beautifully framed by snatches of forest.
The trail tumbles off the backside dropping in a series of red rock ledges providing various angles of Cathedral views along the way. Keep an eye peeled for bikers hurtling through here. It continues to descend before leveling off and entering a dry streambed flanked by sun-dappled woodlands.
Hiline junctions with the Baldwin Trail after 3.5 miles. If you’ve got the energy, hang a right on Baldwin, which leads to the edge of silver-tongued Oak Creek.
Where: Yavapai Vista Trailhead is on State Route 179 a short distance north of the Village of Oak Creek. It can only be accessed via southbound SR 179.
Admission: A Red Rock Pass is required, $5 per day at the trailhead kiosk. Difficulty: Moderate.
Length: 7 miles round trip.
Details: 928-203-2900, https://www.fs.usda.gov/coconino.
Camping
DeMotte Campground, Grand Canyon North Rim: While the North Rim Campground inside the park is closed, try this small campground in Kaibab National Forest. The campground is 7 miles from the North Rim’s park boundary at the edge of vast meadows fringed by mixed conifer forest.
DeMotte offers 38 single-family sites for tents and RVs (no hookups). It’s a great place for wildlife sightings. A country market is just across the road. The campground is at 8,700 feet so remember to pack warm clothes.
Where: From Jacob Lake, drive 25 miles south on State Route 67.
Cost: $22 per night.
Details: 877-444-6777, https://www.recreation.gov.
Dogtown Lake, Williams: Named for the many prairie dog villages that once pockmarked nearby pasture, this body of water sits just outside Williams. Trees surround the lake offering plenty of pine shade.
Anglers come for the trout, crappies and channel catfish stocked here. Only small electric boat motors are allowed on Dogtown Lake, preserving the quiet. There’s a nature trail and another path that leads to a scenic view from atop Davenport Hill.
The campground offers 50 individual sites. All spaces are level with pullthrough and back-in options for RVs.
Where: 6.5 miles southeast of Williams on Forest Road 132.
Admission: From $26 per night. Details: 877-444-6777, https://www.recreation.gov.
Fishing
Lyman Lake State Park, Springerville: At 1,500 acres, Lyman Lake dwarfs all bodies of water in the White Mountains. With such an expanse, there are activities for everybody, including a sheltered swimming beach, a no-wake zone for anglers, twisting canyons kayakers will love, and plenty of wide-open water for speed-boaters and skiers.
A small store sells food, bait and supplies. Anglers can catch largemouth bass, catfish, carp and walleye.
The campground overlooks the lake, featuring 56 sites, 38 with electric and water hookups. Lyman also features eight heated, air-conditioned cabins with full-size beds, bunk beds, table, chairs and covered porch. Campground rates and reservations are at https://azstateparks.com.
Where: 18 miles north of Springerville on U.S. 180/191.
Admission: $7 per vehicle.
Details: 928-337-4441, https://azstateparks.com/lyman-lake.
Big Lake, White Mountains: This is another body of water that gives you some room to spread out.
With a surface area of 450 acres and stocked with rainbow, brook and cutthroat trout, five campgrounds and ringed by a swath of forest, this is one of the most popular lakes in the White Mountains. It’s also considered one of the best fishing holes in the region. Sitting above 9,000 feet helps make this an enticing summer getaway. Boats and kayaks can be rented at Big Lake Store.
Where: Big Lake is off State Route
273 south of Greer. Admission: Free. Details: 928-339-5000, https://www.fs.usda.gov.
Scenic drive
Mingus Mountain Scenic Road: Traveling from Prescott to Jerome, you start out a mile high, finish a mile high and climb a mountain in the middle.
From Prescott, State Route 89A tracks east by northeast as it crosses the grasslands of Prescott Valley where pronghorns graze amid lonely suburbs. The high wall of the Black Hills looms overhead and as you reach the woodlands at the mouth of Yeager Canyon, the Mingus Mountain Scenic Road officially begins.
Threading your way up the canyon, oaks and junipers crowd the highway early on but tall ponderosa pines soon dominate. The tight curves and switchbacks make this a popular run for anyone in a sports car or astride a Harley. Carsickness-prone kids might perceive it differently.
The road continues upward through heavy forest until it reaches a high pass separating Mingus Mountain and Woodchute Mountain. At about 7,800 feet, Mingus is the highest point in the Black Hills. Woodchute acquired its name during Jerome’s mining heyday, when big pine trees were harvested from the slopes and transported by chute to the loading platform for the narrow gauge railroad.
The descent proves just as steep and curving as the climb up the mountain. But since you’re not hemmed in by a canyon the views are more dramatic. Take advantage of the pullouts to stop and marvel at the details. You’ll see evidence of mining activity as you get lower. Pass through a rocky cleft, then wind a round a few more curves and you’ll be pulling into Jerome. Now you can relax.