Try a road trip through the heart of Arizona

By ROGER PETTERSON, Associated Press Writer Mon Apr 28, 2:02 PM ET

Itching for a road trip but worried about the price of gas? Then choose a relatively short route that packs a lot of sightseeing into your enjoyment of the open road.

One possibility is hitting a few highlights of the Southwest in just a few days.

Start from Phoenix — http://www.visitphoenix.com/ — where you should click on "Arts & Performances" and look for "Museums." Honest, before hitting the road, you should visit the Heard Museum — http://www.heard.org/ — an outstanding place for getting acquainted with the native cultures and arts of the Southwest.

Then find Interstate 17 and head north, but be prepared for heavy traffic. About 50 miles north of Phoenix, with the Bradshaw Mountains swelling on your left, take the turnoff on Arizona 69 to Prescott — http://www.prescott.com/ — Arizona's territorial capital. Click on "What to Do" for local attractions, including Whiskey Row along the west side of the courthouse square. The "Shopping" section of Visit Prescott — http://www.visit-prescott.com/ — is a guide to the numerous local galleries and antique shops, and the Sharlot Hall Museum — http://sharlot.org/ — preserves the log wall Territorial Governor's Mansion.

Now you have two choices, depending on what sort of driving you like. If you dig curvy mountain roads, find Arizona 89A and head east over Mingus Mountain (keep your eyes on the narrow road, let your passengers admire the view) to Jerome — http://www.azjerome.com/ — a one-time copper mining town pasted onto the side of Mingus. It nearly became a ghost town, but now bustles with galleries and shops in dozens of rescued old buildings.

From Jerome, elevation 5,200 feet, you can look east across the Verde River valley to an area of rugged red cliffs about 20 miles away as the crow flies. Drive in that general direction on 89A and that's where you'll find Sedona — http://www.visitsedona.com/ — a community of shops and galleries surrounded by the scenic Red Rock country. Look for "Videos & Life Views" to see what attracted the makers of Western movies and today's visitors from around the world. And under "What to Do," find Red Rock State Park with its outstanding view, and "scenic drives" at the bottom of the page.

If that mountain drive to Jerome didn't sound like your thing, head back east from Prescott to I-17 — look for a shortcut labeled Arizona 169 — and resume your drive north. You can reach Sedona by taking the Cottonwood exit, and then catching up with 89A, or by continuing to the Sedona exit (narrower road, possible construction).

Follow 89A through downtown Sedona and it becomes a scenic drive through Oak Creek Canyon, then climbs into pine forest on the way to Flagstaff — http://www.flagstaffarizona.org/ — a university city with clean air, a picturesque downtown and mountains (12,000 feet) in the background. Check out the video, and the places to stay while you rest up for the next day.

On your way northwest out of Flagstaff on U.S. 180, stop at the Museum of Northern Arizona — http://www.musnaz.org/ — a complement to the Heard Museum in Phoenix, and a few miles farther look for the turnoff to the Arizona Snowbowl — http://www.arizonasnowbowl.com/ — the ski resort with a long-distance view on the San Francisco Peaks.

Don't stay too long because the road continues to Grand Canyon National Park — http://www.nps.gov/grca/ — always worth a visit.

Back in Flagstaff, find U.S. 89 again and head northeast to Sunset Crater National Monument — http://www.nps.gov/sucr — where a volcano last erupted around the time of the Norman Conquest, and its neighbor, Wupatki National Monument — http://www.nps.gov/wupa/ — a well-preserved pueblo whose inhabitants took advantage of soil enriched by the volcano.

Before you drive back to Phoenix, less than four hours on I-17, consider a side trip about 35 miles east on Interstate 40 to Meteor Crater — http://www.meteorcrater.com/ — and about 20 miles farther to Winslow — http://winslowarizona.org/ — home of the historic La Posada Hotel — http://www.laposada.org/. You know, Winslow, immortalized in the Eagles' "Take It Easy" where you can get someone to take your picture in Standin' On The Corner Park — http://www.standinonthecorner.com/.