Eastern Arizona: Places to Explore

Snowflake-Taylor

Snowflake-Taylor is a good jumping-off point for exploring Eastern Arizona. The towns are also a less crowded alternative for summer trips into the nearby White Mountains. Most Phoenix weekenders head for the higher towns, so Snowflake and Taylor don't get the crush of summer visitors that results in higher prices at hotels and restaurants. Sandwiched between the White Mountains and the Colorado Plateau, the communities enjoy year-round pleasant weather, with summer highs in the 90s. Yes, it snows in Snowflake, but it seldom lasts more than a day. It's also an easy day trip to the Petrified Forest.

Snowflake and Taylor were settled by Mormons in the 1870s and named for Mormon church leaders. Snowflake's unusual name is a combination of Erastus Snow, an apostle in the early Mormon church of Salt Lake City, and William Flake, one of the town founders. One of Arizona's two Mormon temples sits on Temple Hill (to the west of Snowflake), and the towns still have a large Mormon contingent in their combined population of 9,000. You can take a walking tour of Snowflake's historical district, with pioneer homes and antiques stores.