Best things to do in Arizona in 2022: Camp under starry skies, dig into a fabulous meal
A new year means a fresh slate. All those things you hoped to do in 2021 but never quite got around to are back in play for 2022. Twelve months stretch before us, each ripe with the promise of adventure.
So what are you waiting for? Now is the time to start making plans.
This can be the year you get out and rediscover the wonders of Arizona, big and small. Visit some old favorite spots while exploring new places. You never know what surprises are waiting when you get out and wander around.
Here are suggestions for some of the best things to do in Arizona in 2022.
Camp at Alamo Lake
Alamo Lake is perhaps the most remote of Arizona State Parks. The lanky piece of water stretches along the base of desert mountains, down a dead-end road 37 miles north of Wenden.
A legendary bass fishing spot, the lake is often dotted with boats. This is where you come for cradling quiet far from civilization. Nearly 250 campsites ($15-$30 per night) and four cabins ($70 per night) overlook the water. Make reservations on the park website.
Even though there are no official hiking trails, the wild burros will lend you some of their routes. The sparse terrain makes cross-country travel fairly easy. And just about every hilltop affords a beautiful panorama of the lake.
Yet as impressive as the daytime vistas are, the ones at night are even more amazing. Alamo offers an incredible night sky with a canopy of glittering stars stretching from horizon to horizon and punctuated by the frosted river of the Milky Way.
Details: Park admission is $10 per vehicle. 928-669-2088, https://azstateparks.com/alamo-lake.
More: Best stargazing in Arizona: Where to see planets, the Milky Way and more
Crawl through Colossal Cave
Located 16 miles southeast of Tucson, Colossal Cave Mountain Park has a long and storied history. Hohokam people once used the caverns for food storage, and outlaws hid out here between train robberies in the 1880s.
Tours are given daily and it’s best to reserve a slot online. The Classic Tour is a half-mile-long guided walk descending almost six stories deep (363 stair steps) past exotic formations and costs $22 ($12 for ages 5-12).
For the more adventurous, the Ladder Tour ($50) explores rarely seen corners of the vast hollowed-out mountain and the Wild Cave Tour ($100) will have you slithering through narrow passageways and clambering over obstacles.
Details: 16721 E. Old Spanish Trail, Vail. 520-647-7275, www.colossalcave.com.
Dine at an iconic Bisbee restaurant
If ever a restaurant is worth a road trip, it’s Café Roka in Bisbee. Since 1992, chef Rod Kass has been producing beautifully balanced dinners from his tiny kitchen. Artfully plated dishes highlight colors, aromas, interwoven textures and clean flavors. Every meal arrives as a four-course feast of soup, salad, sorbet and entrée.
The menu changes with the seasons but features mainstays like the artichoke and portobello mushroom lasagna, packed with creamy ricotta and gooey mozzarella in a Roka Red wine sauce. Café Roka is an ardent supporter of Arizona wines, carrying nearly 30 labels produced from grapes grown in the southeastern corner of the state.
Details: 35 Main St., Bisbee. 520-432-5153, https://caferoka.com.
Take a rugged drive from the desert to tall pines
State Route 288 is designated the “Desert to Tall Pines Scenic Road” and that sums up a uniquely Arizona experience.
Launching from SR 188 northwest of Globe, the road crosses the Salt River and climbs into cactus-covered hills above Roosevelt Lake. The soaring cliffs of the Sierra Anchas rise to the east and the deep canyons of the Salome Wilderness fall away to the west, which gives a good indication of the breath-snatching desolation defining this journey.
The only hint of civilization comes when you finally reach the hamlet of Young, one of Arizona’s most isolated towns, nestled in lovely Pleasant Valley. If the name sounds familiar it’s because this was the site of the bloody Pleasant Valley War in the late 1800s. This deadly feud claimed the lives of dozens of men. Many are buried in the grassy basin.
The road ends after 76 miles amid towering ponderosa pines at SR 260 near Willow Springs Lake.
