Phoenix: Valley of the Sun from WorldWeb.com Travel Guide Accommodation Shortcuts: Phoenix Accommodation | Arizona Accommodation | Sunset and Cactus The name ‘Valley of the Sun’ as the Phoenix, Arizona area has been popularized sums up the dominant feature in this area—year round sunshine. Often stiflingly hot in the summer months—air conditioning is essential—the winter brings pleasant warm weather while much of the rest of North America is shivering. The Phoenix area is any golfer’s paradise, the desert landscapes are mesmerizing and the area has an array of other attractions to make it a great travel destination. Phoenix represents the Southwestern lifestyle perhaps better than anywhere else in the United States. Images of deserts with earthy colors, and native arts and craft come to mind when one thinks of this booming city and its surroundings. The city’s very name is associated with fire, and when one considers the heat that rises from the ground for much of the year, it is very apt. The city’s highrise structures seem to be at one with the flame toned canvas painted in the skyline at dawn and dusk. Orientation Phoenix and Area The Greater Phoenix Area actually is comprised of over 20 separate communities. The city of Phoenix itself lies in the center of the Valley of the Sun, the resort town of Scottsdale to the northwest, Tempe (home of Arizona State University) and Mesa (the state of Arizona’s third largest city) to the east, and Glendale (the fourth largest) to the north. History Since around 1 AD humans have settled the Phoenix area. An early culture known as the Hohokam developed sophisticated irrigation schemes to grow their crops. Traces of this advanced culture still remain and evidence of their adobe structures and their crafts has been found. This society disappeared in about 1450, approximately a hundred years before Spanish explorers reached the area. Certain Native American tribes of today trace their ancestry to the Hohokam. European settlement was prevented by the strong presence of Apache Native Americans. A US army outpost was built in the area in 1865. From there a town developed. When the ancient Hohokam irrigation canals were dug out, more people arrived to farm the area. A well read Englishman named Darrel Duppa likened the new community to one growing out of the ashes of the ancient Hohokam ruins and so after the Egyptian bird of mythology that rose from the ashes, the name Phoenix was given to the growing town. By the end of the 1800s the town was the burgeoning state capital and a center of commerce and agriculture. The arrival of the railroad in 1887 made the same positive impact on the growth of Phoenix as it did so many other western North American cities. By 1920 Phoenix’s population reached 30,000 and the mainline Southern Pacific Railroad also arrived in 1926, giving the city a further boost. World War II brought a shift from a dependence on agriculture and produce distribution for economic prosperity, to the beginning of industry with an emphasis on defense. Many military personnel stationed in Phoenix during the war returned to the area after the cessation of hostilities. Many different manufacturing plants were set up to take advantage of the large labor pool available in the Phoenix area. Phoenix at Night Since then Phoenix and area has continually grown. It is now the hub of the southwest. Its popularity as a winter resort for retirees and snowbirds has also contributed significantly to the economy. By the beginning of the 21st Century, Greater Phoenix had a population of almost 3 million people and was the sixth largest city in the U.S.A. compared to any other city in the United States this represents an unprecedented growth over such a relatively short time. Resorts The numerous resorts in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area are second to none in terms of luxury and facilities. These properties usually focusing on golf - offer everything a visitor could desire. Spas with a full selection of beauty and health treatments, a variety of sports in addition to golf, and fine dining in a selection of eateries are all standard in most of the resorts. In addition the wild beauty of the desert is ever present and the architecture and furnishings of the exteriors and interiors are purposely designed to enhance this. For instant online booking of resorts and other accommodations in the Greater Phoenix Area click here. Climate Nowhere has benefited more from the invention of air conditioning than the Phoenix area. The onetime seemingly suffocating summer weather is made quite tolerable nowadays, and the infrastructure of the area is designed to enable people to keep out of the hot sun during the high summer. Temperatures can reach 105 F. in July, dropping only to around 80 F. at night. The winter months are warm and sunny - even in December and January the average high is a pleasant 66 F. perfect for golfing, hiking, biking