CHECK OUT HISTORIC DOWNTOWN
One of our absolute favorite ways to spend an afternoon? Wandering around downtown Flagstaff. The area is buzzing with activity, historic hotels, eclectic shops and top restaurants. If you’re driving around, you’ll probably hear and maybe even have to wait for a freight train to pass by. But that’s just part of this city’s charm. We don’t have enough page space to list all of our favorites, but here’s a smattering of places we hope you’ll love as much as we do.
“Downtown Flagstaff offers memorable experiences for every audience. With more than 150 unique and exciting locally owned restaurants and retail shops and family-friendly events taking place almost daily, you can find everything you are looking for – and even a few surprises,” says Terry Madeksza, executive director of the Flagstaff Downtown Business Alliance.
Hotel Monte Vista in Downtown Flagstaff. Photo by Donavan Seschillie.
HOTELS
Downtown Flagstaff is chock full of historical hotels that each have fascinating stories. Many will dine alfresco at the patio of Charly’s Pub & Grill at the over 100-years-old Weatherford Hotel on Leroux Street. We’d recommend the signature Navajo tacos – a traditional Southwestern dish made out of Indian fry bread topped with black or pinto beans, cheese, lettuce, tomato, black olives, cilantro and onions.
But if we had to pick just one that you should visit, it’s the Monte Vista or “Monte V.” One of the oldest fully operational hotels in Flagstaff, this hotel has quite a guest list. John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart (it’s rumored a scene from “Casablanca” was filmed at the hotel) and Gary Cooper have all stayed here. But mostly we just dig the hip vibe. Come early and enjoy a proprietary blend of locally roasted Fire Creek coffee at Rendezvous café and stay until 2 a.m. sipping craft cocktails at this same spot. Feast on pan-Asian fare and a variety of sushi rolls at the Lotus Lounge. Kick back in a more casual environment – reinforced by the presence of arcade games and pool tables – at the Cocktail Lounge, which serves as a reminder of the hotel’s history as
Flagstaff’s first speakeasy.
RESTAURANTS
Half butcher shop, half neighborhood eatery, Proper Meats + Provisions serves up a myriad of fantastic sandwiches of all stripes ranging from a Breakfast Sandwich to an Ahi Tuna Salad option. Our go-to order? The signature Warm Pastrami, served with Carolina mustard.
Since 2009, Diablo Burger has cooked up what many would call some of the best burgers in the state. Dig into varieties like the DB House – a char-broiled 100 percent local beef patty (all the burgers here feature these) blackening spice, chimichurri and topped with an over-easy fried egg.
Feast on a variety of Mexican fare including tacos, chimichangas and oversized burritos at the colorful and laid-back MartAnne’s Burrito Palace or “The House that Chilaquilles Built.”
One of Flag’s most-acclaimed restaurants, Root Public House, serves dynamic, contemporary American fare like charred leek risotto in a thoroughly modern that’s classy, but not stuffy. When the weather’s good, enjoy your meal at this spot’s rooftop patio.
Pizzicletta slings notable wood-fired Neopolitan pizzas and house-made gelato. Look forward to simple-yet-inventive pies like The Bee’s Knees – house mozzarella, ricotta, Mountain Top honey, spicy sausage and sage.
SHOPS
For independent bookstores, consider perusing the shelves at Bright Side Bookshop or Starrlight Books. Find works from more than 60 Arizona artists at the Arizona Handmade Gallery. Highlights include glass creations from George Averbeck, a long-time Flagstaff resident and co-owner of the gallery.
One of downtown Flagstaff’s recall meccas is the Old Town Shops. Look forward to 10 locally owned businesses at the corner of Birch Avenue and Leroux Street. Find clothing and mountain chic women’s clothing at Sage Brush Trading Co., stock up on handcrafted soaps and clothes for women and girls at P.J. Chilcottage, indulge your inner fashionista as you check out the seemingly endless racks of clothing the Basement Marketplace and find a plethora of quirky gifts ranging from Harry Potter wands to graphic T-shirts at Black Hound Gallerie.
PLAY AT THE SNOWBOWL
Located on the San Francisco Peaks and just 14 miles outside of the city, the Snowbowl is Flagstaff’s hub of outdoor recreational activity that makes the area’s natural resources accessible to just about everyone. Visitors can ski and snowboard in the winter, take a chairlift to the top for stunning views during the warm-weather months and hike throughout the mountain. The Snowbowl is also planning for a massive overhaul. Look forward to improved lodges, two new lifts and five new trails. Just driving up North Snow Bowl Road and checking out the breathtaking views and fall foliage is worth the short trip.
