A pretty, piney region financed by lumber and railways before the Grand Canyon became a growth industry, lower northwest Arizona has a lot going for it. The San Francisco Peaks, the state's highest mountains, were uplifted by a not-so-ancient volcano, which also left behind soil so fertile that several Indian civilizations came to this area -- the proof is in Walnut Canyon and Wupatki National monuments. Route 66, which helped speed tourists toward the abyss, left a legacy of cool neon signs, while the establishment of Northern Arizona University gave Flagstaff a youth boost. Snowbowl, on one of the San Francisco Peaks, boasts the best skiing in the state -- although that's not saying all that much.

You may initially think that Flagstaff never met a hotel or restaurant chain it didn't like. Don't be put off by first impressions. Behind all the fast-food restaurants and hotel strips sits a friendly, alpine (altitude: 6,902 ft.) college town. Inexpensive hotel rooms, abundant restaurants, and a central location make Flagstaff a great base for visiting the Grand Canyon and other area attractions, but the city itself also deserves some attention -- at least a day. Devote another one to Walnut Canyon, en route to the Petrified Forest National Park or Sunset Crater and Wupatki, if you can.

To get there, if you're like most people who come to Arizona, you fly into Phoenix and rent a car at Sky Harbor International Airport. Flagstaff is 134 miles from Phoenix via I-17, a divided four-lane highway, somewhat curvy in spots, with a speed limit of mostly 75 mph. I-40, the main east-west road through Flagstaff, Williams (30 miles west), and northern Arizona, is about as fast and flat as they come.