Flagstaff AZ (May 23, 2013) – For those ready to sing the praises of summer from the mountaintops, Arizona Snowbowl’s Scenic Chairlift Ride will be lifting our thoughts to the warm outdoor season with expansive views, from Sedona’s Red Rocks to the Grand Canyon, starting Memorial Day Weekend!
Soaring above the forest, surrounded by volcanoes and looking out from the highest point in the region, the summer season begins at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 25, ready to carry families, vacationers and sweethearts to Arizona’s only arctic alpine tundra at 11,500 feet where hawks and eagles glide and where ancient bristle cone pines – a remnant species from the ice age – appear to grow sideways from windy, icy winters. The chair lift gains 2,000 feet in elevation and is 6,400 feet long.
Once open the Scenic Chairlift Ride will operate Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holiday Mondays continuously from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., through mid-October. The popular Family Fridays return on the second Friday of each month bringing with it extended lift hours and a FREE barbeque dinner with each Skyride ticket purchase after 3 p.m.
At the top of the chairlift, an Interpretive Ranger will greet visitors, sharing information about the ecosystems and wildlife in the area. “Also, this is one of the few places on the Earth’s surface you can see the four primary types of volcanoes and you don’t have to move!” said National Park Service Interpretive Ranger John Westerlund.
On a crystal clear northern Arizona day, visitors will be able to take in a nearly panoramic view including the vertical wall of the Grand Canyon’s North Rim some 70 miles away, the Red Rock Country to the south, and the above-ground ammunition bunkers at Camp Navajo to the west where a prisoner of war camp existed during World War II.
At the base of the chairlift, the Peak Side Café offers lunch and snacks at Snowbowl’s Agassiz Lodge with live music on the deck.
“With the abundant moisture we experienced this winter, we are seeing nature respond with lush green grasses and ferns. The deer are starting to come out and the wildflowers will be in bloom soon,” said Ksenia Hartl (Marketing).
Vacationers will find their forest get-away at the rustic Ski Lift Lodge & Cabins at the foot of the mountain. Summer packages are available now, which include two Scenic Chairlift Ride tickets and breakfast.
“The Ski Lift Lodge makes a great base camp for enjoying northern Arizona’s high country for hikers, bird watchers and sight seers,” said Hartl. “Now that temperatures have started to heat up in the Valley, the Scenic Skyride is the perfect way to cool down!”
Scenic Skyride tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for juniors (ages 8-12) and seniors (ages 65-69). Those under 7 or over 70 ride for free! For more information, log onto arizonasnowbowl.com.
