Outdoors · Flagstaff

Arizona Snowbowl

Up on the slopes of the San Francisco Peaks, Arizona Snowbowl is Flagstaff's four-season mountain playground. In winter it is one of the state's premier ski and snowboard areas, with runs for every level spread across the highest terrain in Arizona — proof, to many visitors' surprise, that the desert state has real snow.

When the snow melts, the mountain keeps giving: the Arizona Gondola carries riders high above the pines to sweeping viewpoints, on clear days reaching all the way toward the Grand Canyon. It is a spectacular, low-effort way to trade summer heat for cool alpine air and big-country panoramas.

From a Flagstaff rental it is a short drive up the mountain. The elevation is no joke — weather changes fast and the air is thin — so bring layers whatever the season, check conditions before heading up, and give yourself a little time to acclimate.