Arizona Highways Magazine

Arizona Highways guidebook knows its way around northern Arizona

Arizona Highways guidebook knows its way around northern Arizona

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Arizona Highways guidebook knows its way around northern Arizona

Arizona Highways guidebook knows its way around northern Arizona

May 18, 2018

Arizona Highways Guidebook 2018 cover

By Peter Corbett / ADOT Communications

Arizona Highways covers a lot of ground with its new Arizona Guidebook featuring scenic photographs and spelling out where travelers can hike, drive, dine and sleep.

Part One of the 160-page travel book covers northern Arizona attractions, including Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, Route 66 and the Navajo Nation. Flagstaff, Williams, Sedona and Jerome are also featured.

The folks at Arizona Highways, published by ADOT, know their way around. They’ve been exploring the state since 1925 when roads were dirt and road trips were dusty.

The guide is available in bookstores and at ArizonaHighways.com.

Part Two of the Arizona Guidebook, due in fall 2019, will offer travel tips on Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, Tombstone, Bisbee and other towns in central and southern Arizona. It will also feature the White Mountains and Chiricahuas.

Arizona Highways magazine is in all 50 states and more than 120 countries.

Arizona Highways offers new guidebook on northern Arizona

Arizona Highways offers new guidebook on northern Arizona

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Arizona Highways offers new guidebook on northern Arizona

Arizona Highways offers new guidebook on northern Arizona

May 14, 2018

PHOENIX – Northern Arizona, home to some of the country’s most scenic areas, is the focus of a new travel book produced by Arizona Highways magazine.

Arizona Guidebook, Part One, now available in bookstores and at ArizonaHighways.com, offers tips on places to eat, sleep, hike, drive and take beautiful photographs across the region.

The 160-page soft-cover book features detailed travel information about Flagstaff, Sedona, Williams, Prescott, Jerome, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and the Navajo Nation, Lake Powell and Route 66. It also contains stunning photographs by Arizona Highways contributors.

The book, the first of two about travel across Arizona, is the latest in Arizona Highways’ collection of guidebooks on subjects including camping, hiking, scenic drives and photography. The second guidebook in this series will be available in fall 2019.

Arizona Highways, produced by the Arizona Department of Transportation, has subscribers in all 50 states and more than 120 countries and is regarded as the authority on Arizona travel. It also publishes a variety of coffee table books and a popular calendar.

For Arizona Highways, a great photo is worth $3 million

For Arizona Highways, a great photo is worth $3 million

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For Arizona Highways, a great photo is worth $3 million

For Arizona Highways, a great photo is worth $3 million

April 3, 2018

PHOENIX – The iconic Arizona Highways magazine is known as much for its award-winning photographs of Arizona’s beautiful landscape as for its stories of Arizona history and landmarks. One of those special photographs – by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Jack Dykinga – also gets credit for a popular specialty license plate that has raised more than $3 million to help fund the magazine.

The license plate carries a photograph of a sunset at Saguaro National Park west of Tucson. Nearly 182,000 Arizona drivers have purchased the plate since its introduction in 2009. 

“We needed a distinctive image to set the plate apart,” said Win Holden, publisher of Arizona Highways, which is produced by the Arizona Department of Transportation. “The simple beauty of this plate is what has drawn so many people to it. It’s a great billboard for our state and for our magazine.”

The dramatic license plate even has attracted the interest of drivers who aren’t familiar with the magazine. When Editor Robert Stieve approached a woman at a mall to thank her for supporting the magazine, she told him she only bought the license plate for its beauty and because it complemented the color of her car.

License plate sales, along with income from subscriptions, calendars and books, help fund the magazine, which doesn’t receive money from the state budget. Much of the money raised through license plate sales is used for marketing and circulation programs.

Sales of the license plate have increased each year since it was introduced nine years ago. Fiscal year 2017, which ended last July, saw a record 29,680 plates sold, raising $504,560. This fiscal year, sales are on pace for more than 30,000 plates and more than $514,000 in revenue.

