Our Arizona Bucket List

      We are often asked where we would suggest someone goes to find the best of Arizona.  So, after some tough considerations, we have come up with our  "Arizona Best 101" - places we suggest you put on your Arizona Bucket List.  We hope that someday you too will visit and enjoy these great Arizona treasures as you go about Finding Arizona yourself.  We could have added another 100 places to our bucket list, but thought we would stop with 101.  Please let us know what you think of our bucket list and anyplace you think should be added to our list - enjoy! 

The Buscher Bucket List for Finding Arizona…

Top Ten…
1.    Tour Kartchner Caverns State Park - If you can make only 1 trip in Arizona go here - https://azstateparks.com/kartchner
2.    Travel to the Hopi Mesas - amazing, beautiful and so rich in history - http://www.hopiculturalcenter.com/  Be sure to especially visit the Village of Walpi.
3.    Climb Humphreys Peak - You will be able to say that you stood on top of Arizona - good story to retell to family and friends - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/humphreys-peak
4.    Hike to the Havasupai Indian Reservation - If the Biblical Paradise were in Arizona, it would surely be at the Village of Supai and their amazing waterfalls - https://theofficialhavasupaitribe.com/
5.    Visit Monument Valley - When John Wayne first came to Monument Valley to make a Western movie, he said, “Now I know where God hid the West.”  A truly magical land that is mostly in Utah, but parts are in our Arizona -
https://navajonationparks.org/tribal-parks/monument-valley/
6.    Visit San Xavier del Bac Mission - the most spectacular example of 18th Century mission architecture in the American Southwest - just 9 miles outside of Tucson - https://sanxaviermission.org/history
7.    Explore Canyon de Chelly -  one of the most beautiful set of canyons found in Arizona - https://www.nps.gov/cach/index.htm
8.    “Walk on the Sky” at Grand Canyon Sky Walk - it is man made but it is one exhilarating thrill - https://grandcanyonwest.com/things-to-do/skywalk/
9.    Spend a day at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum - a world class outdoor museum where you can discover everything you have ever wanted to know about the Sonoran Desert - http://www.desertmuseum.org/
10.     Experience the Gallery In the Sun - Ted De Grazia was Arizona’s most famous artist who captured the story of Arizona on his canvas.  His gallery in the northern part of Tucson is very special - http://degrazia.org/

And now the rest of our bucket list of Top 100+ Arizona places to visit, stay and enjoy!


