Arizona adventure bucket list 2024: The most fun you can have on land and water
A new year means new adventures, and plenty of them. This is your chance to get out and explore the best of what Arizona has to offer. Festivals, food, dirt roads, dark skies and scenery — this state has it all. And it’s just waiting to be discovered.
Over the next 12 months you can camp, fish, kayak, hike, stargaze, eat or just enjoy the rich history and great outdoors. Start planning right now to make this an unforgettable year spent rambling around Arizona. You won’t regret it.
Here are a few suggestions for some of the very best things to do in Arizona in 2024.
Visit the Mescal Movie Set, where 'Tombstone' was filmed
Just outside of Benson stands an instantly recognizable town that isn’t quite real.
The Mescal Movie Set, an 1880s Western town, was built in 1968 for the movie "Monte Walsh" starring Lee Marvin. It’s been the setting for more than 100 films, including "Tombstone," "The Outlaw Josie Wales," "Tom Horn," "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean" and "The Quick and the Dead." There are 28 buildings standing in the shadow of distant mountains.
Historic walking tours of the town are offered and all proceeds go back into restoring the buildings. This is a memory-filled must-stop for movie buffs. Call or check the website before visiting because this is an active movie set and filming takes priority.
Details: 1538 N. Mescal Road, Benson. Tours are offered most Fridays and Saturdays between filming. Hours vary seasonally. $15; free for age 16 and younger. 520-255-6662, www.mescalmovieset.com.
Camp, fish or hike at a high mountain lake this summer
Riggs Flat Lake sits at 8,600 feet, ringed by pine and fir trees on the shoulder of Mount Graham outside of Safford in southeastern Arizona.
The 11-acre lake and adjacent campground are near the top of the Swift Trail, a steep and winding scenic drive that climbs 6,000 feet. Stocked in summer with rainbow and brown trout, Riggs Flat Lake is a beautiful fishing and camping spot. Small boats are permitted, but most people fish from the shoreline. Find out about fishing licenses at www.azgfd.com/fishing.
The campground contains 26 sites, tables, fire grills and vault toilets. Individual sites are first come, first served.
An easy trail circles the lake so even if the fish aren't biting, you’ll enjoy spectacular scenery. Additional trails and campgrounds are found nearby.
From Safford, drive south 8 miles on U.S. 191 to State Route 366. Turn right and drive 35 miles, following the signs. The road climbs steeply up the southern flank of Mount Graham. The last 12 miles are a narrow, winding gravel road passable to sedans. Vehicles longer than 22 feet are not recommended. The road is closed Nov. 15-April 15.
Details: Camping costs $20 per site. 928-428-4150, www.fs.usda.gov/coronado.
Celebrate 90 years of John Dillinger's capture at a Tucson hotel
The Tucson Police Department, with an assist from the Tucson Fire Department, did something the FBI could never manage. They captured the notorious gangster and bank robber John Dillinger.
The 90th anniversary of that monumental event happens in 2024 and Tucson will celebrate in style on Sunday, Jan. 21.
When a fire broke out in the Hotel Congress in downtown Tucson in 1934, guests were evacuated. Firemen rescued the luggage of two guests that was filled with weapons and cash. Turns out, the Dillinger gang were soaking up the winter sun in the desert. A short stakeout resulted in the capture of Dillinger without a shot being fired.
The Hotel Congress, now at the heart of Tucson’s vibrant downtown music and culinary scene, commemorates the event with a daylong party.
Dillinger Day 2024 will include three capture reenactments, a vintage car show, lectures, historical walking tours of downtown and live music. Also on hand will be fully restored fire trucks that fought the 1934 fire.
Details: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 21. Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress St., Tucson. Free. 520-622-8848, www.hotelcongress.com.
Combine history and hiking at Walnut Canyon National Monument
Cut from the forested plateau east of Flagstaff, Walnut Canyon National Monument was once home to hundreds of Sinagua people who settled here following the eruption of Sunset Crater.
These resourceful people used overhanging cliffs and shallow alcoves carved from the limestone walls to build dwellings while farming flat terraces on the canyon rim.
Protected by the massive eaves of stone, the ancient homes have survived the centuries, including looting by early pot hunters. Some rooms can even be entered.
The Island Trail makes a milelong loop around a rock promontory that juts into the canyon past a couple of dozen cliff houses. It’s beautiful but steep with almost 200 stairs. There’s also the flat easy Rim Trail that stays topside meandering through old farmland and past ancient field houses, with nice views into the gorge.
