Things To Do
Aspen Nature Loop Hike
Not far from the ceremony location, this short hike takes you across meadows and through an incredible aspen stand on Mt Humphreys. We definitely recommend a nice quiet break in the middle of the beautiful and fascinating aspens. All of the aspen trees in a stand sprout off of a common, massive root system and are considered to be genetically identical. While the trees themselves usually only live 80-120 years, their root systems are one of the longest lived organisms in the world and can live for thousands of years!
Explore Downtown Flagstaff
Downtown Flagstaff is a great place to wander and window (or actually) shop! Yes, real-life, curated shops! Here are some of our favorites, which only scratches the surface of what the area has to offer: Outdoor/Adventure Shops: Peace Outfitters, Babbitt’s Backcountry Outfitters, Aspen Sports Health: Winter Sun Herbs Books: Bright Side Bookshop Bikes: Flagstaff Bicycle Revolution Art Galleries: There are tons Food/Beverages: See below
Lowell Observatory
August 16 is a new moon, so it will be a great time for stargazing! Beforehand, you can tour the observatory and learn about the discovery of Pluto.
Flagstaff Extreme Adventure Course
Test your fear of heights, climbing and zipping around in the trees! We've not done this but have checked it out --- it's legitimate and looks like so much fun!
Snowbowl Scenic Gondola
We haven’t ridden the gondola but are sure it’s faster than a hike up Mt Humphreys!
Flagstaff Brewery Trail
There are a bunch of great breweries in Flagstaff! Visit all eight on the Flagstaff Brewery Trail and earn a commemorative pint glass from the Visitors Bureau. Mother Road is at the top of our list for beer AND food, followed closely by Dark Sky Brewing, Lumberyard Brewing Company and Grand Canyon Brewing! If you’re into mead, check out Drinking Horn Mead Hall.
Food and Coffee
The good stuff as we know it! Coffee & Breakfast: Macy's, Single Speed Coffee Roasters, Foret Pizza: Pizzicletta Dinner: Mother Road Brewery Unexpected: Cornish Pasty Co. (yes, they serve English pasties with lots of vegan options)
Slide Rock State Park
One of Jen's favorite places her family visited when she was a kid, Slide Rock, a state park with an 80' long natural rock (and algae) rock slide in Sedona's Oak Creek, is a 30 minute drive from Flagstaff. Plan to arrive early, before it opens, as the parking lot fills up fast!
Sedona
Keep the pine forests, but trade the mountains, craters and cinder cones for beautiful and massive red-rock buttes. Hiking, mountain biking, spas, food, vortexes - there’s a lot to experience in Sedona (with sunscreen and an early start)!
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Of the approximately 600 volcanic craters and cinder cones in the San Francisco Volcanic Field around Flagstaff today, Sunset Crater is the youngest, having erupted 950 years ago (young compared to the first volcanic activity in the area which began around 3 million years ago). Check it out by taking a few short hikes that are open at the base of the Sunset Crater Volcano. A visit out here can be easily combined with visits to Wupatki and Walnut Canyon National Monuments, on an approximately 35 mile driving loop northeast of Flagstaff.
Meteor Crater Natural Landmark
Contrast the volcanic craters surrounding Flagstaff, with a trip to the famous Barringer Meteorite Crater, a 40 minute drive from town. 50,000 years ago, a meteorite traveling 26,000 miles per hour and weighting 300,000 tons struck the earth southeast of today's Flagstaff. When it hit the earth, the meteorite exploded, most of it melting from the force of the impact, and left a 3/4 mile wide and 750 foot deep crater. The impact occurred during the last ice age, when the landscape was cooler and wetter than it is today, covered in a forest where mammoths, mastodons and giant sloths roamed. The force of the impact leveled this forest, but over time the landscape recovered and evolved to the desert landscape we see today, with sediment accumulating to yield the 550 foot deep crater seen today. Take a guided half-mile tour of the crater rim to check it out yourself, and visit the Discovery Center to learn more about the science and history of meteorite impacts.
Grand Canyon National Park
Check out this massive display of erosion! Take the train from Williams if you’re looking for a special adventure, or drive directly on the 90 minute beautiful route from Flagstaff to the South Rim.