Use your mouse to explore the map of Arizona below. Hovering over a hotspot will display information about the location. Clicking on a hotspot will display a photo of that location in a new window.
Lees Ferry. John D. Lee built his ferry across the Colorado River in the early 1870s. For over 50 years it was the only ferry across the river between Moab, Utah and Needles, California. The ferry was closed in the late 1920s when a bridge was built spanning Marble Canyon, a few miles to the southwest of the ferry site.
The Vermillion Cliffs, which are visible in the background, rise almost 3,000 feet from their base near the river.
Lake Powell is a reservoir on the Colorado River, extending almost 200 miles through Northern Arizona and into Southeastern Utah. It was formed by the construction of the Glen Canyon dam in the 1960s. Numerous ancient Anasazi Indian ruins are visible along the water’s edge. The lake is named for John Wesley Powell who, in 1869, rode the rapids through the Grand Canyon in small wooden boats.
Monument Valley includes some of the most breathtaking and recognizable scenery in all of America. The great director John Ford made 10 westerns in and around the valley. Many other movies and television shows have been filmed here.
Canyon de Chelly National Monument covers 130 square miles, wholly within the bounds of the Navajo Nation. Numerous Indian ruins, including the White House Ruin, lie within its borders. The name originated with the Navajo word for canyon, was translated into Spanish, and has now acquired the French-like pronunciation “de shay”.
Havasu Creek, located in Havasu Canyon. The Havasupai Indians are the only permanent residents of the Grand Canyon, having lived there for almost 800 years. Their tribal name means “the people of the blue-green waters”. They are also among the last people in America who are still served by the Pony Express.
The Grand Canyon, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, is a 277 mile long chasm of staggering beauty and majesty. The Colorado River cut the canyon over the course of two billion years. The canyon varies between 4 and 18 miles across and is over a mile deep. Our view is from the North Rim, which is somewhat less travelled than the more familiar South Rim, but well worth the extra mileage.
Window Rock is an eye-catching formation located just outside the town of the same name. Window Rock, Arizona is the seat of government for the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American tribe in America, comprising almost 300,000 people.
San Francisco Peaks, near Flagstaff. These volcanic mountains were named by Spanish Friars in honor of St. Francis of Assissi, almost 150 years before San Francisco, California was founded. To the Navajo peoples, they are known as Abalone Shell Mountain, the westernmost of their four Sacred Mountains. They are located within the Coconino National Forest, and feature year-round recreation.
Sedona. Located just south of Oak Creek Canyon, this small town is the world famous home of the stunning Red Rocks of Sedona. Although not as well known as Monument Valley, Sedona has also been the setting of numerous westerns. No longer a sleepy little town, Sedona is proud of its thriving artists’ colony and growing spiritual community.
Montezuma Castle, beautifully preserved cliff dwellings which were inhabited by the Sinagua Indians around 1400 AD. They credited their divine hero, Montezuma, as the builder. This may in fact be a reference to Moctezuma II, the Aztec Emperor of Mexico. The five story apartment house has 20 rooms and once held about 50 people. The descendents of the Sinagua are numbered among the Hopi Tribe.
Lake Havasu, the home-away-from-home of the famed London Bridge. In 1968, American oil baron Robert P. McCulloch bought the bridge for $2.5 million. He had it dismantled, shipped to Arizona, and reassembled, where it spans a man-made canal that connects Lake Havasu with Thomson Bay. It is the second most popular tourist attraction in Arizona, after the Grand Canyon.
Prescott is the county seat of Yavapai County. During the late 1800s it served twice as the capital of Arizona Territory. It was founded in 1863 when gold was discovered in nearby Lynx Creek. The city is named after William H. Prescott, an historian and writer who was popular during the Civil War. Our photo shows Watson Lake, several miles to the northeast.
Phoenix is the capitol of Arizona and the county seat of Maricopa County, which is one of the fastest growing counties in the country. The Valley of the Sun is home to the Arizona Diamondbacks MLB team, the Arizona Cardinals NFL team, the Phoenix Suns NBA team and the Phoenix Coyotes NHL team. Nearby Tempe boasts the PAC-10 ASU Sun Devils.
Superstition Mountains, legendary home of the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine. A German immigrant and prospector named Jacob Waltz claimed to have struck a fabulous mother lode of gold somewhere in the Superstitions. To date, no one has been able to prove or disprove the story.
Yuma is one of the hottest cities in the U.S. The sand dunes make it a great recreational area, too.
Tucson is ablaze with lightning during the monsoon season. It's also the home of Kitt Peak National Observatory, which has more varied telescopes than any other observatory in the world, including the world’s largest solar telescope.
Chiracahua Mountains, home of the Chiracahua Apaches, led by Cochise and later Geronimo. Geronimo was a fierce warrior who refused to bow to American power for almost 25 years. In the end, with a band of 38 men, women and children, he evaded 5,000 U.S. troops (one quarter of the entire Army) for a year. He finally surrendered in 1886 and was exiled to Florida and later, Oklahoma. Geronimo rode in President Theodore Roosevelt’s 1905 Inaugural parade.