“When people think of Arizona, they think of large, empty deserts and hot temperatures. This, of course, is only half the story. What makes Snowbowl unique is the fact that we’re a mountain in the desert – when temperatures in Phoenix or Tucson reach well over 100 degrees, we enjoy 60- to 70-degree days on the mountain. When visitors drive up in the fall, they can experience the transition from Saguaro cacti in the desert to golden Aspen leaves in less than three hours. In winter, we could have a full-on powder day while it’s 60 degrees and sunny in Phoenix. The stark contrast and unique location of Snowbowl is what makes the mountain a special place,” says Amanda Anderson, marketing manager of the Snowbowl.
For more information, call 928-779-1951 or visit snowbowl.ski.
LOCKETT MEADOW
About 15 miles from Flagstaff, Lockett Meadow campground is one of the city’s most popular outdoor destinations and for good reason: it’s one of the best places for leaf peeping in the fall.
“The leaves will be either starting to change or their full glory. It’s just a stunning, stunning view with the changing colors,” says Kevin Lehto, assistant recreation officer of the Flagstaff Ranger District. “It will range from those golden classic Aspen colors to the occasional reds and oranges.”
Besides those stunning fall colors, look forward to scenic views of the San Francisco Peaks throughout. Hike around the area or camp out. Either way, enjoy the views and wilderness here. Pro tip: If you’re heading here on the weekends, expect crowds. Avoid them by coming early on Saturday or Sunday or during the week. Please note that the 17 campground sites are reserved on a first come, first serve basis.
For more information, visit fs.usda.gov.
Lava River Cave. Photo by Brady Smith.
HEAD INSIDE THE LAVA RIVER CAVE
Roughly 19 miles from downtown, the mile-long Lava River Cave is (literally) one of Flagstaff’s coolest places to visit. Temps inside the cave – carved out – as the name suggests, by molten rock from a volcanic vent in nearby Hart Prairie about 700,000 years ago – can plunge to 42 degrees, even in the hot summer.
“It’s just another one of those really unique experiences. It’s not something you find very commonly up here,” says Kevin. Look forward to a wide cave without any traditional cave features like stalactites and stalagmites. “Because it’s a lava tube, it’s a very different feel than what people expect.”
Bundle up and don your headlamp, have backup lights and appropriate hiking gear (Kevin recommended hiking boots that cover your ankles) before you head inside. Once you’re there, be sure to look down to spot the wave-like undulations on the ground, proof of the lava that once flowed through here. Just be careful not to trip since “it’s a jumble of rock, not smooth limestone,” says Kevin. He also told us to expect traffic on the weekends and holidays. If you drop by, you may see an expanded parking lot and an outhouse – new features.
For more information, visit fs.usda.gov.
Humphrey’s Peak. Photo by Mike Elson.
HIKE HUMPHREY’S PEAK
For a great view, you’ve usually got to go up high. And you can’t get any higher (at least in the state of Arizona) than Humphrey’s Peak, standing tall at about 12,633 feet. It’s a grueling approximately 10-mile hike round trip (start early) through alpine forest along with rock slides and avalanche tracks, but the rewarding views at the top make this worth adding to your bucket list. But as with any challenging hike, you’ll want to be prepared. Bring plenty of water, wear sturdy shoes, slather on SPF and don’t forget snacks. Be sure to leave no trace too.
“When you get up there, you can see miles and miles because you’re the tallest thing around. But for us here in Arizona. I mean, yes, it’s our highest point. But it’s also a super unique location because it is above tree line, you do get in the alpine zone where there’s nothing around. That’s not very common in this state,” says Kevin.
For more information, visit fs.usda.gov.
Cliff Dwellings Along Island Trail at Walnut Canyon. Photo by Steve Nycz.
WALNUT CANYON NATIONAL MONUMENT
Walnut Canyon National Monument beckons with great views, historical dwellings and a challenging hike. Drop by the visitor’s center to learn more about the 12th century Sinagua Indians that called Walnut Canyon home. Best of all, you can hike the paved one-mile long Island Trail that descends 185 vertical feet and returns the same way to get an up close look at 25 cliff dwellings. Beyond that, enjoy views of 400-foot gorge, a canyon and pine forest. Stroll along the easy 0.7 mile round trip Rim Trail for canyon views and plenty of mixed juniper and pinion pine forest.
“The biggest draw for folks is to be able to learn about that culture, and how they were able to use the natural resources to survive and thrive in a challenging place to live. But that’s just one element of it. There’s also the inherent natural beauty of the park,” says Ryan Carpenter, the lead interpretive park ranger at Walnut Canyon National Monument.
