Go hiking, learn at the museum, or just drive through the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park. It provides views to the beginning of dinosaurs, prehistoric peoples and modern wildlife! The remains of an ancient forest lie scattered here petrified into rocks. Fossils of tall trees, strange ferns, large reptiles, small sharks and early dinosaurs provide clues to life 225 million years ago. See artifacts and dwellings of prehistoric people who settled in the area about 6,000 years ago.

With authentic Native American Turquoise jewelry, real petrified wood, rugs, Kachina dolls, and pottery this is a great stop of authentic goods. You can’t miss all the great photo ops in front of giant dinosaurs, teepees, and animal sculptures outside the Indian Center. They even give you a free piece of petrified wood when you visit. Kids LOVE checking out the dinosaurs and playing in the teepees.

It’s the water that makes this forest so special— draining the high mountains and forming numerous lakes and streams, making it a fisherman’s paradise, or for anyone else who enjoys a lakeside view coupled with a beautiful, mountainous backdrop in the arid Southwest.

The Apache-Sitgreaves has 34 lakes and reservoirs and more than 680 miles of rivers and streams – more than can be found in any other Southwestern National Forest.

Anglers can fish at Oak Creek, the Verde River, West Clear Creek Wilderness, Ashurst Lake, Lake Mary, the C.C. Cragin (Blue Ridge) Reservoir, and other rivers and streams. Trout are common, but you can also hook catfish, pike, and similar fish. Some of the state’s best hiking trails can be found in Coconino National Forest too. You’ll find all types of environments: everything from red rocks country to pine-covered plateaus, to deserts, canyons, and forests. Part of ten different wilderness areas make up the forest.

Meteor Crater National Landmark is the spectacular result of a collision that rocked the American Southwest approximately 50,000 years ago with the energy of more than 20 million tons of TNT. Meteor Crater offers an interactive educational experience for the entire family in a beautiful, natural setting. The fully air-conditioned building features an 80-seat widescreen theater, indoor crater viewing area, Crater Trail access, Interactive Discovery Center, artifacts and exhibits, gift and mineral Shop, 4D Experience Room, and the Blasted Bistro.

If you love prehistoric fossils or have a kiddo that loves dinosaurs this is a great museum to stop by. At the Rainbow Forest Museum you can view the museum exhibits, chronicling the area’s geologic and human history and displays on the reptiles and dinosaurs that once inhabited this region.