There are a variety of stunning locations to go to in Arizona. Arizona presents a novel mixture of hanging landscapes, bustling cities, hidden ghost cities, and distinctive formations, making it an important vacation spot any time of yr. This information will make it easier to plan your Arizona getaway now and uncover what this various state has to supply. Whether planning an Arizona highway journey or popping over from Vegas, you’ll certainly discover one thing to fit your wants.
Best Places to Visit in Arizona
This information is cut up into particular sections, as Arizona has many various kinds of locations to go to. The finest manner to get round Arizona is by automobile. Compare costs from the airport you’re flying into right here at RentalCars.com (This is what we use). So, let’s get began.
1. Coyote Buttes
Do you’re keen on distinctive landscapes? The panorama of Coyote Buttes is gorgeous and engaging. It’s is a bit like strolling by means of a maze of pure skatepark ramps.
The Buttes are positioned in Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness. A bit of like Antelope Canyon, the panorama options wave-like rock patterns. But as an alternative of being in a canyon, you possibly can expertise the waves out in the open, amongst towering buttes.
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness is among the finest locations to go to in Arizona in its personal proper. Paria has over 100,000 acres of protected lands, however add Coyote Buttes and it’s out of this world.
2. Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon is a nationwide treasure. The wave-like sandstone partitions of the slot canyon had been made well-known on social media, however to see it in individual is magical. Photographers flock to Antelope Canyon to seize the dramatic surroundings and stroll alongside the canyon ground.
If you need to go to Antelope Canyon, you’ll have a selection of which half to go to – Lower Antelope Canyon, Upper Antelope Canyon, or perhaps each as you possibly can ebook excursions and see each.
Upper Antelope Canyon is the simplest to hike however is darker, whereas Lower Antelope Canyon is narrower however a lot lighter. You can ebook on-line or pay a go to to Antelope Canyon Visitor Center. Antelope Canyon is definitely the most effective pure vacationer points of interest in Arizona. This canyon is a must-visit if you’d like to go to bucket listing outside points of interest. Check out Antelope Canyon Photo Tours – How to Make essentially the most of it
3. Monument Valley
Monument Valley is positioned alongside the Arizona-Utah border. If you need to go to simply, you should base your self in a northern metropolis like Flagstaff. The valley is among the most well-known landscapes in the US and simply the most effective locations to go to in Arizona.
The valley is over 90,000 acres and stuffed with mountaineering trails and spectacular rock formations. It is most identified for its towering sandstone buttes, which you’ll expertise on scenic drives or on mountaineering trails. Don’t miss Forest Gump Point, the enduring viewpoint used in well-known films and is a vital filming location in cinematic historical past.
The valley is a good place to lower by means of in case you are planning an Arizona highway journey. There are many issues to see whereas driving by means of the valley, and the surroundings is ideal for memorable highway tripping.
4. Montezuma Castle National Monument
Fascinated by historic tradition and archaeological websites of inhabitation? Montezuma Castle National Monument is the place to go to. The web site is house to a number of cliffside dwellings, constructed and lived in by Indigenous People round 1100 to 1425 AD.
Sadly, entry contained in the dwellings has now been prohibited in an comprehensible try to shield the positioning from extreme injury. However, guests can take a digital tour inside the homes. They look unimaginable from the surface, and you’ll get pleasure from quite a few mountaineering trails for various views.
5. Saguaro National Park
We’ve briefly talked about Saguaro National Park already. The park is positioned simply outdoors Tucson. It is a good place to go to for gorgeous surroundings and mountaineering trails whereas visiting Southern Arizona.
The park is most identified for its cacti. Indeed, in this nationwide park, you’ll discover a few of the largest saguaro cacti in the US. Some of the cacti stay up to 200 years previous and develop at a really sluggish charge. The nationwide park seems like an previous American West film scene and has over 90,000 acres for you to discover.
Whether you select a scenic drive or hike, reserving a rental automobile to go to Saguaro National Park is the simplest possibility. Valley View Overlook Trail is a pleasant brief stroll that ought to take you round 20 minutes to full, whereas mountaineering to Signal Hill Petroglyphs is a should for anybody in historic artwork and civilizations.
6. Petrified Forest National Park
If the Petrified Forest National Park sounds implausible, it’s as a result of it’s. However, in the event you arrive anticipating a lush forest full of gorgeous, fascinating bushes, you’ll be shocked. The nationwide park is a barren panorama, stuffed with fossils and petrified, sliced tree trunks.
