Snowbirds heading home—Part III
Taking the journey from Arizona onward
For those of you who spent the winter in southern Arizona, your route home could take you near a number of interesting sites. We will assume you will pass through Tucson, and the first stop will be the Saguaro National Park. There are two sections, one east of Tucson and the other slightly to the west. Each section has a visitor center and both sections contain fine tracts of the Sonoran Desert surrounded by the Tucson and Rincon Mountains. This is where you go to see cacti, the Lesser Long-nosed bat and the Mexican Spotted Owl. Hikers will find 150 miles of hiking trails to try.
Continue on I-10 to AZ64 and go a short distance to Casa Grande National Monument. This site contains the ruins of “The Big House” where ancient Sonoran Desert People lived up until about 1450 AD. Casa Grande was the USA’s first archeological preserve in1892 and is one of the largest prehistoric structures ever built in North America. Farming and trading lasted over a thousand years but the demise of its inhabitants remains a mystery.
Hikes and tours
Next, head north on I-17 about 40 miles past Phoenix to Aqua Fria National Monument. Signage is poor, but take Exit 259 on I-17. This attraction is centered around a deep river canyon on the northern border of the Sonoran Desert. The monument was created to preserve ancient sites, ruins of structures and pueblos. There are also many pictographs found here.
Continue north on I-17 through Flagstaff and pick up AZ43 and go north to the Grand Canyon. This is one of the most popular attractions in the USA, with over 5 million visitors a year. They come to see the one-mile-deep (1.6 km) Grand Canyon. The South Rim is open all year long and has many visitor centers, museums and gift shops. There are a number of guided tours available. Hiking and opportunities to take photographs of the spectacular scenery abound.
The North Rim is less crowded but is only opened from mid-May to October. There is a visitor center on Bright Angle Road and Ranger programs and day hikes are available also. From either side of the canyon, the view is breathtaking!
