Arizona

Thanksgiving in Arizona: Casa Grande Ruins, Cotton Fields & Family

January 22, 2023 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 2, 2026

Thanksgiving in the Sonoran Desert has a character all its own — warm days, cool nights, and a tranquility that makes it one of our favorite times to be in Arizona. We were traveling between Cave Creek and Tucson when the holiday arrived, which meant driving south through the agricultural heart of central Arizona, stopping at one of the most remarkable ancient ruins in the United States, and spending the holiday itself with family in Mesa. The drive down delivered one more spectacular Arizona sunset — as they reliably do — and the days around Thanksgiving delivered genuine surprises: Hohokam architecture from the 1300s, fields of Pima cotton, fields of roses, and a family reunion that felt as warm as the desert afternoon.

Arizona desert sunset on the drive south toward Tucson showing the brilliant orange and red Sonoran Desert sky that makes Arizona famous for its evening light

Cave Creek, Arizona: Regional Park, Jewel of the Creek & Carefree Dining

January 12, 2023 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 2, 2026

Cave Creek, Arizona is a small town of fewer than 5,000 people about 30 miles north of Phoenix in the Sonoran Desert — rural enough to feel genuinely removed from the city, yet close enough that a Costco and Home Depot are a short drive away. It was founded in 1870 by soldiers from Fort McDowell and takes its name from the cave along the creek at the town’s heart. The surrounding landscape of mountains, saguaro forest, and desert washes gives it a character that’s distinctly different from the sprawling Phoenix metro just to the south. We came from Fort McDowell — about an hour’s drive — and stayed at Cave Creek Regional Park, one of the best camping experiences of our entire Arizona season.

Saguaro cactus and desert mountain landscape at Cave Creek Regional Park in Maricopa County Arizona north of Phoenix

Fort McDowell, Arizona: Eagle View RV Resort, Fountain Hills & Payson

January 1, 2023 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 2, 2026

Fort McDowell is an unincorporated community about half an hour northeast of Phoenix on the Yavapai Nation — a place most travelers bypass entirely on their way between Scottsdale and the high country. We came from New River, about an hour’s drive south, and used Fort McDowell as a base for day trips to Fountain Hills, Mesa, and the scenic mountain drive to Payson. It turned out to be one of our more enjoyable Phoenix-area stops — relaxed, well-located, and full of good food. From here we continued on to Cave Creek.

Sonoran Desert landscape near Fort McDowell Arizona showing saguaro cactus and desert scrub in the Yavapai Nation northeast of Phoenix

New River, Arizona & Phoenix Art Museum: A Hidden Base Camp

December 24, 2022 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 2, 2026

New River, Arizona sits about 36 miles north of downtown Phoenix in the terminus of the Black Canyon — an unincorporated community of fewer than 20,000 people that most travelers pass without noticing on I-17. We came here from Canyon de Chelly via Holbrook — about a three-hour drive — using it as a comfortable base camp between the Colorado Plateau and the Tucson desert. Founded in 1868 as a stagecoach stop, New River is the kind of place that still feels like the real Arizona rather than the sprawling Phoenix metro that’s steadily encroaching from the south. Master planned communities like Anthem have already pushed this far north — but for now, New River retains its high desert character. From here we continued on to Fort McDowell.

Phoenix Art Museum exterior in downtown Phoenix Arizona the largest art museum in the state with 18000 pieces across three floors

Painted Desert & Petrified Forest National Park: Arizona’s Ancient Landscape

December 17, 2022 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 2, 2026

Driving across northern Arizona on I-40 — the modern descendant of old Route 66 — it’s easy to treat Petrified Forest National Park as a quick roadside stop between bigger destinations. That would be a mistake. This park, which encompasses both the Painted Desert and one of the world’s largest concentrations of petrified wood, is one of the most geologically and archaeologically extraordinary places we’ve visited anywhere in the American Southwest. We came through in October traveling between Canyon de Chelly and Winslow, and we wished we’d budgeted more time. The park deserves a full day — ideally two.

Panoramic view of the Painted Desert badlands in Petrified Forest National Park showing the colorful banded red purple and gold hills of northern Arizona

[Read more…]

Canyon de Chelly National Monument: Arizona’s Most Underrated Wonder

December 10, 2022 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 2, 2026

Canyon de Chelly (pronounced “Canyon de Shay”) has been on our list for as long as either of us can remember. It appears regularly in Arizona Highways magazine — those sweeping red-walled canyon shots that make you stop turning pages — and it has the kind of remote, sacred quality that most famous national parks have long since traded away for visitor centers and shuttle buses. Our first attempt to visit was in 2020, but COVID shut the National Monument down entirely. When we finally made it in late 2022, driving down from Dolores, Colorado — about a three-hour drive — it exceeded every expectation we’d built up over the years.

Sweeping aerial view of Canyon de Chelly National Monument showing deep red sandstone canyon walls and canyon floor in northeastern Arizona