Here Are 11 Things About Arizona That Visitors Always Find Astounding
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Monica Spencer
Author
One of the things I love most about Arizona is that it is a land of extremes. For example, our weather is generally predictable but can get pretty wild and the landscape is beautiful but could easily kill you. These kinds of facts always seem to take visitors to our state by surprise and today we’re taking a look at a few things that might be the most surprising for people who have never stepped foot in Arizona.
Sure, a good amount of the landscape is desert but our state is also quite mountainous and that translates to a surprising amount of forested areas.
In some areas, it snows enough that snowplows and salt are needed for the roads.
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Massive dust storms, lightning, microbursts, and a sudden gush of rain. That’s just another summer storm here.
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In the summer, the combination of heat and sunlight can be deadly but it’s even quite intense in winter as well. You’ll definitely be able to slowly tan in January out here.
Despite our proximity to the border, you’ll find that not all of our Mexican restaurants are good. Some serve bland meals yet still manage to stay in business for years. But those are tasty are definitely worth the effort of finding!
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Aside from the risk of getting lost, quite a bit of the land is privately owned and one-quarter of it is reservation land, where permits are often needed to visit.
This one actually depends on geography. If you’re planning a summer day hike in Flagstaff, Pinetop, or the Catalinas, then go for it! The temperatures will be lovely. But a summer day hike in Phoenix isn’t such a great idea, especially if you’re visiting Arizona for the first time.
Sure, that stream of water doesn’t look terribly deep but it doesn’t take much for your car to be swept away in the waters. In fact, Arizona has a "stupid motorist law" on the books in an attempt to hold people accountable for driving through these dangerous areas.
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Speaking of hiking and other outdoorsy activities, you’ll want to make sure to bring significantly more water than you think you may need. You may also find having drinks with electrolytes to be helpful as well since the body loses some essential minerals through excessive sweating.
Phoenix is the fifth most populous city in the nation and the sprawling metropolitan area is massive. In fact, on a good day without traffic it may take you 1.5 hours to drive from one end to the other!
You’ll never know how vast and striking places like the Grand Canyon are unless you see it in person.
What are some other things that might be surprising for first-time visitors to Arizona? We would love to hear your thoughts!
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