The Most Picturesque Towns In Arizona

Route 66 kitsch. A vortex said to have spiritual powers. North America's number-one hummingbird hub. If you're wondering what those things have in common: all are highlights of Arizona's small towns. Arizona is a visually rich state where mountains and canyons and towering red rock hills and yes even forests meet Victorian Old-West aesthetics and Route 66 neon. Here are eight of the most picturesque to explore on your next vacation.

Bisbee

The southern Arizona town of Bisbee made its fortune in copper mining; now it's the allure of a well-preserved historic mining town in the scenic Mule Mountains that draws visitors to Bisbee. It's the rare town where the townscape itself is as scenic as the surroundings, a colorful slice of the Old West featuring draws like the Smithsonian-affiliated Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum and the Copper Queen Library, the oldest operating library in Arizona. A rugged mountainous setting adds to the sense of adventure and hides the Copper Queen Mine, which you can tour for a deeper look (literally) into the town's past as a mining boomtown.

Cottonwood

"Wine country" might be a phrase more closely associated with neighboring California, but one of Arizona's best-kept secrets is a wine region of its own. The Verde Valley cultivates wine grapes in a peaceful stretch of red rock and rugged canyons in central Arizona, and one of the best bases from which to explore this unconventionally beautiful wine country is Cottonwood. It's known for its Old Town, where local businesses lend the place a classic small-town feel, and for the Verde River, an oasis of lush greenery in the middle of the desert where floating and kayaking are popular ways to cool down. For a wine country sip, Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Winery & Trattoria offers one of the best views in town.

Jerome

The first thing you're likely to notice about the former mining town of Jerome is its layout: it's built ascending a hill in the Black Hills area, and at the top of that hill sits Jerome State Historic Park with expansive views of the surrounding hills, canyons, and red rocks. There, you'll learn a little more about the onetime "Wickedest Town in the West," which was one of the largest cities in Arizona in its heyday thanks to its rich copper deposits and remains a beautiful overlook with an unusual layout. It's quite the climb to the Jerome Grand Hotel, but the views and family-run hospitality are worth the exercise; ditto the Gold King Mine for gold panning and views alike.

Patagonia

Southern Arizona's arid climate belies the fact that it's one of the United States' best places to birdwatch, and few spots are more productive than the town of Patagonia. Like its South American namesake, it's a hotspot for nature lovers for attractions like Audubon's Paton Center for Hummingbirds, an excellent place to spot some of Arizona's many species of hummingbirds, and peaceful Patagonia Lake State Park offers birdwatching as well as green space and aquatic recreation in a highly biodiverse region of high desert. Its hilly topography creates dramatic scenery that ensures a beautiful view no matter where in Patagonia you turn, not to mention plentiful cycling routes.

Payson

Finding one of the country's largest stretches of ponderosa pine forest only an hour and a half outside of Phoenix may sound improbable, but the town of Payson, perched on the Mogollon Rim escarpment, has exactly that in its backyard. Green and temperate compared to the baking-hot desert of lower altitudes, it's blessed with boating and fishing spots like Woods Canyon Lake and the interconnected Payson Area Trails System for hikers. It also lays claim to one of the oldest continuously running rodeos in the country, with roots going back to 1884, a Wild West touch that speaks to the town's affectionate regard for its history. Payson runs a Pony Express reenactment every February, delivering mail on horseback all across Arizona. It's that combination of outdoor adventure and old-fashioned Western fun that makes Payson a favorite day or weekend trip from Phoenix.

Sedona

Sedona's explosive popularity as a vacation destination for hikers and New Age spiritualists from around the world is no surprise when you set foot in town. There's hardly a place you can step without getting an eyeful of the towering red rock formations that loom over the townscape, and every hiking trail promises more of the same. But it's not only the beauty of its countless trails and viewpoints that make Sedona so popular: it's also thought to be a spiritual power spot, with various "vortexes" throughout town, like Cathedral Rock and the hilltop Chapel of the Holy Cross, that are said to be especially potent. Take in the town's abundant natural beauty on a Pink Jeep Tour or a popular trail like Cathedral Rock Trail.

Seligman

There are many places in the Southwest associated with the legendary and now-defunct Route 66, but few take such pride in that connection as Seligman, and it's the appealing retro aesthetic from the golden age of Route 66 that the town has taken pains to maintain that makes it a visual treat. Everywhere you go you'll see colorful storefronts, vintage signs, and reminders that this is "the birthplace of Route 66." Highlights, other than the million photos you will inevitably take of its frozen-in-time streetscapes, include Angel & Velma Delgadillo's Original Route 66 Gift Shop, founded by the couple whose tireless efforts helped to revive the Route 66 legend after it fell into decline, and grabbing an old-timey ice cream float at Delgadillo's Snow Cap (yes, same Delgadillos). Pixar fans will especially enjoy this stop. It was a major visual inspiration for the town of Radiator Springs in the Cars movie franchise, and the resemblance is unmistakable.

Williams

Take a guess what makes the self-styled "gateway to the Grand Canyon" so scenic. Although not the nearest town to Grand Canyon National Park, it's the starting point of the Grand Canyon Railway and a very popular base for visitors. And though a scenic train ride and proximity to Arizona's most famous natural feature alone would be enough to put Williams on any list of scenic Arizona towns, it has scenic beauty all its own in the form of a neon-lit main street that once served drivers on Route 66.

Scenic In Many Ways

Arizona has a distinct public image as a land of plunging canyons, sandstorm-swept desert towns, and Old West saloons, but reality is far more varied than that. Variations in elevation, topography, geology, and climate ensure that no two Arizona towns will look or feel the same, and you'll rarely have to go far to find a place where a touch of history is close at hand. Don't boil this fascinating state down to canyons and cactus: its most scenic small towns offer far more.