Arizona Spring Training Road Trip: Flagstaff & Grand Canyon
Baseball is an American icon, so it only seems fitting that when you’re in the vicinity of another great American icon – the Grand Canyon – you take a look. Guest blog by Stacey Wittig.
During the spring season Grand Canyon fans join big-league travelers from all over the world to see the Grand Canyon. You’ll hear visitors speaking French, German and Japanese, and if they find out that you’re a baseball fan, they might ask you to explain the game. So get out of the city for a day or two and discover the amazing experiences that Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon offer. You’ll be batting a thousand with your family and friends.
Step Up to the Plate: Grand Canyon National Park
The funky mountain town of Flagstaff makes a perfect basecamp for your Grand Canyon visit. You don’t have to raise the mound to see into the depths of the Grand Canyon; you can catch a glimpse of the canyon from the Arizona Gondola at Flagstaff’s Arizona Snowbowl resort. Or take the 90-minute drive to stand at the edge of the amazing abyss for some of this planet’s most picturesque views. By spending the night in Flagstaff after your return from the Grand Canyon, you’ll be able to experience a million points of light in the sky over the world’s first “Dark Sky City.”
Hit It Out of the Park: Lowell Observatory
Step out onto the balcony of your Flagstaff hotel room to be wowed by the night skies or visit Lowell Observatory where Pluto, formerly known as a planet, was discovered. Don’t know that story? Well, you’ll hear all about it at Lowell Observatory, where you can view the Sun or other stars through a specially equipped solar telescope, jump on the Pluto Tour and see one of the most famous telescopes in history — the Pluto Discovery Telescope or experience Discovery Channel programs. Open 10 am to 10 pm every day but Tuesday. Please check the website for the most recent Covid-19 protocols.
Knock the Cover Off the ball: Flagstaff Foodie Scene
Recently called “one of the most dynamic new food destinations not only in Arizona but the country,” Flagstaff boasts young, innovative chefs who are opening fresh new restaurants right alongside of old favorites. Go Major League at time-tested faves like Brix, awarded “Top 95 New Restaurants in the World” by Conde Nast Traveler in 2007 or Fat Olives featured several times on the Food Network program Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Check out the young chefs at Shift Kitchen + Bar bring their experience from the cutting-edge Denver culinary scene. You'll hit a home run at the newly opened Atria with Chef Rochelle Daniel. Chef Rochelle was a finalist on the Food Network’s “Chopped Grill Masters”, has been recognized as one of the Valley’s “Top 5 Sous Chefs” by the Arizona Republic and as “Best Sous Chef” by AZcentral.com and was inducted into the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame for 2017. Or simply belly up to the bar at one of Flagstaff’s fun breweries like Lumberyard Brewing Co.
Grand Slam: Four National Parks & Monuments
Your Arizona Spring Training Road Trip to Flagstaff has bases loaded with three National Monuments along the route to home plate, Grand Canyon National Park. Hike to cliff dwellings at Walnut Canyon National Monument, only eighteen minutes from historic downtown Flagstaff. Discover lava flows and other unusual geologic formations at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Drive through a desert landscape to 800-year-old pueblos at Wupatki National Monument.
Extra Innings: Flagstaff Brewery Trail
Extend your Spring Training vacation by venturing down the Flagstaff Brewery Trail. Drink beer and relax in this mountain town becoming known as Arizona's leading craft beer city and the brew hub of the Southwest. With the Flagstaff Brewery Trail passport in hand, you’re sure not to miss any of the eight Flagstaff frothy experiences. Enjoy a brewhaus housed in historical buildings at Lumberyard Brewery or Mother Road Brewing Co, and you’ll get a taste of Arizona history right along with tasting the many award-winning stouts, ales and lagers.
A special note to Chicago Cubs fans: take a selfie with real live bear cubs in the background at Bearizona, a 160-acre animal park.
Get more information about Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon here.
About the Author
Stacey Wittig
Stacey Wittig’s adventures have led her up the Inca Trail in Peru eating fried caterpillars, across the plains of Spain enjoying steamed barnacles, and through the vineyards of Cinque Terre sipping Chianti Classico. “The Grand Canyon State is a remarkable place to call home,” declares the wandering writer, who writes from her home in Flagstaff.
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