Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Arizona - where to go?

If you get anywhere near Miami, make sure you stop at Dave's Burger House and order a green chili burro, enchilada style with green chili and extra cheese. You won't be sorry.

Hooters ?????

http://www.hootersarizona.com/hooters-girls/

If you get anywhere near Miami, AZ it means you are lost AF.

BUT if you are there, I second Paladins recommendation and also recommend Guayo's El Rey, about one block over and 2 blocks down, in OLD Miami!

If I had a week to spend starting from Gateway Airport, I'd go see Superior, Miami, Globe, Safford, Morenci, Clifton, Christmas, Winkelman, Hayden , Kearny, Ray and back to the airport.

You would probably have a Bachelors in History, a Masters in Geology, and a PhD in Mexican Food by the time you finished that loop!

What?

Guayo's El Rey, best mex food in the world, little over an hour away from home, we go there often for family birthdays and such, on the way home from fishing.

Miami, az... my grandparents were married there in the 1920s. Worked my cousin's ranch in the Kearny/Winkelman/Hayden area summers in High school.

Kent

that's what I'm talking about....

All sorts of good info here from lifelong residents.

Only a couple of mentions of checking out Indian ruins and such. If you and you family have never seen them, some are pretty cool. Couple are not too far from PHX area. Pretty interesting to see what folks with "Stone Age" technology could build.

I'd tend to agree with some members here, getting to the Canyon and back in a reasonable amount of time is difficult at best and maybe near impossible especially if there's any weather.

San Xavier del Bac Mission down near Tucson is pretty cool to see too. Built about the same time as our American Revolution was going on.

All sorts of stuff to see and do in AZ, too bad you're only there for a weekend.

Have fun the best you can.

Yes, it looks great.

That burrito is served properly too, not all covered up with "red or green, sir?"

I'll have to remember that place if I ever get over that way again.

I've I've eaten many meals at Guayos. Chili verde con carne is my usual

Never heard it called "Daves" Burger house. Just "Burger house" La cocina de la familia...

I would check on weather if I were going to make a long day driving to the GC. It could be completely overcast and snowy cold with nothing to see, of course lower down in the canyon it will be 70 degrees and sunny!

Just got back last night from 4 days in Arizona (not enough). Awesome, amazing trip. Stayed at a really nice resort in Sedona. Hiked every day on all the amazing trails, went to Grand Canyon 1 day (incredible), drove highway 89 (crazy beautiful). Women in town were very easy on the eyes as well (Sedona).

Sedona is truly one of the most beautiful towns I've ever been to in my life. We will definitely be back for more time.

Ate great food the entire trip, Pisa Lisa had one of the best pizzas I've ever had, went there twice it was so good.

Chapel of the Holy Cross is a must see in Sedona.

With only a few days, I would recommend staying below the rim country. Rim country is the top third of the state. Lots of nice things to see there but the weather lends itself to the desert country and you will drive yourself silly. Plenty to do in the Tucson, Phoenix or Globe area to fill up a few days. Northern AZ should be a weekend of itself and you should plan on it someday. I could fill up the page with places to go but a few are Meteor Crater, Canyon De Chelly, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Monument Valley, Flagstaff, Petrified Forest and the Town of Greer. Much more too. The important thing is picking the right town to stay overnight. You definitely don’t want to stay overnight except in a few towns that will give you good accommodations. Example would be the Reservation, there you can’t have booze and only a restaurant or two to pick from. My opinion is that the Grand Canyon is played out. It’s the most photographed place in the southwest and when you get there, it’s kind of like you have already seen it. Maybe it will be different for others.

Definitely Az is a state that you need to visit in zones... North, Central, South. What you visit is dependent on where you are staying.

The Grand Canyon is different depending on what you do there. If it's to drive up and look over, you are done in about 30 minutes, another 30 minutes in gift shop, elbow to elbow with asians and foreign speaking crowds. Hiking in is better but takes preparation, overnight takes permits required well in advance.

The train from Williams is always a decent option to extend the visit beyond... it's so cool, can we go now.

Kent

The Sonoran Desert Wildlife Museum near Tuscon is worth the visit.

I lived in Phoenix for five years. Visiting AZ is a good idea, but your plan is not realistic for a long weekend. Arizona is a big state. It will take a full day to drive from Chandler to the Grand Canyon and another day to drive back. I didn't know that there was an airport in Chandler. If you want to see the Grand Canyon, then you should fly into Flagstaff. My recommendation is to visit the Grand Canyon and nothing else. You could spend a week there and not see it all. However if you are determined to overextend yourself, then here's a list of interesting places in Northeast AZ (near Grand Canyon);

Canyon de Chelly National Park
Meteor Crater National Monument
Painted Desert National Park
The Three Mesas (Hopi Reservation)
La Posada Hotel, Winslow
Antelope Canyon

You could easily add dozens of other interesting places if you had a summer to spend there and visit more of the state.

