About 14 miles north of Flagstaff in the Coconino Forest, a network of caverns and lava-encased passages lie just below the feet of hikers, hunters and other recreation seekers.
This relatively small slit, hidden amongst boulders, will take you there. Just large enough to accommodate a grown a man, this doorway leads to a mile-long lave tube.
Two Arizona sites listed as oddities have fallen victim to wind, rain and fire.
The little church that Loren Pratt built to honor his late wife – the Mini Taj – was severely damaged by an Arizona thunderstorm. It stood in the open fields at Dome and welcomed visitors and curious passersby since 1996, but succumbed to the storm in early September. The winds tore the roof off and left only a couple of walls standing.
Ever since man first set foot in this rugged piece of terrain known as Arizona, he has felt compelled to brand everything with a name. Inspiration for these place names came from a variety of sources—some quite obvious.
Lousy Gulch got its name after all the residents got lice. When Mormon pioneers decided to settle near a large stand of Ponderosa pines, they simply named their community Pine. Another group settled in a small valley where they found wild strawberries growing in abundance and decided to name their town Strawberry. Henry Clifton, a member of an early Indian-fighting militia, claimed that in 1864 the place was known as Wah-poo-eta for a prominent Tonto Apache chief better known to whites as Big Rump. The most obvious place name in Mogollon Rim country was bestowed when a group of settlers pulled into a little green valley and promptly named it Little Green Valley.
Located at the heart of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and Dreamy Draw Recreation Area, Piestewa Peak serves as a prominent landmark along State Route 51, just minutes northeast of downtown Phoenix. The summit of this 2,608-foot peak offers 360-degree views of the Valley.
Piestewa Peak is about 14 million years old, relatively young in geologic terms. It’s primarily composed of a metamorphic rock called schist.
Now encased by cityscape and a smattering of lavish homes, the area surrounding Piestewa Peak was once a center for mining and grazing around Phoenix. The city took possession in 1959, and it later became a local hub for day hiking and recreation.
The summit trail is one of the most popular hikes in all of Arizona – and even the nation. According to the City of Phoenix, the trail receives 4,000 to 10,000 hikers per week.
SNOWFLAKE — This is a two-house story, rather than the usual two-story house. It begins in 1878, when Andrew Rogers built a simple one-room log cabin for his family after they migrated to northeastern Arizona. As the family grew, Rogers added more rooms. In fact, he added so many new rooms that they swallowed up the original structure. After a while, all mention and memory of the cabin disappeared.
It stayed that way until 1989, when the house of many add-ons caught fire. While clearing the debris after the blaze was extinguished, workmen discovered the cabin standing among the ashes. Protected by all the additions, the thick logs had withstood the flames.
