Category Arizona

Brins Mesa Trail

There are so many hikes to choose from around Sedona, AZ but Brins Mesa Trail stands out as accessible, athletic, and awe inspiring with vistas along its entire stretch.

Sedona has so many trails in and among the brilliantly colored buttes that the choice of what to hike can be daunting. There are the classics—like Broken Arrow and Devil's Bridge—but the popularity of these shouldn't negate the many other trails. In fact, popularity and small parking lots can be a compelling reason to focus on alternate trails, especially later in the day.

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Forest Road 525C

Like any tourist destination, finding a place to stay is a challenge. Most campgrounds are booked out in advance. But, if you have 4-wheel drive and a willingness to rough it without facilities, there are undeveloped campsites with amazing vistas along Forest Road 525C.

Like any tourist destination, finding a place to stay is a challenge. Most campgrounds are booked out in advance. But, if you have 4-wheel drive and a willingness to rough it without facilities, there are undeveloped campsites with amazing vistas along Forest Road 525C.

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Dirt Roads, Primitive Camping, and White SUVs in Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona

Returning from the King of Arizona Mine. See the sign on to the left of Dodgy? That marks the beginning of private property and our strange chase scene.

Kofa National Wildlife Refuge sits between Quartzsite and Yuma, Arizona. From certain parts of the refuge, you can hear the explosion of ordinance from the neighboring military proving ground. This time, however, we intent to explore the heart of this 665,400 acres of Yuma desert and the refuge's namesake.

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Quick-Gravel Parking Lots, Truck Campers, And Adult Day Care in Quatzsite, Arizona

We pull into a deeply graveled parking lot and park next to a fellow truck camper. Only a vehicle with 4-wheel-drive could possibly navigate this lake of gravel. We watch several sedans and small trucks get dragged out while chatting with our fellow truck campers about campgrounds, storage, and cabover sleeping.

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Painted Desert, Petroglyphs, And An Ancient Rainforest In Petrified Forest National Park

When we pull off I-40 for Petrified Forest National Park, I expect to be looking at rocks. Yet, it takes us a while to get to the rocks. We are so distracted by the breathtaking views! The Painted Desert is result of the Chinle Formation. It is a mineral deposit from river beds over 200 million years ago, during the Late Triassic Period.

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Little Missouri Falls

The Little Missouri Falls

Seven miles down a moderately managed dirt road in the Ouachita National Forest is the Little Missouri Falls. The drive is pretty doable for any car in the proper conditions—there is a creek crossing that could cause trouble after a heavy rain—but the reason to drive this road is the swimming hole at the end.

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Erie Street

We visit the reimagined ghost town of Lowell, Arizona.

There is something about old ghost towns that attracts oddities. Last year, we stayed overnight in Bisbee, Arizona—an old mining town that was resurrected by a group of artists. Today, we took a pit stop at a neighboring town where all that is left is one street, Erie Street.

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Kentucky Camp

We found a little slice of heaven in Kentucky Camp, Arizona.

All we wanted was a view. And a place to cook. We had intended to make it out to some hot springs in Truth or Consequences, but after wandering through the Biosphere 2 and shopping for supplies for the night, we looked at the sun and were determined not to have another night like the Great Kofa Compromise.

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