Your Northern Arizona Winter Bucket List

Often when people think of Arizona, an image of a hot, arid desert comes to our minds. Yet, the high desert of Northern Arizona brings on refreshing days and crisp nights! Nights are cold, with temperatures warming up during the day. Travelers will find a versatile array of greenery, forests, hills, mountains, and much more.

Here are the ten best places to visit during your trip to Northern Arizona.

The Grand Canyon

This UNESCO heritage site is known to be amongst the top places to visit in the world! The Grand Canyon, with its layered bands of red rock revealing millions of years of geological history. Viewpoints include Mather Point, Yavapai Observation Station and architect Mary Colter’s Lookout Studio and her Desert View Watchtower. Lipan Point, with wide views of the canyon and Colorado River, is popular, especially at sunrise and sunset.

Sedona- The Unique Red Rock Formation

Sedona, with its high desert climate, is an excellent destination for outdoor lovers. The town sits in the heart of Arizona’s Red Rock Country and is surrounded by stunning red-rock buttes, canyon walls and pine forests. Uptown Sedona has numerous spas and galleries, as well as New Age shops that attract visitors from around the world. Many people visit Sedona to take in its natural beauty, including hiking trails into Red Rock State Park and horses from the Sonoran Desert Museum.

Flagstaff

Flagstaff, Arizona is surrounded by majestic mountains, desert and ponderosa pine forests. The nearby San Francisco Peaks offer year-round activities ranging from hiking and snowshoeing to skiing; Wupatki National Monument has Native American pueblo sites; Walnut Canyon National Monument has cliff dwellings. All of this natural beauty makes Flagstaff a great place to visit!

Arcosanti

Located high up in the Arizona desert, Arcosanti is an experiment in architecture, ecology, art and community. At Arcosanti, any visitor can experience a reflection of the world’s high-energy society through hands-on workshop activities such as pottery making and blacksmithing. Day tours ($55-$80) include a guided tour of the Arcosanti community buildings and examples of Paolo Soleri's work. Overnight guests can explore their own creativity with in-depth workshops such as Treetop Canopy Walks ($280+), which use aerial perspective to examine how architecture relates to landscape.

Antelope Canyon

The magnificent canyon, sculpted by millions of years of wind and water erosion, was given the name after the populations of pronghorn antelope that once wandered the area. Because far more sunlight enters the canyon, the Upper Antelope Canyon tour is more widely known than the lower Antelope Canyon tour, which endears visitors in the swirling embrace of sandstone walls, which is equally impressive.