Can you see all of Arizona in one week – we tried and succeeded

We had a free week at the end of October and decided to see as much of Arizona as we could – traveling in a spacious motorhome from Blacksford RV rentals in Phoenix. We’d traveled in one of their luxurious rentals before, touring the scenic byways of Utah and two of its national parks. That went so well, we were really looking forward to the opening of their new Phoenix location, just minutes from the airport.

How much could we see in one week?

I’d been to the Grand Canyon a few times before, both the south rim and the west rim. So, that didn’t seem like a necessity. But there were still two other national parks that I’d never seen – Saguaro and Petrified Forest.  Added to list.

Having traveled briefly on parts of the Old Historical Route 66 in Illinois, Kansas and Oklahoma, I heard that the longest stretch of the original route still remaining was in Arizona.  Added to list.

We’d also be told by friends that Arizona has some beautiful byways that we also tried to work in – Salt River Canyon, Cactus Forest Drive, San Francisco Peaks, Sitgreaves Pass, and more. Added to list.

After a week of planning, we determined we could actually see most all we wanted by circumnavigating the state, starting in and returning to Phoenix. So, follow along and see the sites with us.

Heading southeast

After being met at the airport by John from Blacksford RV, we were shuttled to their office where a 2025 Thor Quantum LC28 was waiting for us. We were presented with a 12-month free pass to all the US National Parks, for us and our vehicle. He then gave us an explanatory tour of the vehicle, making sure we knew how to use all the systems, and we were off.

(Fast forward to the end of the article if you’d like to see the vast interior of the LC28 and why we loved it so much.)

Driving directly down I-10, we proceeded directly to Saguaro National Park, just outside Tucson. We went first to the Red Hill Visitor Center at Saguaro West. I always find the national parks to inevitably have fascinating visitor centers – sort of mini museums. The park rangers are always a great source of knowledge if you want to see the best the park has to offer.

Just outside the visitor center is a wheelchair-accessible walkway with an amazing variety of cacti and other desert plants.

We then took the Bajada Scenic Loop looking for the giant Saguaro cactus, some 150 years old, towering 40-50 feet in the air.

After leaving the park, we boondocked for the night amongst the cactus on the side of a friend’s driveway outside Tucson. 

After an early morning photoshoot at sunrise, we left for our next stop.

Heading Northeast

Following 77 and 177, we headed for Superior where the beloved Salt Canyon Scenic Road begins.  Along the way we made a stop at Biosphere 2 in Oracle for some quick photos.

As we got closer to Superior, we passed a vast area of multicolored earth mounds in the Asarco mining district. As dirt was excavated, it was skillfully dumped, layer upon layer creating huge mesas of colorful earth.

After arriving in Superior and having lunch at Bellas on Main Street, we came to the immediate realization that the only direct route to our next campground was north along the Salt River Canyon scenic drive, and AZDOT had the entire road closed all the way to Globe. That meant a 66-mile backtrack.  (Note to self: always check the DOT website before planning a trip in unfamiliar territory.)

Fortunately, after the backtrack, we still got to see the best part of the scenic drive from Globe, north to Show Low.  The switchbacks and the constantly changing vistas as you drive down to the river and back up again were breathtaking. It is like being able to drive to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up to the other side. Not to be missed.

That was our only road-closed dilemma, so from there we headed to our KOA campground in Holbrook. It’s a great place to stay, with a nice camp store and a nightly Cowboy Cookout barbecue where you can get dinner without having to drive back into town.

In the morning, we headed east on 180 and then north into the Petrified Forest National Park. Some of the largest and most beautiful petrified logs are near the entrance to the park, and I neglected to take many photographs there (waiting for even more photogenic ones to appear around the next bend ☹).  Unfortunately, all of a sudden they disappear as you get into the northern Painted Desert portion of the park.

But all was not lost, the Blue Mesa with its colorful layered hills and Newspaper Rock with its 2,000 year old petroglyphs were worth the trip.

As the road circles back south toward Interstate 40, you’ll see the Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark built in typical Pueblo Revival style with authentic furnishings (and the requisite gift shop). It’s celebrating its 100^th anniversary this year.  We got a special kick out of it, since many of the furnishings were from Fred Harvey’s restaurant, which were identical to the one we frequented in Cleveland as we were growing up.  

Taking Route 66 west

The park empties out directly onto I-40 East or West. We decided to take a quick side trip at this point and headed east to Santa Fe, New Mexico where I had been dying to see the Loretto Chapel with its miraculous staircase. (More about that in an upcoming article – stay tuned.)

