Flagstaff is a great place to take a walk. For one thing, the summer weather is gorgeous! Plus, there’s the Flagstaff Urban Trail System (FUTS), a network of over 56 miles of walking and biking paths throughout town.
Wheeler Park
When we were in Flagstaff recently, I wanted to take Quijote on a short walk before we went to meet up with family. I found a nice little quarter-mile route downtown from Wheeler Park to Heritage Square.
Wheeler Park has a central location with free parking nearby. I recognized the park name from Happenings List events that take place there, like Flagstaff Art in the Park.
I had done a quick search, and it didn’t seem like anything like that was scheduled for that day.
Unexpected Hullabaloo
But there was. The sidewalks got more crowded the closer we got. The street we planned to turn on to get to the park was completely closed. As we circled around the block, we realized the entire park was fenced off. And so was the parking lot.
The cause of all the hullabaloo was, in fact, Hullabaloo.
The “fun and funky” festival that had taken over the park was Hullabaloo Flagstaff, an annual community celebration that also raises money for local non-profits. It somehow had completely eluded my search results.
An Even Shorter Walk
When we finally did start our walk, Quijote had been sitting in the sun and was already approaching being overheated. (These days he gets too hot or too cold pretty quickly.)
So we went as far as the Orpheum Theater, and then turned back towards the car to get Quijote cooled off.
If we hadn’t been running so far behind already, we may have found a lunch spot with a shaded patio and let him cool off there. (Diablo Burger was temptingly close by!)
But it was time to leave downtown Flagstaff for the day and move on.
Getting Around Downtown Flagstaff (+ Beyond)
Even the center of a smaller city can have a lot going on that makes it tricky for visitors to navigate. Here are a few tips I’ve learned…
1. Get on Your FUTS
Get a physical Flagstaff Urban Trails System map at City of Flagstaff offices or find the PDF version on their site. The FUTS map will also show you which paths are paved, which ones are specifically for bikes, where you’re likely to see wildlife, where to find water fountains, and where there are bus stops along the trail. It’s especially helpful since these trails don’t necessarily show up on Google Maps.
2. See what’s going on
I had kind of forgotten about Flagstaff365.com, but they have a pretty comprehensive event listing that you can filter by date, venue, etc. I bet if I had checked there first, I would have known about Hullabaloo Flagstaff.
3. Maybe skip the parking…
…and take public transit instead.
Mountain Line Day Passes are just $2.50. Bring exact change to pay on the bus.
2 bus lines stop near Wheeler Park:
- Route 2 – Blue, stop #28
- Route 5 – Orange, stops #2 and #30
4. But if you must drive…
Watch for Downtown Flagstaff parking signage that lets you know if you can park in a certain space and if it has a time limit.
- City and County lots are free after 5pm on weekdays and all day on weekends. (Employees only during the workday.)
- Pay-by-plate system: Instead of parking meters, pay at centralized kiosks by entering your license plate number and using a credit/debit card or (at certain kiosks) cash.
- The Flowbird app allows you to pay for parking and extend your time. It has a $0.23 per transaction fee.
- Pay-to-Park spots are $1/hour starting at 9am daily. These lots (and curbside parking spaces) are free after 5pm Sunday—Thursday and after 8pm Friday—Saturday.
