Although we may not know the best way to visit all of these locations, here is what we recommend as far as tripping throughout Arizona. Maybe we can attempt to connect them conveniently as well. Arizona is full of natural delights and the rich history of the land. Prepare to hear about all of the National Parks!
Saguaro National Park
Home to several National Parks displaying an array of natural landscapes and scenes, Arizona is usually on the top for traveling families. Even if you’re looking for an escape, it’s perfect for a solo adventure as well.
If you are new to Arizona travel or you’re planning to move there, you may not be aware of all this gorgeous state has to offer. Starting off our tour, we are heading into Southern Arizona. We recommend flying right into Pheonix to get the best of this list. While you are there, there’s no harm in checking out houses for rent in Phoenix. It’s within the perfect distance of the Saguaro National Park. Named for the Saguaro cactus that is native to this area.
Right outside Pheonix, you can find some of the oldest rocks and sediment in the United States. Pinal Schist is about 1.7 billion years old. It is a combination of quartz-sericite, metavolcanic rocks, metasilicate wacke, granitoid, and other gneissic rocks. The other two major areas of the park are parcels of the Tuscon Mountain District and the Rincon Mountain District. The Tuscon Mountains are comprised of volcanic rocks and the erosion over time pushed up rocks from beneath the mountains and created the Rincon Mountain District.
There are petroglyphs and broken pottery that are among what is left of the ancient Hohokam people in this area. During the early 19th century, mining and farming became a big industry here. There was a big community of homesteaders and ranchers along the foothills of the mountains. It was where many found work while traveling through the great west.
The Grand Canyon National Park
The next stop along our Arizona travels is the Grand Canyon, National Park. It’s one of the most well-known parks in America. This National Park was prevalent on postcards from the early 1900s. During this time, postcards became popular as the tradition was brought over to the Americas by Europeans. By 1907, postcards, or “view cards” as they became known, were flying off the shelves and the Grand Canyon was just one of the many National Parks that were featured.
The main feature of the Grand Canyon is the massive gorge from the Colorado River. There are very remote and rugged sections of the Grand Canyon as it spans 1.2 million acres. There are many layers of rock that have formed since the Precambrian era. Many have said that the area brings them grounding. Its pure size and mass remind us of how mother nature is an untameable force. It is truly a sight that every American should see at least once in their lifetimes.
Grand Canyon Village is the visiting service for the park and they can guide you through the safe and designated areas. Like we’ve said, it is precarious in areas. There is a full community in Grand Canyon Village, with places to lodge, eat, and sleep. The North Rim and the South Rim are the areas that are meant for visitors. This park is near and dear to many hearts and they work hard to conserve the region. As we get deeper into the 21st century, we need to remind ourselves that preservation is vital to national lands.
Petrified Forest National Park
Finally, the most northern point of our journey. The Petrified National Forest is one of the coolest stops in Arizona. There are massive displays of petrified wood and eroded badland formations that were formed 220 – 225 million years ago.
The layers of mudstone and sandstone draw in thousands each year. It was named a National Monument way back in 1906. The Chinle Formation is the event that created these colorful hilly dunes. During the Upper Triassic period, there was a continental geological formation of multiple earth deposits. These badlands have existed for millions of years and seeing them in person will have you floored.
It’s important to visit the places created in the past. They remind us of how we have made it so far as a species. The terrain is the same terrain that Native Americans had lived on for thousands of years before any European. We are truly blessed with a stunning world to live in when we stop and take a look.