Mileposts/Calendar

CITY VIEWS

Phoenix's 16,500-acre South Mountain Park (10019 S. Central Ave.) offers spectacular day and nighttime views from Dobbins Lookout, which at more than 2,300 feet above sea level is 1,210 feet higher than the city. A directional marker helps newcomers spot Valley landmarks. But be sure to allow enough time for a visit because “the world's largest municipal park” has other attractions, including a natural-rock formation that resembles the Great Wall of China; ancient petroglyphs; and 58 miles of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.

than 2,300 feet above sea level is 1,210 feet higher than the city. A directional marker helps newcomers spot Valley landmarks. But be sure to allow enough time for a visit because “the world's largest municipal park” has other attractions, including a natural-rock formation that resembles the Great Wall of China; ancient petroglyphs; and 58 miles of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.

The park is open daily 6:00 A.M. to midnight; admission is free. For further information, call (602) 495-0222.

MUSEUM ON THE RANGE

Fifty-year-old Winkie Crigler, who operates a showplace ranch seven miles west of Eagar in the White Mountains, thinks the Old West with all its wildness, woolliness, and tall tales is worth preserving. That's why she built her own museum right on her ranch.

The museum, which focuses on the history of the Springerville-Eagar-Greer area, comprises three buildings, two of them genuine log cabins, full of antiques, photos, music boxes, and even a couple of frontier Winchesters. The tall tales? Well, Winkie regales visitors with a passel of 'em on her guided tours.

The museum is open daily through the summer, with tours at 11:00 A.M., 1:00 Р.М., and 2:30 P.M.; by appointment after September. A $2.50 donation is requested. Information: telephone (602) 333-2286. -Joseph Stocker

PHOENIX'S FREE BUSES

The free shuttle-bus service through downtown Phoenix and around the state Capitol complex is a hit with visitors as well as residents. DASH buses make more than two-dozen stops, including Wesley Bolin Plaza, the Arizona Office of Tourism, Patriots Square Park, Herberger Theater, Symphony Hall, Arizona Center, and the Mercado; plus stops convenient to the Hall of Fame Museum and Heritage Square.

The purple buses with the orange racing stripes and the image of a dashing rabbit operate weekdays from 6:30 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., with service every five to 10 minutes. For information, telephone (602) 253-5000.

HIGH-COUNTRY HIKING

Miles of trails attract experienced and casual hikers to the White Mountains of east-central Arizona.

Around Pinetop-Lakeside, for example, the easy-to-moderate Blue Ridge Trail wends through skyscraping pines to an eagle's view of Mount Baldy. And then there's the Mogollon Rim Nature Trail, a fairly easy one-mile loop that rewards hikers with a breathtaking look at the Rim descending into the colorful canyons and emerald valley below. And, without even leaving town, families can enjoy beautiful lake views along seven miles of trails through the towering oaks and pines of Woodland Lake Park.

For more information, call the Pinetop-Lakeside Parks & Recreation Department, (602) 368-6700.

TOMBSTONE TOUCH-UP

The giant spider web of electric and other wires that hung over the most famous street in Tombstone has been run out of town or at least out of sight by the “Town Too Tough to Die,” its business leaders, and the utilities, including Arizona Public Service Company. Nowadays visitors (300,000 a year) to the West's most famous shoot'em-up town can stroll along the wood-planked sidewalks of historic Allen Street unperturbed by that overhead modern-day distraction as they mosey down to the OK Corral, near where the Earps and Clantons shot it out, or to the notorious Bird Cage Theatre, where Doc Holliday and his cronies hung out.

CALENDAR Old West Days; June 6; Holbrook

Holbrook, where a century ago Sheriff Commodore Perry Owens plugged four men in a shoot-out during the Pleasant Valley War between cattlemen and sheep men, celebrates its storied past with a fair on the old courthouse lawn. Activities include the “Bucket of Blood Races” a 10K, a 2-mile fun run, and a 21-mile bike ride a junior rodeo, arts and crafts, an art show, a pancake breakfast, and Native American dancing. Admission is free. While you're in the area, you might want to visit the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest National Park, 26 miles east of town. Information: 524-6558.

Territorial Days; June 13-14; Prescott

An arts-and-crafts show, a historic home tour, ongoing entertainment, food booths, and tennis, golf, and softball tourneys are highlights of Prescott's annual fair held at downtown's picture-postcard courthouse plaza. Admission is free. Twice the capital of Arizona Territory, Prescott and the surrounding area abound with history and sights-to-see, such as Whiskey Row, the Sharlot Hall Museum, Granite Dells, and scenic Lynx Lake. Information: 445-2000.

Country Music Festival; June 26-27; Payson

Staged in the “capital” of Zane Grey country, this annual music fest headlines the Bellamy Brothers (Saturday night), well-known to countrywestern fans around the U.S.A. Some of the best bands in Arizona will round out the program at the Payson Rodeo Grounds. Be sure to take advantage of the setting of the music fest, the scenic Tonto Rim country, immortalized in Grey's novels: Under the Tonto Rim and To the Last Man. Admission and other information: 474-4635.

Frontier Days; June 27-28; Pinetop-Lakeside

A fair that's “as-Americanas-apple-pie” awaits visitors to this annual event in PinetopLakeside, a high-country getaway that's a scenic 3 1/2hour drive from Phoenix or Tucson. The weekend's fun includes a fiddling contest, a chili cook-off, frontier-crafts demonstrations, shoot-outs, and food booths. Information: 367-4290.