Northern Arizona University

 

Flagstaff is in Northern Arizona on the Colorado Plateau at an elevation of 7,000 feet. In April severe weather is possible, but with global warming, we expect a mild winter.

Please visit this sight for an update on weather expectations just before you leave for Flagstaff.

US Airways/America West supplies five round trips daily from Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix to Flagstaff. If you are on a US Airways hub, this may be the way to go. (Five flights equal 250 passengers per day, so book early.)

You may choose to fly to Las Vegas and make the 3.5 hour drive that crosses Hoover Dam—another great way to get to Flagstaff and an opportunity to return to Vegas on Saturday with a Sunday flight back to your home.

If you are within a seven-hour drive—from New Mexico, Arizona, southern California, southern Nevada, and parts of Utah—we recommend that you drive. The drive from Flagstaff to the pier in Santa Monica takes about seven hours with LA traffic—the same time it takes to fly from Flagstaff to LAX.

Traveling from Phoenix to Flagstaff

1.  Open Road Shuttles offers five $76 round trips (2006 rates) between points in Phoenix, including Sky Harbor Airport, and the Flagstaff Amtrak Station. Travel time is three hours each way. On-call ASC/NAU shuttles can transport you to the hotel of your choice.

2.  Car rentals: All major car rental companies serve Phoenix, an approximate 2.5 hour drive to Flagstaff and one of America's most scenic routes if you can make it in daylight hours. Avoid the 3 – 6 p.m. traffic in Phoenix.

3.  Taxicab service from Phoenix is $140+ one-way fare, not bad for two or three travelers.