If you drive on 89A for about 30 minutes away from Sedona, you'll wind your way up to Jerome, a quirky former mining town that's now an odd mix of ghost town, artists' galleries, boutiques and frontier kitsch. (89A is the key to everything; coming…Read More

If you drive on 89A for about 30 minutes away from Sedona, you'll wind your way up to Jerome, a quirky former mining town that's now an odd mix of ghost town, artists' galleries, boutiques and frontier kitsch. (89A is the key to everything; coming from Sedona, you'll go through Cottonwood to get to Jerome.)

Once a copper mining town, Jerome had lost population steadily into the 1950's. Gradually, however, the town remade itself into an artists' haven and tourist attraction. So, even though one portion of the town has been made into the official "ghost town" section (see photo), which consists of lots of interesting and old abandoned vehicle, the living part of the town combines shops, galleries and eateries in and inbetween some very old buildings. Many of the restored buildings have plaques that will provide you with history (for example a brief story about the old jail that literally slid across the street because of all of the mining blasting).

So you can wander in and around buildings, some of which are bustling meccas (the art galleries, for examples) and others which are now just facades (like the old JC Penny building in the photo).

Make your first stop the visitors' center (see photo), a decorated trailer staffed entirely by volunteers. Even if the "be back later" sign is up, you'll still be able to get a map of the town that will allow you to wander. Look at the map and you'll see where the old jail was; the old JC Penney Building (now just a facade) and a pioneer-era movie theater, where an old movie camera parked on the sidewalk sits at the door.

Jerome feels like the kind of place that people choose because of the challenge and the desire to get away from malls and chatter.
We were told by a local resident that the houses, which seem to cling to the mountains, can be purchased by cash only-no banks will issue mortgages.

Travel by car up the twisty roads,following the hand-lettered signs directing you to the "ghost town." Along the way you'll pass all sorts of abandoned cars, trucks and school buses (including one that had one been converted into a home) that are, oddly enough, neatly arranged along the road. Eventually you'll reach a parking lot adjacent to a trinkets store.

The store is staffed by a white-bearded man who could easily have stepped right out of a pioneer movie. He can talk to you about a wealth of subjects, and judging by his conversations with the tourists, he knows detailed information about every state in the union. If you want to wander through the ghost town part of Jerome, you'll need to pay this man $4.00 to pass through the back door of the trinkets store and into the abandoned part of town. If you like to poke through and around old cars, buses and the interesting discards of lives from long ago, pay the $4, go through the door and you're there.

If junk heaps aren't your thing, fear not. Drive back down the windy roads and park in town, where you'll find galleries, 2 stores selling fudge and a several blocks of stores tucked into centuries-old buildings.

The art galleries feature a range of talent and prices, and you'll be able to find everything from hand-carved wood wine stoppers ($10) to hand-decorated fabric eyeglass cases (also$10) to photographs, acrylics and oils on every subject imaginable.

Most folks will recommend the Haunted Hamburger for lunch, a bustling place perched into the mountain. The service was friendly, the place was crowded, but the food wasn't nearly as haunting as the name. We had burgers that were overcooked and a big slab of carrot cake--relatively dry and forgettable.

We wish we had tried Grapes, owned by the same folks who own the Tavern Grille in nearby Cottonwood. Next time! Still, an afternoon of wandering the streets and the galleries was time well spent.

Unfortunately we made the mistake of taking the Verde Canyon Railroad train ride from nearby Clarksdale (see our entry), but in hindsight we should have just headed straight for Elote and dinner and drinks.

Next stop: Elote for dinner and margaritas!

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I grew up just below the town of Jerome, only 13 minutes down the hill from where all the ghosts are supposed to be. In grade school we all had ghost stories, most of them would include the old Jerome hospital--a place notorious for spirits…Read More

I grew up just below the town of Jerome, only 13 minutes down the hill from where all the ghosts are supposed to be. In grade school we all had ghost stories, most of them would include the old Jerome hospital--a place notorious for spirits from the other side. To me these were stories for children and tourists, making the town more attractive and mysterious to visitors, and I didn't buy into any of it.

