Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore(http://www.nps.gov/piro/index.htm)
Pictured rocks has three sections: the colored cliffs for which the lakeshore is named, 12-mile beach, and the sand dunes. The water of Superior is turquoise blue, the cliffs and rock formations are spectacular, and the forests are beautiful. There are miles of trail options, which offer everything from day-hikes to decent backpacking trips. Some areas get a lot of traffic but in our experience it doesn't take long to get away from other people. We recommend this place for everyone.
The Bob Marshall WildernessMore than 1.5 million acres of Montana awesomeness. It would take multiple extended trips to see every section of this wilderness area. We drove 3 hours down a forest road to get to the trail we started out on for our 2010 backpacking trip and didn't see anybody for days. There are some short trip options available but I think this area is best for extended trips for those with backcountry experience. There is a lot of wildlife and some great trout fishing.
(http://www.visitsedona.com/)
If you have never been to Sedona, you must go. The red cliffs are unique and breathtaking. We stayed in a cabin on Oak Creek for our honeymoon and have been to Sedona on many other occasions. Our favorite things there are day hikes, swimming and cliff jumping in Oak Creek, and being touristy in the shops at night. The summers are cooler than in Phoenix and the winters are nice with light snow, so anytime is a good time to go. There are also some nice sized trout in Oak Creek but we haven't had the chance to fish there yet.
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
We have spent many days and nights in various parts of the Sonoran. Our most secluded backpacking experiences have probably been in some of the obscure (but large) wilderness areas scattered throughout Arizona. One of our favorite things to do when we lived in AZ was to find the Sinaqua Ruins that rest atop the foothills from Phoenix to Flagstaff. There are also old mines, springs, streams, lots of wildlife, and plenty of off-trail backcountry options. The downside is that almost everything has thorns, but it isn't all cacti, sand, and snakes like some might think.
While there are a lot of other places we could probably add to the list (Grand Canyon, the CO rockies, Montana in general, etc...), these are some of the places we will probably return to often or frequently recommend to others. If you want more thoughts about some of these places, let us know!