and any number of outdoor activities. The Phoenix area is usually dry year round. A light coat or jacket is all the outerwear that should be necessary in the winter months. In summer some people find a sweater or wrap useful to counter over-efficient air conditioning systems. Year Jan Feb March April May June High F/C 85/29 65/18 70/21 74/23 83/28 92/23 102/39 July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec 105/41 102/39 98/37 88/31 74/23 66/19 Year Jan Feb March April May June Low F/C 57/16 39/4 42/6 47/8 53/12 61/16 71/22 July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec 79/26 77/25 71/22 59/15 47/8 40/4 Transportation The Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport has direct service and connections to major cities in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Various shuttle and limousine service the airport to and from the rest of the valley. Renting a car is simple and Phoenix is relatively simple to navigate for out-of-town drivers. Valley Metro is the regional transit system, and as well as providing bus service it also arranges ride sharing and car-pooling. Amtrak does not currently offer direct rail service to Phoenix although bus connections are available from several Phoenix locations to other points in Arizona that are served by train. An extensive bus system for both state and cross-country traffic radiates from Phoenix. Greyhound offers the most extensive continental network; they also operate within state along with various local companies. Featured Attractions Golfers in Arizona The Valley of the Sun has an amazing amount of things to see and do for any visitor to the area. As well as the legendary golf courses, Phoenix and area has a great selection of museums and galleries and some incredible urban parks that bring the beautiful flora of the desert right into town. The Desert Botanical Garden is located in the northeast corner of the large Papago Park. Here visitors can enjoy one of the world’s greatest collections of desert plants, trees, cacti and shrubs over 20,000 overall set on 150 acres. Despite the urban setting, the landscaping and well-designed pathways enable visitors to feel that they really are in the desert. There are several trails to take. The Plants and People of the Sonoran Desert Trail explains how area natives utilized the desert plants for many things including food, textiles and construction. All members of the family will enjoy interactive displays that show how to mill mesquite beans into flower, and how to make string out of agave fibers. The Sonoran Desert Nature Trail is a little more strenuous. It focuses on the interaction between the flora and the fauna of the desert. There are some good bird-watching opportunities here. There is also a winding trail of desert wildflowers from the four North American deserts - the best time to see these plants bloom is between March and April. The Desert House showcases the theme of energy and water in the desert, while the Center for Desert Living demonstrates desert gardening and offers hints on how to grow food in a desert climate. A lot of desert plants are available for sale at the Garden Shop. These come complete with instructions on how to grow them in your yard at home climate permitting. An official walking tour of the garden is available, as are self-guided tour pamphlets. Concerts are held on the grounds on some Friday evenings, and these offer the additional bonus of being able to observe some nocturnally blooming plants. The Patio Café is known throughout the area for an excellent Sunday brunch concerts are often held during brunches as well. Perhaps America’s most noteworthy and certainly most well known architect was Frank Lloyd-Wright. It is said that the Sonoran Desert enchanted Wright when he was first hired as a consultant architect for the Arizona Biltmore Resort Hotel in Phoenix. A few years after this Wright purchased 600 acres of unblemished desert in the McDowell Mountains 13 miles northeast of Scottsdale and designed and constructed Taliesin West what he referred to as his 'desert camp.' This was to be both a winter home for Wright and his family as well as a training school for architectural students. Completed in 1937 Wright lived here during the winter until his death in 1959. Taliesin West is a National Historic Landmark, but still serves today as an architectural school, the home of the Wright archives and also houses Taliesin Architects Wright’s architectural practice that he first established in 1893. Students still live in tents and basic shelter on the grounds, just as they did in the 1930s. Each year each new batch of students has to design shelters to live in for their duration at the school. This is all in keeping with Wright’s ethos that architecture should blend in with and enhance the surrounding landscape and vegetation. The complex can only be viewed through an official tour. Visitors can learn a lot about