Arizona Highways began as a simple newsletter in 1921 and became a magazine in April 1925. From the beginning, it contained travel stories and scenic photographs. In the early years the photos were black-and-white, and the magazine contained page after page detailing the Arizona Highway Department's (now the Arizona Department of Transportation’s) road-building projects. Editors added cartoons to liven up those pages.

Arizona was one of several states to develop a magazine to entice drivers to explore their newly developed roads. Of these magazines, none dates as far back or has featured the iconic photography that has made Arizona Highways a national treasure.

Dykinga worked as a photographer for the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times before moving to Tucson, where he was a photographer for the Arizona Daily Star until 1985. His photos have appeared in Arizona Highways, National Geographic and other publications.

For more information on Arizona Highways, please visit ArizonaHighways.com.

Avondale collector has December 1930 edition sought by Arizona Highways

Avondale collector has December 1930 edition sought by Arizona Highways

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Avondale collector has December 1930 edition sought by Arizona Highways

Avondale collector has December 1930 edition sought by Arizona Highways

November 27, 2017

PHOENIX – The search for an 87-year-old edition of Arizona Highways magazine has a happy ending.

Dennis Chandler of Avondale, who collects all things Arizona, responded when editors of the magazine, produced by the Arizona Department of Transportation, said they were looking for a December 1930 edition to complete its digital library.

“You name it – if it’s Arizona and collectible, I collect it,” Chandler said.

After one of his neighbors heard about the search through a Phoenix-area radio station’s news report, Chandler reached out. Arizona Highways editors are scanning the edition page by page and will return it.

Chandler, an Arizona resident since 1946, has a collection of more than 3,000 Arizona history books, including bound volumes of Arizona Highways dating to 1937.

“I’m a strong proponent of kids learning Arizona history,” he said. “Anything I can do to perpetuate that, I’m all for.”

Arizona Highways began as a simple newsletter in 1921 and became a magazine in April 1925. In the late 1930s, editor Raymond Carlson changed what had been an engineering-focused journal into a tourism-oriented magazine with travel stories and scenic photographs. Arizona was one of several states to develop magazines to entice drivers to explore their newly developed roads. Of these magazines, none dates as far back or features the spectacular photography that has made Arizona Highways a national treasure.

Arizona Highways takes home 10 top prizes in prestigious awards

Arizona Highways takes home 10 top prizes in prestigious awards

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Arizona Highways takes home 10 top prizes in prestigious awards

Arizona Highways takes home 10 top prizes in prestigious awards

October 31, 2017

PHOENIX ‒ Arizona Highways has won 10 top prizes, including Magazine Writer of the Year and Photographer of the Year, from the International Regional Magazine Association.

At the association’s recent meeting in Banff, Canada, the Arizona Department of Transportation-produced magazine took home 22 awards in all, the most in the competition, and was a finalist for Magazine of the Year for work published in 2016.

“State highways are key commerce corridors not only because of commercial travel but because so many are drawn to the beauty of Arizona’s open spaces,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “Arizona Highways has been an ambassador to people around the world for almost 100 years, and it continues to excel.”

Frequent Arizona Highways contributor Matt Jaffe won Magazine Writer of the Year for pieces about the history of thick-billed parrots in Arizona, the David and Gladys Wright House in Phoenix, trading posts still operating on tribal lands and historic fire lookouts.

Adam Schallau, who specializes in photos of the Grand Canyon, won Photographer of the Year for several of his appearances in Arizona Highways.

Other 2014 gold winners in writing were:

  • Public Issues: Terry Greene Sterling, “Cutting It Down to Size”
  • Historic Feature: Matt Jaffe, “Quite Wright”
  • Essay: Craig Childs, “The Sound of Fallen Trees”
  • General Feature: Annette McGivney, “Across the Great Divide”
  • Department: Staff and contributors, “The Journal”
  • Photo Series: Multiple photographers, “This Land is Your Land”
  • Portrait Photo: David Zickl, “Out of the Ordinary”
  • Portrait Series: David Zickl, “Getting Your Face Wet”

The International Regional Magazine Association was founded in 1960 to support and promote regional magazines in the United States and elsewhere.

