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Flagstaff travel guide: Ponderosa pine base, Walnut Canyon and Wupatki loop

Surrounded by the world's largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest at 2,100 metres elevation beneath the 3,851-metre San Francisco Peaks, Flagstaff is a cool mountain railway hub rather than a low-desert town. Its brick historic downtown and Dark Sky observatory sit within a short drive of cliff-dwelling canyons and red-rock volcanic pueblos.

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  1. Flagstaff, Arizona (Approximate city location)

Location coordinates: Flagstaff, Arizona.

Arrival and getting around in Flagstaff, Arizona

Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG) lies 8 km south of downtown off Interstate 17, while Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) sits 230 km south (about 2 hours 15 minutes via I-17) with frequent Groome Transportation shuttle vans dropping right at the downtown Amtrak station.

  • Amtrak's daily Southwest Chief stops right in the middle of Historic Route 66 at the downtown Flagstaff Visitor Center.
  • Inside town, the Mountain Line bus network and the paved Flagstaff Urban Trail System (FUTS) link Historic Downtown, Mars Hill and McMillan Mesa.
  • Rent a car for at least one day to reach Walnut Canyon National Monument (16 km east off I-40) and the scenic 56-km loop road through Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments north on US-89.

Sources: NPS, filming and still photography, City of Flagstaff, McMillan Mesa and Buffalo Park

Where to stay in Flagstaff, Arizona

Staying near the downtown railway depot lets you walk to craft breweries, pine-shaded mansions and Mars Hill without crossing freight-train underpasses by car.

  • Historic Downtown Flagstaff (north of the tracks around Leroux and San Francisco streets): walkable early-1900s brick hotels and inns within minutes of restaurants, the Amtrak depot and the climb up to Lowell Observatory.
  • West Route 66 and Milton Road near NAU / Riordan Mansion: convenient access to Riordan Mansion State Historic Park and western trailheads.
  • Be aware that heavily used Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight trains pass through central Flagstaff day and night; light sleepers should request rooms facing away from the tracks or stay several blocks north.

Sources: City of Flagstaff, McMillan Mesa and Buffalo Park, Discover Flagstaff, Riordan Mansion

Two-day route for Flagstaff, Arizona

Spend your first day around the pine-forested mesas, arts-and-crafts heritage and night-sky telescopes in town, then drive the eastern canyon and northern volcanic pueblo loop on day two.

  • Day 1: start with a morning walk around the open meadow loop of Buffalo Park, Flagstaff on McMillan Mesa for unobstructed views of the San Francisco Peaks, tour the 1904 Arts and Crafts log-slab duplex of Riordan Mansion State Historic Park, explore Historic Downtown and head up Mars Hill in the late afternoon and evening for solar viewing and stargazing at Lowell Observatory (where Pluto was discovered in 1930).
  • Day 2: drive east to walk the 2,070-metre ledge overlooking ancestral Sinagua cliff dwellings along the Walnut Canyon Rim Trail (and the Island Trail if open), then head north on US-89 into Wupatki National Monument to explore the multi-story red sandstone walls and ballcourt of Wupatki Pueblo and the dramatic outcrop fortress of Wukoki Pueblo against the Painted Desert.
  • Afternoon monsoon-storm alternative: spend rainy afternoon hours inside the Museum of Northern Arizona on Fort Valley Road (US-180) before evening skies clear.

Sources: NPS, filming and still photography, City of Flagstaff, McMillan Mesa and Buffalo Park, Discover Flagstaff, Riordan Mansion, Flagstaff visitor guide, Riordan Mansion grounds and photography

Seasonal timing and practical rhythm

At 2,100 metres elevation, Flagstaff is 12 to 15 degrees Celsius cooler than Phoenix year-round, receiving heavy winter snow and July-August afternoon monsoon thunderstorms.

  • May to June and September to October offer crisp, pine-scented days around 18 to 25 degrees Celsius, golden quaking aspens on the San Francisco Peaks in autumn and clear dark skies for Lowell Observatory.
  • Note that Wupatki National Monument sits roughly 600 metres lower and 6 to 8 degrees Celsius warmer than downtown Flagstaff, and pace yourself on the steep stairs of Walnut Canyon's Island Trail at altitude.

Sources