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Sep 01, 2023

Here are the absolute coolest things to do in Arizona this summer

Long summer days are the perfect time to ramble around this remarkable state

Long summer days are the perfect time to ramble around this remarkable state looking for fun. In Arizona, we have a little bit of everything.

Cool off in the mountains. Explore a shady slot canyon. Camp and fish at a picturesque lake. Enjoy an adventure at a big family playground. Attend a colorful festival or a thrilling street race. You can even hang out with celebrities in a Wild West town.

So think about how you’d like to spend these languid days and then just aim your vehicle accordingly. Here are a few ideas to help start your summer off right.

Exclusive:What's new in Sedona for 2023, from luxury hotels to outdoor guides

The 150-acre lake, ringed by pine, oak and fir trees, is stocked regularly with trout from spring through fall. The 7,600-foot elevation provides a welcome relief from desert heat.

If you’d like to drop a line, an Arizona fishing license is required. The upper ends of the two long coves of the lake are good spots to try for rainbow and brown trout. The lake also supports a population of largemouth and smallmouth bass. Boats are limited to 10 horsepower and a paved ramp provides easy access.

Sinkhole Campground is within walking distance of the water. With 26 sites, it includes tent camping, picnic tables and vault toilets for $20 per night. The Canyon Point Campground (113 sites, 32 with electricity) is 5 miles away. It includes picnic tables, showers, flush toilets and drinking water. $28 for nonelectric sites, $33 for electric. There are some first come, first served sites at both campgrounds. Make reservations by calling 877-444-6777 or at www.recreation.gov.

Details: From Payson, drive east on State Route 260 for about 30 miles to the signed turnoff at Forest Road 149. 928-333-6280, www.fs.usda.gov/asnf.

Start from the Wire Pass Trailhead and you'll squeeze through one short but sweet slot canyon to reach the mother of all slot canyons, Buckskin Gulch.

Buckskin is the longest and deepest slot canyon in the United States. Wavy sandstone walls stretch for 16 miles across the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area spilling into Utah. Overnight permits must be booked well in advance but there are no limits on day hikers. Purchase online or at the trailhead.

You’ll hike a dry streambed for nearly a mile before entering the tight confines of Wire Pass, with water-smoothed walls spiraling upward. There's a tight squeeze or two before it suddenly bursts open in a big cathedral of light and stone at the junction with Buckskin Gulch.

Turn left or right into Buckskin and enjoy miles of walking on the sandy floor through a narrow passage, a dark cool world wrapped in stone. Hike as far as you’re comfortable before returning the way you came.

Safety tip: Do not attempt this hike if rain is even remotely in the forecast. All slot canyons can be extremely dangerous due to flash floods, and it doesn't have to rain where you are for a flash flood to engulf you if you're downstream. For current weather conditions, contact the Paria Contact Station, 435-689-0801, www.blm.gov/visit/buckskin-gulch.

Details: From Navajo Bridge in Marble Canyon, go west on U.S. 89A for 27.5 miles to House Rock Valley Road (BLM 1065). Turn right onto this dirt road and continue about 22 miles to the trailhead. A high-clearance vehicle is required and four-wheel drive may be necessary at times. The road may be impassable when wet. A day-use permit is $6 per person and $6 per dog. Purchase passes online at www.recreation.gov or at the trailhead kiosk.

It's going to get loud in Kingman for one weekend in May. That's when the world's largest legal street drags burn rubber right down Historic Route 66.

A purpose-built 1/8-mile track will be installed on Andy Devine Avenue (Route 66) just to handle this National Street Drag Championship event May 19-21. The drags will roar down the middle of the Mother Road, with spectators cheering. It's an old-fashioned street race, loud and proud and all perfectly legit. There will be a full timing system and all safety equipment in place for the three days of hot rodding.

Races take place noon-9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Racers compete for cash prizes, trophies and the title of National Street Champion. Dozens of food and craft vendors will also be on hand, but no bands. Who could hear them? Rev up for a special time.

