locomotion/ February 16, 2018/

Weekends in Northern Arizona

Every year Go Daddy takes a bunch of us up north to ski in Snow Bowl. Jersey has been meeting up me up there the last three years and we spend the weekend somewhere new in Northern Arizona. There is so much color and weather variations you can’t believe it’s one small state on the U.S. map. Here are some of my favorites.

Oak Creek Canyon

The canyon is between Flagstaff and Sedona on 89A and it offers some of the biggest, most beautiful landscapes around. The two pictures below were taken from the same spot – I just turned right to take one picture and left to take the other picture. The desert canyon is crazy beautiful.

We have stayed in the canyon a couple times. I have written about the beautiful chalet my brother has taken us to a couple times. It was a private home where he did some website work in exchange for a weeks stay. This year we stayed at the Briar Patch Inn where you can rent private cabins right on Oak Creek. The property is immaculate and the cabins were built for the movies stars who came to make movies back in the 40s. Most everything has been kept original. We stayed in the Robin cabin that had a private patio and . . .

. . . it had a full kitchenette and a cool door with views of the patio foliage. But it was the fireplace that was the stole the weekend. It’s been too warm in the valley to enjoy our backyard fire pit so having some crisp air with a fire made the weekend perfect. The lodge provided a large crate of wood, more than enough to keep the fire burning all weekend. There is no TV and no WiFi in the cabins. It’s just you and nature.

The staff has created some unique but subtle welcoming ideas. A handwritten note was waiting for us along with a set of worry dolls to put under our pillows. They had a boombox with a CD player that included CDs of artists who had played on the Briar Patch grounds. You can even drink water from the tap (something you definitely do not do in the valley) and it apparently will keep you youthful!!!

We did some exploring around the property and were not disappointed. The creek water is crystal clear but very cold! I’m looking forward to returning in the summer for a dip. We spotted a snake slithering along the driveway before we entered a grassy area that was home to a half dozen uniquely painted totem poles. Oh and there are a couple sheep that roam the property. We decided this may be one of our favorite places ever, behind the Chantli Mare of course.

The lodge itself has authentic southwest decor. You can have breakfast here or you can meander in, in the afternoon for a BYOB happy hour that includes a buffet of cheese, crackers, fruit and hot cider.

Fireplaces were lit inside the lodge and squirrels were enjoying the sunny day outside. Seriously this place has a perfect laid back vibe that we could not get over. We already have reservations to go back in August – to swim in the creek of course!

Jerome

Jerome is an old mining town known for haunted hotels located on a mountain side. Getting there is half the fun with the curvy mountain cliffs the whole way up. Once you get there the small town streets are winding and narrow. There are shops and restaurants and cool hiking trails.

We did a morning hike around the old mine where the views are amazing. We were there in January so it was cool and the stormy sky . . .

. . . left me speechless. The landscapes in Arizona are always different depending on where you point your camera.

We stayed at the Mile High Grill and Inn just off Main Street. The restaurant has an excellent breakfast and a welcoming bar that doesn’t get too loud at night.

There are on a couple rooms that have a private bathroom and we were lucky enough to get one of them. Just like many hotels in Jerome, there is an authenticity and decor that screams the wild west. This room was definitely unique with the bathroom sink in the same room as the bed. We had a great view of the range and spent some time in the adjoined chairs that included a cup holder perfect for our beers. There is no TV or WiFi in this room either. It’s just about enjoying your company.

Sedona

I’m going to skip the touristy stuff in Sedona and keep us outside in nature. We spent the Saturday morning away from the Briar Patch to do a hike Brins Mesa Trail with some of the most beautiful views. The weather was perfect in the 60s and sunny. There is a good steep grade to really feel like you burned some calories.

Winslow

Please don’t go to the city of Winslow. This is literally all there is to see. Otherwise it’s terrible. I have no idea why anyone would write a song about this place. But if you drive a bit further you can see a crazy cool view of the San Francisco Peaks near the Meteor Crater Natural Landmark which is definitely worth checking out. The Meteor Crater is also worth the adventure. We went there a few years back and I can’t find pictures of the actual crater but it was crazy scary big.

Prescott

A couple years ago we rented a motor home with the goal of spending a night at Arcosanti to enjoy a music festival. Arcosanti was as a social experiment to see if people can live with minimal resources primarily living on the natural environment but with an urban feel. The music festival ended up being rained out (imagine that!!) so we stayed another night in our motor home in a Prescott park close to Lynx Lake and did some exploring.