Discovering the Best of Arizona

The Arizona scenery is indeed as spectacular as anything you'd ever imagine (more than 80 percent of the state is undeveloped), ancient traditions are alive and well on the Indian reservations, and several cattle ranches are still active — some even rent out their rooms. Here are just a few of the best experiences.

Arizona's historic attractions

Over the centuries, Arizona has been home to conquistadors, missionaries, miners, and a variety of American Indian tribes — all of whom left their marks on the landscape. Today, these historic sites are among the state's biggest tourism draws.

• Taliesin West (North Scottsdale): Who says historic sites have to be really old? In the urban sprawl of greater Phoenix, Frank Lloyd Wright's former home and architectural studio stands out for its integration of architecture and nature.

• Mission San Xavier del Bac: This Spanish Moorish-style church is not only lovely, but, as an active Native American parish, it serves as a testament to Arizona's rich living history.

• Bisbee: The entire hilly town — a kind of San Francisco in miniature — gives visitors a more charming glimpse of Arizona's mining history than one may expect.

• Tumacácori National Historical Park (Tumacácori): The haunting ruins of a mission, the fine historical displays, not to mention the tranquility of the gardens and grassy courtyard, all make this a prime spot to soak in the past.

• Jerome: Its perch on Cleopatra Hill, ramshackle buildings, and array of mining exhibits make this one-time ghost town a must-see.

• Sharlot Hall Museum: The territorial history of Arizona is highlighted in this array of historic structures, a collection put together by a pioneering woman.

• Grand Canyon Village Historical District: Tear your eyes away from nature for an hour or so to explore what man — and woman (architect Mary Colter, to be specific) — wrought at the edge of the abyss.

• Riordan Mansion State Historic Park: For insight into Arizona's logging history, you can't beat this sprawling home built by two lumber-baron brothers.

• Holbrook: Dinosaurs, wigwams, neon signs . . . you won't find a better place in Arizona to view classic Route 66 kitsch.

• Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site: The former home of trader Lorenzo Hubbell is among the many lures of this still-active trading post.

Exploring Native American Culture

From 200 A.D. to 1300 A.D., Native American tribes had this country pretty much to themselves, sharing it only with the animals that freely roamed the land. The evidence of their civilizations is found throughout the state.

• The Heard Museum (Downtown Phoenix): Combining historic displays with exhibits of contemporary Native American works, this world-class museum is a must for anyone interested in Southwest Indian culture.

• Casa Grande Ruins National Monument: If not Arizona's largest Native American ruins, these are among the most elusive. What is that tall building anyway — and what's with all those fire pits?

• Amerind Foundation Museum (Dragoon): If you like your museums compact and in scenic settings, don't pass up this small collection of Native American artifacts.

• Montezuma Castle National Monument: An easy detour off Highway 17 is rewarded by the sight of a couple of well-preserved ancient apartment houses and, nearby, a dazzlingly blue, spring-fed pool.

• Museum of Northern Arizona: Find out about the native peoples of the Colorado Plateau in this historic building, which hosts a fine series of Native American markets in summer.

• Walnut Canyon National Monument: Here you have an opportunity to clamber among intact Sinagua ruins, nestled in a beautiful piney canyon.

• Canyon de Chelly National Monument: The Navajos have stewardship over — and dwell in — these spectacular canyons, which also host the former homes of ancestral Puebloans.

• Hopi Mesas: Talk about living history. The Hopi people live on the three mesas that their ancestors settled centuries ago, and they still observe many of the same customs as their forebears.

• Navajo National Monument: A gorgeous, serene setting and dramatic cliff dwellings — Native American sites don't get much better than this.

Seeing Western film-style landscapes

The Westerns of film directors like John Ford are synonymous with the tumbleweed desert landscapes found in Arizona. See them for yourself at the following locations.

• Boyce Thompson Arboretum: The array of desert specimens in this off-the-beaten-path preserve is eye-popping, as are the sandstone boulders that serve as the plants' backdrop.

• Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum: You see impressive spreads of desert in many parts of southern Arizona, but you're never guaranteed a peek at the fauna that dwell in them — except in this wonderful zoo.

• Saguaro National Park: Gigantic saguaro cacti grow almost exclusively in Arizona and northern Mexico, and you find no better place to view them than in this prickly preserve.

• Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument: The skinny-armed cousin of the saguaro is the star of this desert park near the U.S./Mexico border and the Tohono O'odham Indian reservation.

• Chiricahua National Monument (Dos Cabezas Route): You'll be bowled over by the weirdly balanced boulders of the "Land of the Standing-Up Rocks," the rugged terrain where Cochise and his band of Apaches hid out from the U.S. cavalry.

• Red rocks of Sedona: The startlingly vermillion rocks and mesas around Sedona have inspired artists and filmmakers from the 1930s on.

• The Grand Canyon: Celluloid can't fully capture this sight's gaping grandeur — probably for the best, because no actor could compete with this scene stealer.

• Canyon de Chelly National Monument: These sheer cliffs painted with "desert varnish" — a blue-black veneer formed by seeping water — are among the most awe-inspiring sights in the Southwest.

• Lake Powell: Adding water to Glen Canyon only enhanced its appeal, although the submerged rock formations seem a bit surreal.

• Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park: The favorite "set" of filmmaker John Ford, these strangely shaped spires and mesas have come to symbolize the West for generations of cineastes.

• The Painted Desert: Petrified Forest National Park provides a good showcase for one of the West's softer landscapes, with its delicate shades of pink, dun, and sienna.