Travel, Lodging, and Weather
Hotel:
We have reserved a block of 75 rooms at La Quinta Inn and Suites in Flagstaff for the nights of October 5-9, leaving
on the 10th.
The room rate is $99/night plus tax (10.458%).
To make a reservation as part of the "Lowell Observatory" block, you must call the hotel:
1-928-556-8666 (local AZ number) or 1-800-642-4239 (toll free number).
Unfortunately, you cannot specify the reservation block by reserving online.
Please remember to specify that you are part of the "Lowell Observatory" group.
Check in time is 3 pm and checkout time is noon.
Reservations need to be canceled by 3 pm on the
day of your arrival, or you will be charged for one night's stay.
Reservations must be made by September 5 to be part of the Lowell Observatory group.
The address of the hotel is 2015 S. Beulah Blvd., Flagstaff, AZ 86001.
We will run vans from this hotel to Lowell and back, but carpooling is encouraged.
Participants staying at other hotels will need to take care of
their own transportion.
Information about
other local hotels and Northern Arizona's tourist attractions
may be found at the Flagstaff Chamber
of Commerce.
Particpants looking for a roommate:
- Jason Young, jey128@psu.edu
Air travel:
The greatest flexibility is available by flying to
Phoenix, renting a car there, and driving 3 hours to Flagstaff.
If you need to stay overnight in Phoenix, here is a page of
airport hotels.
Flying to Flagstaff itself is also possible. The commuter flight from
Phoenix to Flagstaff on US Airways
is highly recommended for those who enjoy looking out the windows of
airplanes (sit on the 'A' seat side of the aircraft).
Don't be surprised, though, if you have to call
for a taxi once you arrive in FLG. If you want a rental car
in Flagstaff, we strongly advise you to make advance reservations at the
Flagstaff airport. Upon leaving the airport, take I-17 north into town.
Driving Directions, Phoenix to Flagstaff:
Depart the Phoenix
airport and head west. Follow signs for I-17 North
from the airport (I-10 West will also take you to I-17).
Simply stay on I-17 for about 150 miles until you reach Flagstaff and
I-17 turns into Milton Road upon entering Flagstaff.
At the first stoplight as you enter Flagstaff, turn left onto Forest Meadows,
go one block and at the stoplight turn right.
The drive takes you through a variety of ecosystems beginning with
concrete/asphalt, moving through creosote/saguaro, then
pinyon/juniper, and ending in ponderosa pine.
Shuttle Service, Phoenix to Flagstaff:
Arizona Shuttle
offers a shuttle service between the Phoenix airport and Flagstaff.
It costs $41 one way if you make your reservation on-line.
The shuttle will drop you at the Amtrak train station downtown.
You can take a taxi from there, or there is limited rental car availability
with a desk in the train station (Hertz).
Particpants looking for a ride between Phoenix and Flagstaff:
- Jason Young, jey128@psu.edu
Directions to Lowell Observatory:
From I-17, you'll enter Flagstaff going north on the main artery,
Milton Road. Continue north on Milton (towards
the mountains), favoring the left lane. Just after you go under the
railroad overpass, get in the left turn lane and make a sharp left
onto Santa Fe Avenue, westbound. Santa Fe transforms into Mars Hill
Road, bearing right at the foot of the hill (there is a
sign for Lowell Observatory).
Park in the main parking lot in front of the Steele
Visitor Center. The meeting and reception
will take place in the Visitor Center.
Weather
Weather in Flagstaff (elevation 7000 ft/ 2100 m) in October
is often sunny, dry, and cool, but snowstorms are also a possibility.
Average daytime high and night-time low
temperatures for early-October are around 62 F (16.7 C) and 32 F (0 C),
respectively. We will be in a heated but open tent for dinners, so a warm jacket for
the evenings is recommended.
Smoking
Please note that Lowell Observatory has a No Smoking policy everywhere on Mars Hill.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Restaurants
Here is an OLD restaurant guide put together for meetings long past. We have removed restaurants
that are no longer in business, but have not updated it with all "new" establishments:
Restaurant Guide.
Local Attractions
Here is an incomplete guide to local attractions. Above all, you MUST see the Grand Canyon:
Attractions.
