SPRING - SUMMER - WINTER

FALL

Photo by Madison Kirkman

27. Jimmy’s Hot Dog Company
Bisbee
Jimmy Pionke is frank about his ’furters. “These are the best between here and Chicago,” he crows, with the cred of someone who hawked wieners in that dog-eat-dog city for years. “Vienna Beef uses only the best parts of the cow – no lips or ears,” he says. The bluntness of that culinary appraisal ceases to nauseate the moment Pionke places a magnificent hot dog onto the counter of his bustling roadside joint, Jimmy’s Hot Dog Company. Bulging through a poppy seed bun is an all-beef frank lathered with mustard and piled high with onions, tomato wedges, dill pickles, peppers, neon green relish and cheese. It may be a decadent and jaw-unhinging mouthful, but at least all four food groups are represented.
ELEVATION: 5,350 feet
DIRECTIONS:Take I-10 east through Tucson to Highway 80 east. Proceed 52 miles past Old Bisbee and the Lavender Pit mine. At the roundabout, take Highway 92 southwest for 2.5 miles to Jimmy’s Hot Dog Company (across from Safeway).
DRIVING TIME: 4 hours, 30 minutes (233 miles)
LODGING: Retro hipster haven Shady Dell, an Airstream trailer park decked out in vintage decor (theshadydell.com).
KIDS: Take ’em.

28. Aravaipa Canyon
Winkelman
Rugged terrain awaits those who enter Aravaipa Canyon, a get-wet-or-get-out trek through unspoiled desert. The West trailhead begins with a prickly pear-studded descent to Aravaipa Creek. Head left at the creek and follow a footpath until the creek jogs left in front of you. Look for a rock cairn on the other side and cross the creek. This will be your first of many opportunities to ford 12- to 18-inch-deep water as you wind your way toward foreboding cliffs bearing names like Hell’s Half Acre Canyon. This hike can be an ankle buster, but the perennial, spring-fed creek yields a lush riparian environment relatively unmarred by human foot traffic.
ELEVATION: 2,300 feet at trailhead
DIRECTIONS: Take US 60 west to Superior. At Highway 177, turn right and continue to Winkelman. At end of Highway 177, turn right on Highway 77. Proceed 11 miles; turn left on Aravaipa Road. Continue 12 miles on mostly unpaved road to trailhead.
DRIVING TIME: 2 hours, 10 minutes (112 miles)
FEES: $5 per person permit must be obtained in advance at blm.gov/az. Only 30 permits are issued daily at the west entrance and only 20 at the more remote east entrance.
LODGING: Primitive camping for backpackers is allowed.
INFO: blm.gov/az/st/en/arolrsmain/aravaipa.html
TRAVEL TIP: Permits for fall weekends sell out 13 weeks in advance (book in August to see November’s cottonwood colors). New permits are released each Saturday at 8 a.m.
KIDS: Take ’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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