ARIZONA HIGHWAYS
Arizona Highways has been in continuous publication since 1921. It started as a monthly magazine of the Arizona State Highway Department and remains so today, except that the agency has changed its name to the Arizona Department of Transportation. The basic premise of the magazine was, up to a certain point, (in this writers opinion), a show case for the places in Arizona which were open to travel on public roads and highways. Again, up to a certain point in time, (also in my opinion) the photography was as spectacular as one could get. In pursuit of the magazines purpose, many of the backcountry areas of Arizona became feature articles in the magazine and a wonderful source of ideas for places for the off-road enthusiast to explore. In the early to mid 2000's, a new editor brought a different philosophy to the magazine and the backcountry emphasis was all but abandoned.
Prior to about 2010, I had been a regular subscriber for at least a couple of decades, and have kept them all, as they are, IMHO, the "preferred" AH magazines. Preferred, because they still serve as a great source of information on "back country" places to visit in the great state of Arizona.
Under the new direction of the AH magazine, they are now a great source of good information on restaurants and B&Bs throughout the State. For those who have an interest in viewing pre 2010 magazines, many of them are digitally available through the Arizona Memory Project (
https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/.) In a recent conversation with the office at the AH magazine, they indicated that they too, will be making older magazine issues available, but not at this time.
The best example of the value of the AH magazine involves one of my favorite back country trips, the Parashant. I came to initially know the "The Parashant" by an article that appeared 18 years ago in the January 2005 issue of AH, entitled "A Monument to Loneliness, The Expansive Parashant Stands Profoundly Wild and Inhospitable for the Unprepared." I didn't even need to read the entire article as I was sold. But of course, I have read it, and re-read it many times, and the Parashant has been the subject of several trips.
As so often happens, the story did not end there. As I continued to review my stack of old AH magazines, and before my first trip to the Parashant, I discovered an October 1999 issue of AH that contained an article entitled, The Witches Water Pocket." The article was an historical account of John Wesley Powell's 1869 expedition into the Colorado River and it's surrounding canyons. In Powell's account of his travels, entitled, "Canyons of the Colorado", he mentions a "place of reliable water" called "the Witch's Water Pocket." It was a fascinating account, and the best part was that it was located in the Parashant.
The article was vague enough about the location to make it difficult to pinpoint where it was, exactly. But, fortunately, the article was sufficiently enticing to make it mandatory to find it. Existing maps didn't help, the article didn't help, and internet searches didn't help. Since I had been in contact with rangers from the Parashant, I decided to give that a try, and BINGO. Never overlook the great wealth of information that local rangers have to offer.
The magazine:
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ARCADIA PUBLISHING
Arcadia Publishing (
https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/) is probably familiar to most. Their publications appear on bookstands in community stores, city halls, hardware stores and more. The length of the books vary, but somewhere between 100-200 pages (or so.) The topics are diverse, and can serve as a terrific guide to outdoor adventures. They say this about their approach to these books.
For over 20 years Arcadia Publishing has reconnected people to their community, their neighbors, and their past by offering a curbside view of hometown history and often forgotten aspects of American life. Composed in a unique pictorial format with over two hundred vintage images and accompanying captions, Arcadia books animate the cherished memories, people, places, and events that define a community. From the iconic Images of America series and Images of Aviation series to Postcard Histories and so many more, these richly illustrated histories bring to life small town America.
Knowing the history of the areas we visit, always make the visit mean more.
Some examples:
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SUNBELT PUBLICATIONS
Sunbelt Publications (
https://sunbeltpublications.com/shop/) is another terrific source of information for outdoor adventure locations. If you are looking for information on new areas to explore, the website deserves a closer inspection. I will only mention one book, which has become the most authoritative guide book for the Anza Borrego Desert State Park - "Anza-Borrego Desert Region", now in its 6th Edition, (
https://sunbeltpublications.com/shop/an ... h-edition/,)
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