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Arizona National Parks and Monuments
Discover the scenic wonders and cultural treasures of Arizona with my latest book, Arizona National Parks and Monuments. This is how I first fell in love with this astounding state, by exploring our crown jewel parks.
An extraordinary array of national park units—34 in all—blanket Arizona from border to border. They range from the volcanic sprawl of stone hoodoos crowning Chiricahua National Monument to the badlands of Petrified Forest National Park colored like blood and peaches to the miles of seductive shoreline at Lake Mead National Recreation Area to the never-ending diversity of the Arizona National Scenic Trail traversing the length of the state.
There is something here to pique everyone’s interest. National monuments like Tonto, Wupatki, and Montezuma Castle hold on tight to our past. Others like Sonoran Desert and Vermilion Cliffs preserve our precious wide-open spaces. And all the parks reconnect us to nature. We hike, bike, kayak, ride mules, bounce down dirt roads, slither through slot canyons, and camp under skies dripping with stars. All that adventure is yours with my new book.
At 246 pages this is my longest and most comprehensive guide. The book features maps and 90 stunning color photographs. Each chapter includes an overview of what makes that park unique, a thorough description, history, personal anecdotes, plus detailed information on all amenities and features. Arizona National Parks and Monuments retails for $21.95.
Awesome Arizona: 200 Amazing Facts About the Grand Canyon State
Winner of the 2024 New Mexico-Arizona Book Award for arizona history
I just thought someone needed to come out and say it. Arizona is awesome!
Arizona is rugged and gorgeous and historic and weird and funny and utterly magnificent. It’s full of surprises, not what most people expect at all. And with this book, I pile up the evidence.
In Awesome Arizona, I’ve amassed 200 amazing facts and fascinating commentary about my beloved state. I capture the essence of Arizona from its wild and wooly past to its breathtaking scenery to its startling geology to its incredible diversity of cultures and terrain. This is the encyclopedia that lovers of Arizona have been craving.
Learn about trees that once shaded dinosaurs, the West’s most legendary gunfight, the world’s largest antique, the best preserved meteor crater on earth, where the post office still delivers mail by mule, the longest poker game in history, how Arizona saved the unicorn, and so much more.
Awesome Arizona is an unabashed celebration of the 48th State. It’s chockfull of facts, information, anecdotes, historical tidbits, and humor. I get tired of all the misconceptions about Arizona and wanted to set the record straight about what a remarkable state I call home. For anyone who already takes a fierce pride in his or her Arizona heritage, or who wants to learn more about this special place, this is the book for you. Awesome Arizona retails for $16.95
Arizona’s Scenic Roads and Hikes
Winner of the 2021 New Mexico-Arizona Book Award for arizona Travel and best arizona travel book
Who’s ready for a road trip? You’re in luck because my latest book is an Arizona road trip bible.
Arizona’s Scenic Roads and Hikes directs visitors toward the very best the state has to offer. Travel from sun-kissed deserts to the summits of snow-capped mountains, from the cosmic abyss of the Grand Canyon to the red rocks of Sedona and the soaring monoliths of Monument Valley. Visit ancient Native American villages, chase Old West legends, and get your kicks on Route 66.
In this captivating new guide I feature all 27 of Arizona’s state-designated scenic and historic roads, including five National Scenic Byways. The stunning drives are arranged by region and include starting and ending points, mileage, photos, full descriptions, and suggestions on locally owned places to eat and sleep.
Each road trip is paired with attractions and activities including nearby hiking trails. The trails include ratings and descriptions, and the hikes range from easy to moderate levels of difficulty, accommodating the abilities of every traveler. I’ll say without hesitation this guide includes the best selection of photos of any of my books. It retails for $21.95.
Create a lifetime of memories while exploring the details of Arizona’s endlessly diverse and amazing scenery. Welcome to my world!
Crazy for the Heat: Arizona Tales of Ghosts, Gumshoes, and Bigfoot
While I’m best known for my books on Arizona travel and history, this one just delivers the laughs. Crazy for the Heat: Arizona Tales of Ghosts, Gumshoes, and Bigfoot is a collection of Arizona-based humorous short stories. The nine funny quirky tales are filled with oddball characters and twisted plots. But the settings are very real. A throwback private detective cracks wise and solves crimes in the mountaintop moonlight of Jerome. In the sunbaked desert, visitors pull off the highway to admire the World’s Largest Ball of Chest Hair as a roadside attraction. Meanwhile, a group of Sedona residents can’t step outside without getting abducted by space aliens.
These twisted tales give me a chance to return to my humor roots. (I was a stand-up comic and humor writer for many years.) And I had a blast creating an unlikely cast of characters that include the headless ghost of Pancho Villa, a vengeance-seeking six-year-old, Elvis Impersonators, a Tombstone bartender who singlehandedly caused the West’s most famous shootout, double crossing dames, nosy neighbors without pants, and the Mogollon Monster, better known as Bigfoot.
Even though this is a book of fiction—and weird, skewed, funny fiction at that—it’s still firmly rooted in the Grand Canyon State. Arizona appears as a prominent character in most of these stories. Cactus and roadrunners and red rocks and border towns and blazing sunsets and the perfume of rain are all woven into the fabric of the stories. I’m not sure that I even know how to write anymore if Arizona is not involved.
