Road trip through Arizona

  • HTML tutorial

max.grun

Rank V
Launch Member

Enthusiast III

1,807
Turlock, California
Member #

8118

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KM6YSE
I'm going to be heading on road trip through Arizona a few weeks, and I was wondering if any one had any suggestions. I plan on making the drive to Benson from Central California on the first day. Long drive yes, but i won't be the only driver and we will be making stops as needed for food or to stretch the legs.

So far our plan is to stop in Benson for 3 days then start making our way back to California. On the way the back we would like to do some sight seeing. This where i'm hoping for some suggestions, as I am unfamiliar with Arizona. Overnight camping likely won't be an option, unfortunately.

A couple of things we do have planned already are to visit Tombstone and the Grand Canyon. Beyond this the schedule is open as long we are back in time to get back to work.

Thank You in advance for any suggestions.
 

itsdchz

Rank VI
Launch Member

Influencer I

3,670
Clovis, CA
Member #

6666

If you are headed up to South Rim, I highly suggest making it a little more Northeast and head to Antelope Valley Area...
 
  • Like
Reactions: max.grun

Robert Jordan

Rank V
Launch Member

Advocate I

2,693
Grass Valley, CA
Member #

11582

If you get the chance to go check out Jerome, AZ do so! It is a great little operating Ghost Town with a massive plethora of history including the Gold King Mine. Don at the GKM has an amazing collection of antique automobiles and equipment that is still in operation to this day. We have found copper nuggets just walking the tracks in Jerome. Another great little place is Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, AZ. Other areas of interest would be Wupatki, Montezuma Well, Meteor Crater, Canyon De Chelly and Havasu Falls. Arizona is full of amazing points of interest. I grew up there and visited all of these places. They are a must in a lifetime.
 

brien

Sonoran Space Program
Staff member
Moderator
Member

Off-Road Ranger I

3,402
Tucson, AZ
First Name
Brien
Last Name
Wankel
Member #

3553

Ham/GMRS Callsign
K7XPO
There's a number of really cool day trips near the Benson area:

1) Fairbank, AZ - In between Benson and Tombstone there's a neat little historic ghost town called Fairbank that's just a short detour down HWY 82. There's some neat old buildings and a little schoolhouse museum/bookstore that's open on the weekends. It's located in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. There's a great easy nature trail loop to hike as well.

2) Ghost Town Trail - A nice scenic loop that has a terminus in Tombstone. From Tombstone it runs East/North East through Gleeson, Courtland, and Pearce. There's a great little museum in the old jail house in Gleeson which is owned, curated, and maintained by Joe Bono who grew up in the town before the mining boom ended. Further down the trail from Gleeson you'll run across the ruins of the old Courtland jail house, and eventually you'll arrive in Pearce, which has a few fantastically restored buildings including an old U.S. Post Office.

3) Bisbee, AZ & Lowel, AZ - Bisbee is a wonderful little town with a ton of great gift shops and galleries along the 'downtown' Main St. There's a few great museums and even a mine tour, the Queen Mine Tour, that will take you in an actual mine train deep into the mountain side for an unforgettable tour. Just South of Bisbee is a one road "town" called Lowel, AZ that will take you through a time warp back to the middle of the 20th century. The one block long "town" serves as a living museum filled with interesting old cars and signs.

4) Slaughter Ranch / San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge - About 10 minutes East of Douglas, AZ along Geronimo Trail and the US / Mexico border is an absolute hidden gem of the state, in my opinion. It's probably my favorite place to visit along the Arizona Borderlands. Slaughter Ranch is a wonderfully restored and maintained ranch from around the turn of the 20th century. There's incredible history there, and a great self-guided walking tour that explains much of the important history of the area. There you can also walk around the ruins of an old U.S. Army fort where soldiers were able to observe some of the movements of Pancho Villa and his army during the Mexican Revolution. The ranch is a desert oasis with something like 20+ natural artesian wells on the property. It's a fantastic spot for a picnic, there's also charcoal grills and tables available for use by anybody. The caretakers are wonderful people who also take care of a number of animals on the property, including a number of dogs that have been taken out of traumatic situations. Because of this, NO DOGS ARE ALLOWED, so plan ahead of time if you have a pet with you. They ask for a $5 donation for each adult visiting - it's well worth the price.