Details: Friday-Sunday, May 19-21. General admission is $20, free for ages 6 and younger. Hospitality suite tickets, good for all three days, can be purchased online in advance. www.kingmanrt66streetdrags.com.

Arizona's largest ski resort turns into a family-friendly summer playground full of high-flying, fast-moving and bouncy thrills.

You can ride the scenic chair lift to the 10,700-foot summit of Sunrise Mountain, with forest views rolling off in all directions. If that's too slow-paced, take the Apache High Flyer, Arizona's longest and fastest tandem zip line soaring high above the pine trees.

Or unleash your superhero fantasies by freefalling onto a giant airbag. Leap from platforms of 18 feet, 32 feet and 40 feet high. There's also a 300-foot tubing slide, rock climbing walls, a bouncy house, disc golf, hiking and fishing.

Downhill mountain biking is just what it sounds like — ride the lift to the top and zoom down the ski runs clinging to your bike. Courses are suitable for beginners, advanced and expert riders. Bike rentals are available. Anticipated summer opening is May 26.

Details: Rates vary with each activity. 928-735-7669, www.sunrise.ski.

If you’ve ever offered to be someone's huckleberry, chances are you’re a fan of the movie "Tombstone." Now 30 years after the release of that iconic Western film, several cast members will gather in the town of Tombstone for a reunion June 23-25.

There will be multiple autograph sessions on Saturday and Sunday. They’re free to attend but the actors will determine photo and autograph prices. A Friday evening discussion at Schieffelin Hall will delve into plenty of behind-the-scenes stories. An actor symposium will take place on Saturday evening with a panel discussion and Q&A.

Actors who will be on hand for the events include Michael Biehn (Johnny Ringo), Dana Wheeler-Nicholson (Mattie Earp), Joanna Pacula (Kate), Peter Sherayko (Texas Jack), Robert Burke (Frank McLaury), John Philbin (Tom McLaury) and Christopher Mitchum (Hooker Ranch Foreman). More actors from the movie are expected to attend.

Details: June 23-25. Friday and Saturday special events are both $25. Purchase tickets in advance at www.tombstone30th.com.

When you envision the perfect mountain hike, you’re dreaming of Baldy Mountain. West Baldy is a great summer hike near Springerville-Eagar. Start out ambling across sun-kissed meadows near the banks of a clear-running river. The Little Colorado loops right to the edge of the trail in places so you’ll enjoy a splashy symphony.

After 3 miles you enter an ancient cathedral-like forest with lots of big downed logs, lichen-crusted boulders and a loamy perfume wafting through stands of pine, spruce and fir. The trail climbs at a steady pace. This is never a strenuous hike but you do rack up some miles at high elevation.

From the ridge a few vistas are visible. The actual summit is on the White Mountain Apache Reservation and access is restricted to tribal members only. Please don't trespass. The full hike is 14 miles round trip.

Details: From Eagar, travel west on State Route 260 for 18 miles to SR 273. Turn left and go 7.6 miles to the trailhead. 928-333-6200, www.fs.usda.gov/asnf.

It's one of the biggest events thrown by Flagstaff's Museum of Northern Arizona each year. The 2023 Heritage Festival takes place June 24-25 on the forested grounds surrounding the museum with the sacred San Francisco Peaks rising overhead.

It's an inclusive celebration that highlights the diverse Indigenous cultures of the Colorado Plateau. Participants will include Acoma, Apache, Navajo, Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai, Pai, Ute, Yavapai and Zuni people.

Visitors will enjoy traditional dances, music, food and informative talks by cultural experts. A sprawling artist market will offer a remarkable collection of work in a variety of genres. And best of all, every purchase at the Heritage Festival benefits the artists, who take home 100 percent of their earnings.

Details: June 24-25. Museum of Northern Arizona, 3101 N. Fort Valley Road, Flagstaff. $20 for one day for adults; $10 for one day for ages 10-17. $25 and $15 for two days. Free for age 9 and younger. 928-774-5213, www.musnaz.org.

Find the reporter atwww.rogernaylor.com. Or follow him on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/RogerNaylorinAZ or Twitter @AZRogerNaylor.