After the bakery we headed to Francis Short Pond. There are limited fishing options in Flagstaff…read moreand the Pond was the most convenient for our day. I didn't have high hopes, based on my experience with community fishing ponds in Phoenix and other cities. The nearby elementary school didn't make me feel better. I was expecting to see a Cheeto bag or Subway sandwich floating in the pond. When we arrived, it turned out to be much more picturesque than I was expecting. There were lots of ducks quacking and hoping that a kid had brought some food to throw in; this happened twice. I spotted three fishermen, including one who caught two trout while we were there. The highlight was seeing a hawk with a trout in its talons. We didn't see the hawk scoop the fish out of the water, but we did see it slowly circle the pond, struggling with the weight of the fish and fighting the wind, until it could fly back to its perch.

We came to this pond in the middle of January, and it was partially frozen, but still nice. It's a…read morepond. There are ducks. What else can I say?

We've been to Lake Mary a handful of times now... We typically spend some time every summer in…read moreFlagstaff and try to go paddleboarding at least once during our time there. This year was no exception... However, we went to Lower Lake Mary this year and were shocked to see that there was no water there! We went to Upper Lake Mary instead (just another 5-10 min drive), and fortunately, there was water there... Not the biggest or cleanest lake, but it does the job. On a beautiful summer day, you'll likely see other people there enjoying the water on motor boats, kayaks, paddle boards, etc... It's worth a visit if you're in the area - just keep your expectations in check!

Was a quick stop here during a day trip to flagstaff. It was too hot and so we couldn't stay for…read morelonger here and also water level was less since summer dried off most of the water and even water was yellow and not very clean. But still it is a great spot for having water fun once the water level increases. Day out or picnic with water activities for any family. It's big lake and plenty of space.

Beautiful Lake Mary, Flagstaff Arizona!! Decided to come…read moreand have a look at Lake Mary unfortunately Lower Lake Mary is a dry land with weeds growing in it but Upper Lake Mary has some remnants of a water or like that used to be full at one time water is dirty but a nice view to see. People here are very active so you see a lot of people walking their dogs on the trail of Lake Mary.

Everyone note: this rental shop is not near the lake. Therefore they have to tie the rented kayak…read more(etc) to you own vehicle. The distance is about five miles on the highway and there is a $9 park charge to launch into the lake. Just a heads up as I don't believe this is clear going into it.

August 14, 2015 Infinite Adventures (www.infiniteadv.com) is…read morethe company you want to book with if you want a true wilderness experience in Alaska. The owners, Dave and Natalie, are highly experienced on group and adventure travel. From your first night in a hostel to 19 more nights (Alaska Salmon Run) at various levels of camping you will have the opportunity to challenge yourself in the wilds of Alaska. You will see many animals that you may never have thought to see in their own habitats behaving as they should. You will see amazing landscapes and have the chance to walk on a Glacier. The value for your money is excellent. That said there are some things you must bring to the venture. You need an open mind. This is a group experience and you will meet many different personalities - most from other countries. Some will be critical of you or difficult and some will be delightful. You need a strong will. The trip will challenge you physically while you adjust to temperature extremes and various hiking opportunities. You need to be flexible. The phrase "this is Alaska" covers all kinds of happenings around timing and resources. Dave and Natalie do their best but not every detail is under their control. You have to be willing to fully participate. Setting up and cleaning up campsites and meals are a group effort. Dave and Natalie work hard to accommodate diets. We are vegan and although some of our meals were uninspiring, we did not starve. The tents are spacious and easy to set up. There are plenty of camp chairs, dishes, and utensils. We recommend you bring a 2-3 inch (5-7.5cm) sleeping pad (REI has good ones), and a sleeping bag rated ro 30 degrees F (-1 degree C) as well as a camp pillow for comfort. A liner for your sleeping bag is a big help keeping you warm. You don't need lots of clothes - just layers. There are at least 3 places on the trip where you can do laundry. Finally remember the wilderness is not next door. There will be at least 4 long bumpy bus rides from one location to the next with a few shorter bumpy drives as well. You will often be surprised by animal sightings and amazing vistas for which Dave stops so you can take pictures. This was not a vacation, it was an adventure for us. If adventure is what you seek and you are willing to take advantage of the many opportunities that Dave and Natalie will provide, this is the travel company for you.

From the owner: Small group overland adventures throughout North America focusing on national parks, camping,…read morehiking, wildlife viewing and telling stories around the campfire. Experience travel in some of the most picturesque places with like-minded adventurers from all over the world.

