THE STATE’S BEST HORSE TRAILS. GIDDYUP! FEBRUARY 2009 ESCAPE. EXPLORE. EXPERIENCE ICONIC AZ 26 OF ARIZONA’S MOST FAMOUS THINGS … FROM ANTELOPE CANYON TO ZANE GREY plus OLD SCHOOL LODGING IN TUCSON CORNVILLE’S HAUTE CUISINE ONE OF THE WORLD’S OLDEST EAGLE SCOUTS A ROAD TRIP TO WINE COUNTRY contents 02.09 features 14 ICONIC ARIZONA The next time you’re in Michigan, Massachusetts or Grand Canyon National Park Mozambique, ask the first guy you see about Arizona, and he’ll likely bring up the Grand Canyon or maybe Geronimo. When it comes to icons in this state, the letter “G” is Oak Creek Canyon loaded. This month, we feature some of Arizona’s most iconic people, places and things. There’s one for each letter Cornville Agua Fria National of the alphabet. By Keridwen Cornelius & Kelly Kramer Monument 28 WINTER WHITES departments PHOENIX Water is a big deal in Arizona. That’s why Oak Creek’s Tucson 2 EDITOR’S LETTER 3 CONTRIBUTORS 4 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR perennial stream is something special. It’s a respite in the Sonoita summer, a scenic wonder in the spring and fall, and a pho- arizonahighways.com 5 THE JOURNAL People, places and things from around Patagonia tographer’s favorite subject when the snow flies in winter. the state, including one of the world’s oldest Eagle Scouts; In this month’s portfolio, our photographer showcases the Cornville’s best restaurant, hands down; and a beautiful B&B in TALK TO US: In this month’s issue we feature a roundup of some of the state’s best • POINTS OF INTEREST IN THIS ISSUE horse trails (see Mane Courses, page 38). We’d like to do this story again sometime creek and the surrounding canyon in a way you’ve probably Tucson that dates back to 1929. down the road, and we’d like your input on what trails to include. Shoot us an e-mail never seen before. “Wow” is the first word that’ll come to 44 SCENIC DRIVE Sonoita-Patagonia Drive: Straight out of at [email protected]. mind. By Ralph Lee Hopkins w From the Desert View overlook, the setting a Hollywood movie, literally, this winding road in Southern GET MORE ONLINE: sun highlights the “layer-cake” strata of the Arizona is fringed with vineyards, champagne-colored Grand Canyon. photograph by george The NFL season officially comes to an end this month. You’re going to need some- 38 MANE COURSES stocking grasses and wildflowers galore. thing to do, and we’ve got options. For some great ideas, click “Weekend Getaways” Hiking, biking, hot-air ballooning … there are many ways to on our home page. FRONT COVER Striated sand dunes surround explore Arizona’s backcountry. The best, however, might be 46 HIKE OF THE MONTH Badger Springs Trail: Sightseeing and Totem Pole and Yei Bichei rocks in Monument solitude are the highlights of this hike in the Agua Fria National Get details on some of this month’s biggest events, including the International Film Valley. photograph by jerry jacka on the back of a quarter horse, palomino or even Old Paint. Monument. The archaeology is an unexpected bonus. Festival in Sedona, in our “Events Calendar.” BACK COVER Fresh snow frosts the trees and Like the scenery itself, the trail riding in this neck of the Check out some of our vintage covers by visiting “Online Extras.” banks along the West Fork of Oak Creek. woods is second-to-none. By Kelly Kramer 48 WHERE IS THIS? photograph by ralph lee hopkins Photographic Prints Available Prints of some photographs in this issue are available for purchase. To view options, visit arizonahighways prints.com. For more information, call 866-962-1191. editor’s contrib- letter utors @ rstieve arizonahighways.com FEBRUARY 2009 VOL. 85, NO. 2 800-543-5432 ROGER NAYLOR arizonahighways.com Writer Roger Naylor headed West from Ohio because Publisher WIN HOLDEN of cowboy movies, simple as that. “I knew the gunfights Editor weren’t real, but the mountains certainly were,” he says. ROBERT STIEVE “That rugged, big-sky scenery always stayed with me. So Senior Editor RANDY SUMMERLIN when it came time to apply to college, I only looked west.” Managing Editor SALLY BENFORD After a stint at Northern Arizona University and a brief Editorial Administrator return to the Midwest, Naylor moved to Cottonwood 13 NIKKI KIMBEL tevie Nicks didn’t make our list, but I think she should have. Not because her weeks we get a request for a rundown of the Director of Photography years ago. Now, he’s a frequent visitor to the Manzanita first name is a variation of my last, and not because of how sexy she looked