Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Prescott, Arizona - Sightseeing and Hiking

Roger and I decided to explore some new territory in Arizona for Labor Day weekend.  We headed up to Prescott, AZ on Monday morning and spent the early afternoon enjoying Prescott's Faire On The Square Arts and Crafts Show.  The tree filled Courthouse Square at the center of town was a great place to relax in the shade, and the surrounding stores, bars, and restaurants made for a lively downtown scene.  After lunch at Prescott Brewing Company, we drove to scenic Watson Lake to hike several of the shoreline trails.  Monsoon thunderstorms surrounded us, but we enjoyed sunshine at the lake for most of the afternoon.

Watson Lake
Watson Lake

After a great breakfast at Raven Cafe, we made the quick drive over to Prescott National Forest to hike Thumb Butte, a distinctive rock formation visible from downtown Prescott.  The short loop trail passed  through a Ponderosa pine forest, then ascended up and around a ridge which overlooked the entire Prescott Valley.

Ponderosa pine at Thumb Butte
Roger hiking at Thumb Butte
Alligator juniper

Prickly pear cactus fruit

After our hike, we took a scenic drive to historic Jerome, an old mining town that is now an artist community and tourist destination.  We visited a few of the art galleries and enjoyed lunch before heading down the mountain to our final stop of the day, Tuzigoot National Monument.  Tuzigoot is a reconstruction of a 110 room community, built by the Sinagua people between 1100 and 1400 AD.  The ruin sits on a hill overlooking the Verde River, and the visitor center features numerous artifacts from the excavation of the area.  Standing above the ruin, with the quiet stillness of the valley broken by distant thunder, was a memorable experience for me.

Tuzigoot National Monument
Tuzigoot National Monument