In this first episode of our seven-part road trip through Arizona, we walk among the ancient cactus forests of Saguaro National Park. Then we saddle up at White Stallion Ranch for legendary guns, dusty arenas and a campfire under the stars with a cowboy poet. It's a journey into the heart of one of the most remarkable deserts in the world, and into the mythology of the American West that this landscape helped shape.

This is Arizona - the Wonder of the Desert.

Episode Highlights:

The Desert Miracle

Hear why Ranger Jordan Camp from Saguaro National Park calls the giant saguaro a "miracle of the desert," and discover the extraordinary biology behind one of nature's most remarkable survivors.

The Symbol of the West

Find out how a cactus that grows only in the Sonoran Desert became Hollywood's defining image of the Wild West, and why the real desert is nothing like the movies.

Guns of the Wild West

Step into the armory at White Stallion Ranch as the resident gunslinger and raconteur lays out some of the most legendary weapons in American history, from the Colt revolver made famous by Wyatt Earp to Billy the Kid's fast-draw pistol.

Cattle Penning

Get into the heart of the action as Aaron, mic'd up and in the saddle for the first time, attempts to herd cattle on horseback at White Stallion Ranch. Spoiler: the cows were not impressed.

The Keeper of the Fire

As the sun drops behind the Tucson Mountains and the saguaros turn to silhouettes on the horizon, gather around a campfire with cowboy poet and musician Buck Helton, and hear a song about memory, tradition and what it means to keep a flame alive.

PLAN YOUR TRIP

This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a road trip you can take. Recorded entirely on location over two extraordinary weeks, Wonders of Arizona follows a new, bookable itinerary designed and road-tested by presenter and award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar (The Times, National Geographic Traveller and more), told through the voices of the people who know these places best. Hear it first, then make the journey your own.

To find out more go to:

USA and Worldwide Listeners: wondersofaz.com (https://www.wondersofaz.com)

UK Listeners: search up Wonders of Arizona at HaysTravel.co.uk (https://www.haystravel.co.uk/destinations/americas/rest-of-usa/arizona/wonders-of-arizona/wonders-of-arizona/) ... Or phone: 0800 408 4048.

Thank you to our guests:

• Ranger Jordan Camp, Saguaro National Park
• The whole team at White Stallion Ranch
• Cowboy poet and musician Buck Helton

FOLLOW VISIT ARIZONA:

Instagram: @visitarizona

Facebook: @visitarizona

CREDITS:

The Wonders of Arizona podcast is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Field recording and audio production by Jason Paton. Pre-production and itinerary by Brian Thacker. Produced by Armchair Productions for Visit Arizona.

In this second episode of our seven-part road trip through Arizona, we head for the Sky Islands: isolated mountain ranges that rise out of the desert like islands from a sea. This is the most biodiverse region in North America, where jaguars and ocelots still roam and more than half of the continent's bird species have been recorded.

We take a nature tour with one of the country's foremost naturalists and survival experts, then head for Mount Lemmon, passing through six ecological zones in just 35 minutes. In terms of natural habitats, that's the equivalent of traveling from Mexico to Canada. At the top, we rope up for a Native American-led rock climb to hear what this remarkable eco-system means to the people who have lived here for thousands of years.

This is Arizona - the Wonder of the Sky.

Episode Highlights:

Islands in a Sea of Desert

You may never have heard of the Sky Islands, but naturalist Vincent Pinto says there's nowhere on the continent more alive. From hummingbirds and hawks to jaguars and golden eagles, life is everywhere in these mountain islands and the sea of grass between them. Take a nature tour with Vincent and discover this ecological wonder for yourself.

The Art of Seeing

Walk the trails of Raven's Nest Nature Sanctuary as Vincent teaches the art of truly seeing nature. Meet a rabbit that eats its own scat, a plant that smells like grandpa's couch, and the smallest butterfly in North America.

Stone Age Survival

Discover how to turn a rock into a knife sharp enough to use as a scalpel, taught by a wilderness survival expert who has consulted for TV shows including Marooned with Ed Stafford.

Navajo Heights

Travel to the top of Mount Lemmon with Diné (Navajo) climbing guide Aaron Mike, and hear why climbing is how he feels most connected to his heritage, and to the stories his people tell about the land.