in state’s best horse trails. It took us awhile, but in PETER ENSENBERGER Restaurant, about which he writes in The Journal (page 7). “I was such a picky eater as s Photography Editor the heyday of Fleetwood Mac or on the cover of her Bella Donna album. She should Mane Courses, we’ll tell you where to saddle up. JEFF KIDA a child, my mother is appalled that anyone lets me write about food,” Naylor says. “For Art Director have made the list because she’s an Arizona icon. Period. There are 12 trails in all, and they’re sorted by BARBARA GLYNN DENNEY much of my life I subsisted entirely on hamburgers, [but] my palate has broadened to the Other than Duane Eddy and Sam Moore, Stevie Nicks is the only Arizonan in the seasons. So, if you want to take photos in the Deputy Art Director point where I can actually discern flavors, not just condiments.” Naylor also writes for The SONDA ANDERSSON PAPPAN Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It’s an elite membership. Couple that with the piles snow or ride among the wildflowers in the spring, Art Assistant Arizona Republic and Sedona Magazine. of money she’s raised for the Arizona Heart Institute, and she ranks right up there. we’ve got the details. We don’t have Stevie Nicks, DIANA BENZEL-RICE Map Designer What kept her out of this month’s cover story was the first letter of her last name — but we do have some great trails that’ll take you KEVIN KIBSEY Production Director since we limited ourselves to one icon for each letter of the alphabet, it was either into the heart of Arizona’s iconic landscape, MICHAEL BIANCHI Stevie Nicks or Navajoland, and we couldn’t leave out the latter. It was one of many which, I’ll admit, is even more beautiful than the Webmaster RALPH LEE HOPKINS VICTORIA J. SNOW tough calls we had to make while compiling our list. The letter “G” was another one. woman on the cover of Bella Donna. Director of Sales & Marketing Ralph Lee Hopkins has explored Oak Creek Canyon ever Grand Canyon, Geronimo, Barry Goldwater … when it comes to the seventh letter KELLY MERO since his days as a graduate student at Northern Arizona Circulation Director of the alphabet, Arizona is loaded, which is a good thing, unless you’re making a short Global Snapshots NICOLE BOWMAN University. “The juxtaposition of towering walls of red Finance Director list. As you’ll see, we went with Goldwater. I can’t remember all of the arguments, but At last count, we had subscribers in all 50 BOB ALLEN rock and vegetation along the canyon draws my eye as a somebody on the staff said something like: “The Grand Canyon is almost too obvious, states and 120 countries around the world. It’s Information Technology photographer,” he says. “And I love discovering new hid- CINDY BORM ANIS and we’ve done a thousand stories on Geronimo. Let’s give it to Goldwater.” something we’re very proud of, which is why den places along the West Fork of Oak Creek.” As Hopkins Corporate or Trade Sales Of course, all three G’s are iconic in their own way. The same is true of the people, we’ve launched the 602-712-2019 ventured out to shoot Winter Whites (page 28), he had only Sponsorship Sales Representation places and things we’ve selected for the other 25 letters. It’s subjective, but we like “Global Snapshots” ERNIE MULHOLLAND one regret: “This particular storm dumped almost 2 feet of SKYWORD MARKETING our list. If you’d like to plead your case for those icons that didn’t make the cut page on our Web site. 602-997-7200 ext.13 snow in the canyon. (Havasu Falls, Muhammad Ali, the fountain in Fountain Hills …), we’ve cleared out Here’s how it works: [email protected] The heavy, wet snow plenty of space in our e-mail inbox. But before you fire off a message about the merits Send us a snapshot of Letters to the Editor etched every branch; [email protected] of Oak Creek Canyon, check out this month’s portfolio. someone you know 2039 W. Lewis Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85009 ideal conditions for Over the years, we’ve featured this scenic wonder in hundreds of photographs. posing with our Governor photography, but dif- That’s because Oak Creek Canyon, like so many places in Arizona, looks very dif- magazine, and we’ll JANET NAPOLITANO ficult walking. I was Director, Department of Transportation ferent from one season to the next. In Winter Whites, you’ll get a glimpse of what it post it on our site. It’s VICTOR M. MENDEZ wishing for my snow- Arizona Transportation Board shoes as I slogged looks like when the snow flies.