When people think of the Southwest, they often imagine Arizona. In fact, the heritage of the entire Southwest, from West Texas to New Mexico and Arizona, is rich, the combination of the lands and the peoples who have lived on them. The aborigines of Mexico, (as well as those who have mixed that culture with the influences of the Spanish) Hopi, Navajo, Apache and other Native American tribes, the animals of the region, the desert and mountainous terrain, and even the newcomer. Cowboys, all of these have contributed to what we think of when we say “southwest”. Yet no place represents that better than northern Arizona.
The Grand Canyon is one of the top attractions in northern Arizona. One of the seven true wonders of the world, it embodies the vastness as well as the richness of color of the stony southwest. The view from Cape Royal, to name just one among many of the Grand Canyon’s north rim, is quintessentially the Southwest. The entire Kiabab plateau shares that beauty.
The Navajo Mountain (properly called Naat’tsis’aan by the natives) is yet another facet of the magnificence that is northern Arizona. The sandstone formations are exquisite, the heritage of the place equally vivid. No visit would be complete without seeing the sandstone formation called Corkscrew in Antelope Canyon.
There is another side of northern Arizona that some have overlooked: the alpine areas. From Flagstaff to Sedona to the White Mountains, northern Arizona breaks its water fast and grows in dense, beautiful forests. The views from Oak Creek Canyon, for example, rival those found on the side of the mountains near Aspen, Colorado (though few will know). Slide Rock State Park, a part of Oak Creek Canyon, offers a natural waterslide that delights young visitors every year. Perhaps it is good that a few venture to discover the wonders of this area.
Although there are literally no amenities, if you can add Tse Nikani and the Flat Mesa Rock Scenic Route (Highway 191, south of Highway 160), you will enjoy overwhelmingly unusual rock and land formations, including places that are sacred to the Navajo people. Make sure you have enough fuel and bring plenty of water and maybe a lunch, but be sure to take this awesome trail while exploring Northern Arizona.
A must-see route in your Northern Arizona experience is called Diné Tah (meaning “Among the People”). There you will find Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation, and a landscape as surreal as Arizona has to offer. There, beginning near where I-40 crosses the Arizona-New Mexico border, you’ll find a wealth of history and heritage, as well as everything from rock formations to lush forests. Those who see these wonders first hand will understand why the natives were willing to fight and die for this land. The Lukachukai Mountains alone are reason enough to pay a visit, but the rest of the story, the battles with the Spanish that spanned two centuries, long before the United States became part of the picture, and long before that, with the Anasazi ruins. for ten THOUSAND years … all this and more are waiting to be seen and found in northern Arizona.
Arizona has always been much more than the abandoned movie studios of Tucson and the golf courses of Prescott. Do yourself a favor and discover the rest of Arizona, the much larger slice so few see. You will be thrilled and in awe of this, one of America’s greatest secrets, found in the shadow of one of the seven wonders of the world.
© 2007 RightNow Communications
