Where the desert breeze meets the mountain air…
I found a new favorite small town in AZ…a town that I am fantasizing about having my weekend/summer getaway house in…
Elevation 4,850 feet. Population less than 700. It’s a good 15-20 degrees cooler than Phoenix in the summertime.
You get there from Phoenix by driving through Wickenburg to SR 89 and then heading up a beautiful hill that ascends 2,500 feet in 4 miles. It’s an awesome drive and we saw very little traffic going up the hill. And it only takes about an hour and a half to get there from Phoenix.
Lots of granite boulders everywhere. And, lately, it is becoming known as an artists’ colony…as you can tell by many whimsical touches here and there…
That’s just a small sampling. I never saw so many metal yard animals as in Yarnell…big ones, elephants, giraffes, bears…also saw stained glass and mosaics on several houses.
It was so fun that I think we’ll head back in a week or 2 and get a little more of the local “flavor.”
In a future post, I’ll show you Yarnell’s main (only?) tourist attraction.
This is the sign I was looking for in Yarnell but we did not come back to Phoenix the same way so maybe it is at the other entrance to the town…much funkier than the one I photographed above.
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It looks like a beautiful place to be.
Comment by Lisa Gordon August 1, 2012 @ 4:30 pmSeems so wonderfully peaceful.
I remember visiting there. It’s surprising that it has remained relatively unchanged!
Comment by montucky August 1, 2012 @ 8:41 pmYeah, I don’t know why but it’s pretty nice that it’s still unspoiled. Most of the people I mention it to have never been there and some have never even heard of it.
Comment by Candace August 1, 2012 @ 9:37 pmLet’s hope it stays that way!
Comment by montucky August 1, 2012 @ 10:06 pmI hike up into the Weaver Mts just past the cool metal art. Gorgeous little town. Shhhh, don’t tell too many people about it.
Comment by geogypsy2u August 2, 2012 @ 10:02 pmI’m glad you found such a delightful place closer to Phoenix and that much cooler. Very interesting series. Now I’ll have to look up Yarnell on the map to get a pictures of its location in my mind.
Comment by Don August 3, 2012 @ 8:07 amMaybe that whimsical bird will flap its wings, take off, and fly all the way to Austin.
Steve Schwartzman
Comment by Steve Schwartzman August 4, 2012 @ 2:03 pmhttp://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com
Yarnell… hmm, never been and now you’ve put it on my radar! That sign is cool, you definitely need to find it the next time.
Comment by kristasta August 6, 2012 @ 9:20 am