The American southwest is an almost magical place where myth, legend, history, stories of larger-than-life characters, and awe-inspiring landscapes unfold on a holiday as a rich and colourful tapestry. Who isn’t familiar with Wyatt Earp and the OK Corral, the exploits of Buffalo Bill Cody, or the story of Olive Oatman?
But for every Jesse James or Billy the Kid, there are a dozen people like Tap Duncan, Jeff Davis Milton or Black Mary whose stories have been forgotten. Tombstone is a town with a name as recognizable as Detroit or New York City. But who remembers Fairbank, Rhyolite, or Dos Cabezas?
A road trip through southern Arizona is an adventure of epic proportions. And it is also a journey through time, and a voyage of discovery.
Tucson, Arizona is a modern metropolis built around an ancient Spanish presidio. Within a few miles of the city’s congested heart is a vast wilderness and a forest of towering saguaro. Tucson. And yet the southernmost ski resort in the United States is less than an hours drive.
Within site of the city’s towering, modern skyline is the treasure of San Xavier del Bac known as the White Dove of The Desert. This National Historic Landmark and World Heritage Site that still serves the Tohono O’odham reservation was established as a Catholic mission by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692. Construction of the current church began in 1783 and was completed in 1797.
Nearby is the picturesque village of Tubac that is an artists colony filled with historic landmarks. Dating to 1725 this is the oldest European settlement in Arizona.
Tucson. Tombstone. Bisbee. Nogales. Sierra Vista. Douglas. Dos Cabezas. Hiking trails in a desert wilderness or urban exploration. Historic sites, scenic wonders above and below ground, five-star dining and quaint cafes, luxury resorts or historic hotels. You can easily fill a dozen holidays with memory making adventures in southern Arizona.
But the entire state is a holiday paradise in any season. At the recent Route 66 Info Fair in Needles, California, just across the river from Oatman, Arizona on iconic Route 66, the temperature was a delightful 23 degrees. And yet just 370 kilometers to the east at the Grand Canyon, it was snowing, and the ski resorts were doing a booming business.
And in the months of summer when temperatures in the Colorado River Valley soar to 50 degrees or more, a scenic drive of just 90 miles is all that is needed to escape the heat to the pine forested oasis in a sea of desert that is Hualapai Mountain Park.
Are you ready for a memory making holiday in the Grand Canyon State? Contact RouteTrip USA. We will build a bespoke trip just for you. After all, we are the bespoke holiday specialists.
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