The following day we headed back west on I-40, aiming for Homolovi State Park in Winslow. Taking Exit 257, we proceeded just a short drive north and into the park just as the office was closing. (Seems everyone’s office closes at 5:00 p.m.) in Arizona!

That evening the skies were almost completely cloudless and it seemed like a perfect night for some astrophotography, with the closest town almost five miles away. Turns out the Milky Way’s colorful galactic center was just below the horizon as nighttime fell, but there were zillions of stars nevertheless.

In the morning, we toured the larger of the two ancestral pueblo villages at the extreme northern end of the park. Some of the foundations and low walls are still in place from when the ancestors of the Hopi people resided there in the 14^th century. Some shards of their pottery are still scattered amongst the ruins.

From there we headed west to Exit 233 and proceeded south to the site of Meteor Crater. Here, tourists can walk to the edge of a 3/4-mile wide, 550-foot deep crater that was formed 50,000 years ago when a 150-foot wide iron-nickel meteorite crashed into earth. 

The meteor weighed 300,000 tons and traveled at speeds of 26,000 m.p.h. The earth displaced by the meteor spread for a mile in every direction.

Now, a full-blown viewing platform and visitor center, along with walkways around the rim are available for viewing.

Further west, we exited I-40 in Flagstaff, heading for the Village Baker, where they have the most unusual salads, substituting cranberry walnut bread soaked in raspberry vinegarette dressing in place of lettuce. Then it’s topped with onions, fresh strawberry slices and feta cheese.  Awesome!

Flagstaff is also the start of the San Francisco Peaks scenic byway  – 52 miles heading northwest through some lovely treelined roads with peek throughs here and there to Humphrey’s Peak (El: 12,621 ft).

Heading back to I-40, we went back south via Rt. 64 into Williams, which is the gateway to the Grand Canyon South Rim (about 56 miles north.)

11/17/24 update — a note of clarification. As mentioned earlier, I had already seen the Grand Canyon multiple times, so we opted for a day trip to New Mexico. But for those who haven’t been to Grand Canyon National Park, you really can’t say you saw all (most) of Arizona without a trip there. Williams is the place where you would want to add a day to your trip, and I’d suggest taking the train from Williams to the Grand Canyon and back again.

From there, we went about 20 miles further west on I-40, getting off Exit 146 as Ash Fork, where we spent the next night at Grand Canyon View RV Park. Don’t let the name fool you, you are nowhere near the Grand Canyon at this point, but if you get a good parking spot, like we did, there is a view of the Grand Canyon painted on the wall in front of you.

It was here that we picked up Historic Old Route 66 which would take us on the back roads, through Seligman, all the way to the end at Topock, AZ, some 158 miles later.

We traveled for hours on semi-rough pavement, passing through some very indistinct little towns, before finally arriving in Kingman. While we were determined to travel the entire length of the remaining 158 miles of “The Mother Road,” these 112 miles from Ash Fork to Kingman were some of the most boring we experienced on this trip. Suggestion: skip this section and stay on I-40 to save 30 minutes of your time.

Reaching Kingman, you’ve gotten yourself back in civilization. It’s also a big attraction to pull your car under the giant Route 66 sign at the Visitors Center and get a selfie taken to prove you were actually there.  Unfortunately, our RV was too tall to fit through the sign.

We spent the night at Blake Ranch RV Park & Horse Motel. Wished we had been trailing our horse, as they have a lot of space to exercise them, but then again, we’ve never had a horse. Oh well.

What’s over the hill

In the morning we were back on Historic Old Route 66 again following it to its Arizona terminus in Topock. About half way there, we entered an area known as  Mount Nutt Wilderness Area and it was amazing. After driving hundreds of miles through flat desert with nothing notable other that small shrub plants, here were mounds of earth cropping up in every direction, not quite as colorful as the Painted Desert, and not quite as high as Salt River Canyon, but every bit as challenging to drive, with sharp turns, narrow lanes and no guard rails.

My navigator was on the downhill side of the van, and was having spells of uncertainty as we negotiated the hairpin turns and crested hills where you could no longer see the road in front of you. I was enjoying the challenge, but she was not as thrilled as I was.

Shortly after passing through Sitgreaves Pass, the highest point in the this area, we came upon a turnout with a wild burro doing circles in the gravel. I had read about the wild, but very tame, burros of Oatman, AZ which was to be our next stop, but we were still miles away from there.

Pulling into the turnout and stopping, the burro immediately came over to our camper and stuck his head inside looking for something to eat. He was quite the photobug, posing for dozens of pictures as we pet him.

