EDITOR'S PAGE

BECAUSE ARIZONA HIGHWAYS is primarily a magazine of popular geography, history, and natural history, many of the articles we publish turn out to be travel stories that is, they are intended to stimulate the interest of our readers in experiencing first-hand a particular place or activity. Such an effort is consistent with our mandate from the Arizona Legislature: to encourage tourist travel to and within the state. For such potential travelers we often provide specific “when you go” guidance, starting with explicit how-to-get-there information. But now and then a special case arises in which we want readers merely to be armchair observers. An example occurs in this issue of the magazine. On page 4, you'll find an article about some of the most remarkable prehistoric rock art on this continent. It is a fascinating story, and one we are pleased to present. But we intentionally refrain from identifying the location of the art any more specifically than somewhere within the 90,000 square miles of the Arizona Strip; moreover, we have given fictitious names to the sites, so that our article does not become a passport to seek out these fragile treasures. We have taken these precautions because of our own concern and in cooperation with officials of Kaibab National Forest, whose policy it is to restrict information in the interest of protecting these rare images.

That circumstances and policies differ, however, is demonstrated by a second article, beginning on page 12. Authorities of Coconino National Forest, whose rock art specimens tend to be more accessible to casual visitors than those in the Kaibab, have adopted a quite different approach to preserving their pictographs and petroglyphs, as you will see.

Regular readers may recall an earlier example of our purposely obscuring the location of a subject. In the June 1987 Highways, we reported on the phenomena called “slot canyons” and published a selection of exquisite photographs. Except for the generalization “Colorado Plateau,” we did not tell where these remarkable formations exist. In this case it was for two reasons: exploring slot canyons is extremely hazardous for the inexperienced or inadequately prepared; and the formations and their delicate coloration are too fragile to withstand the wear and tear of large numbers of people.

So: please think of Arizona Highways as a travel magazine, but be prepared for some exceptions. Most of the time we encourage you to go, see, and do; but sometimes we prefer that you stay comfortably seated in your armchair.