Impressed by a Hole in the Ground at the Grand Canyon

With 6 million visitors per year, it’s the second-most visited national park after Great Smoky Mountains NP – which is surrounded by developed areas, doesn’t charge an entrance fee, and has a major roadway running right through its middle. The Grand Canyon is America’s top destination park, and 90% of those visitors go to the … Read more

Hitting Arizona’s High Country in Cottonwood

After our stop at Picacho Peak we skipped right over the Phoenix metro area and landed in the historic town of Cottonwood, nestled along the Verde River at an elevation of around 3,500 feet. That increase in elevation meant a few things: our arrival just days after a major snowstorm meant we encountered plenty of … Read more

Saying Adios to the Sonoran Desert at Picacho Peak SP

Our final stop in the dramatic and beautiful Sonoran Desert was a short stay at Picacho Peak State Park, located about halfway between Tucson and Phoenix. The day after we left Tucson, the state of Arizona experienced a freak weather pattern that brought several inches of snow to Tucson and Phoenix, and dumped a record-breaking … Read more

Tucson Part 3: Wrapping Up

Our month-long stay in Tucson has flown by, and we’re off to other destinations in Arizona. Staying in one place for an extended period of time helped us get through the coldest month of the year in a relatively comfortable spot, even though an unusually wet winter meant we saw a surprising number of cool, … Read more