5) Chiricahua Mountains / Chiricahua National Monument - The Chiricahua Mountains is one of the more interesting mountain ranges i've ever seen. There's really crazy rock spires and deep narrow canyons. Absolutely magical place. There's a ton of trails all around the mountains, and then there's the National Monument which has a paved scenic drive, great hiking, lots of scenic picnic spots, a couple museums and a gift shop
 

brien

Sonoran Space Program
Staff member
Moderator
Member

Off-Road Ranger I

3,402
Tucson, AZ
First Name
Brien
Last Name
Wankel
Member #

3553

Ham/GMRS Callsign
K7XPO
Oh yeah, to add to what @Robert Jordan pointed out: There's a ton of amazing historic National points of interest. One time when we were driving back down from a trip to Zion in Utah we stopped at damn near every single brown sign we saw along the highway. We hit up Pipe Spring National Monument (this was my favorite one of that trip, since the history was just so interesting/sad), Montezuma Castle National Monument, Tuzigoot National Monument, Agua Fria National Monument, Navajo National Monument, Wupatki National Monument, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, etc.

There's also Coronado National Monument which would be another day trip from Benson area. There's a really fun cave that's moderately easy to explore. You can do it with good hiking shoes and some flashlights, be prepared for a bit of rock scrambling to get in and out near the entrance. Just west of there along the same road as the national monument is Montezuma Pass which has an incredible view of the Arizona and Mexico Bordlerlands
 
  • Like
Reactions: 9Mike2 and max.grun

Robert Jordan

Rank V
Launch Member

Advocate I

2,693
Grass Valley, CA
Member #

11582

Oh yeah, to add to what @Robert Jordan pointed out: There's a ton of amazing historic National points of interest. One time when we were driving back down from a trip to Zion in Utah we stopped at damn near every single brown sign we saw along the highway. We hit up Pipe Spring National Monument (this was my favorite one of that trip, since the history was just so interesting/sad), Montezuma Castle National Monument, Tuzigoot National Monument, Agua Fria National Monument, Navajo National Monument, Wupatki National Monument, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, etc.

There's also Coronado National Monument which would be another day trip from Benson area. There's a really fun cave that's moderately easy to explore. You can do it with good hiking shoes and some flashlights, be prepared for a bit of rock scrambling to get in and out near the entrance. Just west of there along the same road as the national monument is Montezuma Pass which has an incredible view of the Arizona and Mexico Bordlerlands
I completely forgot about Tuzigoot. That one is a neat one for sure. There are a few others that don't have the typical recognition that I didn't mention such as Cave Hill in Flagstaff but they really aren't that exciting as the others we both have mentioned.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ron W. and max.grun

max.grun

Rank V
Launch Member

Enthusiast III

1,807
Turlock, California
Member #

8118

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KM6YSE
Thank you for all the suggestions. There is definitely enough to warrant more than one trip to Arizona, no way i can fit all these into one trip. The ghost town near Benson, on the way to Tombstone, i'm sure will be very high on the list of things to see. I'm certain that my wife will absolutely love it. I'll do my best get some good photos and share them here after my trip. Though i will admit, i don't take many photos, usually enjoying the moment to much to take photos.

Thank You again for all the suggestions.
 

Robert Jordan

Rank V
Launch Member

Advocate I

2,693
Grass Valley, CA
Member #

11582

You are very welcome. I am certain you will love seeing all that AZ has to offer. It is one of the most beautiful states in our country in my opinion. Everything from high elevation forests to low elevation deserts with everything in between. I would also highly suggest getting to Sedona sometime to see all of the Red Rock canyons and formations of the Mogollon Rim.
 

Ron W.

Rank VI
Launch Member

Off-Road Ranger I

3,308
Herriman, UT, USA
First Name
Ron
Last Name
Wilkinson
Member #

4990

Ham/GMRS Callsign
WRQT933
Service Branch
US Navy
I grew up in southern AZ and love the state. There is so much to see and do. Since you plan on doing the Grand Canyon may I suggest you go to Williams, AZ instead and take the Grand Canyon Rail into the Grand Canyon. Also, if you have the time, west of Tucson is the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. That is a FULL day, and then some. Awesome place.
 

max.grun

Rank V
Launch Member

Enthusiast III

1,807
Turlock, California
Member #

8118

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KM6YSE
I grew up in southern AZ and love the state. There is so much to see and do. Since you plan on doing the Grand Canyon may I suggest you go to Williams, AZ instead and take the Grand Canyon Rail into the Grand Canyon. Also, if you have the time, west of Tucson is the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. That is a FULL day, and then some. Awesome place.
We will definitely consider that. Is the rail a round trip ride? Going for a ride instead of driving would allow for more time to enjoy the views.

