Top 10 Family-style Arizona Vacations

Arizona has plenty more to offer than dry heat and cacti. The Grand Canyon State is loaded with opportunities for a great family-friendly vacation, from natural wonders to professional sporting events.

Here are the 10 best places in Arizona for a family vacation:

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon National Park covers more than 1.2 million acres of land in northwestern Arizona. The Grand Canyon itself is awe-inspiring, a mile deep and 18 miles across at its widest point, with 277 miles of Colorado River running through it. The park has lodging, restaurants, shops and interpretive programs, as well as Junior Ranger and educational programs for kids.

Sedona

Sedona, Arizona is surrounded by natural beauty - towering rock formations and spectacular canyons. This high-desert area is perfect for nature lovers, with more than 100 hiking and biking trails.

Phoenix

The Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, is dotted with swimming pools and public parks, and the city's surrounding mountain ranges offers miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails.

White Mountains

Located in northern Arizona, the White Mountains seem to be a world away from the desert landscape of Arizona's valley cities, with lush vegetation, thick forests, lakes and rivers. The White Mountains can be a great place to escape Arizona's summer heat, with hundreds of rental cabins available.

Sunrise Park Resort

During the winter months, Sunrise Park Resort in Arizona's White Mountains features 10 lifts and 65 runs for skiers and snowboarders, as well as opportunities for cross-country skiing, sledding and tubing. Sunrise is located in Greer, and when there's not snow on the ground, the area offers hiking and mountain biking.

Gem and Mineral Shows

Arizona attracts rock hounds all year round, but particularly in February, during the state's annual gem and mineral shows. The biggest yearly show is located in Tucson, where vendors fill spaces at more than 50 locations throughout the city, including at the Tucson Convention Center.

Flagstaff

Flagstaff is 144 miles north of Phoenix and sits at an elevation of nearly 7,000 feet, meaning temperatures tend to be quite a bit cooler here than on the valley floor. Flagstaff offers an array of activities, including the Lowell Observatory, Meteor Crater, the Historic Train Station, galleries, museums, parks, swimming pools and hiking trails.

Lake Powell

Lake Powell is the second-largest man-made lake in the United States, behind Nevada's Lake Mead, at 186 miles long and with 1,960 miles of shoreline. Rent boats and personal watercraft to explore the 96 canyons surrounding the lake. Lake Powell is located in northern Arizona, and straddles the Utah border.

Spring Training

Arizona hosts Major League Baseball spring training each year, with 16 teams set to play in the state's Cactus League in 2011. Head to the greater Phoenix area in the month of March to take in spring training, with games scheduled almost daily in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Peoria, Goodyear, Surprise, Tempe and Glendale.

Lake Havasu

Lake Havasu is a mecca for water lovers and boat enthusiasts located on the California-Arizona border. Boating, fishing and swimming are popular activities here, but if you're planning a family trip to Lake Havasu, avoid spring break as the area is often flooded with partying college students.

Sources:
Grand Canyon National Park, National Park Service
Arizona's White Mountains