Maps and Tourist Information

The Arizona Office of Tourism (1110 E. Washington St. Ste. 155, Phoenix, 602/364/3700, www.arizonaguide.com) is happy to help visitors plan a trip to the Grand Canyon State, and its comprehensive guide and website, which includes videos and slide shows, are excellent resources for tailoring a trip to your individual interests.

The Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau (602/254-6500, www.visitphoenix.com) offers loads of information for visitors and new residents about the Valley of the Sun. Its Downtown Phoenix Visitor Information Center (125 N. 2nd St. Ste. 120, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri.) is conveniently located across from the main entrance of the Hyatt Regency Phoenix.

Arizona’s top attraction is its incredible landscape, and there seems to be a stunning formation or unique geological feature off every highway exit. To chart out the state’s national parks and monuments, visit the website for the National Park Service (www.nps.gov/state/az). Not to be outdone, the Arizona State Parks system (1300 W. Washington St., Phoenix, 602/542-4174, www.azstateparks.com) is among the best in the country. Learn more about the parks’ diverse habitats and natural attractions by visiting the website or the office in downtown Phoenix.

Area Codes and Time Zones

The Grand Canyon State has five area codes, three of which are dedicated to the Phoenix metropolitan area: 602 for Phoenix proper, 623 for the West Valley, and 480 for the East Valley, including Scottsdale. Sedona and the rest of northern Arizona are assigned 928, while Tucson and southern Arizona were given 520.

Free-spirited Arizona is never one to be told what to do by the rest of the country, and that sentiment extends to something as basic as time. Officially, the state is a part of the mountain standard time (MST) zone, along with Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. Unlike the rest of its western brethren, though, Arizona does not observe daylight saving time, and instead of its clock springing forward in March, it instead syncs up with Pacific daylight time. Why the difference? Well, in the hot desert, the last thing Arizonans need is more daylight. The “extra” hour of darkness at night means residents can take advantage of cooler temperatures earlier in the evening.

There is one exception to the exception: The Navajo reservation, which takes up a sizable portion of the northeastern part of Arizona, does observe daylight saving time, so that all of its land, which stretches into the neighboring Four Corners states, is on the same schedule.

© Jeff Ficker from Moon Phoenix, Scottsdale & Sedona, 1st edition