Archive All Issues August 2015

THE BEST OF ARIZONA

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If we were Texas Highways, we couldn't do this portfolio - there are too many counties (254) in Texas. In Arizona, however, where there are only 15, it's a little easier to feature one of the scenic wonders of every county in the state. As you'll see, there are beautiful landscapes all across Arizona. A PORTFOLIO EDITED BY JEFF KIDA

Featured in the August 2015 Issue of Arizona Highways

First light colors the ponderosa pines and tall grass surrounding Big Lake, a popular recreation spot in the White Mountains south of Springerville.
First light colors the ponderosa pines and tall grass surrounding Big Lake, a popular recreation spot in the White Mountains south of Springerville.
BY: Jeff Kida

If we were Texas Highways, we couldn't do this portfolio - there are too many counties (254) in Texas. In Arizona, however, where there are only 15, it's a little easier to feature one of the scenic wonders of every county in the state. As you'll see, there are beautiful landscapes all across Arizona.

A PORTFOLIO EDITED BY JEFF KIDA

APACHE

COUNTY SEAT: St. Johns

FOUNDED: 1879

AREA: 11,198 square miles

POPULATION: 71,518 (2010)

OTHER MAJOR CITIES: Alpine, Chinle, Ganado, Springerville, Tsaile, Window Rock GEOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS: Apache County is home to the headwaters of the two forks of the Little Colorado River. It also includes White Mountains destinations such as Big Lake, Hawley Lake and Baldy Peak, along with the Navajo Nation's Canyon de Chelly National Monument and most of Petrified Forest National Park.

COCHISE

COUNTY SEAT: Bisbee

FOUNDED: 1881

AREA: 6,166 square miles

POPULATION: 131,346 (2010)

OTHER MAJOR CITIES: Benson, Douglas, Sierra Vista, Willcox GEOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS: The Chiricahua Mountains are Cochise County's bestknown range, but others include the Dragoons and the Whetstones. Between Sierra Vista and Bisbee, the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area protects part of the San Pedro River, the last major undammed, free-flowing river in the American Southwest.

COCONINO

COUNTY SEAT: Flagstaff FOUNDED: 1891 AREA: 18,619 square miles POPULATION: 134,421 (2010) OTHER MAJOR CITIES: Page, Sedona (partial), Tusayan, Williams GEOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS: The Grand Canyon is a pretty big one, we suppose. But Coconino County also includes wonders such as Lake Powell, Marble Canyon, Sunset Crater, the Vermilion Cliffs and the San Francisco Peaks. The latter feature 12,633-foot Humphreys Peak, Arizona's highest point.

GILA

COUNTY SEAT: Globe FOUNDED: 1881 AREA: 4,758 square miles POPULATION: 53,597 (2010) OTHER MAJOR CITIES: Miami, Payson, Pine GEOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS: Gila County's terrain ranges from the cool pines of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests to the saguaros of the Sonoran Desert. Attractions include Tonto National Monument, Fossil Creek, Salt River Canyon and Theodore Roosevelt Lake, the largest reservoir located entirely in Arizona.

GRAHAM

COUNTY SEAT: Safford FOUNDED: 1881 AREA: 4,623 square miles POPULATION: 37,220 (2010) OTHER MAJOR CITIES: Pima, Thatcher GEOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS: Graham County's Pinaleño and Galiuro mountain ranges offer myriad recreation opportunities. The county also contains most of the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area, which protects portions of the Gila River and Bonita Creek.

GREENLEE

COUNTY SEAT: Clifton

FOUNDED: 1909

AREA: 1,843 square miles

POPULATION: 8,437 (2010)

OTHER MAJOR CITIES: Duncan, Morenci GEOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS: Arizona's second-smallest and least-populated county is known for Hannagan Meadow and the Blue Range Primitive Area, the last such area in the U.S. The Coronado Trail (U.S. Route 191) traverses most of the county from north to south.

