Incredibly Stunning Arizona Hidden Gems
Set one of your travel goals for 2019 as visiting at least one unique Arizona attraction every month - be it long-distance or short! Don't pass up this opportunity!
Redwall Cavern remains relatively unknown to most visitors, which makes exploring it during a September rafting trip all the more likely.
1. Redwall Cavern
Redwall Cavern lies along the Colorado River in Arizona and is one of its best-kept secrets. A popular resting spot for river rafters, Redwall Cave is also used by Native American tribes as evidenced by its spectacular walls and stunning sand floor; plus unique rock formations including stalactites and stalagmites can still be seen today!
The cavern is also an ideal spot for picnics, providing relief from Arizona's summer heat in its cool interior. Not only is the cavern an ecological marvel; its history dates back to being used as a burial chamber by Native Americans for ceremonies and protection.
Redwall Cavern can best be experienced via river rafting trip. At Advantage Grand Canyon, we partner with top outfitters to give our visitors an authentic Grand Canyon experience and can arrange trips that include a stop at mile 33.
2. Grand Falls
Arizona offers unique experiences from waterfall roars to spiritual awakening at Sedona's mysterious vortexes - something visitors to Arizona won't find elsewhere. On the Navajo Nation near Winona is Grand Falls - known by some as Chocolate Falls due to the dark brown watercolor when full flow occurs - often known as Chocolate Falls due to the fact that most years it lies dormant but springs back to life during seasonal snowmelt from White Mountains snowdrifts or after an occasional summer monsoon storm.
Northern Arizona University students can experience this hidden treasure by traveling from Flagstaff through an intuitive dirt road that leads to its edge, where water cascades over 180 ft down the canyon! Although its chocolate hue only flows for several months each spring, visitation is important - make sure to stop at Leupp Chapter House first in order to secure a Navajo Nation permit before setting off!
3. Tumacacori National Park
White Pocket in Arizona may be best known for its majestic Grand Canyon where you would expect to see dinosaurs like the dinosaur fossil replicas, but that doesn't have to be its only natural wonder. Boasting stunning rock formations covered in swirls of color and otherworldly-looking hoodoos, White Pocket is a sight worth discovering without being overwhelmed by crowds of tourists.
Tumacacori National Park is one of the state's least-appreciated attractions. Home to an assortment of relics from Spanish Colonial Jesuit mission communities - such as Mission San Cayetano de Tumacacori church and Los Santos Angeles de Guevavi missions - it has long been considered underrated and remains undervalued today.
The park's remote setting also helps it preserve an exceptionally dark night sky, creating an authentic experience reminiscent of what existed when missions were established in the Southwest. This makes it the ideal place to gaze upon the stars from afar or witness meteor showers!
4. Mystery Valley
Arizona visitors won't want to miss this off-the-beaten-path treasure in Northern Arizona! This museum houses an eclectic selection of preserved animals, from frozen toads and octopi to bison testicles; with educational displays that include insects, sea stars and anatomical art as well.
The museum features a store offering various gifts including anatomical art and specimens such as preserved ducklings. There is also a floor-to-ceiling cabinet filled with animal skulls arranged by size and even a pumpkin-shaped pool of poisonous water that are available.
After experiencing Monument Valley's cinematic rock formations, visitors should explore Mystery Valley to experience its lunar-esque landscape complete with ancient indigenous ruins and petroglyphs reminiscent of Mars. Considered sacred land by its indigenous Dine (Navajo) inhabitants who protect it with care allowing only guided tours into this remote desert region.
More Arizona Travel Articles
