Macklin & Sara
Places to Explore
Fall Color Drives
You will not be-leaf these views!! The 5 Best Drives for Fall colors: -Scenic Highway 180 -Snowbowl Road off Highway 180 -Lockett Meadow: FS 552 -Scenic Oak Creek Canyon, Highway 89A -Hart Prairie: FS 151 Loop As leaves begin to change, visit the website below to check the LEAF-ometer for continuing updates on the best foliage locations!
Explore Downtown: Heritage Square
This is the heart of downtown Flag--a fun place to walk around and explore! Shopping and restaurants nearby.
Explore the Famous Red Rock Country of Sedona
World-renowned for its beautiful red rocks, we highly recommend exploring Sedona during your stay! It is a 45-minute drive from Flagstaff, or you can add a gorgeous 30 minutes to your drive to/from Phoenix. Check out the option to the right to see our hiking suggestions ("Moderate Hike near Sedona: Devil's Bridge Trail")! With beautiful scenery, an artsy downtown, and the world's only non-yellow/red McDonald's, there is something here for everyone!
Moderate Hike near Sedona: Devil's Bridge Trail
Total Distance: 3.9-mile loop If you want to explore hiking around Sedona, Devil's Bridge is a great hike! The beautiful natural sandstone arch is truly something to see!
Lowell Observatory
Come see where Pluto was discovered! This is the best place in Flag to star-gaze (unless your eyes beat a telescope). Family Adventures are kid-friendly and select tours include science demos, telescope viewing, and constellation showcases. Fun Fact: Flagstaff is the World's First International Dark Skies City! Protecting the night sky from light pollution supports human health (probably), preserves wildlife habitat, saves money, and provides visual access to celestial discovery.
Grand Canyon
Explore this national beauty while you're here! Great spot to see an incredible sunrise AND sunset. It's about 1.5 hours away from Flag. (We would personally recommend the South Rim. The North Rim is about 3 hours from Flag and the canyon looks pretty similar from either side +/- some trees.) If you go hiking into the canyon-- remember the way back up is significantly more challenging but we bet you can do it (and really at that point, you'll have no choice!) Good Luck!
Easy Walk: Flagstaff Urban Trail System
One of the most simple ways to see the beauty of Flagstaff, the Flagstaff Urban Trail System includes 56 miles of trail that weaves throughout the city of Flagstaff. No matter where you are staying you can likely find a section of the Urban Trail to hop on and take a stroll. We highly recommend it!
Easy Hiking: Lenox Crater Trail
Total Distance: 1.1 Mile Loop Short easy trail with a big reward! Make sure you wear closed-toed shoes or you'll have lots of little bits of volcanic rock under your feet!
Easy to Moderate Hiking: Slate Mountain Trail
Total Distance: 4 Mile Loop Nice trail with good views of Humphrey's (Tallest peak in Flag). Slow and steady incline the whole way up - nothing that I would label “steep” though. Still, some snow as you approach the top (on the north-facing slope) - very manageable. You got this!
Easy to Moderate Hiking: Fatmans Loop Trail
Total Distance: 2.4-mile loop Perfect trail to get a good view of Flagstaff! Kids will love this one! Lots of beautiful fall views and scenery! For a significantly more challenging hike, start on FatMan's Loop and take the Elden Lookout trail. If the parking lot fills up, just park at the Safeway across the street and it’s a 7-minute walk.
Moderate Hiking: Lockett Meadow Inner Basin Loop
Total Distance: 3 mile Loop Highly recommend this hike! It holds a special place in our hearts; this is where I proposed to Sara! The drive up the mountain is narrow and one way so be sure to drive slow and honk before you turn corners. The trail is well marked, higher elevation does make it a little more challenging, so just stop and take a breather when needed. Truly one of the best hikes in Flag!
Difficult Hiking: Humphreys Peak
At over 12,600 feet, Humphreys is the tallest peak in Arizona! This is a 10.7 mile out and back hike with nearly 3,400 ft of elevation gain. It's has a beautiful view, but is quite challenging and will likely require some snow gear at this time of year!