11.    Visit Sabino Canyon - Tucson - https://sabinocanyon.org/
12.    Hike Aravaipa Canyon - Winkleman - https://www.blm.gov/visit/aravaipa-canyon-wilderness
13.    Discover the Honanki Ruins - Sedona - https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recarea/?recid=55318
14.    Enjoy Lynx Lake and the Granite Dells - Prescott - https://www.prescott.com/lynx-lake
15.    Discover Woods Canyon Lake, White Mountains of Arizona - http://www.arizona-leisure.com/woods-canyon-lake.html
16.    Spend a night at Molly Butlers Lodge, Greer - https://mollybutlerlodge1910.com/
17.    Travel to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and spend at least a night. - https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/north-rim.htm
18.    Visit the Chocolate Falls (also known as the Grand Falls) after a heavy Spring snowmelt - northeast of Flagstaff - https://www.flagstaff.com/grand-falls-arizona
19.    Visit Fort Bowie National Historic Site - Bowie - http://www.nps.gov/fobo/index.htm
20.    Boat on Lake Powell, Paige - http://www.lakepowell.com/vacation-attractions.aspx
21.    Explore the monuments of Wesley Bolin Plaza - visit Arizona’s “National Mall” at the state capitol, Phoenix - https://www.wesleybolinplaza.com/
22.    Visit the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument and discover the release site for the California Condors, near Lee’s Ferry - https://www.blm.gov/national-conservation-lands/arizona/vermilion-cliffs
23.    Be amazed by the balance rocks of the Chiricahua National Monument - http://www.nps.gov/chir/index.htm
24.    Feel the indescribable power found at the Titan Missile Museum, Green Valley - http://www.titanmissilemuseum.org/
25.    Squeeze through the slots of Antelope Canyon, Paige - http://www.americansouthwest.net/slot_canyons/antelope_canyon/
26.    Walk the narrow trails of Walnut Canyon National Monument, Flagstaff - http://www.nps.gov/waca/index.htm
27.    Avoid the crowds and discover the South Rim of the Grand Canyon during the winter - https://www.xanterra.com/stories/6-reasons-to-visit-the-grand-canyon-in-winter/
28.    Travel back in time and explore the Petrified Forest National Park and Painted Desert, Holbrook - http://www.nps.gov/pefo/index.htm
29.    Spend a few days at the historic Hannagan Meadow Lodge, Alpine- http://www.hannaganmeadow.com/
30.    Discover the greatness of Sharlot Hall Museum, Prescott - http://www.sharlot.org/
31.    Travel to the summit of Bill Williams Mountain, Williams - http://www.summitpost.org/bill-williams-mountain/150882
32.    Ride the Grand Canyon Railroad from Williams to the Grand Canyon, Williams - http://www.thetrain.com/
33.    Take a class from the staff of Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior - https://btarboretum.org/
34.    Drive the Apache Trail, Apache Junction - https://www.tripsavvy.com/apache-trail-scenic-drive-2681529
35.    Find the fern grotto at Tonto Bridge State Park, Payson - http://azbugztwo.blogspot.com/2012/06/tonto-natural-bridge-state-park-one-of.html
36.    Enjoy a picnic at McDowell Mountain Regional Park, Fountain Hills -https://www.maricopacountyparks.net/mcdowell-mountain-regional-park/
37.    Watch for Bald Eagles while riding the Verde Canyon Railroad, Clarkdale - http://verdecanyonrr.com/
38.    Spend Halloween night at the Grand Hotel, Jerome - http://www.jeromegrandhotel.com/
39.    Make a summer escape to the historic Isabella Greenway’s Arizona Inn, Tucson - http://www.arizonainn.com/
40.    Recapture a slower time at the Shady Dell, Bisbee - http://www.theshadydell.com/
41.    Stay in our favorite Arizona Hotel, La Posada, Winslow - http://www.laposada.org/
42.    Drive the longest uninterrupted stretch of America’s Mother Road - Route 66, Seligman to Topock - https://www.roadtripusa.com/route-66/arizona/
43.    Take another opportunity to meet a ghost at the Copper Queen Hotel, Bisbee - https://phoenixghosts.com/the-copper-queen-hotel/
44.    Walk the “Streets of Tombstone” especially on a moonless Saturday night, Tombstone - http://www.tombstoneweb.com/
45.    Visit the Amerind Foundation Museum, Dragoon - http://www.amerind.org/
46.    Travel into a copper mine at the Copper Queen Mine Tour, Bisbee - http://www.queenminetour.com/
47.    Photograph a burro on the main street of Oatman - https://backroadramblers.com/oatman-arizona/
48.    Relax and enjoy our favorite Sedona area escape, the Briar Patch Inn, Oak Creek Canyon - http://www.briarpatchinn.com/
49.    Visit and be thankful you were never sentenced to the Yuma Territorial Prison, Yuma - https://www.yumaprison.org/
50.    Walk across London Bridge, Lake Havasu - https://www.golakehavasu.com/london-bridge
51.    Hike the Grand Canyon so you too can wear a T-shirt that proclaims, “I Hiked The Canyon!”, Grand Canyon - http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/backcountry.htm
52.    Enjoy the wildlife found at Bearizona, Williams - http://www.bearizona.com/
53.    Finally discover for yourself “The Thing!”, Dragoon - http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2023
54.    Bicycle or walk across the Snake Bridge, Tucson - http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/6616
