Phoenix Business Daily

What else is a non-touristy must-see between Phoenix and grand canyon?

I am going to the grand canyon in Two days. Will be driving from Phoenix to the south Rim. I have an extra day. Please suggest another national park / hike or a must see between Phoenix and the south rim.

Public Comments

1. Sedona!!! google it and see for yourself....it is a very interesting and beautiful place.
2. Sedona (mentioned by the poster above) is a pretty area, but it is also one of the more touristy places in Arizona. If you are into parks and hiking, than I would recommend Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments which are just northeast of Flagstaff along 89A on the way to the canyon's east entrance. Sunset Crater is an extinct volcanic field (lava beds, cinder cones, etc) and Wupatki is a large restored prehistoric pueblo ruin. Both are very interesting and often overlooked. Another nice (and rarely crowded) National Monument is Walnut Canyon just east of Flagstaff along I-40, however a recent landslide has temporarily closed the main loop trail. Flagstaff itself is easily worth spending a day at. It is a historic lumber, railroad, Route 66 town with a neat historic downtown district filled with shops, galleries and cafes. The excellent Museum of Northern Arizona is just north of town and Lowell Observatory (where Pluto was discovered in 1930) has a nice visitors center. If you like hiking, you may want to check out Red Mountain. This is an old volcanic crater that has eroded away on one side so that you can actually hike into the inside of the old volcano where there are some interesting rock formations. This is a popular hike with locals, but not well known otherwise. It is located on the west side of US180 (on the way from Flagstaff to the canyon) shortly after you leave the heavily forested area. There is a small marked pull-out along the highway where you park and then walk the mile or so to the crater. Between Flagstaff and Phoenix, there is the cliff dwellings at Montezuma Castle (I like Wupatki better), the old frontier fort at Camp Verde and the old hillside mining town - turned tourist attraction of Jerome which has many interesting old historic buildings set on steep and winding streets like a little version of San Francisco.