From Wikitravel

Flagstaff [1] is a city near the mountains of Arizona and the Grand Canyon, USA.

Contents 1 Get in 2 See 3 Do 4 Eat 5 Sleep 6 Get out

Get in

Flagstaff is at the intersection of the major Interstate highways 40 (following historic Route 66) and 17. The main Amtrak route across the Southwest parallels Interstate 40 and has a stop in Flagstaff. The nearest city with major commercial airline service is Phoenix. Driving time between Flagstaff and the Phoenix airport is greater than the 150-mile separation would suggest; the airport is on the opposite side of Phoenix from Flagstaff, and traffic jams in Phoenix are a problem. Allow two and a half hours to get from one to the other by car.

See

• Lava Flow
• Lowell Observatory, [2]. An astronomical research center at which the planet Pluto was discovered, is on the west side of town. The grounds offer a pleasant walking tour, and visitors can use some of the observatory's smaller telescopes at observing sessions several times a month (inquire).
• The Museum of Northern Arizona, [3]. On the north side of town, has displays on Native American life and the natural history of the region. A good selection of American Indian folk art, particularly Navajo rugs, is available at the gift shop. Open 9-5 daily except some holidays, fee.

Do

• Skiing. Arizona Snowbowl, [4] is one of only three ski resorts in the state of Arizona. Despite the surrounding desert, Flagstaff is a popular skiing destination for the Southwest. Interestingly, the Snowbowl is one of the first ten ski resorts established in the United States. A controversy is currently brewing. The San Francisco peaks are one set of four sacred mountains to the Navajo, Hopi, and various other Native American tribes. Issues of ski resort snowmaking and expansion are to be decided by Federal courts any day.

• Mountain biking. Now here is what Flagstaff is truly wonderful for. There are just tons and tons of mountain bike trails all over the place. Mt. Elden is a good starting point since it's close to town, has many options, and anyone can help you get there if you can't find it right away. Just be wary, many of the trails are very steep and rocky, and they just keep descending for miles (the mountain itself is 2800 feet high, roughly), so be careful.

• Take a trip to the Grand Canyon. Flagstaff is a portal city to the Grand Canyon. Many people stay in Flagstaff to avoid crowded and expensive hotels at the South Rim. There are many tour companies which can take you from your hotel, RV park or campground in Flagstaff and take you to the Grand Canyon. If you are going to be in Flagstaff, you might as well see one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
  • Angels Gate Tours, 112 Kletha Trail, Toll free: 1.800.957.4557, [5].
  • Arizona Canyon Tours, Toll free: 1-866-525-2675, [6].

Eat

• August Moon, Milton Road. No frills, but excellent Chinese food and friendly service. Delivery too.
• Dara Thai, Downtown. Centrally located decent Thai food.
• Fratelli Pizza, NE corner of Route 66 and San Francisco Street. A pizza place that is well-loved by the locals. They have cheese, pepporoni, and pesto slices, and many specialty pies. Their pizza is hand-tossed, thin crust, brick oven pizza, like what is found back east.
• Garcia's Mexican Restaurant, 1900 S. Milton Rd., +1 928 779-1960. Solid food with a "Southwestern" (rather than "Tex-Mex" or "Old Mexican") flavor and comfortable service.
• Little Thai Kitchen, Milton Road. Thai restaurant popular with locals.
• Macy's coffeeshop, located on the opposite sides of the tracks as the downtown area (if you are in Flagstaff, this is an obvious place), they roast their own coffee and have lots of vegan foodstuffs.

Sleep

• Best Western Kings House Motel, 1560 E Route 66, tel: +1 928 774-7186, Toll-free: +1 888 577-7186, Fax: +1 928 774-7188, [7].
• Best Western Pony Soldier Inn & Suites, 3030 E Route 66, tel: +1 928 526-2388, Toll-free: +1 800 356-4143, Fax: +1 928 527-8329, [8].
• Fairfield Inn Flagstaff, 2005 South Milton Road, tel: +1 928 773-1300, Toll-free: +1 800 574-6395, Fax: +1 928 773-1462, [9].
• Holiday Inn Express, 2320 E. Lucky Lane, tel: +1 928 714-1000, [10].
• Motel 6 Flagstaff - Butler Ave, 2010 E Butler Avenue, tel: +1 928 774-1801, Fax: +1 928 774-1987, [11].
• Motel 6 Flagstaff East - Lucky lane, 2440 E Lucky Lane, tel: +1 928 774-8756, Fax: +1 928 774-2067, [12].
• Motel 6 Flagstaff West-Woodlands Village, 2745 S Woodlands Village, tel: +1 928 779-3757, Fax: +1 928 774-2137, [13].
• Residence Inn Flagstaff, 3440 N Country Club Drive, tel: +1 928 526-5555, Fax: +1 928 527-0328, [14].

Get out

• An unusual number of United States National Parks are near Flagstaff, the largest and most famous of which is the Grand Canyon. Some others nearby:
  • Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument [15]
  • Walnut Canyon National Monument [16]
  • Wupatki National Monument [17] contains a collection of Native American ruins scattered along a circular drive that also passes by Sunset Crater (an extinct volcano). Probably some of the finest outside of Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Plan on spending most of the day on this loop drive. Fee $5, also entitling the visitor to entry to Sunset Crater; Park Pass applies.
• A different kind of attraction is Barringer Meteor Crater [18] off Route 66 east of Flagstaff. This is an exceptionally well preserved meteor (impact) crater, although not the largest in the world as sometimes claimed. It is on private land, but the owners have done a good job of developing a visitor center that is informative, conservation-oriented and generally well done, in contrast to the many "tourist traps" along 66. See Winslow (Arizona) for details.
• The detour through Sedona on the way South to Phoenix offers a scenic route west of the freeway.

This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!