Unique Sights Around Flagstaff

An Overview of Flagstaff

Surrounded by enormous pine forests and numerous peaks, Flagstaff is a semi-arid high-elevation city. The area is well known as a major junction between the Grand Canyon and other cities in Arizona. Flagstaff itself is a historic hub, popular for its outdoor culture, skiing and snowboarding oppertunities, mountain trail access and quaint shopping streets. There are several interesting activities nearby and some unique sights around Flagstaff.

Unique Sights Around Flagstaff

Coconino National Forest

As one of the six National Forests of the state, the Coconino National Forest is home to diverse gorgeous landscapes, winding scenic drives, numerous hiking trails and excellent mountain-camping locations. Popular sights within the Nation Forest includes the Volcanoes and Ruins Loop Scenic Drive.

Coconino Lava River Cave

Found within the Coconino National forest, this is a 0.75-mile-long lava tube created by molten rock erupting from a volcanic vent. The magma-formed tunnel is the longest known of its kind.

Walnut Canyon

While Walnut Canyon provides dramatic geological formations, the canyon itself is famous for hosting the ancient Native American Pueblo people. Structures are built into cliff walls and shallow caves, unique structures which combine construction with the natural.

Grand Falls

Also known as “the Chocolate Falls,” his is a spectacular natural waterfall system found 30 miles northeast of Flagstaff. The falls are in the Painted Desert of the Navajo Nation. The many-tiered waterfall brushing over a broad cliff is famed for its desert-coloration. The waterfalls, which are supplied by seasonal rains and snowmelts, stands at 185 feet tall, higher than the total drop from Niagara falls. The waterfall is strongest in the spring and winter.

Wupatki Spirit Totem

This is a mysterious folk-art garden with a nightmare pillar which serves as a massive totem pole. The pole appears to be based on Native American legends, but the exact story and function of the structures are unknown. The Wupatki Spirit Totem fairly close to the ancient Wupatki dwellings (Wupatki National Monument).

Sunset Crater

Over a thousand years ago, the ground split and lava flung skyward, creating this unique feature. Sunset Crater is a cinder cone with a one-mile loop-trail following the base, allowing guests to witness the aftereffects of the ancient lava flow. The site and naturally-abstract landscape are well worth the hike.

Picture Canyon Natural and Cultural Preserve

This lovely hiking are has rounded hiking trails, small hills and low creeks. However, the canyon’s most famous feature are the faded petroglyphs on cliff walls. The area has evidence of prehistoric inhabitation by Paleo-Indian, Archaic and Post-Archaic cultures.

SoSoba

Found in the heart of Historic Downtown Flagstaff, this is an excellent little ramen restaurant.

Bicentennial Moon Tree

The “Moon Trees” were a unique space-project where astronauts took dormant seeds to the moon before flying back to Earth where the seeds were planted. The “Moon Trees” were a joint effort between NASA and the U.S. Forest Service to test how seeds were affected in deep space. A single seed was planted in Flagstaff, granting the community their own Moon Tree.

Elden Pueblo Archaeological Site

This area is the site for an ancient Sinagua (Sin ah’ wa) village, thought to be inhabited from roughly 1070 CE to 1275 CE. Excavations in the area have led researchers to believe Elden Pueblo (known in Hopi as Pasiwvi) was a trade hub.

Wupatki National Monument

The Wupatki National Monument is a fantastic Native American archaeological site, offering insights on life from 900 years ago. The massive complex is made of reddish stacked stones, all connected in a single-building town complex. While this is an extrodinary place for a hike, guests are required to stay on the trails, as the ground contain fragile archeological sites. This area is home to over over 2,600 ancestral Puebloan features. The site is considered one of the most unique sights around Flagstaff.

Downtown Flagstaff

This area contains a charming series of cultural-connected blocks, full of local and independent stores, restaurants and several historic buildings.

Museum of Northern Arizona

Found slightly north of Flagstaff, this museum is a repository for Indigenous artworks, educational material and artifacts. The museum also hosts a diverse series of exhibits regarding natural history specimens from the region.

Arizona Snowbowl

Though there are several excellent ski resorts in the region, the Arizona Snowbowl is the most accessible from flagstaff. The area how skiing and snowboarding hills, cabins and casual rooms.

Roden Crater

Roden Crater is a 400,000 year old cinder cone, long dormant from it’s days as an active magma feature on the Painted Desert. The site has been used by artist James Turrell to create a naked-eye observatory and visual art display. There are 20 underground rooms which gaze into the deserts and heavens, designed to modify visitor’s perceptions of space and sky.

Montezuma Castle National Monument

Located about an hour south by driving from Flagstaff, the Montezuma Castle National Monument is home to a spectacular ancient cliff dwelling, built directly into the face of a sheer rock. The well-preserved site was built and inhabited by the Sinagua people, a pre-Columbian culture closely related to the Native American Hohokam culture.

Moenave Dinosaur Tracks

Located more than an hour north from Flagstaff by driving, these dinosaur tracks are preserved from the early Jurassic period. The tracks found here are some of the most extensive and well-preserved collections of dinosaur footprints in North America.

The Arboretum at Flagstaff

This is a quaint and beautiful conservation area designed to showcase native high-elevation plants with additional views of local wildlife and a butterfly garden.

Chapel of the Holy Dove

This is a supremely cute, open-to-the-public miniture chapel found in the middle of the woods. The chapel has a unique structure, with the door operating as the smallest point, allowing the rest of the structure to expand backwards, providing more space. The chapel is a popular wedding venue.

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