Walnut Canyon is packed top to bottom with life zones and microhabitats highlighting cactus and agave growing just footsteps from Douglas fir and ponderosa pine.
Details: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Walnut Canyon National Monument is 7.5 miles east of Flagstaff off Interstate 40. $25 per vehicle. 928-526-3367, www.nps.gov/waca.
Stargaze at an Arizona State Park
Arizona takes on a new kind of beauty when darkness falls. And you can enjoy a spectacular and informative peek at our night skies during a star party hosted by Arizona State Parks.
The parks partner with local astronomy clubs whose members set up telescopes and offer expertise as you track planets, nebulas, stars and all manner of celestial objects across big dark skies. Star parties and other astronomical events will be held at various parks throughout the year.
Lost Dutchman State Park, in partnership with the Superstition Mountain Astronomical League, will host star parties on Jan. 13 and Feb. 10 (6:30 and 7:30 p.m.) and March 9 (7 and 8 p.m.). Registration is $5 per person and covers park admission.
Picacho Peak State Park near Eloy will partner with the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association for star parties from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Jan. 6 and March 16. No registration is required but park entry fee of $7 per vehicle applies.
Details: For information on these and other star parties through the year, visit www.azstateparks.com.
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Kayak the first National Water Trail in the Southwest
Lake Mohave is part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. But the two bodies of water offer very different experiences. Mohave flows directly south from Hoover Dam for approximately 67 miles. Both narrow and shallow compared to Lake Mead, much of it retains the feel of the old Colorado River.
In 2014, this 30-mile portion was designated the Black Canyon National Water Trail, the first in the Southwest. It’s a kayaker's dream as the river winds past beaches, caves, coves, waterfalls and hot springs beneath towering cliffs of volcanic rock. You can access the water trail from Arizona’s Willow Beach.
Surrounded by steep canyon walls 15 miles south of Hoover Dam, Willow Beach captivates visitors with an intimate connection to the river. Willow Beach Harbor offers a full-service marina, with restaurant, store, RV park and campground and watercraft rentals.
Details: 928-767-4747, www.willowbeachharbor.com.
Eat a cheeseburger with cheese at Delgadillo's Snow Cap on Route 66
Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive In is a Route 66 icon in Seligman. Juan Delgadillo built the Snow Cap in June 1953 from scrap lumber. Delgadillo specialized in serving good food with a side of goofy humor, making this a beloved stop for generations. He passed away in 2004 but his family keeps the traditions going, tasty grub and lots of laughs.
Step inside (if you can figure out which is the right doorknob) and it’s like entering a carnival funhouse although it smells a whole lot better. The menu is a series of running jokes (Dead Chicken and Cheeseburger with Cheese) and the place is wallpapered with gags, business cards and currency. The goofiness continues out back in Juan’s Garden with a collection of kitsch and old automobiles.
The Snow Cap is also in the Guinness Book of World Records for Most Milkshake Flavors. They concocted 266 different flavors of shake, including some bizarre combinations. Somewhere Juan Delgadillo is smiling.
Details: 22235 Historic Route 66, Seligman. Outdoor seating only. Closed during winter, Snow Cap usually reopens around March 1. 928-422-3291.
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Visit the Arizona ranch of iconic lawman 'Texas John' Slaughter
Tucked away down a dirt road just outside of Douglas is a ranch was once owned by "Texas John" Slaughter, a legendary lawman. He was known as “the meanest good guy who ever lived.”
Slaughter cleaned up Tombstone and Cochise County after the Earps left. He wore a pearl-handled pistol and carried a 10-gauge shotgun and was absolutely fearless in any kind of fight. His method of keeping the peace was simple. He politely told ne’er do wells to leave town. They didn’t get a second warning.
Today, the ranch is a National Historic Landmark, privately owned. It’s a lovely and peaceful property with lush pasture, a stock pond, historic buildings, lots of animals and the remnants of an old fort built during the Mexican revolution.
Details: 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. 6153 E. Geronimo Trail, Douglas. (Follow the directions on the website; GPS sometimes gets it wrong. The last 9 miles are unpaved.) $5; free for children. www.slaughterranch.org.
Find the reporter at www.rogernaylor.com. Or follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RogerNaylorinAZ or Twitter @AZRogerNaylor.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona bucket list 2024: Historical adventures, awesome cheeseburgers
