The Grand Canyon pit stop is now a real hot spot

(CNN) — For years, Flagstaff was a place you passed through on your way to the Grand Canyon or along Route 66 to the California coast. Unless you needed gas or a quick meal, there was no reason to stop.

Yet, slowly but surely, the northern Arizona city has transformed into a vacation destination in its own right. Flagstaff remains a gateway to the Grand Canyon and other natural wonders. But since the turn of the century, it’s become more than just a pit stop.

These days, there are plenty of reasons to linger in a city surrounded by the world’s largest ponderosa pine forest, at the foot of San Francisco’s snow-capped peaks.

In stark contrast to the desert towns of southern Arizona, Flagstaff offers cooler temperatures, clean mountain air and a growing reputation for outdoor recreation ranging from winter skiing to hiking, biking and on the trail in summer.

Downtown Flagstaff’s renaissance has given new life to its old brick buildings in the form of trendy new places to eat, drink and sleep.

With the Lowell Observatory at its forefront, the city became a center for scientific research and was named the world’s first official “International Dark Sky City” in 2001.

Meanwhile, Northern Arizona University has improved its athletics and academic performance, bringing even more attention and visitors to a place considered a backwater for many decades .

With approximately 76,000 residents, Flagstaff is no longer a small city. However, the atmosphere is anything but that of a big city. Some of the first things you notice – a slower pace, woodsy air and a night sky filled with stars – are more or less absent from large urban areas.

Spectacular skies

It was college that brought local ceramic artist Robin Cadigan to town, but she quickly fell in love with Flagstaff’s wide-open spaces, active lifestyle and thriving creative community.

“A lot of people move here because of the scenery and natural beauty, access to trails, mountains and the Grand Canyon,” says Cadigan, who grew up in Maine.

“There are about 300 days of sunshine here per year. And it’s a wonderful place to raise a family, especially if you enjoy doing outdoor activities with your children. I love my time in the trees! » she beams. (Sunny days can accumulate to just under 300, but not by much).

Cadigan mentions the Lowell Observatory as a place she often visits with her two children for science summer camps or one-off astronomy programs for locals and out-of-town visitors.

In addition to tours, exhibits, stargazing and the ability to look through historic telescopes, the observatory that discovered Pluto in 1930 is opening the new Astronomy Discovery Center (ADC) this fall. the Marley Foundation.

One of the most advanced astronomy centers on the planet, the ADC will feature a state-of-the-art theater with a wraparound screen and a children’s curiosity zone. On the top floor, there will also be the world’s first dark-sky planetarium – a roofless viewing area with theater-like seating where visitors can stare straight into the sky while an astronomer explains what that they see.

That’s not Flagstaff’s only connection to space. Meteor Crater shows the impact of a meteorite crashing into the Earth’s surface about 50,000 years ago, just east of the city.

The 10-day Flagstaff Science Festival in September often hosts speakers from the city’s lunar heritage, including scientists from the USGS Astrogeology Science Center, who helped design the Lunar Rover and map the surface of the Moon and the planets of our solar system.

Buffalo Park, on the mesa behind the Astrogeology Science Center, is one of the city’s best places for stargazing and a venue for star parties hosted by the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition.

Despite its heavenly reputation, it was the events on the field that truly sparked Flagstaff’s enthusiasm. emergence as a true travel destination.

The Renaissance of Downtown Flagstaff

Once upon a time, downtown Flagstaff was home to restaurants and bars that catered largely to locals working in the lumber and ranching industries, but not to students or tourists. In the 1990s, even the cowboys and loggers stopped coming.

Fortunately, many ancient red brick structures were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. So they couldn’t be knocked down, leaving them ready to transform into today’s stores, restaurants and entertainment venues.

Taking inspiration from the historic buildings, new red brick sidewalks and period street signs and lampposts were installed.

In the middle of downtown, a formerly vacant lot has been transformed into Heritage Square, a “community living room” that hosts events in a 1,200-person capacity amphitheater and features exhibits on history, biology, the geology and anthropology of the city. From outdoor films and concerts in the summer to the Northern Arizona Book Festival in the spring and the Flagstaff Music Festival in the fall, the square hosts numerous events throughout the year.

The Orpheum Theater is another must-see feature of Flagstaff’s revitalized downtown. Opened in 1916, the theater and cinema fell into the same state of disrepair as the rest of the area, but were saved from demolition and restored in the early 21st century to host a wide range of films and shows.

