Flagstaff, arizona
Attractions Guide

Flagstaff sits at a base elevation of 7,000 feet (2,130 m) and has a very different climate from what'd you'd expect in Arizona, surrounded by vast forests and many volcanoes, as well as many incredible attractions.

Notably, Flagstaff is the closest large city to the Grand Canyon and is also in very close proximity to the gorgeous city and natural landscape of Sedona.

Flagstaff hosts a lovely historic Downtown area with great stores, restaurants, and bars. The city is home to the famous Lowell Observatory, from which Pluto was discovered. This old observatory offers tours and stargazing events.

Just north of Flagstaff is Humphreys Peak, the tallest mountain in Arizona at approximately 12,630 feet (3,850 m), which you can climb via a challenging 9.2 mile (14.8 km) round-trip trail with a large elevation gain. The trailhead starts at the Arizona Snowbowl, an excellent ski resort that operates on the mountain in the winter.

Further east from Humphreys Peak is the impressive underground Lava River Cave, which you can explore via a 1 mile (1.6 km) round-trip trail. 

Within the vicinity of the city are three national monuments, including Walnut Canyon National Monument just east of Flagstaff, which is home to stunning pre-Colombian Native American cliff dwellings. If you'd like walk inside of and explore these dwellings, be sure to walk the 0.8 mile (1.3 km) round-trip Island Trail.

You should also walk the 0.8 mile (1.3 km) round-trip Walnut Canyon Rim Trail, which provides views overlooking more cliff dwellings and ruins within the national monument.

North of Flagstaff is the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument where you can walk amongst a striking black volcanic landscape alongside the impressive crater. The best trail here is the easy 0.8 mile (1.3 km) round-trip Lava Flow Trail.

From Sunset Crater you can continue down the road to Wupatki National Monument, which features a very scenic drive along the way. In Wupatki you'll find several massive Native American dwellings that are nearly 1,000 years old. These dwellings are quite incredible and well-preserved for their age. To view the various structures of Wupatki National Monument you can walk along a 0.5 mile (0.8 km) round-trip self-guided tour trail.

Approximately 45 miles (70 km) east of Flagstaff you is the famous Meteor Crater, a massive crater in the desert created approximately 50,000 years ago by a meteor impact. The crater is stunningly large with a diameter of nearly 4,000 feet (1,200 m) and over 550 feet (170 m) deep.

While it is a bit expensive to visit the crater and there are only a couple viewpoints overlooking it, it's still quite a stunning experience to look out over one of the world's best preserved impact craters.