As with all hikes, be sure you’re prepared with plenty of water, sunscreen and sturdy hiking shoes. On Sept. 28, you can get free entrance on National Public Lands Day.
For more information, visit nps.gov/waca.
Flagstaff’s Dark Skies from Lockett Meadow Campground. Photo by Lee Soltesz.
APPRECIATE THE CITY’S DARK SKY STATUS
When you’re in Flagstaff, be sure to look up. You’ll probably see more stars than ever.
“Flagstaff was certified as the world’s first dark sky community in 2001 owing to the city’s commitment to reducing light pollution through its progressive and forward-thinking outdoor lighting policy coupled with innovative lighting design. Together, these actions made Flagstaff one of the preeminent communities to address issues related to light pollution and sky glow – a distinction which the community holds today owing to its continued efforts,” says Adam Dalton, International Dark Sky Places program manager.
To learn more about the night sky, consider attending a Star Party. The Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition is hosting its sixth Star Party from Sept. 26 to 28 at Buffalo Park. Buffalo Park rests on a flat top of McMillan Mesa, an ancient lava flow. This gives visitors a flat grassy vantage point where they can see the stars blanketing the night’s sky, without the area’s typical tall ponderosa pine obscuring their view. Adam also recommends heading to Lake Mary for unobstructed sky, lake, forest and mountain views.
For more information, visit flagstaffstarparty.org.
Pickin’ in the Pines. Photo by Verm Sherman.
ATTEND A FESTIVAL
Fall in Flagstaff is all about festivals. We’ve written entire cover stories that were just about Flag festivals, in fact. What makes this city such a perfect place to host festivals? “Our community embraces us. There’s no way that any of us could keep doing this year after year if we didn’t have the support of everybody here in town,” days Jennifer Grogan, owner of Peak Productions. She owns and produces two Flagstaff festivals: Blues and Brews and Oktoberfest.
Besides community support, fall is the ideal time for an outdoor festival.
“The leaves are changing. You’ve got the warm days, kind of cooler nights,” says Jennifer. “Everybody’s coming out and grabs their sweatshirt and has fun.”
Although there are too many festivals in Flagstaff for us to list them all, here are two September festivals you should consider attending: The award-winning Pickin’ in the Pines has returned to Fort Tuthill Park. From Sept. 13 to 15, attendees can look forward to bluegrass, acoustic music and a variety of genres including Celtic and gypsy jazz.
The longest-running science festival in the country, the Festival of Science showcases the research and science that occurs in and around in Flagstaff. The 10-day festival that runs from Sept. 20 to 29 kicks off with a keynote presentation from Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke and also includes the aforementioned Flagstaff Star Party.
For more information about Flagstaff festivals, check out sedonamonthly.com’s calendar.
VISIT FLAGSTAFF’S EIGHT CRAFT BREWERIES
Flagstaff’s status as bona fide craft beer city was made official in 2018 when Arizona Governor Doug Ducey recognized it as a “Leading Craft Beer City.” And there’s even a Flagstaff Craft Beer
Trail featuring all eight of Flag’s craft breweries. Print out a “passport” and then collect stamps at each one. Once you’ve visited them all, bring your passport back to one of two Flagstaff Convention & Visitors Bureau locations to get a commemorative pint glass.
What makes Flagstaff beer special? According to Michael Marquess, founder and CEO of Mother Road Brewing Company, the secret is in the water. Flagstaff water is “delicious” and requires little filtration to become “brew-able.” Once the chlorine and particles are removed, water can be used to make beer. No reverse osmosis or heavy treatment required. But that’s not all. Beer drinkers can look forward to a healthy variety of craft brews.
“You’re going to have friendly faces at all the breweries and the tap rooms serving you up here in Flagstaff. But every brewery is going to be very different. We all have different thumbprints on our beers, kind of stylistically on how we brew our beers. So you’re going to go see all these different breweries and taste a lot of very different, diverse flavors,” says Michael.
For more information, visit http://craftbeerflg.com.
CELEBRATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOON LANDING
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention one of Flagstaff’s biggest celebrations of 2019: The 50th anniversary of the Moon Landing. In case you didn’t know, all 24 men who traveled to the Moon as part of the Apollo mission trained in Flagstaff.
“Flagstaff really put an imprint on the Apollo mission by promoting science and teaching astronauts how to do science,” says Danielle Adams, Ph.D., deputy director for marketing and communications for Lowell Observatory. She explained that while astronauts were training in Flag, they were using radio to communicate, but realized that they need to see what they were actually doing.
