Great Roads Series: Arizona Highway 89A Hot

So far in our Great Roads series, we’ve been to central California and central Colorado. It’s only fitting that we now head south to central Arizona. Arizona Highway 89A is 80 miles of serpentine blacktop and stunning scenery. Mix in a few great Arizona towns and you have a truly unique ride.

Arizona’s Highway 89A begins in the cool pines of Flagstaff. At over 7000 feet in elevation, the eclectic college town is a great place to eat, shop and play. Heading south from Flagstaff, 89A cuts through the ponderosa pines until it starts the switchback infused descent to into the beautiful Oak Creek Canyon. The road follows the clear waters of the Oak Creek until it enters arguably the most famous small town in the Southwest - Sedona.

Sedona is an arts and resort town nestled in the amazing red rocks. Shops, 5-star resorts, and tourists are found in abundance in Sedona. At the very least, take a lunch break and soak in the southwestern ambiance before heading west on 89A toward the historic mining and ranching towns of Cottonwood and Clarkdale. When you reach Cottonwood, you have descended from 7000 feet to about 3000 feet in elevation. This valley was cut by the green waters of the Verde River.

After the Verde Valley, 89A starts winding its way up Mingus Mountain. Only 4 miles up Mingus, you reach the mountainside community of Jerome. Once a mining town of over 13 thousand souls in the 1920s and 1930s, it became a virtual ghost town in the 1940s and ‘50s. It is now a bustling arts and tourism town. After Jerome, the road winds its way up the mountain until its summit of over 7000 feet. After 10 or so miles of supreme twisties, you are again in the tall pines.

From the top of Mingus Mountain, 89A makes a gentle descent into Prescott – another amazing city filled with Arizona history. Prescott was Arizona’s first capital city and is home to a multitude of historic homes and buildings. It is also home of the world’s oldest rodeo.

I can’t oversell how cool this 80-mile ride is. You have 4000 feet in elevation change…twice! You have great towns and small cities along the way. And you have the Grand Canyon within striking distance of either end of the road. If you thought Arizona was all cacti and sand, Arizona Highway 89A will change your mind.