Founded in 1925, Arizona Highways is dedicated to promoting travel to and through the state of Arizona. In addition to the world-renowned magazine known for spectacular landscape photography, Arizona Highways publishes travel guide books, calendars and other products to promote travel in Arizona. The magazine has subscribers in all 50 states and more than 110 countries.

Learn more at ArizonaHighways.com.

Please help locate a bit of Arizona Highways history

Please help locate a bit of Arizona Highways history

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Please help locate a bit of Arizona Highways history

Please help locate a bit of Arizona Highways history

October 17, 2017

PHOENIX – Since it began showcasing the state’s beauty and diverse landscapes, Arizona Highways has been a collector’s item. People around the country have not only subscribed but held on to the monthly issues of the magazine, produced by the Arizona Department of Transportation, so they could go back again and again to look at the photos and read about the history.

Now Arizona Highways needs a little help finding a piece of its history, in this case a December 1930 issue to add to its digital collection.

“We know that many of you are collectors,” editors shared on the magazine’s Facebook page. “Is there any chance one of you could give us a hand in locating a copy?

Editors say they’d like to have a copy of the December 1930 edition to keep, but they’d gladly scan and return the edition if the owner wants to keep it.

Arizona Highways began as a simple newsletter in 1921 and became a magazine in April 1925. From the beginning, it contained travel stories and scenic photographs. In the early years the photos were black-and-white, and the magazine contained page after page detailing the Arizona Highway Department's (now the Arizona Department of Transportation’s) road-building projects. Editors added cartoons to liven up those pages.

Arizona was one of several states to develop a magazine to entice drivers to explore their newly developed roads. Of these magazines, none dates as far back or has featured the iconic photography that has made Arizona Highways a national treasure.

If you can help by sharing a December 1930 edition of Arizona Highways, please contact the magazine through its website at arizonahighways.com.

Behind the scenes at Arizona Highways, still going strong after 92 years

Behind the scenes at Arizona Highways, still going strong after 92 years

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Behind the scenes at Arizona Highways, still going strong after 92 years

Behind the scenes at Arizona Highways, still going strong after 92 years

August 15, 2017

Arizona Highways Magazine

By Angela DeWelles / ADOT Communications 

When you walk into the Arizona Highways office, you quickly get a sense of how far the magazine has evolved during its 90-plus year history...

Sitting near downtown Phoenix, the building has served as the magazine’s headquarters for more than five decades. Old publications still live there, including the magazine’s first issue from 1925. Books and photos from the more recent past also share the space with signs of the magazine’s future, like page mockups for an upcoming issue along with new posters and books ready for sale.

Maintaining the magazine’s legacy, while also considering a modern audience, is what drives Editor Robert Stieve and the rest of the Arizona Highways editorial staff.

“There’s a challenge in trying to be fresh at the ripe old age of 92, but it is an exciting challenge,” Stieve said.

Back in the beginning

The magazine got its start in April 1925 as a sort of trade magazine aimed at engineers. It was launched by the Arizona State Highway Department shortly after state legislation passed giving the department authority to enter into the magazine business.

On the text-heavy pages of its first issues, the magazine included articles and advertisements focused mainly on highway planning and construction, engineering methods, and finances.

Making a magazine

While still a part of ADOT, today Arizona Highways operates as a colorful, photo-filled consumer magazine that highlights the state’s culture, profiles people, reviews restaurants and features travel articles.

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Barbara Denney & Keith Whitney

Roughly half of the stories are authored by freelance writers each month, while the rest is written by the Arizona Highways editorial staff, Stieve said.

Photos, which play an enormous role in the magazine’s success, are submitted by freelance photographers and Photography Editor Jeff Kida. The shots are all reviewed one by one when the staff meets for a monthly image review.

“We want to see what resonates with the staff,” said Stieve, adding that it’s a challenge to impress them because they’ve all seen some stellar photography through the years.

Once the content is set, the art department designs the layout and the magazine is ready to print.