I love this lil store so much. We came by twice over the weekend while camping for all our lil…read moreneeds (extra snacks, drinkies, and trout bait). They have a HUGE selection of all sorts of things you might need or forget while camping!!! We forgot our marshmallow roasters. BOOM: $4 roaster sticks. I got a hook stuck in my hand. BOOM: Hydrogen peroxide. The folks running the store are so sweet and were very helpful with us renting canoes for the day too! We signed our paperwork inside and then the guys helped us load it onto our cars and showed us how to strap em down. I don't have roof racks so they loaned us pool noodles which worked perfectly! Thank you to all the folks we met this weekend!!

We had a hard time finding the bait we needed elsewhere around town but were pleased to find this…read moreone was stocked up. The prices were decent and worth paying for just for the sake of not driving around town any more. The staff are friendly.

This crew does it right! Spent five days with Jeremy on the Thunder river / Deer Creek trails at…read morethe Grand Canyon. I had next to no real backpacking experience going into this trip. Learned a ton about the landscape, geology, biodiversity, and how to survive in the back country (def would not have survived on my own for a bunch of different reasons). Take note, this trip is absolutely worth the work and investment but absolutely critical you come correct (train for real). This is not for the light-hearted, mental and physical toughness required. Thanks again Jeremy and the Four Seasons team.

We are two sisters in our 70s who wanted to do some hiking in the Grand Canyon to honor our parents…read morewho honeymooned there. I was the less experienced hiker and wanted my sister to be able to enjoy the hike without worrying about me. So, I hired Four Seasons Guides for a day hike in February. We had a wonderful experience, and I can't recommend them highly enough. Our guide, Steve, was charming, knowledgeable, very experienced, and took very good care of us. We had our own packs and poles, but he had some on hand just in case. Breakfast fruit and muffins were provided as well as a hot lunch set up as a picnic and snacks for the trail. My sister was anxious to get on with the hike, and I was always stopping to look at the view or ask Steve some random question about canyon geology or history (which he always knew the answer to). Somehow, due to his expertise and great people skills, we both came away thinking we each had the perfect day. Steve took away all the worry about the weather, route, wildlife (there were elk on the trail and several donkey trains passed us) and made the hike much more fun and interesting. Also, other experienced local hikers that we met on the trail let us know that Four Seasons Guides were the best and we were in good hands. If you want a fun, worry free day I highly recommend them.

TREMENDOUS experience! Use this crew if you ever plan to take a grand canyon raft trip!read more

Ask for Captain Kelly!…read more I recently did 187 mile raft with a group of geologists to go see many famous sites along the river. Due to Covid, our diverse crew (most older, up to 76 years old), and rapids, I was nervous. The second I met our boatman Kelly all my fear washed away. She is absolutely the most capable navigator I have ever experienced, an excellent leader, and exudes confidence and a positive attitude at every moment. Even though we had a geologist who was guiding our science chat, Kelly added the historical stories, naturalist lectures, and humor. I also noticed she was already aware of the geologic significance of the sites. Our swamper Thad was an energetic and hilarious asset who compliment Kelly really well and also took great care of us. They made us feel so safe and comfortable and are very professional (I noticed a lot of other river guides out there drinking and smoking at night and felt so lucky our guides were responsibly tending to camp or sleeping instead). Every night Kelly got dressed up and cooked us amazing meals, including warm cakes from scratch with a Dutch oven. We didn't go home any thinner. If you get this crew with Hatch, you are lucky! I will ask for them next time.

Houston, we have a problem. Race Outfitters, we have a solution!…read more Amazingly helpful and knowledgeable staff. They're particularly helpful with handicap accommodations suggestions. My hubs has a condition that causes shakiness and instability. They were so cordial and acted like that was no big deal and were able to offer solutions for him to be able to do XC with me. Huge selection of everything you could possibly need or want for a day of snow fun. They do complete rentals and of course sales as well. Prices and policies were reasonable. I would definitely use them again. Thank you for helping us to have the perfect trip!

Maybe the strangest retail experience ever. We stopped in during our vacation in Flagstaff to shop…read morefor some hiking shoes. It seemed like half the store was 40% off so we looked around then went to the shoe section. I found some full price Merrell shoes to try. The clerk was having a conversation with a customer about possible Grand Canyon hikes which was interesting....for the first 5 minutes. Made eye contact with the clerk but nothing, just kept talking about hikes and never about the shoes being tried on. Got up and looked for someone else to help but no one available after a lap of the store. Went back to the shoe department, the clerk was STILL talking about hikes and ignoring me standing there with the shoe. Put the shoe back on the shelf, we left and spent our money elsewhere. While we don't give off the hardcore "outdoors" vibe this store is definitely not as cool as they think they are. We were also ignored when first walking through the store while hearing another customer being offered help. Good thing there are a dozen other stores selling the same stuff within a square mile of old downtown. Maybe why so much of the merchandise was 40% off?