Photography by Mare Czinar, Brian Goddard, Lauren Jordan, Abraham Karam, Madison Kirkman, Jason Millstein, Jill Richards Rafting and hiking in the Grand Canyon

From historic hollows and Hummer half-pipes to dapper dude ranches and to-die-for drives, we’re serving up a bountiful birthday helping of 52 weekend adventures to help you christen Arizona’s second century of statehood. Plus: New this year, per reader requests, is a quick take ’em or leave ’em kid friendliness guide.










SPRING - SUMMER - FALL - WINTER

Photo by Madison Kirkman

SPRING

1. Virgil’s Corner B & B
Tombstone
Beyond the pop-pop sound of actors’ pistols at the O.K. Corral and the mossy smells of The Birdcage Theater lies a place where Tombstone history meets modern amenities: Virgil’s Corner B&B, which sits on the property once owned and occupied by lawman Virgil Earp. After a fire destroyed the original home in 1998, property owner Diane More took Tombstone’s “too tough to die” motto to heart and constructed a comfortable four-bedroom B&B on the site that mixes period furniture and dinnerware with BluRay, high-definition TV and WiFi – just the gadgetry that would have made tracking down lawless Ike Clanton easier. The rebuild dwarfs Earp’s original 14-by-19-foot dwelling and includes a common area where guests can enjoy scrumptious, buffet-style breakfasts.
ELEVATION: 4,540 feet
DIRECTIONS: Take I-10 east to Highway 80, which becomes Fremont Street approaching Tombstone. Continue to 97 E. Fremont St.
DRIVING TIME: 3 hours (187 miles)
RATES: $150 per night
INFO: 520-548-1025, virgilscorner.com
KIDS: Leave ’em.

2. Middlemarch Road
Dragoon Mountains
With 22 miles of rutted road riddled with rocky divots, Middlemarch Road can be killer – but so is the scenery. Yucca, creosote and cat claw acacia color the journey toward the rugged Dragoon Mountains. The scent of piñon pine and juniper, plus white-tailed deer or black-tailed jackrabbit cameos, make this jaunt worth the effort. Many US Cavalry soldiers trod Middlemarch Road in the late 1800s, en route from Fort Bowie to the San Pedro Valley – and Chiricahua Apache leader Cochise hid from said cavalry in the nearby mountains – so there are places to stop and hike into history. If you turn left onto FR 687 from the fork in Middlemarch Road about 10 miles in, travel 6.5 miles, turn right at FR 687K (the turnoff to Council Rocks trailhead) and take a 10-minute hike, you can visit the area where Cochise is believed to have surrendered in 1872.
ELEVATION: 5,900 feet at Middlemarch Pass
DIRECTIONS: Take I-10 east to Highway 80. Approaching Tombstone, look for a left turn onto Middlemarch Road.
DRIVING TIME: Four hours roundtrip (40 miles), including hike
LODGING: Katie’s Cozy Cabins in Tombstone, sparely decorated lodgings built in 2004 (cabinsintombstone.com)
INFO: www.fs.fed.us/r3/coronado/forest/recreation/scenic_drives/middlemarch.shtml
TRAVEL TIP: Dated maps show that FR 687 continues north to Dragoon. It does not. It dead-ends into a private ranch, so plan for an out-and-back drive.
KIDS: Take ’em or leave ’em.

For more of PHOENIX magazine’s '52 Weekend Adventures', check back soon, find us at newsstands Valleywide or call 480-664-3960.  Subscribe today so you don’t miss another issue!

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