PLAN YOUR TRIP

This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a road trip you can take. Recorded entirely on location over two extraordinary weeks, Wonders of Arizona follows a new, bookable itinerary designed and road-tested by presenter and award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar (The Times, National Geographic Traveller and more), told through the voices of the people who know these places best. Hear it first, then make the journey your own.

To find out more go to:

USA and Worldwide Listeners: wondersofaz.com (https://www.wondersofaz.com)

UK Listeners: search up Wonders of Arizona at HaysTravel.co.uk (https://www.haystravel.co.uk/destinations/americas/rest-of-usa/arizona/wonders-of-arizona/wonders-of-arizona/) ... Or phone: 0800 408 4048

Thank you to our guests:

• Vincent Pinto, Ravens-Way Wild Journeys and Raven's Nest Nature Sanctuary: ravensnatureschool.com
• Aaron Mike, Altitude Mountain Guides: altitudemountainguides.com

FOLLOW VISIT ARIZONA:

Instagram: @visitarizona

Facebook: @visitarizona

CREDITS:

The Wonders of Arizona podcast is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Field recording and audio production by Jason Paton. Pre-production and itinerary by Brian Thacker. Produced by Armchair Productions for Visit Arizona.

In this third episode of our seven-part road trip through Arizona, we explore one of the most unusual national parks in America: Petrified Forest. But this isn't like any forest you've ever seen. Here, giant trees that fell more than 200 million years ago have turned to stone, their insides glowing with reds, purples and yellows and their crystals sparkling in the sun. There are many places in the world where you can see fossils, but this is one of the few where you can actually reach out and touch them.

We hike through fire-painted badlands and fields of rainbow-colored logs, uncover 13,000 years of human history carved into the rock, and go behind the scenes with the paleontologists still unearthing creatures from the dawn of the dinosaurs.

This is Arizona - the Wonder of the Forest.

Episode Highlights:

A Forest Turned to Stone

Walk among the fallen giants of the Rainbow Forest on the Giant Logs Trail, home to "Old Faithful," a petrified log almost ten feet wide at its base. Then follow the Crystal Forest Trail, where quartz glitters along the path like stars in the midday sun.

Into the Painted Desert

Travel the park's single 28-mile scenic road through badlands striped like candy corn and past the Tepees, cone-shaped hills banded in rust and white.

Back to Time

Travel back more than 200 million years with Dr. Bill Parker, to a time when Arizona lay near the equator and looked more like Costa Rica than desert. Picture towering conifers lining an Amazon-sized river, ferns and cycads underfoot, and not a flower or blade of grass anywhere. Then find out how volcanic ash turned those fallen trees to stone.

Messages in Stone

Discover 13,000 years of human history, from Ice Age spear points made of petrified wood to an ancient pueblo built from it.

A Real-Life Jurassic Park

Go behind the scenes with lead paleontologist Dr. Adam Marsh as he reveals the skull of a Postosuchus, a crocodile relative that looked like a T. rex and ruled this land more than 200 million years ago. It's one of only a handful ever found.

What's Latin for Funky Worm?

Find out why paleontologists named the world's oldest known caecilian after a 1970s funk song, and hear our humble request for the next new species found in the park.

PLAN YOUR TRIP

This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a road trip you can take. Recorded entirely on location over two extraordinary weeks, Wonders of Arizona follows a new, bookable itinerary designed and road-tested by presenter and award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar (The Times, National Geographic Traveller and more), told through the voices of the people who know these places best. Hear it first, then make the journey your own.

To find out more go to:

USA and Worldwide Listeners: wondersofaz.com (https://www.wondersofaz.com)

UK Listeners: search up Wonders of Arizona at HaysTravel.co.uk (https://www.haystravel.co.uk/destinations/americas/rest-of-usa/arizona/wonders-of-arizona/wonders-of-arizona/) ... Or phone: 0800 408 4048

Thank you to our guests:

• Dr. Bill Parker, Chief of Science and Resource Management, Petrified Forest National Park
• Dr. Adam Marsh, Lead Paleontologist, Petrified Forest National Park
• Matthew Smith, Museum Curator, Petrified Forest National Park

Plan your visit: nps.gov/pefo

FOLLOW VISIT ARIZONA:

Instagram: @visitarizona

Facebook: @visitarizona

CREDITS:

The Wonders of Arizona podcast is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Field recording and audio production by Jason Paton. Pre-production and itinerary by Brian Thacker. Produced by Armchair Productions for Visit Arizona.