Phoenix Dawn Hot Air Balloon Ride over Valley of the Sun

Valley of the Sun is what Phoenix and the cities packed around it are called, and at dawn from a basket the name reads as geography rather than branding: a wide flat basin with mountain ranges standing around the edge of it. Meeting is on N Glen Harbor Blvd, early enough that the balloons are still being laid out on the ground in the half dark. The flight runs about 45 minutes. What happens before take-off is worth turning up alert for. The envelopes go from flat fabric to full height in front of you, cold air first from the fans and then heat from the burners, and only after that does anyone climb into a basket. Once you are up, the ground below is the Sonoran Desert and Deer Valley, with the built-up floor of the basin spread out between the ranges. Mimosas are poured once everyone is back down. Flight times shift with the season because sunrise does, so check the timetable against your own dates rather than assuming a fixed hour. One thing worth stating plainly about the rating on this page: the ride shows five out of five, and that average rests on a single review. It is one passenger's verdict rather than a track record.