The City of Flagstaff, AZ is surrounded by a staggering number of attractions. With this in mind, we made Flagstaff our second Arizona Destination hub on our Epic Arizona Trip.
North of Flagstaff
North of Flagstaff, you’ve got the Wupatki National Monument, the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, the Cameron Suspension Bridge, and the abandoned Anasazi Inn at Gray Mountain.
East of Flagstaff
To the East of Flagstaff, off I-40, you have the opportunity to explore Walnut Canyon National Monument, old Route 66 and Standin’ on the Corner in Winslow, along with their 9-11 Memorial, the Two Guns Painted Gas Station and KOA, the Two Guns Apache Death Cave, Pueblo Ruins, and the old Route 66 Diablo Bridge, old Route 66 murals in Holbrook, Meteor Crater, and the Petrified Forest National Park.
We stayed about 25 miles east of Flagstaff at the Navajo Twin Arrows Casino and Resort so intentionally focused on attractions North and East of Flagstaff. We didn’t attend any attractions in downtown Flagstaff proper with the amount of time we had available and the huge number of attractions we wanted to see.
Join Travel with D and E as we show you several attractions surrounding the Flagstaff, AZ vacation destination hub as part of our epic journey..
Getting There
We drove to Flagstaff from Page which was our first travel destination hub. Page’s attractions included the Upper Antelope Slot Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and the Glen Canyon Dam. We stayed at the Navajo Twin Arrows Casino and Resort about 25 miles east of Flagstaff on I-40 at the Hwy 126 exit. This takes approximately 2 ½ hours coming from Page and about the same coming from Phoenix.
We drove back a different way just to see the countryside and pass through Tuba City. We drove south on Hwy 98 to 160 coming out on Hwy 89, above Cameron. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see the Lowell Observatory.
Attractions Near Flagstaff
The next three days we visited the following attractions, then headed to the Origins B & B in the Cottonwood/Sedona area which was our next Arizona destination travel hub.
North of Flagstaff
Wupatki National Monument
In the Wupatki National Monument, you get to walk amongst the ancient Pueblos to gain an understanding of how the ancient indigenous cultures lived and thrived in this environment. There are several different Pueblos to explore including the Lumaki and Box Canyon pueblos, Citadel and Nalakihu Pueblos, the Wupatki pueblo complex, and finally the Wukoki Pueblo. The park, along with the Sunset Volcano National Monument, sits inside the vast Coconino National Forest. They are also located somewhat near the base of the San Francisco Peaks.
Let’s take a brief look at each of the pueblos that are in this park:
Lomaki and Box Canyon Pueblos
The first set of pueblos coming in from the northern entrance off Hwy 98, is the Lomaki and Box Canyon Pueblos. Lomaki means “beautiful house” in the Hopi language. Located at the end of this trail, it has nine rooms constructed with local limestone and sandstone in the last decade of the 1100s.
Citadel and Nalakihu Pueblos
Constructed in the early 1100s, the Citadel and Nalakihu pueblos supported a community that was a thriving agricultural society with trade reaching in all directions for hundreds of miles.
You can see in the distance views of the San Francisco peaks
Wupatki Pueblo Complex
The Wupatki Pueblo complex means long-cut house in the Hopi language. It is a multi-story Pueblo dwelling comprising over 100 rooms. It also had a kiva, which is a community room. This site also has the northernmost Hohokam-style ball court ever discovered in North America, creating the largest building site for nearly 50 miles.
Wukoki Pueblo
The Wukoki Pueblo was built on a rock atop a hill and was a three-story structure.
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Sunset Crater is an extinct cinder cone volcano located north of Flagstaff adjacent to the Wupatki National Monument off AZ Highway 98A. The Sunset Volcano is the youngest in a string of volcanoes related to the nearby San Francisco Peaks. It sits among the Ponderosa Pine forests of the Coconino National Forest. It has an elevation of 8042 feet. You can see the lava fields on both sides of the road with trails. Pair this up with the Wupatki National Monument.
Cameron Suspension Bridge
Located near the eastern entrance of Grand Canyon National Park and inside Coconino County, the Cameron Suspension Bridge spans the Little Colorado River. It connects the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Reservation, providing a vital transportation route for both residents and tourists exploring the stunning landscapes of northern Arizona.
Abandoned Anasazi Inn at Gray Mountain
The Anasazi Inn at Gray Mountain includes an old inn or hotel with 112 rooms believed to have been closed in 2005. It also has an adjacent gas station, above-ground storage tanks, and a few other smaller buildings that had all been boarded up but had graffiti and murals painted over them. We love seeing murals and graffiti that enhance a building’s view.
Tuba City
Tuba City has a couple of attractions that we visited including the Navajo Story and the Code Talkers. This traveled through Tuba City coming from our first destination hub, which was Page, AZ.