“We may never have had video of Neil Armstrong’s first walk had it not been for the training here in Flagstaff,” says Danielle.
If you’d like to “experience” training to land on the moon the way the astronauts did, Danielle recommended heading to Cinder Lake Crater Fields in an ATV to come as close as you can to “walking on the moon.” The Astrogeology Branch of USGS created simulated craters in the cinders left over from the eruption of Sunset Crater. These allowed the astronauts to practice navigating and gathering rock samples on the Moon.
For more information about Flagstaff’s Lunar Legacy celebration, visit flagstaffarizona.org/lunarlegacy.
San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff. Photo by Donavan Seschillie.
Ask A Local: What Do You Love About Flagstaff?
“I love how connected Flagstaff is to nature. My favorite places to go are Lockett Meadow, Picture Canyon, the Lava Tubes, The End of the World, Walnut Canyon and The Kachina Trail. There are so many beautiful landscapes to visit. It is magnificent.” – Nicole Lucas
“What I love about Flagstaff is the ability to experience all four seasons every year, how outdoorsy the community can be and how well they promote family-oriented activities outdoors. Some of my favorite places to go are Macy’s coffee shop, NiMarco’s Pizza, Bookman’s, the Lowell Observatory, Fatmans Loop Trail, Hart Prairie and the lava tubes.” – Erin T. Billy
“I love the small community feel of Flagstaff. I grew up in a small town in southern Arizona where everyone – and I mean everyone – knew your name. Flagstaff had that same feeling, and after I graduated from Northern Arizona University, I decided to stick around and make my life in the mountain air. I love walking around downtown. There’s always something going on, whether it’s First Friday Art Walk or the Hullabaloo at Wheeler Park. I also enjoy going up to the Snowbowl solely for the views.” – Marcos Acosta
“I love ability to bike anywhere in this small town. The cool mountain air and natural surroundings with the small town feel and the surprising snowstorms that bring everything to a standstill with wonder, like this last winter. Some of my favorites places are Buffalo Park for runs. Find the trails at the edge of the park. Open all seasons and the views are inspirational. The NAU Natatorium or the Wall Aquatic Center: A pristine, state-of-the-art 50-meter lap pool where you can literally rub shoulders with visiting Olympic teams and can see the divers competing in the dive pool adjacent area. They even offer stand up paddleboard yoga classes in the dive pool. How fun is that?!” – Margaret Penado
“Flagstaff is a town that seems changeless. The surrounding areas are filled with trails, trees, cool breezes and a weather system that’s unpredictable. My favorite time of the year is winter; the snowstorms are something to behold. Everything seems to quiet down when the sky is full of those tiny cold porcelain flakes. My favorite place to go is Schultz Pass. During the autumn months, the Aspen trees and their leaves turn into a majestic yellow. If there is a slight breeze, the leaves will dance around you. That’s how magical Flagstaff is.” – Don Shane
“Picking the best places to eat or drink in Flagstaff is easy for me. Every one of these restaurants has been a part of the Flagstaff community for quite some time. PaTo Thai is hands down my favorite restaurant in Flagstaff. Fresh, fast and great service. Beaver Street Brewery has been the same for the 17 years I’ve lived here. They offer a great selection of bar and American style food that’s also fresh and inviting. The back patio is a great spot to be during summer. Over on the East side of town, Satchmo’s BBQ and Fratelli Pizza on 4th Street always knock it out of the park with their food, service and atmosphere. Owner of Satchmo’s Jamie Thousand and Satchmo’s cater nearly every event in Flagstaff, and few locals question what ‘pizza’ you’re referring to when it’s time to order. The third East side restaurant is Jitters Lunchbox.” – Nicholas Allen
“Theatrikos theatre is the place to see many plays with lots of local talent! What I love about the theatre is the close-knit community and the friendliness of people. I loved ‘Osage County’ and ‘Avenue Q’ with the actors, the hand-held puppets and the way they handled both together.” – Annette Fallaha
“Want to settle in with a drink and discuss the day’s doin’s? I recommend the patio at either Flagstaff Brewing Company or Altitudes, the balcony off the Zane Grey upstairs at the Weatherford Hotel, pick a whiskey at Uptown Pubhouse, watch the foot traffic from your seat at The McMillan or Rendezvous at the Monte Vista hotel, or the Market Bar & Kitchen on the square, or wander over to Nomads Global Lounge attached to the classic old Motel Du Beau just south of the Flagstaff train station for good food and drink. Staff at all of these venues has been excellent, service personable and attentive and barkeeps knowledgeable and accommodating.” – Tom Hoyt