Building the brand

Arizona Highways Production Director Michael Bianchi oversees the printing and distribution of the magazine and its many related products. His team ensures more than 100,000 issues get printed each month for subscribers and the newsstands.

The cost of postage and paper is always on the team’s radar, along with potential topics for books.

“[The magazine alone] does not pay to run this operation,” Bianchi said. “We have to supplement it with other revenue streams and we have quite an inventory of books that we have published.”

Arizona Highways has about 30 active titles that get reprinted frequently, said Bianchi, adding that the calendars produced by Arizona Highways are also big sellers.

Stieve explains that the books, calendars and other items all help to further the Arizona Highways brand.

“We’ve become marketers,” said Stieve, adding that the magazine has a large audience on social media who might not be interested in a traditional print subscription, but may be more likely to purchase a poster or travel guide. “As subscriptions decline, which is happening to all magazines, we’re looking for ways to create new revenue streams.”

Looking toward the future

Kelly Mero, who serves as associate publisher and director of sales and marketing, works closely with major retailers to ensure Arizona Highways magazines and products are stocked in stores like Costco and Barnes & Noble. His team has also developed licensing deals (airport gift shops and a locally produced television show use the Arizona Highways name for a fee) and continues to seek out future partnerships.

The magazine’s digital efforts include a website and an online edition of the magazine.

“We’re also looking down the road at developing an app, but we’re trying to do that very strategically,” Mero said.

While the magazine business continues to change, Stieve says he believes Arizona Highways will last.

“Arizona Highways is a very unique thing,” Stieve said. “The magazine is a state treasure and something for all of us to be proud of.

Arizona Highways magazine recognized for excellence

Arizona Highways magazine recognized for excellence

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Arizona Highways magazine recognized for excellence

Arizona Highways magazine recognized for excellence

September 23, 2016

PHOENIX – Arizona Highways, a world-renowned magazine that has been sharing stories and dramatic photography of Arizona for almost as long as the state has had roads, added to its reputation for excellence with 20 awards at this month’s International Regional Magazine Association conference.

The magazine, published by the Arizona Department of Transportation, won five first-place Gold Awards, including one for the April issue celebrating the 90th anniversary of Arizona Highways, which published its first edition on April 15, 1925.

Other Gold Awards presented to Arizona Highways for work in 2015:

  • David Muench, Magazine Photographer of the Year for the December issue;
  • Eric Hanson, for his graphic accompanying a Route 66 feature in the May issue;
  • Editor Robert Stieve, for his monthly editor's letter;
  • and Ben Coan, whose photo of Mooney Falls in the Grand Canyon opened The Journal, the magazine’s introductory column, in October.

Arizona Highways also earned seven Silver Awards, four Bronze Awards and four honorable mentions. The magazine won 11 IRMA awards in 2013 and 16 in 2014.

“The magazine’s strong showing at the IRMA awards this year underscores the nearly 93 years of publishing excellence at Arizona Highways magazine,” Publisher Win Holden said. “I was pleased that the magazine’s creative team received recognition in every major category of publishing: writing, design, photography and illustration.”

Among the Silver Awards presented to Arizona Highways were Annette McGivney in the Magazine Writer of the Year category; Scott Baxter for portraits of Clayson Benally (March); Craig Childs for his essay The Long Deep Trails of Water (June), and the magazine’s website, arizonahighways.com.

IRMA, founded in 1960, supports and promotes regional magazines in the United States and elsewhere. Arizona Highways has hosted the conference four times, most recently in 2012.

Gold Awards

  • Editor's Letter: Robert Stieve
  • Single Photo: Ben Coan, Let There Be Light, October
  • Magazine Photographer of the Year: David Muench, December
  • Graphic: Eric Hanson, On the Road Again, May
  • Special Focus: 90th Anniversary Issue, April

Silver Awards

  • Headline and Deck: Robert Stieve, She Knows Dam Well, March 2015
  • Essay: Craig Childs, The Long Deep Trails of Water, June
  • Magazine Writer of the Year: Annette McGivney
  • Portrait Photo: John Sherman, Table of Contents, August
  • Portrait Series: Scott Baxter, Their Souls Blend in a Soft Whisper, March
  • Illustration: Jon Foster, Of Prehistoric Proportions, May
  • Companion Website: arizonahighways.com

