Tell you what, if you've ever made the run up to the Grand Canyon from Flagstaff, you've probably passed this place without even knowing it. I read over at Family Destinations Guide that there's a park in Flagstaff with a playground and a dog park that most people blow right past on their way to the Canyon, and it got me thinking about how many times I've done exactly that. Headed somewhere big, ignoring something good sitting right alongside the road.

Now I can't vouch for every swing set and fence post from here in Missouri, so I won't try. What I can tell you is what a park like that is worth to a traveling family. Anybody who's ever hauled a dog across three states in a truck cab knows what a fenced patch of grass means after a long day of driving. And a playground is the same deal for kids. There's nothing glamorous about it, but it's exactly what you need when you need it.

And that's kind of the whole point. Flagstaff sits right where folks are passing through, whether they're coming down old Route 66 or rolling in off the interstate on their way north to the Canyon. You could let the kids burn off that backseat energy, walk the dog, eat a sandwich, and get back on the road human again. Instead most of us grip the wheel and push through, and everybody arrives at the campground cranky and stiff.

I learned this lesson the hard way years ago, coming back from a fishing trip on Lake Mary just south of town. My buddy's kids had been folded into the back seat since sunup and by Flagstaff they were squabbling like tomcats in a burlap sack. We stopped at a park much like this one, gave them thirty minutes to run, and the last two hours of that drive were peaceful as a church picnic. Thirty minutes was all it took.

Flagstaff itself deserves more credit than it gets as a stop instead of a pass-through. It's a real mountain town, not some roadside strip. Cool summers, snow in the winter, pine trees thick enough you'd almost think you were back in the Ozarks if the rocks weren't so red. The folks at Family Destinations Guide reckon the park is worth a stop, and I reckon they're right.

Now, is this some hidden natural wonder that'll change your life? No. It's a park. But my standard has always been the same whether I'm testing a truck or a campsite or a pit stop: does it hold up when it matters? And a park with a playground and a dog run, sitting in a mountain town on the way to one of the busiest natural attractions in the country, holds up just fine.

So next time you're headed up to the Canyon, or rolling through Flagstaff on old Route 66, do yourself a favor. Pull over. Let the dog stretch. Let the kids holler for a bit. The Canyon has been sitting there for millions of years and it'll keep another half hour.