Another heritage building, with an original 1888 pressed tin ceiling and sandstone facade, is home to Babbitts Backcountry Outfitters, where anyone heading to the great outdoors around Flagstaff can buy or rent gear.

New to the downtown scene, Planet Science taps into the city’s astrotourism scene with merchandise such as meteorite fragments, NASA gifts and spaceship models. Vintage clothing stores, fashion boutiques, and Western art galleries also populate the revitalized downtown.

A culinary shift

The local culinary scene has also turned the tables.

Dara Wong, chef-owner of Shift Kitchen & Bar and Oeno Wine Lounge (and another NAU grad), says dining in downtown Flagstaff was “very steak and potatoes about 10 years ago” when Shift debuted. “I thought it was time to move to a little more refined cuisine: small plates and unique flavor combinations using local produce.”

Were local diners ready for such a radical change? “Like any new business,” says Wong, “it took a little time. But we definitely had some wonderful regulars from the start, and I would say it was right on trend.

This trend has brought a diverse range of restaurants to downtown and to the Southside neighborhood across the railroad tracks. Among the most talked about are modern American restaurant Atria, FLG Terroir: Wine Bar & Bistro and Beaver Street Brewery & Whistle Stop Café. The latter is one of eight stops on the Flagstaff Brewery Trail that highlights the city’s best craft brewers.

The exterior scene

The city’s location in the middle of the Coconino National Forest and near the base of the San Francisco Peaks means it offers outdoor adventure opportunities for all seasons and just about every fitness level physical.

“It’s not uncommon to see professional runners come here to train because of the altitude and access to different types of terrain,” says local photographer and trail runner Austin Corbett.

But you don’t have to be a professional or competitive athlete to hit the many trails that start in Flagstaff.

The ever-expanding Flagstaff Urban Trail System (FUTS) stretches 90 miles through forests, fields and canyons. Hiking many sections of the Flagstaff Loop Trail surrounding the city only takes one to two hours.

Part of the Arizona Long Distance Trail winds through the middle of town, from the Mexican border to the Grand Canyon and beyond. The three sections around Flagstaff are long (about five hours of hiking on average) but are not particularly difficult.

Humphreys Peak is ground zero for Flagstaff’s winter sports scene. Or more specifically the Arizona Snowbowl in the Coconino National Forest on the west side of the mountain.

The ski area has 55 slopes, three terrain parks and eight lifts, including an enclosed gondola. Peaking at 11,500 feet (3,500 meters), the resort recorded 23 feet (7 meters) of snow for the 2023-24 season.

“Living in paradise”

Overlooking just north of Flagstaff, Humphreys is the highest of a handful of peaks that make up San Francisco Mountain, more commonly known as the San Francisco Peaks. In addition to its scenic and recreational roles, the mountain is revered by Native American groups, including the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, and Apache peoples of northern Arizona.

“Growing up in this area, the San Francisco Peaks — Dookʼoʼoosłíd as we call it in Navajo, is one of the four sacred mountains of the Navajo people. And to be here, in this area, at the base of this mountain, is literally living in paradise,” says Darrell R. Marks, a Native American community activist, educator and mentor at two Flagstaff high schools.

Marks, winner of a 2021 JFK Profile in Courage Award, worked with his teenage sons to petition the state government to change the name of Agassiz Peak to Öo’mawki, its Hopi name — a change that was approved by Arizona officials last year. As a member of the city’s Indigenous Commission, Marks advocates for the development of cultural centers to host “public events that celebrate Indigenous culture, identity, voice and presence and share stories about the importance of this domain for us.”

For now, he says the best way for visitors to experience local Native American culture is to attend the Flagstaff High School powwow in May, which features more than 250 dancers and drummers, or to browse the many Native American exhibits at the city’s Northern History Museum. Arizona.

“Before organizing and putting together exhibits,” Marks says, the museum “consults with the tribes, brings them into the space, and asks them to help organize what needs to be there. They did a very good job.

Just outside Flagstaff are two important Puebloan ancestral sites: the 12^th-13^th cliff dwellings at Walnut Canyon National Monument and 12^thWupatki National Monument pueblos of the century.

“There’s so much to celebrate in this space,” Marks says of his hometown.

“The variation is one of the things that blows my mind. One side of the city could be snowy and the other side sunny. And you have to travel a short distance from the forests to the Painted Desert, passing through the grasslands with pronghorn antelope and Oak Creek Canyon. It’s amazing how the landscape changes in just a few kilometers.