Way Out West

Stunning landscapes, Wild West history and fine wines make the state of Arizona well worth a visit.

- Laura Millar

Wherever you look, there they are, giving you a jaunty wave or displaying a shrug with their long extremities, and generally emanating a happy, feel-good vibe. I’m talking about the tall, multi-limbed saguaro cacti, which carpet the desert stateof Arizona as tulips do in Holland.

These fuzzy-looking, stately, green plants can grow up to 40ft high.

They are, of course, not quite as adorable as they look, studded as they are with sharp, thorny spikes – but, as shorthand for flagging up that you’re now in the desert, they do the trick.

Arizona contains parts of four different deserts, the largest being the Sonoran in the south west, which is the only one that’s home to saguaros. The state itself covers nearly 114,000 square miles, encompassing a decent stretch of the Grand Canyon, and is known for its striking, contrasting landscapes, its hiking trails, forests and even ski slopes. We’re taking a classic road trip from the small town of Scottsdale, east of state capital Phoenix, to the mountain town of Flagstaff, and back down to Tucson and Mesa.

Cowboy Country