Thank you again for the suggestions and replies.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ron W.

brien

Sonoran Space Program
Staff member
Moderator
Member

Off-Road Ranger I

3,402
Tucson, AZ
First Name
Brien
Last Name
Wankel
Member #

3553

Ham/GMRS Callsign
K7XPO
Is the rail a round trip ride?
Yep, it's a full round trip there and back. Picks you up in the morning, drops you off a the Grand Canyon for a few hours, then brings you back in the late afternoon. I haven't done it yet, but it's definitely on our family bucket list

https://www.thetrain.com/
 

max.grun

Rank V
Launch Member

Enthusiast III

1,807
Turlock, California
Member #

8118

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KM6YSE
Yep, it's a full round trip there and back. Picks you up in the morning, drops you off a the Grand Canyon for a few hours, then brings you back in the late afternoon. I haven't done it yet, but it's definitely on our family bucket list

https://www.thetrain.com/
I looked into it and showed my wife. If there still seats available the day we go, we are going to be doing this. looks like a great way to see some sights.

On a side note, as someone who did not travel much when i as younger, I am excited for this trip
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ron W. and brien

max.grun

Rank V
Launch Member

Enthusiast III

1,807
Turlock, California
Member #

8118

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KM6YSE
I've returned from my trip. Thank you everyone for all suggestions, there more than i could fit into my trip this time around. My family and i had a great time. I'll make a follow up post when i have more time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ron W. and brien

Ron W.

Rank VI
Launch Member

Off-Road Ranger I

3,308
Herriman, UT, USA
First Name
Ron
Last Name
Wilkinson
Member #

4990

Ham/GMRS Callsign
WRQT933
Service Branch
US Navy
I've returned from my trip. Thank you everyone for all suggestions, there more than i could fit into my trip this time around. My family and i had a great time. I'll make a follow up post when i have more time.
Are you going to leave us hanging or are you going to tell us what you guys did?
 

max.grun

Rank V
Launch Member

Enthusiast III

1,807
Turlock, California
Member #

8118

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KM6YSE
Are you going to leave us hanging or are you going to tell us what you guys did?
Sorry about that. It was straight back to work once i got back. Haven't had a whole lot of time to follow up yet. But a quick run down, we checked out Tombstone and the graveyard there. I followed up on the recommendation to go to the Queens Mine tour in Bisbee (i believe that was the town). My son really loved that one. While in Benson one of the local people also mentioned the Kartchner Caverns. That was the one i really enjoyed. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos, which is truly a shame. I found the views in there to be absolutely stunning to me even though part of the cavern was closed for the bats that were breeding there. The rest of the time in Benson was visiting family and going to their favorite places to hang out while also watching the thunder storms roll on by.

We then took a day to make our way up Golden Valley. After that drive we took a day to just lounge around with friends and not really go anywhere, lazy day. On our last full day we took the suggestion of the Grand Canyon Railway. That was a fun experience. My son really enjoyed that as well. That was a full day trip to the Grand Canyon and back. Only drawback was the fact that there were wild fires in the distance and the canyon was kinda hazy from the smoke. We came home the following day from that.

All in all it was about 1900 miles round trip, not including the miles in the vehicles we rode in once got there. My Outback got there and back without major problem, just a gas cap failure. Stupid gas cap!

In the end we do plan on going back in a year or so. We'll try to do other things next time around too.
 

Ron W.

Rank VI
Launch Member

Off-Road Ranger I

3,308
Herriman, UT, USA
First Name
Ron
Last Name
Wilkinson
Member #

4990

Ham/GMRS Callsign
WRQT933
Service Branch
US Navy
Glad you enjoyed Arizona. Next year try the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum west of Tucson, out by Old Tucson. It is awesome and a FULL day.
 
  • Like
Reactions: max.grun

max.grun

Rank V
Launch Member

Enthusiast III

1,807
Turlock, California
Member #

8118

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KM6YSE
Glad you enjoyed Arizona. Next year try the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum west of Tucson, out by Old Tucson. It is awesome and a FULL day.
Will definitely keep it in mind. We had an absolutely good time this trip to Arizona. Wish we had more time do and see more things. Thank you to everyone for the suggestions. I'll try to get some photos up on this thread later this week. Work has kept me busy since getting home.
 

max.grun

Rank V
Launch Member

Enthusiast III

1,807
Turlock, California
Member #

8118

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KM6YSE
Hmmm, for some reason i am unable to upload photos off my laptop. Even in when trying to start a new thread. Until i can figure it out, I won't be able to put up photos. Sorry guys.