Wright’s style as they view the trademark features of the house. Several different tours are available. There is a one-hour Panorama Tour that introduces his work through various media and a walk through part of the grounds and buildings. The Insight tour is longer and includes some of the living quarters, but for real architecture buffs the Behind the Scenes Tour includes visits with some of Wright’s associates. The students’ dwellings can be viewed on special tours held in the winter months. Arizona is heaven for fans of aviation. Many historical aircraft are stored in various museums or simply in huge desert storage facilities throughout the state. Its possible to see rows of ancient airliners and military transports as far as the eye can see eventually they deteriorate so much that they are removed for scrapping, but are soon replaced with the next generation of obsolete aircraft. Some of these planes have been saved from the breakers and painstakingly restored to pristine flying condition. One of the best places to see this is in Mesa at the Confederate Air Force Arizona Wing Museum. Located at Falcon Field, the museum houses some superb aircraft, specializing in those from the World War II era. The museum’s collection includes a German Heinkel bomber that was the personal transport of Spanish dictator General Franco, and the pride and joy of the wing Sentimental Journey, a fully functional B-17G. Every summer this aircraft makes a North American tour enabling enthusiasts to take a flight in this relic from a tumultuous era. For the rest of the year it’s possible to take a flight in this or other aircraft in the collection at the museum. Call ahead to ensure a pilot is available for these popular trips. For many people such a flight is worth the cost, as these aircraft cannot fly forever. The museum also has a collection of exhibits featuring various flying equipment and historical photographs. Dessert Flora There are many fascinating areas within easy driving distance from Phoenix. Sedona, the Grand Canyon and Tucson can all be visited while based in the Valley of the Sun. Even closer at hand an incredible scenic drive is available. The Apache Trail Loop Drive is one of the most remarkable routes in Arizona. Starting in Apache Junction to the west of Scottsdale, the terrain covered is truly awesome. The route consists of a twisting course through canyons and ridges. The northern part of the route links the Valley of the Sun to Theodore Roosevelt Lake via Goldfield (with its reconstructed ghost town), Needle Vista Viewpoint and the northern slopes of the Superstition Mountains. Much of the route is still unpaved so caution is advised. Best to drive the loop in a clockwise direction this offers vehicle cliff walls for protection as opposed to open drops on the other side of the road. Although the 200-mile route can be driven in a day, it’s advisable to take a more leisurely pace and stop to enjoy the surroundings and perhaps take a few hikes. The highlight of the route for most people is the Tonto National Monument. Here it is possible to visit two cliff dwellings occupied by Salado Native Americans around the 1300s AD. This entails a short hike to the Lower Cliff Dwelling; a longer trip of three miles (by reservation only) reveals a remarkably preserved 40-room pueblo. On the southern portion of the loop near the early 20th Century copper mining town of Globe - another reconstructed Salado pueblo can be visited. The 200-room pueblo of Besh-Ba-Gowah also has a good museum. Further west, back towards Apache Junction The Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park is the state of Arizona’s oldest arboretum and has plants from around the world on its 323 acres. Within Phoenix itself the large urban parks are numerous and offer a wide variety of recreational opportunities. Several of the parks have hikes available to high points or peaks in the middle of the park. These hikes offer a chance to take an invigorating trek surrounded by desert landscapes and vegetation, and then get an excellent view of the whole of the Valley of the Sun from the top. It rarely rains so the excellent climate is an added incentive, although in the heat of summer be sure to wear plenty of sunscreen and take plenty of water. Phoenix Mountain Preserve is actually six different summits and their surrounding located throughout the city. One of the six is Squaw Peak, and this is believed to be the most traveled hiking trail in the USA. The hike is possible for even those who are not particularly active and is very worthwhile. Slightly less crowded but more strenuous is Camel Back Mountain Phoenix’s landmark that runs from east to west, from Phoenix towards Scottsdale. The view from the top after a fairly arduous one-mile climb is phenomenal. Many quieter, but just as interesting trails also exist throughout the area. Accommodation Shortcuts: Phoenix Accommodation | Arizona Accommodation |