Strawberry cabins

The diminutive mountain town of Strawberry often gets mashed up with its equally teensy neighbor, Pine, as in Pine-Strawberry. Both towns, located north of Phoenix, earned their monikers honestly, as wild strawberries and towering pines thrive in this tranquil setting on the lip of the Mogollon Rim. They’re located in what’s known as Rim Country, named for its spectacularly steep cliffs — some plunging as much as 2,000 feet to the rim floor — that comprise the Mogollon Rim’s 200-mile expanse, which offers stunning views of the Arizona landscape. The surrounding wilderness is home to hiking and horseback trails as well as cool, sparkling lakes perfect for boating, swimming, and fishing. Strawberry and Pine offer the charms of smalltown life, including antique shops, a lavender farm, and a microbrewery that serves ale brewed with pine cones. How much closer to nature can you get than that?

Spring and summer are high season here, especially for visitors seeking relief from hot Arizona days in the cooler mountain environs. The Pine-Strawberry Summer Fest draws June crowds with street vendors selling crafts and food — including, of course, strawberry treats. On holiday weekends (Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day) the Pine-Strawberry Arts and Crafts Guild hosts juried craft fairs, and in fall, vendors bring out their best treasures at the Pine-Strawberry Antique Show, which also features a chili cookoff. Things slow down during winter and temperatures drop and snow falls, making it a quiet and cozy time to stay in one of Strawberry’s cabins.

Fossil Creek

Like a mirage, this lush oasis is a gloriously unexpected sight within the desert landscape about an hour southwest of Strawberry. Fossil Creek’s most dramatic feature is a roaring waterfall that gushes 20,000 gallons a minute into a network of springs at the bottom of a canyon where visitors can plunge into cool, topaz-colored water. Ringed by greenery, you’ll feel like you’ve stumbled onto an island paradise in landlocked Arizona.

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

Just 16 minutes’ drive from Strawberry lies what many believe to be the world’s largest natural travertine (limestone) bridge. This picturesque rock formation is 183 feet high and 60 feet thick at points, with a 150-foot-wide, 393-foot-long tunnel underneath. You can access it via a selection of hikes of varying difficulty and from four observation decks. In a hurry? You can see it from the parking lot, too.

Strawberry Schoolhouse

Built in 1884, this one-room affair is the oldest standing schoolhouse in Arizona. Built of pine timber and heated with a wood stove, this little school was a tad fancier than others built during the same time. It was appointed with wainscoting, wallpaper, and an organ. Restored and maintained by the Pine-Strawberry Archaeological and Historical Society, it is open to the public from May through mid-October on weekends and holidays.