Arizona is home to two of our favorite places in the US – the Grand Canyon and Sedona – plus a bunch of fantastic off the beaten path parks, mountainous hiking areas, saguaro cacti and staggering red rock landscapes. We’ve spent a few weeks exploring the north and center of the state on different American southwest road trips, and the southern areas are high up on our USA travel wishlist.
In this Arizona travel guide we show you the cities, towns, parks and hikes to add to your bucket list, along with an example road trip itinerary and when to visit.
FEATURED
Unmissable Places To See In Arizona
Our roundup of the must-visit places and hidden gem spots to get off the beaten path in the Grand Canyon State.
Cities And Towns
Arizona’s two major cities are Phoenix and Tucson, both located in the south of the state. We always try to strike up conversation with other travelers when we’re on road trips and one thing that stood out for us was how many people said they planned to move to Phoenix. So, we looked into it. Turns out it’s the hottest city in the US, and Phoenix has grown so much over the last decade that it’s now the 5th largest city in the country.
What we like about both Phoenix and Tucson is that they’re surrounded by awesome outdoor opportunities. Each of the two cities are quite literally encircled by mountains, which means there’s an abundance of scenic drives, hikes and photo spots. Oh, and don’t forget about the wild west town of Tombstone near Tucson.
Moving further north through the state we get to Sedona, which is a small touristy town surrounded by rugged red rock formations that are perfect for adventure. We love Sedona, it’s one of our top recommendations to friends and family because it has hiking, photo spots, Jeep trails, wineries, ancient ruins, caves and so much more to do.
Further north is Flagstaff, which is close to Grand Canyon South Rim and a surprising amount of other great places like national monuments and mountains. Finally, close to the Utah border is Page, which is famous for having Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell and Horseshoe Bend right on the doorstep.
Note: We haven’t done Antelope Canyon yet because it’s expensive and it gets mixed reviews online, but it is hugely popular. Take a look at these tours of the Lower Canyon and Upper Canyon for more information (affiliate links).
Parks And Monuments
The Grand Canyon is of course Arizona’s flagship tourist destination. It’s one of the most famous national parks on the planet! We’ve been to Grand Canyon South Rim twice and it really lives up to the hype. The views and photo opportunities are immense, and the hikes are even better. But the best part is that it’s so easy to see the highlights in just a few days.
What else is there in the way of parks and recreation outside of the Grand Canyon? Well, we’re glad you asked because there’s so much more you can see and do:
And that’s not including Sedona’s entire surrounding area, which we think is better for outdoor activities than a lot of national parks we’ve visited in the states.
Hiking
Arizona has so many amazing trails spanning the entire state so hikers are utterly spoiled for choice here. Let’s start with the most obvious, hikes in the Grand Canyon are sublime. There’s an easy and flat path hugging the edge of the rim and there’s hikes leading down inside the canyon. We day hiked the Rim to River Trail and it remains one of the best hikes we’ve done to date.
But if you asked us our favorite place to hike in Arizona, we’d have to say Sedona. Its surrounding red rocks are like an adventure playground for outdoor enthusiasts. What we love most about hiking in Sedona is the variation of trails from easy to hard and from stunning summit views to awesome cave endings.
Near Tucson you’ve got Sabino Canyon, Catalina State Park, Saguaro and Coronado National Forest. Surrounding Phoenix is Estrella Mountain, White Tank, South Mountain, McDowell Mountain, San Tan, the Superstition Mountains and Tonto National Forest. Like we said, spoiled for choice!
But what about standalone trails that you really can’t miss? Well, there’s Havasu Falls which is a waterfall hike that requires a permit. And there’s one of the world’s longest slot canyons that you can hike through called Buckskin Gulch, which we thought was pretty awesome.
But we’ve saved the best for last, the one hike you absolutely must try in Arizona is The Wave. You’ll need to win a permit and it’s really hard to win, but boy is this hike worth the effort. It has one of the most photogenic landscapes we’ve ever seen.