Bronze Awards

  • Public Issues: Annette McGivney, For Land's Sake, July
  • Profile: Kathy Montgomery, Sir David, December
  • Reader Service Article: Noah Austin, Robert Stieve and Kelly Vaughn Kramer, Weekend Getaways, January
  • Department: The Journal

Awards of Merit

  • Historical Feature: Kayla Frost, Of Prehistoric Proportions, May
  • Nature and Environment Feature: Annette McGivney, Ba'cho, August
  • Art Direction of a Single Story: Barbara Glynn Denney, Jeff Kida and Keith Whitney, The Blue, July
  • Cover: Barbara Glynn Denney, Salt River Canyon, November

Arizona Highways shows off its wild side in latest book

Arizona Highways shows off its wild side in latest book

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Arizona Highways shows off its wild side in latest book

Arizona Highways shows off its wild side in latest book

June 17, 2016

Arizona Wildlife Guide

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

If you enjoy receiving your Arizona Highways magazine in your mailbox each month – and even if you aren't a subscriber yet – you should check out the publication's coffee table books and guides. The Arizona Highways Wildlife Guide just came out, and it documents 125 native species in full-color photography with informative descriptions, conveniently organized by animal type.

Arizona-based naturalist Brooke Bessesen, who wrote the guide, is a Phoenix Zoo veterinary technician and scientific writer.

The guide is available at ArizonaHighways.com now. You can also pick up the book beginning June 30 at Costco, Barnes & Noble, Changing Hands Bookstore, and Amazon.com.

Did you know that Arizona Highways, a publication of the Arizona Department of Transportation, publishes more than 20 books? They include:

Arizona Highways 100 Greatest Photographs is a full-color, hardcover book featuring 208 pages of the best photographs to ever appear in Arizona Highways magazine.

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100 Greatest Photographs to ever appear in Arizona Highways Magazine

Outdoor lovers can find their next adventure in the Arizona Highways Hiking Guide or the Arizona Highways Camping Guide.

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Arizona Hiking and Camping Guides

There's even a book for the kids. Arizona Highways Backpacks of the Grand Canyon takes your children through the canyon, helping them identify unique plants and animals along the way.

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Zackary Z. Packrat: Backpacks the Grand Canyon, by Brooke Bessesen

In addition to books, the Arizona Highways store also offers everything from holiday cards to dinner mugs and even socks printed with scenes from the Southwest.

Arizona Highways goes wild: New wildlife guidebook now available

Arizona Highways goes wild: New wildlife guidebook now available

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Arizona Highways goes wild: New wildlife guidebook now available

Arizona Highways goes wild: New wildlife guidebook now available

June 15, 2016

PHOENIX – As Arizona’s summer travel season begins, residents and visitors will take to the outdoors and, with a little research and a keen eye, catch glimpses of the wildlife that calls this state home.

Arizona Highways Wildlife Guide, available now at ArizonaHighways.com, documents 125 native species in full-color photography with informative descriptions. The guide features Arizona’s most frequently viewed mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and fish, all shown through photographs from Arizona Highways contributors. It’s a resource for any outdoor enthusiast who spends time hiking, fishing, camping and exploring Arizona’s natural beauty. 

The wildlife guide is authored by Brooke Bessesen, an Arizona-based naturalist who travels worldwide to study animals in their habitats.

It will be available at Costco, Barnes & Noble, Changing Hands Bookstore and Amazon.com on June 30.

Published since 1925, Arizona Highways magazine has subscribers in all 50 states and more than 100 countries, and is regarded around the world as the leading authority on Arizona travel. In addition to the wildlife guidebook, Arizona Highways publishes guidebooks on hiking, camping, fishing and photography, along with a number of coffee table books. Arizona Highways magazine is a publication of the Arizona Department of Transportation.

For more information on Arizona Highways magazine, or to purchase a subscription or a book, visit ArizonaHighways.com.