BELOW: Wildflowers and other plants bloom in Hannagan Meadow. Legend has it that the meadow was named for a rancher who was chained to a tree there after refusing to pay a debt. | PAUL GILL

COUNTY SEAT: Parker

FOUNDED: 1983

AREA: 4,500 square miles

POPULATION: 20,489 (2010)

OTHER MAJOR CITY: Quartzsite

GEOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS: La Paz is Arizona's youngest county and the only one formed since Arizona gained statehood in 1912. The Parker Strip section of the Colorado River is a major tourist attraction, while Quartzsite is a popular destination for winter visitors to the state.

MARICOPA

COUNTY SEAT: Phoenix FOUNDED: 1871 AREA: 9,200 square miles POPULATION: 3,817,117 (2010) OTHER MAJOR CITIES: Gila Bend, Mesa, Scottsdale, Wickenburg GEOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS: Nearly 60 percent of Arizona's population calls Maricopa County home. In Phoenix, 2,680-foot Camelback Mountain is a popular and strenuous hike. Other attractions include the Four Peaks Wilderness, Bartlett Lake and South Mountain Park.

MOHAVE

COUNTY SEAT: Kingman FOUNDED: 1864 AREA: 13,311 square miles POPULATION: 200,186 (2010) OTHER MAJOR CITIES: Bullhead City, Lake Havasu City GEOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS: Much of the longest remaining unbroken stretch of Historic Route 66 runs through Mohave County. There's also a section of Grand Canyon National Park, the striking landscape of Lake Mead and part of the Arizona Strip, the remote northwest corner of the state.

NAVAJO

COUNTY SEAT: Holbrook FOUNDED: 1895 AREA: 9,950 square miles POPULATION: 107,449 (2010) OTHER MAJOR CITIES: Heber, Kayenta, Pinetop-Lakeside, Show Low, Winslow GEOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS: About two-thirds of Navajo County is Navajo, Hopi and White Mountain Apache tribal land. Attractions include Monument Valley, the Painted Desert and a section of the Mogollon Rim, which cuts across much of Arizona from east to west.

PIMA

COUNTY SEAT: Tucson FOUNDED: 1864 AREA: 9,187 square miles POPULATION: 980,263 (2010) OTHER MAJOR CITIES: Ajo, Green Valley, Marana, Oro Valley, Sahuarita GEOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS: Pima County's Santa Catalina Mountains, topped by 9,130-foot Mount Lemmon, overlook Tucson, and the two sections of Saguaro National Park bracket the city on the east and west. There's also the Tohono O'odham Nation, Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

PINAL

COUNTY SEAT: Florence FOUNDED: 1875 AREA: 5,366 square miles POPULATION: 375,770 (2010) OTHER MAJOR CITIES: Apache Junction, Casa Grande, Coolidge, Maricopa, Oracle, Superior GEOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS: The Superstition Mountains rise in northern Pinal County east of Phoenix, and the county is also home to Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument and Picacho Peak State Park. You can explore much of the county on the Pinal Pioneer Parkway (State Route 79).

SANTA CRUZ

COUNTY SEAT: Nogales FOUNDED: 1899 AREA: 1,237 square miles POPULATION: 47,420 (2010) OTHER MAJOR CITIES: Patagonia, Sonoita, Tubac, Tumacacori GEOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS: The Nogales area including the sister city of Nogales, Sonora, across the border is the hub of Santa Cruz County, but other attractions include the Pajarita and Mount Wrightson wilderness areas, Tumacácori National Historical Park, the Patagonia Mountains and the ghost town of Ruby.

YAVAPAI

COUNTY SEAT: Prescott FOUNDED: 1864

AREA: 8,124 square miles

POPULATION: 211,033 (2010) OTHER MAJOR CITIES: Camp Verde, Chino Valley, Cottonwood, Jerome, Sedona (partial) GEOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS: Throw a rock in Yavapai County and you're bound to hit something spectacular: the red rocks of Sedona, the lakes of the Prescott area, Montezuma Castle National Monument and Castle Hot Springs, to name a few. Of course, we don't endorse rock-throwing as a general practice.

Wildlife Refuge. The city of Yuma rose to prominence as an early Colorado River crossing, and the Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge, the first vehicle bridge across the river, is located there. AH