Lowell Observatory
Founded in 1894, the Lowell Observatory sits on the hilltop center with giant telescopes offering tours, solar viewing & stargazing. Their mission is to continue the study of astronomy, especially the solar system and its evolution. They also pursue research in astronomical phenomena, and keep the public engaged through public education and tours. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we weren’t able to stop at the Lowell Observatory as we had originally planned.
East of Flagstaff
Walnut Canyon National Monument
The Walnut Canyon National Monument is a well-preserved and remarkable canyon formed by Walnut Creek, carving out the canyon over millions of years. The National Monument provides you with an incredible Island trail that will take you deep down into the canyon, and the Rim Trail, which is around the top rim of Walnut Canyon and is an easier trail to explore. It’s breathtaking and you also see cliff dwellings throughout the valley.
Old Route 66 and Standin on the Corner in Winslow
There’s a great lyric from the Eagles song, “Take it Easy”, where they say, “Well, I’m standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona”. This is the old Route 66 corner that the Eagles sang about, especially Jackson Brown and Glenn Frey, and made famous!
The town also has a small 9/11 memorial which contains I-beams from the towers that collapsed.
Two Guns Painted Gas Station and KOA
The Two Guns exit off of I-40 provides a really cool place to explore a gas station and old KOA swimming pool that has seen many graffiti artists come and tag the buildings, swimming pool, and storage tanks. Exploring the site was great during the day but you’ve got to take a look at it at dusk. It gets a little sketchy looking at it in the dark.
Two Guns Apache Death Cave, Pueblo Ruins, and the old Route 66 Diablo Bridge
The Two Guns Exit off I-40 is an area of pueblo structures, most in disarray. It contains the Apache Death Cave with an intricate story, along with having the National Old Trails Highway and the U.S. Route 66 roadway cutting through it. The buildings and their purpose have numerous stories. Most attempts at entrepreneurship were all but spoiled by progress and Interstate 40, along with a fire in 1971. Finally, the old Canyon Diablo Bridge is shown, representing the old Hwy 66 route once used.
Old Route 66 murals in Holbrook
This is Holbrook Arizona‘s Gillespie Park. We love this small town park. There are some murals and buildings that are pretty cool as well. Holbrook is the gateway to the Petrified Forest National Park and a historic part of old Route 66.
Meteor Crater National Landmark
The Meteor Crater National Landmark was created when a huge iron-nickel meteorite plunged into the North Arizona landscape about 50,000 years ago. This meteorite is estimated to be 150 feet wide and weighs several thousand tons. It broke apart upon impact as it hit the ground with a force 150 times greater than an atomic bomb. This is one of the natural wonders you get to see in person. A camera doesn’t do a great job of the scope of the crater.
Petrified Forest National Park
The Petrified Forest National Park is a must-see attraction east of Flagstaff. Thousands and thousands of petrified logs, combined with colorful and ever-changing terrain, along with the badlands and viewpoints spanning Old Route 66 and both sides of I-40, add up to an incredible and lasting experience.
The Petrified Forest National Park gets its name primarily from the vast amounts of petrified logs sitting in all corners of the 346-square-mile park. It has numerous desert overlooks, a Studebaker of old historic Route 66, petroglyphs, and agate rock, amongst numerous other highlights including an incredible scenic drive through the park. All of these make the Petrified Forest National Park a required visit if in the area. Stop by these attractions as it’s a great place to visit just like all United States National Parks.
Lodging: Twin Arrows Casino and Resort
We stayed at the Twin Arrows Casino and Resort, about 20 miles east of Flagstaff, owned by the Navajo Nation, to use as our Flagstaff Destination Hub. The facility is top-notch appearing to be in great shape and well-maintained with a separate buffet and cafe restaurant, along with a coffee shop. The rooms were rather nice and not overpriced. Our only complaint was the service in the cafe restaurant as we ended up getting up and leaving after sitting for over 20 minutes with nobody ever speaking to us after being seated in the not very busy cafe with multiple waiters seeing us.
Summer Travel
Just for reference, we did make this trip in July so it was the summer months and we had plenty of days of sunshine. It was hot! Just make sure you hydrate while enjoying your outdoor recreation. You will also want to plan your outdoor activities, as much as possible, in the morning or evening when it is not as hot.
Closing
Erin and I highly recommend making Flagstaff a destination hub for your trip to Arizona. There are several points of attraction all along I-40 east of Flagstaff and north up Hwy 89 as well. The location of the Resort was excellent for covering the attractions we wanted to explore. As mentioned, the resort facilities were nice and were a good choice for your Flagstaff travel destination hub.
We have videos for all of these attractions on our Travel with D and E channel so please check them out as they have much more information including the history of the attractions, where it’s located, what to expect on the trail or site, and more.
If you like this content, go ahead and check out the rest of the Arizona trip videos covering our Arizona travel hub locations including Page, Cottonwood/Sedona, Tucson, and Phoenix, and all the separate videos covering specific fun and/or historical attractions.
We hope you enjoyed this post on Flagstaff, AZ, and its surrounding attractions.
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