Arizona is known for its desert landscape including its beautiful cacti. It is also known for its hot summers and mild winters. Another reason why Arizona is popular is because of its rich gemstone and mineral ores and the beautiful turquoise and silver jewelry that the local people create. It is the geography of the state that earned it the nickname of “Grand Canyon State”. The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and was created by the flow of the Colorado River over millions of years.
The capital of Arizona is Phoenix and it is also the largest city in this state. In the lower elevations, the weather is typically mild in winter with hot sizzling summers. The summer temperatures may reach up to 120° at the height of the summer. Because of the dry climate, the temperature swing on any particular day can be as large as 50°F in the summer. Arizona has an average rainfall of over 12 inches over the year. This comes in two installments, one as a summer “monsoon” and the other as a winter cold front. In the northern part of Arizona, however, the land is much higher and cold air from the north can bring the temperatures down to 0°F! This is proof that Arizona has extremes of temperature.
Due to the unusual landscape, the Grand Canyon and other peculiarities of Arizona, it is an interesting state to visit indeed. April through October is a good time to visit this state.
The Grand Canyon is the number one attraction in Arizona. Reaching the Phoenix Sky Harbor International airport, one can rent a car or join a guided tour to see this amazing natural wonder in all its glory. The skywalk that was recently opened allows us to walk on glass about four thousand feet above the Colorado River!
As one of the world’s great engineering feats, Hoover dam is another attraction for visitors. This dam crosses the Colorado River, is 726 feet high, 1244 feet long, and links Arizona and Nevada.
Another attraction in Arizona is the Havasupai Indian Reservation. The Havasu creek is a tributary of the Colorado River and the Native Americans of the Havasupai (blue-green-water) tribe have created waterfalls and basins in the rock that have become tourist attractions.
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is one of a kind museum with displays of living plants and animals native to the area. Examples of displays include the ocelot, margay, jaguarondi, desert pupfish, Mexican wolf, thick-billed parrot, Sonora chub, bony tail chub, razorback sucker and Gila topminnow. Address is 2021 North Kinney Road, Tucson - phone 1-520-883-1380
In Tucson, visitors can see the Arizona State Museum with its Mineral collections, Creative photography, the Faculty of Arts and the Flandrau Planetarium. El Presidio Historic District is a neighborhood where you can find Spanish-Mexican, Anglo-American and Eclectic building styles. El Presidio was a pre-historic Native American fort which is a part of this neighborhood.
Other attractions in Tucson include the Pima Air and Space Museum, Saguaro National Park and Tucson Mountain Park. The Tucson Botanical Gardens have a collection of tropical herbs, cacti and vegetables.