Leaving him behind, we drove into Oatman, a quaint Wild West looking town with wooden storefronts and raised wooden sidewalks throughout the town.  And everywhere you looked, wild burros were wandering the streets looking for treats and happy to pose for photos. Souvenir and clothing stores abounded, with a couple bars and ice cream shops as well. A number of burros were accompanied by their offspring and they were darn cute. We hated to leave, but we had to finish our circumnavigation of the state and we needed to return our camper the following day.

Route 66 terminates in western Arizona at Topock as it crosses I-40 on the Arizona/California line. Nothing to see here, but we continued on south in Arizona along Route 95 heading for Lake Havasu City. Actually, Old Route 66 continued on from here all the way to the coast of Santa Monica in California.

Entering Lake Havasu City, it was amazing to me how this place has grown.  The lake was formed with the construction of Parker Dam in 1938. But, it remained a deserted area for years.  

It wasn’t until 1964 that Robert P. McCulloch purchased 3,500 acres of land along the Arizona shoreline to create a retirement community.  I can still recall when he used to bring planeloads of people for free to come and see his development, hoping they would buy lots and build homes for retirement. Now, 52,000 people call this home.

As a major draw and to make this place a tourist attraction, he bought the old London Bridge, which was about to be replaced in London.  His $2.4-million bid won the bridge, along with its historic ornate light posts, melted down from Napolean’s cannons captured by the British after the Battle of Waterloo. As the bridge was dismantled, each stone block was numbered, cataloged, and reassembled, just as the original plan showed.

But now it was time to return the camper, so we let Google find the fastest way back to Phoenix and headed straight toward the Phoenix Metro RV Park to spend our last night. Turns out this is a small retirement community in itself, on the north side of Phoenix.  Beautiful double-wide spots let people leave their trailers, mobile homes, or camper permanently parked there and still have room for utility sheds and parking for their cars. With a six-page monthly newsletter, they keep all their guests informed about all the daily happenings in the community.

But what about the camper?

We can’t leave you without a description of the Thor Quantum LC28 that was home for a week. Despite being just two of us on the trip, we opted to upgrade and travel in a Class C motorhome. It provided a bigger kitchen, full dinette, and sleeping options for up to eight people. With the full kitchen and dinette popout on the driver’s side, opposite the sofa, this felt like traveling in a three-bedroom home.

I was able to spread out all my computer, photo and drone equipment for editing, recharging and writing, while my wife still had multiple comfortable places to be online and read. We never felt like we were stepping over each other like you might in a smaller RV.

The storage options on this camper were amazing, with drawers, cupboards, and a rear garage area that could have housed 20 more suitcases or storage bins.

Built on a heavy-duty van chassis, the driver’s compartment is identical to standard-size vans I’ve owned all my driving life. The one difference that you need to be aware of is the turning radius, which is much wider than a standard van. Be sure to practice a few minutes before driving in tight spaces. It takes more than three lanes to make a U-turn.

The bed was super comfortable, and the heater and air conditioner worked flawlessly from 40° thru 89° nights. Blacksford overloaded us with six pillows and all the linens we needed.  We also were provided with washcloths and towels sufficient for the whole trip. That’s just one of the amazing conveniences with a Blacksford rental, not having to bring any linens – just the clothes you want to wear.

We didn’t do a lot of cooking, but again, the camper was stocked with plates, bowls, sanitized silverware and cooking utensils, so we were all prepared for whatever we needed. The three-burner LP gas stove, microwave and large sink made it feel just like home. The refrigerator and freezer were pre-stocked for us with beverages and had tons of space to store leftovers as we traveled.

The bathroom was also as spacious as the rest of the vehicle, with normal height toilet, large shower and lots of medicine cabinet storage over the vanity. 

Outside, there’s a great big power awning — with lights, and they set us up with a bunch of folding chairs. 

The party had to end

Just like a good cup of coffee, sooner or later your trip has to finish.

We returned the camper to Blacksford RV the following morning, quite satisfied that we were able to stay wherever we wanted along our circuitous tour of Arizona. We couldn’t have been any more comfortable had we stayed in motels, and we didn’t have to schlep bags in and out each night and morning. That in itself was a dream come true. We unpacked our clothes once and repacked them once. Viola!

Arriving at their location near the airport, they helped us transfer our bags to their waiting SUV, and within minutes, they were taking us directly to our airline’s drop-off location to check our bags. The whole process was seamless and couldn’t have been any easier or carefree. Thanks, Blacksford RV, for another great experience. No compensation was involved, and opinions expressed are, and always will be, strictly our own.

Originally published on Medium.com 11-9-24.