10 Fun Facts About Arizona
- Arizona is the only US state in the contiguous 48 that doesn’t observe daylight savings.
- Over 90% of visitors to the Grand Canyon go to South Rim, but only 10% go to the North Rim.
- Arizona produces the most amount of copper in the United States.
- The famous wild west shootout at the O.K. Corral was in Tombstone, Arizona.
- The Sonora Desert in Arizona is the only place in the world where the saguaro cactus grows.
- Humphrey’s Peak near Flagstaff is the state’s tallest point at 12,633 ft elevation.
- There are more species of rattlesnake in Arizona than any other state. (No thanks!)
- The dwarf planet Pluto was discovered in Flagstaff, AZ.
- Arizona is the 6th largest US state.
- The Grand Canyon is the second most visited national park after the Great Smoky Mountains.
Road Trip Itinerary
If we wanted to road trip around the top highlights in Arizona, this is how we’d plan an action packed 3-week itinerary:
Tucson – Days 1 to 3
- Explore downtown Tucson’s museums and eateries
- Visit both sides of Saguaro National Park
- Go to Sabino Canyon, Organ Pipe Cactus or Tombstone
Phoenix – Days 4 to 6
- Explore the best of Phoenix
- Hike in the Superstition Mountains
- Hike in one of the other many parks
Sedona – Days 7 to 11
- Hike as many trails as possible
- Hire a Jeep for a day to drive off road trails
- Visit caves, wineries or ancient ruins
- And then hike the remaining trails
Flagstaff – Days 12 to 13
- Visit Walnut Canyon and Wupatki
- Visit Sunset Crater or hike Humphrey’s Peak
Petrified Forest and Canyon de Chelly – Day 14
- Petrified Forest in the morning
- Canyon de Chelly in the afternoon
Monument Valley and Page – Day 15
- Sunrise start at Monument Valley
- Drive to Page for a tour of Antelope Canyon
- Sunset at Horseshoe Bend
Vermilion Cliffs – Day 16
- Hike The Wave (if win a permit)
- Otherwise visit South Coyote Buttes or White Pocket
- Or hike a portion of Buckskin Gulch
Grand Canyon – Days 17 to 19
- Spend a day at Grand Canyon North Rim
- Drive to South Rim and see the best viewpoints
- Spend a day hiking down into South Rim
Havasu Falls – Days 20 to 21
- Drive to the trailhead and hike to the waterfall
- Spend the night at Havasu Falls
- Last day stop at Hoover Dam on the way to Las Vegas
This awesome and efficient road trip itinerary stops at most of Arizona’s touristy highlights and hidden gem spots. It’s exactly how we’d do it if we had three weeks spare and wanted to stay in Arizona without crossing into Utah, Nevada or California.
When To Visit
Arizona might not be called the sunshine state, but it gets the most sun in America. Phoenix regularly has temperatures over 100 F in the summer and it’s not safe to hike down into the Grand Canyon, so we’d actively avoid planning a trip to Arizona anytime in June, July or August.
We visited the Grand Canyon in winter and had one perfect sunny day mixed with one total whiteout day. It was cheap, quiet and great for sunrises and sunsets, but it was also freezing cold in the morning and evenings, and we lost a day with the snow. That said, we spent 8 days in Sedona in December and it was amazing because it was so quiet, despite the colder temperatures.
That leaves spring and fall. Now, if crowds and costs weren’t a factor, we’d say these are the two best times of year to visit. But because the weather is perfect, the crowds swell and hotel prices inflate. It’s all about the trade-off and what’s more important to you.
Keep Exploring
Are you planning a longer trip with stops in more states? Once you’re finished reading our travel guides for Arizona, keep exploring nearby areas by heading over to the following pages:
We hope our Arizona travel guide helps with planning your vacation to the American southwest!
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
Enjoy this guide? Pin it for later!
All Rights Reserved © Where Are Those Morgans, LLC. Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, maps, graphics, etc.) in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.