Funny thought... I read that as "escolar" which is a fish often sold as "white tuna" in sushi joints. Illegal to sell in many places because it will give you the squirts like the worst Mexican food you ever imagined.

Apologies to the Escobars!

If he's flying into the Chandler area, he's probably flying into Mesa Gateway, formally Williams Air Force Base. Chandler has an airport, but not big enough to handle a commercial aircraft. Chandler has no Zoo, but Phoenix does. It has the Ostrich festival, but probably won't be going on during his visit. Driving from Chandler to the GC and seeing all the sights in one day would be a long stretch at best.

Even seeing the Canyon's different areas takes hours... starting from the south rim it takes close to 5 hours to get to the north rim driving, from the south rim to Havasupai is about 4 hours driving.

A good story about comradery on the trails of the Grand Canyon... it's kinda a group thing, you see the same folks along the way, they pass you when resting, you pass them same. Experienced hikers stop to help newbies with band aids and blister pads. Verbal encouragement to keep going, ect.

So on the way out of Havasupai... most folks on their leaving day get up and take off early. Our group got up and left, we stopped after the first 4 miles and ate breakfast out of our packs, 8 miles left.

At that point I tell everyone to walk at their pace and we will meet at the top. If someone slow tries to match the stride and pace of someone faster they can hurt themselves, same with someone faster trying to shorten their stride, especially the last two miles straight up the switchbacks.

While eating an older guy walks by asking if we had a Toyota, he found some keys... wasn't us. we passed him later and since he was asking everyone he asked us again.

My daughter and I were the first of our group ahead of the others, plenty of people hiking out, one group would zoom past us, then a bit down the trail they would be sitting waiting on their weakest member to rest up... daughter and I had our full packs, they only had water/small packs, you can hire the tribe to horse pack your stuff out, we did for my Dad who was 78 at the time, daughter and I like to make it a pack trip... anyway this group passed us 3 times, we would get off the trail for them, my daughter was a bit miffed the last time. Soon we passed them again and I told her we wouldn't see them again, they are tired and done with the zooming chit... she said, well I'm not stopping... never saw them again.

We hit the switchbacks and I told my daughter I would see her up on top, and took off, I'm passing people sitting down and encouraging them to get up and keep moving, so close now.

I have a cooler full of waters and ice in the truck, I'll dump my pack and fill it up, head back down offering water to anyone in need, until I can get the last of my group up on top. Now Hilltop is 90 miles from the nearest decent town, Seligman. When I get to the truck and reloading my pack a young couple come up and ask if I'm from Phoenix...

I say Mesa.

The guy asks if I could give them a ride, they are from Chandler(which borders Mesa), it caught me off guard and I'm thinking that this was a hell of a place to hitch hike to and then hope for a ride home, over 5 hours away.

I tell him I have a full load of riders already in my truck, they would have to ride in the back bed.

The girl starts bawling, the guy is obviously furious with her... she cries, I lost our keys.

I asked her, do you drive a Toyota? should have seen the look on their face... yes...

I know the guy that has your keys, he's not out yet but let's make sure and get you your keys.

While down getting the last of my group out I see the guy coming up. I wait and walk with him out, telling him I found the lost key owners. Almost out the girl sees me, I point to the guy next to me, she runs down and gives him a huge hug. I continue to walk out.

Something stupidly simple yet uplifting.

Kent

Good story, krp.

Any of Lisa Dahl's restaurants are great eats. Mariposa is a favorite of ours, but all of hers are good. We hit at least one of her places every time we are up there. Have both her cook books on the counter for trying out things at home as well.

Also in Sedona, cannot recommend highly enough an air tour via helicopter. Very cool place to see from the air.

Mining town of Jerome also a great way to spend at least a half day.

If wine is your thing, visit some wineries in the Verde / Sedona / Clarkdale area. A wine tour is not a bad way to get out, see some scenery, relax, and drink some wine.

If you're driving north on I-17, Rock Springs Cafe used to be certainly worth a stop for a burger, or some of their famous pies. Though the last time there about 5 years ago, the burger disappointed a bit. Not sure how they are now, but when I was younger, we always stopped in on the way back up to Flag as the food was great. Burgers that overwhelmed the bun and were delicious. The pies surely won't disappoint. Do yourself a favor and at least stop in and pick up a Jack Daniels Pecan pie, wouldn't be but a 10 minute round trip detour off the highway if you can manage to get in and out and not take the time to look around the place.

Ghost town of Crown King if you have a high clearance vehicle.