This is the Eastern Arizona & Rim Country chapter from Lonely Planet's Arizona guidebook.

From vast stands of Ponderosa pine to saguaro-studded Sonoran desert, from low-lying lava fields to grassy alpine meadows, the midsection of Eastern Arizona has some of the most varied landscapes in the state.

• plunge through the rapids and float over the flats on a multiday rafting trip through the Salt River Canyon
• maps
• get a better understanding of why some Native American tribes proudly allied with the US Army against other Indians, at the museum at Fort Apache
• transportation
• escape from the barren volcanic desert into the cottonwood-shaded canyons at the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area
• restaurants & accommodations

Coverage includes: I-40 (Route 66) to New Mexico, Meteor Crater, Winslow, Holbrook, Petrified Forest National Park, Rim Country, Payson & around, Show Low, Pinetop-Lakeside, White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation, Greer, Springerville & Eagar, Coronado Trail Scenic Road, The Gila River to the Salt River, Safford, San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, Globe, Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park, Apache Trail Scenic Drive and Tonto National Monument.