Audio Tour
Phoenix to Sedona
117miles
20stops
1h57m
Listen — all 20 stops free
1
Chase Field and Desert Stadium Engineering
Mile 0 — Phoenix
Chase Field, which you may spot nearby as you begin this route through downtown Phoenix, was the first stadium in the United States built with a retractable roof and air…
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2
The Deck Park Tunnel Under Hance Park
Mile 0 — Phoenix
The tunnel you're about to pass through is one of the most significant urban engineering projects in Phoenix history. Completed in 1990, the Margaret T.
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3
Interstate 17 and the Black Canyon Freeway
Mile 6
The road you're on right now, Interstate 17, follows a corridor that was once one of the most difficult routes out of Phoenix.
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4
Sunnyslope's Tuberculosis Tent City Origins
Mile 11 — Phoenix
Those rocky peaks to the east are North Mountain, rising about 2,100 feet above sea level.
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5
Arizona Canal: Ancient Idea, Modern Scale
Mile 17 — Phoenix
You're crossing the Arizona Canal, one of the most consequential pieces of infrastructure in the Southwest.
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6
Carefree Highway and the Northern Sprawl Edge
Mile 24
You're crossing one of the sharpest urban boundaries in the country.
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7
Anthem and the Flag at Daisy Mountain
Mile 30 — Phoenix
That enormous American flag you may spot ahead is one of the largest in the country.
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8
New River and the Groundwater Divide
Mile 38
You're passing through New River, which is misleading because there's rarely any water in it.
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9
Black Canyon City and Its Dark Walls
Mile 46 — Black Canyon City
Black Canyon City gets its name from the dark basalt cliffs you can see flanking the highway through here.
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10
Bradshaw Mountains and the Holiday Bottleneck
Mile 54 — Black Canyon City
Black Canyon City sits at roughly four thousand feet, and this stretch of I-17 is one of the most congested corridors in Arizona during holiday weekends.
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11
Agua Fria River and Perry Mesa Pueblos
Mile 57 — Black Canyon City
The bridge you're crossing spans the Agua Fria River, and you'll cross it again shortly as the highway weaves through this canyon.
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12
Where the Desert Ends and Forest Begins
Mile 57 — Black Canyon City
Over the next fifteen miles, you're going to watch an entire ecosystem swap out in real time.
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13
Arcosanti: The Unfinished Urban Experiment
Mile 66 — Mayer
Nearby is Arcosanti, one of the strangest construction projects in American history.
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14
Prescott Valley and the Lonesome Valley Floor
Mile 77
You're driving through what locals call Lonesome Valley, a broad basin sitting at about five thousand feet elevation.
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15
Fort Verde and the Army Frontier
Mile 89 — Camp Verde
Fort Verde, just off the interstate here in Camp Verde, is one of the best-preserved frontier military posts in Arizona.
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16
The Verde Valley's Ancient Lake Bed
Mile 95
The flat terrain you're driving through was once the bottom of a lake.
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17
Dead Horse Ranch and Cottonwood Smelters
Mile 102 — Cottonwood
Dead Horse Ranch State Park gets its name from exactly what you'd expect.
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18
The Verde Valley Fault and Red Rock Gateway
Mile 109
You're driving through one of Arizona's most geologically active corridors.
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19
Bell Rock and the Vortex Claims
Mile 117 — Sedona
Bell Rock is one of the most photographed landmarks in Arizona, and the reason has everything to do with geology.
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20
Tlaquepaque and Sedona's Sycamore Grove
Mile 117 — Sedona
Tlaquepaque Arts and Shopping Village, right here along Oak Creek, was the vision of Nevada businessman Abe Miller, who in 1971 insisted that every existing sycamore…
0:00
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Listen — all 20 stops free
1
Chase Field and Desert Stadium Engineering
Mile 0 — Phoenix
Chase Field, which you may spot nearby as you begin this route through downtown Phoenix, was the first stadium in the United States built with a retractable roof and air…
0:00
2
The Deck Park Tunnel Under Hance Park
Mile 0 — Phoenix
The tunnel you're about to pass through is one of the most significant urban engineering projects in Phoenix history. Completed in 1990, the Margaret T.
0:00
3
Interstate 17 and the Black Canyon Freeway
Mile 6
The road you're on right now, Interstate 17, follows a corridor that was once one of the most difficult routes out of Phoenix.
0:00
4
Sunnyslope's Tuberculosis Tent City Origins
Mile 11 — Phoenix
Those rocky peaks to the east are North Mountain, rising about 2,100 feet above sea level.
0:00
5
Arizona Canal: Ancient Idea, Modern Scale
Mile 17 — Phoenix
You're crossing the Arizona Canal, one of the most consequential pieces of infrastructure in the Southwest.
0:00
6
Carefree Highway and the Northern Sprawl Edge
Mile 24
You're crossing one of the sharpest urban boundaries in the country.
0:00
7
Anthem and the Flag at Daisy Mountain
Mile 30 — Phoenix
That enormous American flag you may spot ahead is one of the largest in the country.
0:00
8
New River and the Groundwater Divide
Mile 38
You're passing through New River, which is misleading because there's rarely any water in it.
0:00
9
Black Canyon City and Its Dark Walls
Mile 46 — Black Canyon City
Black Canyon City gets its name from the dark basalt cliffs you can see flanking the highway through here.
0:00
10
Bradshaw Mountains and the Holiday Bottleneck
Mile 54 — Black Canyon City
Black Canyon City sits at roughly four thousand feet, and this stretch of I-17 is one of the most congested corridors in Arizona during holiday weekends.
0:00
11
Agua Fria River and Perry Mesa Pueblos
Mile 57 — Black Canyon City
The bridge you're crossing spans the Agua Fria River, and you'll cross it again shortly as the highway weaves through this canyon.
0:00
12
Where the Desert Ends and Forest Begins
Mile 57 — Black Canyon City
Over the next fifteen miles, you're going to watch an entire ecosystem swap out in real time.
0:00
13
Arcosanti: The Unfinished Urban Experiment
Mile 66 — Mayer
Nearby is Arcosanti, one of the strangest construction projects in American history.
0:00
14
Prescott Valley and the Lonesome Valley Floor
Mile 77
You're driving through what locals call Lonesome Valley, a broad basin sitting at about five thousand feet elevation.
0:00
15
Fort Verde and the Army Frontier
Mile 89 — Camp Verde
Fort Verde, just off the interstate here in Camp Verde, is one of the best-preserved frontier military posts in Arizona.
0:00
16
The Verde Valley's Ancient Lake Bed
Mile 95
The flat terrain you're driving through was once the bottom of a lake.
0:00
17
Dead Horse Ranch and Cottonwood Smelters
Mile 102 — Cottonwood
Dead Horse Ranch State Park gets its name from exactly what you'd expect.
0:00
18
The Verde Valley Fault and Red Rock Gateway
Mile 109
You're driving through one of Arizona's most geologically active corridors.
0:00
19
Bell Rock and the Vortex Claims
Mile 117 — Sedona
Bell Rock is one of the most photographed landmarks in Arizona, and the reason has everything to do with geology.
0:00
20
Tlaquepaque and Sedona's Sycamore Grove
Mile 117 — Sedona
Tlaquepaque Arts and Shopping Village, right here along Oak Creek, was the vision of Nevada businessman Abe Miller, who in 1971 insisted that every existing sycamore…
0:00