Arizona's Fabulous Flora
OLD WEST
Arizona may be best known for the gaping magnificence of the Grand
Canyon and for Monument Valley's stately pillars, but its most
unexpected pleasures may well be the lovely flowers and plants
dotting the desert state. The Boyce Thompson Arboretum, about an
hour east of Phoenix, regularly tops locals' lists for best day
trip. Paul Wolterbeek, volunteer program coordinator at the
arboretum, says the best time to catch the blooming desert
wildflowers is from early March through mid-April. "After that,
ephemeral wildflowers give way to lush cactus blossoms, with
various Opuntia species - prickly pears, cholla -
continuing through May and into June with hedgehog, barrel, and
saguaro cacti," says Wolterbeek. For autumn color, his secret
trove of fall flora can be found in Six Shooter and Ice House
canyons in the Pinal Mountains near Globe around Halloween. The
intrepid will find montane canyon wildflowers, including red mint
and columbines, Wolterbeek says, but "only if you're motivated to
hike up a wet canyon such as Aravaipa or Fossil Creek. You'll be
rewarded with a babbling creek, songbirds, and butterflies such as
the pipevine swallowtail and the state butterfly, the two-tailed
swallowtail, on their own quest to seek wildflowers." Farther
south, don't miss a different kind of forest: The Saguaro National
Park, near Tucson, has 150 miles of hiking trails in view of these
anthropomorphous cacti, which can grow to 70 feet and whose large
white flowers are fleeting, lasting less than 24 hours.
NEW WEST
The green, green grass of the state's approximately 360 golf
courses has largely supplanted the idea in visitors' minds that
Arizona is little more than dry, dusty desert. With upwards of 300
sunny days in the Phoenix area annually, it's no wonder that golf
has become a top attraction. The recently opened JW Marriott Star
Pass Resort & Spa, tucked a few miles west of Tucson in the
foothills of the Tucson Mountains, offers a 27-hole Arnold Palmer
Signature Golf Course that you might end up sharing with coyotes,
roadrunners, javelinas, and even bobcats. Because it sits in the
high desert, there's more natural, lush green grass than you might
expect to find on a desert course. At the Phoenician resort, in
Scottsdale, the area's vegetation is put to good use in the
expertly made and not-too-sweet Prickly Pear Margarita. And the Aji
Spa at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort, in Chandler, features a
number of plant-based treatments that pay homage to Native American
healing traditions, including the Pima-inspired Bahn Blue Coyote
body wrap, which finishes with hydrating cedar and sage oils, and
the Aut facial, which uses aloe, long favored by the Gila River
Indians for its ability to soothe and soften skin.
Natural Wonders | Arizona
Boyce Thompson Arboretum, (520) 689-2811, arboretum.ag.arizona.edu, $7.50 admission
Saguaro National Park, (520) 733-5158, www.nps.gov/sagu, $10 (per vehicle) entrance fee
JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and Spa, Tucson, (520) 792-3500,
www.starrpassmarriott.com, from $399
The Phoenician, Scottsdale, (800) 888-8234, www.thephoenician.com, from $169
Aji Spa at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa, Chandler, (602)
385-5759, www.wildhorsepassresort.com