Hot Arizona
Any place that boasts over 330 days of sunshine a year is pretty alluring – especially when the sunshine comes coupled with t-shirt temperatures, even in midwinter.
Arizona is a destination that offers both the sun as well a range of activities – from roughing it in the wilds of a national park, to hitting a ball out of the rough at a golf resort. But for many Canadians, it’s the Sonoran desert that makes Arizona so interesting. With more than 2000 native plants, 60 mammals and hundreds of species of birds and reptiles, the desert is unlike any eco-system found in our northern home – and did I mention it’s warm? In the winter?
While it would be easy to spend a southern holiday hanging by the pool absorbing vitamin D, here are five great reasons to get out of your lounge chair and experience the desert first hand.
Climb:
Discover the feeling of sun-warmed granite under your hands as you climb one of Arizona’s famous rock faces. Women make great climbers, says Nico Riley, the rock-climbing instructor at the Boulder’s Resort in Carefree. Women rely on balance and technique, rather than brute strength to climb. This means it’s a sport where we can surprise ourselves with unexpected skill. And honestly, nothing beats looking out over the desert from the top of a rock face you never, for an instant, thought you could climb.
Take a hike
The Sonoran desert is home to elfin owls and the majestic (and occasionally comical looking) saguaro cactus. Discovering what the two have in common is something you can learn on a walk through the cacti. Take a Hike Arizona is a women-owned company that specializes in helping visitors explore the region’s diverse trails. Along the way you might see (or smell) a javelina, or find a tiny elfin owl nesting high in a saguaro.
