(4) Magnificent Lake Mohave, Arizona/Nevada Border Photo by Abraham Karam

4 Magnificent Lake Mohave
Arizona/Nevada Border
Despite its large size, Lake Mohave doesn’t cause the same splash as other northwestern Arizona lakes. Lake Mohave has two distinct personalities. The lower two-thirds resembles Lake Mead and Lake Powell, with classic coves and beaches great for house-boating and camping. Meanwhile, the headwaters originating from Hoover Dam are tucked into the narrow, rocky Black Canyon corridor.
Elevation: 635 feet
Directions: There are numerous points of entry to Lake Mohave. One suggestion is to take a canoe or kayak trip from Hoover Dam. Take US 60 west to Wickenburg and go north on US 93. Merge with I-40 west into Kingman, then take US 93 north to the dam. See Lake Mead National Recreation Area maps (which include Lake Mohave) for other points of entry at nps.gov/lame/-planyourvisit/directions.htm.
Driving Time: 4 hours, 14 minutes (254 miles)
Hours: Open year-round. Some beaches and other areas are day-use only, dawn to dusk.
Admission: $5 park entrance fee
Lodging: Research Lake Mohave campgrounds at nps.gov/lame/-planyourvisit/campinglakemohave. Or check kingmantourism.org for hotels.
Info: nps.gov/lame
Travel Tip: In the spring, you might glimpse American Avocets taking flight during their annual spring migration.

5 Loggers Sawdust Festival payson
Sawing down trees for lumber may not be the most socially acceptable activity today, but logging was once steady work for many Arizonans, especially in Payson, where logging camps and loggers are part of the town’s colorful history. To honor this past, Payson will hold its 21st annual Payson Arizona Loggers Sawdust Festival
May 23-24. Professional loggers and amateurs will compete for cash and prizes, including the coveted “Logger of the Year” award. There’s also plenty for the kids to do, like a watermelon eating contest, tricycle races, tug-of-war contests and a sawdust pile filled with hidden cash. 
Elevation: 5,000 feet
Directions: From Phoenix, take Loop 202 east to the Country Club exit. Turn left on Country Club, which turns into the Beeline Highway (Highway 87). Go north toward Payson on the Beeline Highway for about 75 miles.
Driving Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes (75 miles)
Hours: Gates open at 9 a.m.
Admission: Adults, $10 at the gate or $8 online; children 6-12, $7 at the gate or $5 online; children 5 and under, free
Lodging: There are plenty of hotels, B&Bs, cabins, lodges, and RV parks in the Payson area. Visit paysonrimcountry.com for specific accommodations.
Info: 928-468-6074 or paysonrimcountry.com/Activities/Special-
Events/PaysonSawdustFestival/tabid/299/Default.aspx

6 Shrine of St. Joseph Yarnell
Sick of the Easter Bunny and marshmallow Peeps? Take a meaningful Easter field trip to the Shrine of St. Joseph of the Mountains. Nestled among huge granite boulders and shady oaks in central Arizona’s Weaver Mountains, the shrine beckons guests with a sculpture depicting St. Joseph scooping Jesus into his arms after a day of carpentry. A rustic path takes visitors along biblical sculptures depicting the last days of Jesus’ life. The shrine’s board president, Maria Luisa Wasson, says visitors of all denominations come from around the world. “We don’t preach. The statues are the ones.… If you’re not touched by the blocks, nothing will touch you,” she says.
Elevation: 4,782 feet
Directions: Take US 60 west to Wickenburg, then US 93 for six miles to Highway 89. Turn right toward Congress and Yarnell. Once in Yarnell, look for a sign marking a left turn to the shrine. Proceed on Shrine Road for half a mile.
Driving Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes (80 miles)
Hours: Open during daylight hours.
Admission: Free
Lodging: The Oak Park Motel in Yarnell (yep, it’s the only one), 928-427-6383. Visit outwickenburgway.com or visit-prescott.com for accommodations in nearby Wickenburg or Prescott.
Info: stjoseph-shrine.org

(8) Spring Wildflowers, Various Locations Photo by braham Karam

7 Hot Tubbing at Roper State Lake Park
Safford
Slip into an 8-foot-wide, stone-lined, spring-fed hot tub at Roper Lake State Park. The hot tub always hovers near 100 degrees and is both a curiosity and a muscle-soothing necessity after a day of hiking, swimming or sailing in Roper Lake, which is limited only to small motor boats. Roper is a stocked lake, which means the kiddos have a chance to catch their first big bass, catfish or rainbow trout. And five miles of trails allow for scenic, manageable hikes for families.
Elevation: 3,130 feet
Directions: Take US 60 east to Globe, then US 70 southeast about 75 miles to Safford, then turn south at Highway 191 and go about five miles to Roper Lake Road. Go east to park entrance.
Driving Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes (165 miles)
Hours: Day use: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Camping checkout varies from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Admission: $5 per vehicle
Lodging: Camping fees are $12 and $16 (for sites with electric hook-ups). Cabin rentals are $50 and can be reserved by calling 928-428-6760.
Info: pr.state.az.us/Parks/ROLA

8  Spring Wildflowers Various Locations
Spring wildflowers bloom at their whim, but once they burst open it’s time to hop in the car and go exploring. From Mexican gold poppies blanketing hillsides on the way to Wickenburg to brittlebush along the Beeline Highway near Saguaro Lake, the spring wildflower season is full of surprises. Visit the Boyce Thompson Arboretum Website (ag.arizona.edu/bta) for an excellent guide to what’s blooming where and when. Or, just head east on US 60 to highways 79 south or 177 south. Gatherings of evening primrose and firecracker penstemon may be waiting.
Elevation: 1,500 to 2,800 feet
Directions: Good wildflower-sighting drives include US 60 east from Phoenix to Highway 79 south or Highway 77 south. US 60 west toward Wickenburg also yields good views.
Driving Time: Varies
Lodging: If the round-trip is too much in a day, keep your car pointed toward Wickenburg (wickenburgchamber.com) or
Tucson (visittucson.org) for overnight lodging.
Info: ag.arizona.edu/bta

9 Yuma Birding & Nature Festival Yuma
This year’s Yuma Birding & Nature Festival will be April 15-19 at the Hilton Garden Inn at Pivot Point in downtown Yuma. While other Arizona locales draw more birding attention, Ann Walker with the Yuma Visitors Bureau says Yuma’s event is taking flight. “We are on the Colorado River flyway, also close enough for field trips into Mexico and over to the Salton Sea in California,” she says, adding that 32 different field trips await registrants – including a visit to the captive breeding enclosure for endangered Sonoran pronghorn antelope in the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.
Elevation: 138 feet
Directions: Take I-10 west to Highway 85 then head south to Gila Bend. In Gila Bend, take I-8 west toward Yuma. Once there, take exit 1 and turn left onto Giss Parkway. Exit onto Madison Avenue to the Hilton Garden Inn at 200 N. Madison Ave.
Driving Time: 3 hours, 5 minutes (185 miles)
Hours: A full schedule of events is available at yumabirding.com.
Admission: Registration began in January. The basic fee is $25, with most field trips costing from $5 to $125.
Lodging: yumachamber.org
Info: yumabirding.com