If you live in Arizona, like my family does, having outdoor fun in the summer requires a bit of creative thinking. Not only does the temperature regularly top out at over 110F, the ultraviolet rays of the sun are extremely dangerous. I’m not a fan of sunscreen (nor UV rays) so try to avoid the sun as much as possible. So I’ve decided to write about how to have fun under the Arizona moon. That’s right, outdoor fun after dark here in Arizona.
Go For a Night Hike
My dad is a member of the local Search and Rescue organization so let me preface this by saying only go on a hike night with an experienced hiker, in an area that you are familiar with, and with the proper preparations. My dad has taken the kids and I on night hikes before and they are a lot of fun. Everyone gets to wear a headlamp, we pack extra flashlights just in case, and we’re always on the lookout for rattlesnakes and other desert fauna.
We got rained on during this night hike.
Head to the Water Park
The local water parks often offer evening time hours in the summer. There are two benefits to this – first you don’t have to deal with sunscreen and all of its toxicities and second the price is often discounted. For example, Golfland Sunsplash in Mesa has Night Splash on Friday and Saturday nights from 7pm until 11pm and Rock N’ Slides on Thursdays from 7pm until 11pm and admission is less than $15 for each of these events. Even though it is dark, the temperature is still well over 100F and so the water is nice and refreshing.
Stargazing
The Arizona desert is an ideal place to stargaze, especially if you go to the edges of the city where there is less light pollution. We live in one of these communities so we can go outside and look up at the night sky and see the stars. If you have an iPod Touch, iPhone, or an iPad I’d like to suggest the Star Walk application.
With Star Walk, you point your GPS-enabled device at the sky and it shows you the starts, planets, constellations, etc that are right above you. Even though the kids are getting adept at locating Orion’s belt, the Big Dipper, and some planets, this application lets us find everything that is visible in our night sky…on that specific night.
Although you don’t have to wait until the sun goes down to have outdoor fun in Arizona, it certainly provides a more hospitable environment for everyone (including parents that don’t like the heat hehe).
If you live in Arizona, what are your favorite nighttime outdoor activities? If you don’t live in Arizona, what do you do in your community for outdoor evening time fun?
