Debunking 4 Myths About Arizona

Debunking 4 Myths About Arizona

As the leaves are falling and we’ve already had our first snow here in Flagstaff, we thought it would be a good time to talk about some myths about Arizona. The Grand Canyon State contains some of the most majestic and awe-inspiring landscapes on the planet. Hatch River Expeditions loves our home state and wants to share the beauty with anyone and everyone. We’ll debunk these 4 myths about Arizona below.

It’s All Sand and Cacti

Though most people imagine Arizona to be entirely desert filled with saguaro cacti or red rock desert vistas of Grand Canyon or Sedona, our state is actually very diverse geographically. With three distinct physiographic regions, Arizona is the perfect state to get the geology studies on.

The Colorado Plateau is an elevated region spreading across multiple Western states and down into northern Arizona. The southern border of the plateau is the Mogollon Rim in central Arizona, which is a cliff that extends 115 miles long. Much of the higher elevations of the plateau in Arizona is covered in Ponderosa pines, the largest contiguous patch of them in the country. From Sedona over to Payson, this dramatic elevation drop slopes down to the juniper and Gambel oak covered desert below.

The next region lies just south and west of the Colorado Plateau and is called the Transition Zone. This is a mountainous and scrubby forested area that marks the transition into the next zone called the Basin and Range Province.

This region is in the southern and western areas and lies at the lowest elevations in the state, which also means it’s the hottest zone. This area features successive mountain ranges separated by large, broad basins. Here lies much of the iconic desert area. These mountain ranges are often called “sky islands” because they are forested, high elevation areas surrounded by low elevation deserts. Bears, deer and other forest creatures live in these areas, and in fact Mount Lemmon near Tucson has a ski range.

It’s Hot Everywhere

Flagstaff – where the Hatch office is located – is a high elevation city at 6,910 ft (2,106 m). It consistently ranks in the top snowiest cities in the country (sometimes in the top 10!), averaging about 100 inches a year. Also, Flagstaff is one of the metropolitan areas with the most nights per year below freezing, which puts it in close company with Fairbanks, AK and Duluth, MN.

On the other end of the thermometer, there are many areas of the state that get well over 100 degrees in the summer. In 2024, the Phoenix metropolitan area spent 113 days over 100 degrees. Flagstaff has never officially reached 100 degrees, and rarely gets above 90.

On most Grand Canyon trips you can expect the stereotypical Arizona weather – hot and dry. The evenings are often in the 70s which provides perfect temperatures for camping. If you go during monsoon season though, be prepared for short but intense dumps of rain in July and August.

A person hiking on the snow-covered Bright Angel Trail in Grand Canyon.

It Doesn’t Rain

Wrong. Very wrong. Averages vary throughout the state but rainy season takes place in the summer which means Arizona gets some pretty massive rain storms. Monsoon rains can bring huge downpours and many an Arizonan waits all year for this season. This time of year also brings out phenomenal, iconic sunsets. The desert after a rain is like nothing else on the planet and everyone should experience it at least once in their life.

The Seasons Never Change

Though it is true that many a retiree moves to Arizona to avoid the snow and cold from northern states, it would not be correct to think that there are no seasons.

Especially at high elevation, the state goes through a full cycle of seasons just like many other states. Over half the state is over 4,500 feet above sea level. The aspens on the San Francisco Peaks – which reach up to 12,633 feet – just north of Flagstaff draw lots of people every October.

Snow often falls throughout the state in winter – sometimes even in the low desert! Springtime in Arizona provides beauty like nowhere else on the planet. The splendor of a cacti bloom enhanced by the quail coos shows the light side of life in the desert.

Did you believe these myths about Arizona? Come visit and see what else surprises you about our incredibly diverse state!