Phoenix is a rapidly growing Sun Belt City attracting transplants from all around the country for work, retirement, and life. The summers are long and hot, but that’s a fair tradeoff for most people there, considering the mild winters, low humidity, and abundant sunshine.
Phoenix’s location in the south-central part of the state puts it within half a day’s drive of many great destinations all around Arizona. Here are some favorites to check out the next time you’re near Phoenix!
Lake Havasu
The most popular Colorado River lake is Lake Mead, but that’s a good 5-6 hours from Phoenix. Lake Havasu is much closer, and it’s a popular destination for people wanting some aquatic recreation and an escape from the heat.
Grand Canyon Caverns
These caverns are located near the border of the Hualapai Indian Reservation in a remote, scenic area between I-40 and the Grand Canyon. There’s also a hotel there in case you want to make this more than just a stop along your way. In fact, there’s even an underground motel room you can rent!
Montezuma Castle National Monument
This monument is dedicated to preserving Native American culture. The “castle” is a 20-room dwelling built into a tall limestone cliff. Guided tours help visitors learn about the area’s geology, wildlife, and human history.
Sedona
The red rocks of Sedona’s Oak Creek Canyon are world-famous. There’s also a vibrant art scene in the town, and it’s a popular getaway destination for weekends and vacations.
Flagstaff
Just a little north of Sedona is this town that seems a world away from the desert country you’ve been driving through. Mountains and forests dominate the landscape here, and the higher altitude makes it a ski town in the winter and a respite from the heat in summer.
Sunset Crater National Monument
Sunset Crater is just one of many great outdoor destinations in the Flagstaff area. Enjoy hiking on black volcanic sands and across jagged, cooled lava flows. You can’t hike into or to the rim of Sunset Crater itself, but there are a lot of good places to view it from.
South Rim Grand Canyon
Flagstaff is also the biggest gateway town to Grand Canyon National Park, which is about a 90-minute drive north. By entering via the south entrance and exiting via the southeast one, you can make a great loop that also includes Sunset Crater.
Winslow
No offense meant to the good people of Winslow, but there’s not much here for tourists. Unless you’re an Eagles fan, that is. In that case, you have to at least try to reenact a classic line from “Take It Easy.” I was able to stand in a corner in Winslow, Arizona, but no girl in a flat-bed Ford slowed down to take a look at me. (That was fine with my wife, who was then my girlfriend.)
Petrified Forest National Park
This is a pretty small national park, and you could “do” it in under an hour, but that would be a mistake. Get out of the car to get up close to petrified stumps and logs and to rock art left behind by ancient Native Americans. Taking petrified wood from the park is illegal; if you want a souvenir, you can buy one in a shop outside the park.
Show Low and Globe
These towns have their attractions and character. I include them together because the 90-mile drive between them is one of the most scenic in the state.
Tonto National Monument
Tonto National Monument is the site of well-preserved cliff dwellings inhabited centuries ago by Native Americans. It’s also along a very scenic backcountry drive that leads to the next destination on this list.
Superstition Mountains
Just outside Phoenix, Apache Junction is the main gateway to these spectacular desert mountains. There are trailheads accessing the Superstition Wilderness. You can also get there via Lost Dutchman State Park. Maybe you’ll get lucky and find the lost gold mine that legend holds is in the area.
Chiricahua National Monument
You’ll find sweeping views and spectacular rock formations here. After enjoying a hike and the sights, I recommend driving the dirt road east through the mountains to Cave Creek, where you’ll see amazing limestone cliffs riddled with caves, large and small.
Tombstone
Yes, it’s a tourist trap, and I don’t think I’ll bother going back again. Still it’s worth a visit to see the recreated OK Corral and to read the funny epitaphs on graves in Boot Hill. It’s worth noting because it can be a fun stop as you travel through Arizona.
Mt. Lemmon
Mt. Lemmon is a favorite place for Tucson-area residents to get a break from summer heat. That’s because it’s a “sky island,” a desert mountain high enough to have much cooler climate zones as you go up it, which is easy to do via a Forest Service road.
Saguaro National Park
Saguaro has some mountains that are sky islands as well, but that’s not the main reason people come to this park consisting of two detached units. The main attraction is to see the world-famous cactuses, especially in May when their large white flowers bloom.
Nogales (Sonora, Mexico)
The stretch of interstate highway south from Tucson to the Mexican border is the only U.S. interstate, to my knowledge, that’s marked in kilometers, not miles. A visit to a border town is a must-do if you’re in that part of the Southwest.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
If you want solitude, you can find it here among the mountains and large, uniquely shaped cactuses found only here in the U.S. This park is tucked against the Mexican border and has a really remote feel. Make sure to visit Quitobaquito, an unlikely spring-fed pond surrounded by tall trees. It’s a genuine desert oasis.
Imperial Sand Dunes (California)
You’re not likely to find solitude at this location just across the state line from Yuma. It’s hugely popular with ATV enthusiasts. For people like me who prefer non-motorized enjoyment of nature, there are vehicle-free sections.
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge
Back to the solitude theme, you can find plenty of it in this tract north of Yuma. My wife and I once just pulled off the road here and set up a tent for the night, and we saw no one else that day or the next. I also think the mountains here may be the most spectacular in Arizona.
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Robert Sihler is an educator, freelance writer, and rock climbing guide and instructor living with his family in Driftwood, Texas. In his spare time, he enjoys reading fiction, streaming films, completing crossword puzzles, and rock climbing. When he goes on vacation, he likes to visit the mountains of the West and climb remote, obscure peaks that have seen few or no prior ascents.