Travel Stories

A Grand Experience in Arizona by Kim S., August 2004

OK, so you look at the date and think "Oh my goodness, Arizona in August?" Let me tell you, it's really not that bad. A little hot, yes, but bearable.
At the last minute, we decided to turn a visit to the grandparents into a camping trip. It took days of planning and many phone calls to see if the fire restrictions were lifted. Who can go camping without a campfire? Not us. It just isn't the same roasting weenies and s'mores over a Coleman stove.
Well, the fire ban was lifted and we found a few places up near Cottonwood, AZ, just north of Jerome. We thought we would drive through each and see which appealed most to us. The first one we stopped at as a State Campground, Dead Horse Ranch State Park. It looked a little barren, so we drove over the private campground named Lo Lo Mai. "Wow!" we thought, " a swimming pool, a little store, fun campfires. This is going to be fun." That was, until the lady showed us the gazillion rules that MUST be followed. I think we would have been ok if we could have tied string around the kids' ankles so they couldn't run around, taped over their mouth so they wouldn't be loud and locked them out of the pool so they would disturb the other "guests". The deciding point was when the lady who told us that driving over 3 miles per hours just wasn't allowed, hopped into her golf cart and tore out of the parking lot (at what must have been at least 5 miles per hour) to chase down a car that didn't stop to check-in. You see, we weren't allowed to drive through to look at the sites to see if we wanted to pay the $26 per night. We either had to take her word that it was a nice place or walk around, within her sight and not leave the main road. This didn't help us much since the tent sites were some ways off and, of course, off the road.
Needless to say, we returned to Dead Horse Ranch and enjoyed it so much we extended our stay from 3 nights to 6 nights. As we were driving around looking for a site with at least a little shade, we noticed some campers that looked like they were about to leave THE perfect site. We were all over them like a swarm of locust. The site was the perfect fit for our extra large, jumbo size Costco tent (what other size would you buy at Costco?)
The campground turned out to be close to ideal. We were one of only a handful of campers for the first two nights. It was quiet, peaceful and relaxing. Campfires were even allowed.
Dead Horse Ranch had everything that appealed to boys. There is a stocked fishing pond, some great hiking and biking trails, red ants, lizards, road runners, night time bullfrogs and lots of dirt. The boys were tuckered out by the end of each day. One helpful hint to those planning on bike riding in Arizona - the thorns there are wicked. After the first bike ride, all the tires were flat. Not a problem, we had spares tubes. Unfortunately, these got pierced immediately also. There must have been 5 or 6 thorns pulled out of each tire. We ran out of patching material. I would highly recommend filling you tires will the green goo that sort of self heals holes. Makes the tires really heavy, but stops the frustration of flats.
Ranger Randy, the head ranger at Dead Horse Ranch, was great. He told us a lot about the area (and about green goo) and even made the kids Junior Rangers after they completed some activities. They were sworn in at the flag pole and made to promise to help preserve the environment, particularly Arizona's.
One of the reasons we chose Coconino County for camping was its proximity to different areas. We explored Sedona (eat at the Red Planet Diner - out of this world!), Jerome (don't miss the copper mine), Montezuma's Well (definitely worth a visit and a hike), Montezuma's Castle (the dwellings are amazing) and even Fort Verde (make sure there is something going on before visiting). One unusual but unforgettable trip was to the Arizona Snowbowl. During the summer you can take a scenic ride on the ski lift to the top of an amazingly high mountain. Once at the top there is some room for exploration and some gorgeous views. I think the kids' favorite part was the chairlift and watching their dad almost not hop off in time. Just remember to bring a blanket or jacket, the elevation puts quite a chill in the air. We wished we could have visited Slide Rock Park, where people would slide off the rocks into a river, but the bacteria levels were too high for our comfort. Looked like fun though.
The biggest excursion was to the Grand Canyon. It is still as awesome as I remember it from my childhood. The boys were overwhelmed. This turned into sadness as we explained that there wasn't any possible way to hike down to the bottom and back up before the end of the day - but they recovered quickly. We did take the shuttle from one end of the park to the next. It is not narrated, nor is it extremely comfy. They will pick up people until you are crammed in tighter than sardines. Make sure you are by the window on the right side on the way up and on the left on the return trip. You will at least have a view. Otherwise, you will be trying to peak between peoples' behinds and bellies to see a glimpse of the natural wonder. You can hop off and walk a bit and catch the shuttle at the next point, just look at the map first. Some points of pick-up are much further away than others. Once we reached the end of the line the boys couldn't wait to explore the area. They explored the snack shop, the gift shop and THEN the Grand Canyon. It turned into an experience they would never forget.
I would recommend taking the time to visit Arizona, even if you don't plan on camping. There is so much to do and see that a week just wasn't enough for us. If you do camp, or are just visiting many of the state and national parks, look into the Junior Ranger programs. There is usually some activity involved and then a little ceremony at each park. Sometimes badges or pins are rewarded, or in the case of some of the bigger parks, a patch may be the prize. What ever the program, the children (and their parents) will learn something of value about the area and walk away with a sense of pride.