Crazy for the Heat: Arizona Tales of Ghosts, Gumshoes, and Bigfoot is available as an eBook for $8.99 or paperback for $11.99.
Arizona State Parks
Winner of the 2020 New Mexico-Arizona Book Award for arizona Travel
The entire story of Arizona can be told through its award-winning system of state parks. Explore these hidden treasures that represent the staggering diversity of the state---saguaro-dotted desert, rugged mountains, red rock canyons, rolling grasslands, shady forests, and a playground of rivers and lakes. It’s all captured in my book, Arizona State Parks: A Guide to Amazing Places in the Grand Canyon State.
Arizona state parks provide the same kind of experience found in national parks and monuments, except it feels less hurried, more intimate. Discover new corners of the state where the recreational options are endless. Go for a hike, a bike ride, or a swim. Spend the morning fishing, or reading in a hammock. Pitch a tent or sleep in a furnished cabin. Jump in a kayak or the saddle. Attend a ranger-led program. Get up early to watch for wildlife or stay up late to study the stars. Have the picnic of your dreams. Breathe deep. Relax. Afterward, you’ll still make it home before the weekend is over.
Besides the vivid stories and rich history, each park chapter includes a list of nearby attractions, activities, and popular events. This is a chance for even seasoned travelers to experience a whole new side of Arizona. With over 60,000 words, this is my longest book accompanied by 80 beautiful photographs, maps and charts. It retails for $21.95.
The Amazing Kolb Brothers of Grand Canyon
This book covers the remarkable life of two of the canyon’s most significant pioneers and legendary photographers. The Kolbs dangled from ropes, clung to sheer cliff walls by their fingertips, climbed virtually inaccessible summits, ran seemingly impassable white-water rapids, braved the elements, and ventured into unknown wilderness—all for the sake of a photo. Well, a photo and a thrill. Sometimes it was hard to tell which was more important.
And they did it on their own terms. They carved out a way of life that didn’t exist, essentially creating tourism photography on the cusp of the twentieth century. The Kolbs also became the first independent moviemakers. They produced the first reality show. They invented the selfie. They invented trail-running and put white-water rafting on the map. Before there even was a National Park Service, they taught Americans how to explore their national parks. The Kolbs were a couple of utter knuckleheads and I loved writing about them. The Kolb Studio still stands at the head of the Bright Angel Trail.
The Amazing Kolb Brothers of Grand Canyon was published by the Grand Canyon Association, official partner of Grand Canyon National Park. The book is 154 pages, chock full of photos and retails for $14.95.
Boots and Burgers
Here’s the idea: Spend a morning hiking into the breath-snatching Arizona outback under a high arched sky. Wander lonesome lands as a twisted trail leads deeper into wilderness. Walk for miles amid an aching stillness. On the drive home stop at a diner or café, a casual joint where the waitress calls everybody ‘Hon’ and hustles out the drinks. Order the burger. Bite into a grill-kissed slab of tender beef.
Right there, that’s my favorite day of all. That’s Halloween, Christmas and the spring equinox rolled into one. Walk off a few calories and then pack them on again. I’ll take a boots and burgers day anytime I can get it.
It’s all captured in Boots & Burgers: An Arizona Handbook for Hungry Hikers. So much more than a standard guidebook, Boots & Burgers is informative, hilarious, heartwarming, inspiring and mouth-watering. Beyond trail descriptions and restaurant info, the book is packed with local attractions and activities, historic tidbits, fast facts, rambling thoughts, big dollops of quirkiness and over 170 vivid color photos. It’s a love letter to Arizona, disguised as a hiking and dining guide. The book retails for $15.95, if you can find it. The book is no longer in print so we don’t carry it, but it is still available in some stores and on Amazon.
Death Valley: Hottest Place on Earth
I don’t often venture beyond Arizona’s borders but as an unrepentant desert rat, I couldn’t resist writing about Death Valley. It’s a place gaunt and weird and unforgiving.
Death Valley is a vast expanse of stark beauty and harsh extremes that attracts visitors from all over the world. The largest national park in the continental United States, Death Valley sizzles but it’s not just the climate. The hottest spot on the globe is one of the coolest places to visit with its golden canyons, caramel sand dunes, gleaming salt flats, and snowcapped mountains.
Read about rocks that sail, fish that survive against all odds and the castle in the middle of nowhere. Death Valley: Hottest Place on Earth is filled with information, history, humor and spectacular photographs. My book will have you itching to slather on the sunscreen, lace up the hiking boots and dive into the bad boy of deserts. Death Valley: Hottest Place on Earth retails for $12.95
Arizona Kicks on Route 66
Did you know Arizona is the state that saved Route 66? It’s an amazing story about an amazing highway. And it’s all captured in my book Arizona Kicks on Route 66.
Route 66 in Arizona crosses stark badlands, cloud-swept plateaus and a desert painted in scandalous hues. The road explores forests of tall pines and forests where trees have turned to stone. It brushes past volcanoes, craters and the ruins of ancient civilizations. Amid the scenic splendor, the highway John Steinbeck referred to as the “Mother Road” passes through small towns and the skeletons of towns. If the Grand Canyon is the heart of Arizona, then Route 66 is the main artery.
Best of all, I lead you to the best homemade pie along the historic highway. It’s a fun, breezy read, like a road trip across the pages. Released in 2012, Arizona Kicks on Route 66 has gone through five printings. The book retails for $16.95.