55.    Drive the loop and visit both Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments, Flagstaff - http://www.nps.gov/sucr/index.htm and http://www.nps.gov/wupa/index.htm
56.    Hike Peralta Canyon to Weaver’s Needle, Superstition Mountains - http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=204
57.    Visit the real Fort Apache, Whiteriver - http://wmat.us/fortapachepark.htm
58.    Walk the ruins of Besh-Ba-Gowah, Globe - https://www.globeaz.gov/besh-ba-gowah-archaeological-park-and-museum
59.    Fish in the waters of Big Lake, 25 miles from Eagar - https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/asnf/recarea/?recid=80836
60.    Visit Montezuma Castle National Monument and Montezuma Well, Camp Verde - http://www.nps.gov/moca/index.htm and http://www.desertusa.com/mag98/aug/stories/montzwell.html
61.    Travel to Quartzsite during January and discover 1000s of Snowbirds, Quartzsite - https://quartzsitetourism.com/explore-quartzsite/
62.    Explore the ruins of Kinishba, Whiteriver - https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/explore/kinishba-ruins-national-historic-landmark/
63.    Follow the Turquoise Trail, Tucson - https://www.visittucson.org/listing/turquoise-trail-walking-tour/6360/
64.    Dine/stay at Mormon Lake Lodge, Mormon Lake - http://www.mormonlakelodge.com/
65.    Spend a couple of nights at the Lodge on Route 66, Williams - http://www.thelodgeonroute66.com/
66.    Buy some honey at the Honey Stand, Pine - https://thehoneystand.com/
67.    Discover the universe at Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff - http://www.lowell.edu/
68.    Eat pie at the Strawberry Lodge, Strawberry - https://www.thestrawberryinn.com/post/local-favorite-strawberry-lodge
69.    Explore the buildings of Pioneer Living History Museum, Phoenix - http://pioneeraz.org/
70.    Discover Robson’s Mining World, Harcuvar Mountains - https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/arizona/preserved-history-small-town-az/
71.    Float down the Colorado River, Grand Canyon - https://raftarizona.com/
72.    Take a tour of Hoover Dam - https://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/service/
73.    Enjoy the ruins of Guevavi and Tumacacori National Historic Park, Tumacacori - https://www.nps.gov/tuma/learn/historyculture/guevavi.htm and http://www.nps.gov/tuma/index.htm
74.    Walk among the Chloride Murals, Chloride - https://chloridearizona.info/murals/
75.    Walk among the cacti at the Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix - http://www.dbg.org/
76.    Feel the pride at the Pima Air Museum, Tucson - http://www.pimaair.org/
77.    Discover an Arizona like you never knew it, Patagonia - https://www.visitarizona.com/places/cities/patagonia/
78.    Walk in a dry cave at Colossal Cave Mountain Park, Vail - https://colossalcave.com/
79.    Feed your artistic side at the Tubac Art Festival, Tubac - https://tubacaz.com/festivals/
80.    Walk inside Biosphere II, Oracle - http://www.b2science.org/
81.    Discover the Singing Cowboy at the Rex Allen Museum, Willcox - http://www.rexallenmuseum.org/
82.    Spend a night in the Wigwam Teepees, Holbrook - https://sleepinawigwam.com/
83.    Locate the Green Frog Rock, Congress - http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/12991
84.    Taste your way through the Wineries of the Verde Valley - http://www.vvwinetrail.com/
85.    Pick some vegetables at Mortimer Family Farms, Dewey - http://mortimerfamilyfarms.com/
86.    Discover the petroglyhs at the Deer Valley Rock Art Center, Phoenix - http://dvrac.asu.edu/
87.    Pick pumpkins at Apple Annie’s Orchard, Willcox - http://www.appleannies.com/
88.    Eat ice cream at the SnoCap Ice Cream Parlor, Seligman - http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/101
89.    Ride the elevator down into the Grand Canyon Caverns, 65 miles from Williams on Historic Route 66- http://www.gccaverns.com/
90.    Rediscover Zane Grey at the Rim Country Museum, Payson - https://www.rimcountrymuseum.org/
91.    Travel up Yarnell Hill to Prescott - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarnell,_Arizona
92.    Enjoy the Heard Museum, Phoenix - http://heard.org/
93.    Attend the First Saturday Art Walk, Jerome - https://www.verdevalleyevents.com/event/jerome-art-walk/
94.    Eat at Charly’s Pub & Grill in the Weatherford Hotel, Flagstaff - http://www.weatherfordhotel.com/
95.    Discover Arizona’s first Museum, the Arizona State Museum on the campus of the U of A, Tucson - http://statemuseum.arizona.edu/
96.    See the heavens at Kitt Peak National Observatory, 60 miles west ofTucson - https://kpno.noirlab.edu/
97.    Be amazed by the Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff- http://www.musnaz.org/
98.    Stop for and enjoy a date shake on your way to San Diego, Dateland - https://www.dateland.com/
99.    Locate and visit the Fisherman Geoglyph, Bouse - http://ronkilber.tripod.com/geoglyphs/SWAviator.htm and http://www.echoesofthesouthwest.com/2018/08/the-bouse-fisherman-intaglio.html
100.      Spend a night enjoying the Western entertainment found on Whiskey Row, Prescott - https://www.prescott.com/whiskey-row
101.    Visit George Washington Carver Museum & Cultural Center, Phoenix - https://www.carveraz.org/
102.     Etc., etc., etc…