Now, I am 22 and have been to many exotic places and seen important pieces of art in even more important museums, but I am still drawn to Jerome with a otherworldly intensity. I'm not saying that I now suddenly believe all the stories I heard, just that I can't not go to Jerome when I return home. I look up at Mingus Mountain and see it perched there, almost like it is clinging to its own history, and I have to make the drive up. When I am there it feels more like home than Cottonwood (my home town, just at the bottom of Mingus Mountain).

I still know most of the people living there, and can walk into my favorite cafe (The Flatiron Cafe), crack jokes with the Baristas, and drink my Triple Mezzo in peace. Up town is usually crawling with tourists so I stay only briefly enough to grab my coffee (oops, I meant life blood), and then take off with my camera to wander the back streets. The old houses look like aged people with walkers that keep them somehow grounded to the earth, and the people look like people do anywhere...but they smile and say hello. Sometime between the cobble stones and the three black cats that cross my path, I am usually in the mood to visit the graves.

A short drive puts me on a hillside that looks out over the Verde Valley, but if you turn around it is the best view of Jerome you can get. The graves aren't well marked, but you can tell that they were all young guys, lots of them from Italy, all of them miners who lost their lives to Jerome. This is where you can feel the ghosts. Even if you don't believe in them, there is a sadness that will surround you as you walk from grave to grave, reminding you of what sacrifices people make to be here, to build this town as an escape from their countries. When you leave you might need a drink...I recommend THE SPIRIT ROOM... Close

Some of the most rugged, remote and beautiful landscapes, besides the marvel of a quite long man-made suspension bridge walkway, can be seen along the Verde River in the Tonto National Forest of central Arizona. From I-17 turn down Bloody Basin Road--a dirt path which winds…Read More

Some of the most rugged, remote and beautiful landscapes, besides the marvel of a quite long man-made suspension bridge walkway, can be seen along the Verde River in the Tonto National Forest of central Arizona.

From I-17 turn down Bloody Basin Road--a dirt path which winds for miles and miles past dry gulches, proud stands of Saguaro, and up and down narrow mountain passes with hairpin turns. A glance down a sixty foot drop reveals the abandoned sluice rack of a forgotton gold claim. A glance up a hill catches a family of wild pigs, actually not really pigs but Javalinas. They race the jeep momentarily, then dodge behind a hillside of cacti. Yet another glance downwards and the wreck of an old--1920's vintage automobile is detected.

Sheep Bridge is located three miles north of Horseshoe Reservoir. It was built 1942/1943 by the Flagstaff Sheep Company for the purpose of getting 11,000 sheep back and forth across the Rio Verde. Sheep Bridge, otherwise known as Red Point Sheep Bridge, had a three foot walkway 476 feet in length. It was condemned by the US Forest Service in 1984, the last sheep having crossed in the spring of 1979.

A new bridge was commisioned and completed in 1989--the old one having been demolished and hauled away. Now only campers and hikers herd across it after a three hour trip by vehicle.

Want to try it from Phoenix?

Drive North on I-17 and turn east on Bloody Basin Road (FR 269). Drive 36 miles on the rough and rugged path. There are closer ways to do it if you care to ford the river to save time. Send me an IgoUgo message if you'd like to hear them.

I went up the mountain and experienced the very interesting town of Jerome, Az. I ate at the Red Rooster Cafe and it was the best lunch I have ever had. The meatloaf sandwich was awesome and big enough to split with my…Read More

I went up the mountain and experienced the very interesting town of Jerome, Az. I ate at the Red Rooster Cafe and it was the best lunch I have ever had. The meatloaf sandwich was awesome and big enough to split with my friend. They had some unique beers and a limited but exciting wine list. I really enjoyed the experience and I will visit Jerome again soon. There are several restaurants but the Red Rooster has a very interesting menu with items I have never seen anywhere else.

The whole town is amazing. Each street is higher than the one before it and all the houses seemed to be perched precariously on the mountain. There is a great historical museum and so much to do and see that I would recommend an overnight stay at the Grand Hotel, The Ghost Town Inn, or one of the intimate bed-and-breakfasts in town. The shopping is amazing, with lots of art galleries and many unique, one of a kind shops. Close