Don’t make this trip on a whim. SR 288 is steep, narrow and only partially paved. You'll be more comfortable in a high-clearance or 4WD vehicle. Have a full tank of gas and bring a map and water. The only services are in Young.
Step back in time at Pipe Spring
Sitting amid the vastness of the Arizona Strip, Pipe Spring National Monument commemorates the role Mormons played in opening up the West.
Water gushing from Pipe Spring sustained native people for 1,000 years. In 1870 Mormon settlers began construction on a fort built atop the spring. Plans called for two sandstone buildings facing a courtyard and enclosed by sturdy gates. It became known as Winsor Castle after Anson Winsor, ranch manager.
The ranch served as a beef and dairy operation and later became a refuge for wives hiding from federal marshals enforcing anti-polygamy laws.
Today, Pipe Spring National Monument offers a vivid look at American Indian and pioneer life in the Old West. Buildings have been restored and gardens have been replanted. And where else can you visit a castle in the middle of nowhere?
Details: $10 per person, free for age 15 and younger. 928-643-7105, https://www.nps.gov/pisp.
Fry an egg on the sidewalk
Lots of Arizona communities claim summer days are so scorching you can fry an egg on the sidewalk but Oatman backs it up. Since 1990, the town's Sidewalk Egg Fry has been drawing crowds to this sun-blasted corner of the state every July 4.
When the contest first started, participants plopped eggs directly on the sidewalk. That proved to be messy even for a town with mounds of burro poop adorning Main Street.
Now the roadside chefs use skillets, pans or aluminum foil. They’re also allowed to employ mirrors, magnifying glasses and anything else that might add a few extra degrees of heat, although no fire or electricity is permitted.
Costumes are not mandatory but neither are they uncommon. That’s just how Oatman rolls. Eggs drop at high noon July 4 and there’s a 15-minute time limit.
Details: 928-577-9139, https://www.oatmangoldroad.org.
Visit the Dwarf Car Museum
At the Dwarf Car Museum in Maricopa, Ernie Adams creates one-of-a-kind masterpieces, tiny duplicates of classic automobiles. They are built to 11/16th scale and except for the engine and transmission every part of the car is handcrafted including frame, body, suspension, bumpers, grille, instruments and trim.
The museum looks like a typical garage with tools scattered about, old signs on the wall and a vintage soda machine in the corner. The only difference is that the dozen or so classic cars are distinctly undersized, standing about 46 inches tall.
Despite their Baby Yoda adorableness, these are fully functioning street-legal automobiles. There’s a ’39 Chevy sedan, a ’42 Ford Deluxe convertible, ’49 Mercury and several others.
All the wee rides contain standard features like working wipers, radio, heater and defroster. Glove boxes open and wing windows swing out. Adams invests about 3,000 hours of labor in building each dwarf car.
Details: 52954 W. Halfmoon Road, Maricopa. https://www.dwarfcarmuseum.com.
Dwarf Car Museum: See street-legal replicas of classic rides that are made in AZ
Visit Ted DeGrazia's Gallery in the Sun
The legacy of Ettore “Ted” DeGrazia extends beyond his art. He also created a defining space to display his work across 10 acres of land in the foothills of Tucson.
Known as the Gallery in the Sun, the Spanish mission-style complex is full of textures and colors, blending the natural world with the artistic one. The site includes a chapel with interior murals, a gallery, gift shop, the artist’s home, a cactus-filled courtyard and DeGrazia’s grave. He passed away in 1982.
A prolific artist, DeGrazia won international acclaim for colorful paintings of Native cultures. There are six permanent collections of DeGrazia’s work and rotating exhibitions that feature oils, watercolors, sketches, sculptures, ceramics and jewelry. An additional gallery highlights the work of other artists. Spend a little time here and you’ll begin to truly understand Tucson.
Details: 6300 N. Swan Road, Tucson. 520-299-9191, https://degrazia.org.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Best Arizona things to do and road trips for 2022
