Visitor Center
The very helpful staff at the Flagstaff Visitor Center
(1 E. Route 66, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, 928/774-9541 or 800/842-7293,
www.flagstaffarizona.org) can answer
your questions and tell you what's happening. The office, downtown in the Amtrak
depot, is open 9 a.m.-4
p.m. Sun. and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; you can pick up literature in the
lobby after hours. Other useful websites include
www.flagstaffcentral.com and
www.flagstaff.com for commercial and community
services and www.flaglive.com with the latest
on arts and entertainment.
Coconino National Forest
The U.S. Forest Service provides information
and maps about camping, hiking, and road conditions in the Coconino National Forest
surrounding Flagstaff at two offices in town and online at
www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino. You can
also ask about visiting archaeological sites—the Coconino has more than 9,000
sites, the most of any national forest.
For detailed information
on the Mt. Elden, Humphrey's Peak, and O'Leary Peak areas north of Flagstaff and
the lake and forest country south of town, contact the Flagstaff Ranger District
(5075 N. Hwy. 89, Flagstaff, AZ 86004, 928/526-0866, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri.);
turn west 0.3 mile on Railhead Avenue from US 89 opposite the Flagstaff Mall.
The Supervisor's Office (1824 S. Thompson St., Flagstaff, AZ 86001, 928/527-3600,
8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri.) on the west side of town covers the entire forest; turn
south on Thompson from W. Route 66 opposite the Maverik gas station.
Arizona Game and Fish Department
This office (3500 S. Lake Mary Rd.,
Flagstaff, AZ 86001, 928/774-5045, www.azgfd.gov,
8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.) provides fishing and hunting licenses and information.
State Trust Lands
If you'll be hiking or camping on these lands, you
can purchase the required 12-month permit at the Arizona State Land Department
(3650 Lake Mary Rd., Flagstaff, AZ 86001, 928/774-1425,
http://www.azland.gov/, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.).
Licensed anglers and hunters pursuing their activities don't need the permit.
Libraries
Looking for a good place to read up on Arizona or to keep
dry on a rainy day? The attractive ski-lodge architecture of the downtown Flagstaff
City-Coconino County Public Library (300 W. Aspen Ave., 928/779-7670,
www.flagstaffpubliclibrary.org/)
makes it an especially enjoyable spot. Hours are 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., 10
a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Many good regional books enrich
the Arizona Collection. Exhibits by local artists and photographers change monthly.
Only people with a library card can use the Internet computers for free; others
pay a small charge. The smaller East Flagstaff Community Library (3000 N.
4th St., 928/774-8434, 1-5 p.m. Sun., 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.,
9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sat.) is on the southwest corner with Lockett Road.
NAU's Cline Library (928/523-6805, http://library.nau.edu,
call for hours) carries many books and periodicals along with free Internet computers.
Hikers can plan trips and copy maps in the Government Documents section. Upstairs,
the Special Collections and Archives Department (928/523-5551,
http://archive.library.nau.edu/index.php,
call for hours) contains an outstanding array of Arizona-related publications and
photos; changing exhibits appear in the entranceway, and you can view thousands
of images online.
The Museum of Northern Arizona (928/774-5211,
ext. 256) has an excellent regional library in the Research Center across
the highway from the museum; call for hours.