Things to Do in Prescott Valley

At Lynda Orescanin’s lampwork studio, she melts rods and tubes of glass into silver-studded spheres and delicate aquamarine swirls. Intricately detailed and no bigger than an eraser tip, the glass beads resemble paperweights for a doll’s desk. “I love the way the glass flows,” says Ms. Orescanin. “I love that you can’t rush it.”

Ms. Orescanin brings that same passion and expertise to her shop’s jewelry-making classes. She seeks out striking materials for her students, from Czech pressed-glass beads and Afghan lapis to metal charms cut from recycled filing cabinets. Inside her intimate studio, she strives to create a nurturing, friendly environment that encourages experimentation. Classes allow up to six students to sidle up to the well-lit worktable and try their hand at making jewelry. Ms. Orescanin walks them through the basics of jewelry making, from tool use to beading technique. “People say, ‘Oh, I’m not creative, I don’t know anything about color,’" she says. "But when they finish something, I’m like, ‘Wow, it's magnificent. I would have never thought to put those together in that particular way.”

The highly trained guides at Canyon Rio Rafting spearhead half-, full-, and multi-day expeditions down the Salt River, Rio Chama, and San Juan River. Certified in first aid and versed in advanced wilderness medical and rescue training, they ensure that trips run as smoothly over Class II–IV rapids as a mustache over the foam of a cappuccino. Following romps on oar rafts, paddle rafts, and inflatable kayaks, guides nourish excursionists with gourmet meals.

Alternatively, Canyon Rio Rafting's certified instructors help foster future whitewater navigation by staging courses for guides, rescue technicians, and kayakers.

Artist and glassmaker Jim Antonius erected his studio to continue a four-decade journey with glasswork, including studies at an array of institutions and more than 900 public, private, and corporate commissions, including work for architect Frank Gehry. At the 3,000-square-foot space—located on 2 acres of land near the Prescott National Forest—Antonius and instructor Jordan Ford focus on teaching offhand glassblowing during private classes and group workshops. The studio is also available for rental and is filled with a bevy of equipment, including three annealers, saxophones for blowing practice, three marvers, and a freestanding pot furnace fueled by natural gas.

The certified instructors at Go Stand Up Paddle propagate their passion for serenely skimming the waters during paddleboard lessons for first-time paddlers to aspiring paddleboard racers. The classes range in subject matter from basic skills to prodding aside herds of lake monsters to fitness—incorporating flexibility, cardio, and core-strength exercises into the low-impact, full-body sport. The teachers also lead parties to introduce groups to paddleboarding and help them to celebrate a special occasion, and Paddleboard Adventures, in which they supply the gear, know-how, and midday meal necessary to fuel paddlboarding excursions. Before setting onto the gentle body of water, athletes can rent a board or build their own out of popsicle sticks.

Starting more than a decade ago with self-driven seven-day excursions in northern Arizona and Baja California, Sedona Off Road Adventures has since expanded into scenic day tours, sunset tours, and treks down extreme terrain. Guides dispense geological and historical tidbits as up to 12 Hummer passengers weave through trails tucked behind mountains and navigate obstacles down rougher trails littered with rocks and hitchhiking tumbleweeds. Jeep tours whisk guests 2,000 feet above a pine forest or deep into ancient Indian ruins, and helicopter and Hummer combo tours grant glimpses of Boynton Canyon from overhead before returning customers to terra firma for a trek through primitive trails. Later, clients eager for a chance behind the wheel can enrich their Hummer-piloting ability at driving-school sessions.

Lake Pleasant Watercraft Rentals’ staff helps its customers explore 10,000 acres of water surrounded by the rolling foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The company's three-person Yamaha jet skis speed across the water's surface, sending blasts of mist and churned water into the faces of tailgating pelicans. Nearby, 200 horsepower speedboats create rushes of adrenaline as they tow wakeboards, tubes, and water skis. Pontoon boats take up to 10 passengers on floating picnics and fishing trips, and tours let customers experience the lake without having to learn its fish community’s complicated traffic laws.