The petrified wooden is scattered throughout the nationwide park, and you’ll drive the size of the park in round an hour – stopping at no matter spot catches your eye. Some not to miss locations embrace Rainbow Forest Museum, the Crystal Forest hike, and the Blue Mesa hike.
Wondering how this pure phenomenon happens? Petrification of bushes takes place when bushes have been buried underground with out oxygen for hundreds of years. Over time, the decaying wooden turns into mineralized and turns into fossilized stone, creating a precise duplicate of the unique kind, simply in a special materials.
For a novel pure expertise, Petrified Forest National Park is among the finest locations to go to in Arizona. We advocate selecting this nationwide park for anybody intrigued by pure ‘mysteries’ and wanting a memorable expertise in Arizona.
7. Grand Canyon National Park
What can we are saying? The park is one in every of the very best locations to go to in the US, by no means thoughts Arizona. Visiting the Grand Canyon is up there on most individuals’s US bucket lists. From mountaineering to whitewater rafting, and tenting to taking a path journey, this vacation spot is among the hottest vacationer locations in all the world.
South Rim and North Rim are the preferred areas to discover whereas the North Rim is the lesser seen facet of the Grand Canyon and is finest for many who desire a quieter place to expertise.
A well-liked mountaineering route in the Grand Canyon is the Bright Angel Trail. The path is well-maintained and comparatively simple. But there are many different mountaineering trails in the Grand Canyon which you could discover. Read The Absolute Best Things to do in The Grand Canyon for extra info.
Of course, you possibly can all the time splurge on a helicopter journey over the Grand Canyon. Many vacationers decide to view the canyon from above, which is among the most exhilarating issues to do in Arizona. Whichever manner you determine to see the Grand Canyon, it can go away you breathless. It really lives up to the hype. Read extra: Where to Stay At The Grand Canyon: Best Hotels And Areas For Every Budget
8. Havasu Falls
While visiting the Grand Canyon, you should plan a hike to Havasu Falls. This trek wants to be deliberate in advance, as permits to the falls are onerous to get, however it’s definitely worth the time..
Havasu Falls is among the prettiest waterfalls in the U.S. The water is a hanging pastel blue from the excessive calcium carbonate and magnesium ranges. The falls drop over 100 ft in a single drop to fill a substantial plunge pool on the backside.
Getting to the falls is an journey in itself, one you possibly can learn extra about right here. It is advisable that you just keep in a single day on the Lodge or campground. But for all the hassle of getting there, the turquoise water of the Havasu Falls will soothe your weary physique, offering yet one more dream-like expertise.
Better but, you possibly can swim – uncommon amongst the prettiest waterfalls since tourism normally damages their pure magnificence. Havasu Falls remains to be sufficient underneath the radar to keep away from this strict rule introduced on by over-tourism. So seize a bikini and towel and revel in.
9. Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Canyon de Chelly National Monument covers over 80,000 acres and is house to the Spider Rock spire. The spire is a 700-foot-high sandstone rock. Spider Rock spire gained its form by gradual erosion over time, and specialists consider it was as soon as linked to a ridge. Nowadays, it makes an uncommon pure attraction and an important {photograph}.
You can drop by the Canyon de Chelly Visitor Center for professional native steering on issues to see and do. However, you must positively ensure to attempt a mountaineering path or scenic drive. You also can discover the canyon on horseback if you’d like a extra thrilling expertise.
After exploring the very best nationwide parks and cities, let’s take a look at Arizona’s largest class – its outside points of interest.
Arizona is ideal in the event you love being open air and experiencing pure points of interest. The state is filled with issues to see and do open air, together with visiting the National Monument, Antelope Canyon, and Monument Valley. Ready to be impressed? Let’s have a look.
Canyon de Chelly National Monument is a nationwide park in Northeastern Arizona. It is positioned in the Navajo Nation and is exceptionally shut to the Arizona-New Mexico border. For those that need to expertise nature, it’s simply the most effective locations to go to in Arizona.
10. Lake Powell
If you’re heading up to the Arizona-Utah border, it’s nicely value detouring to Lake Powell. The lake is a shocking synthetic physique of water located between Monument Valley and Grand Canyon National Park. It is a lovely place to go to in Arizona. The lake’s vivid blue water and orange sandstone environment lower a picture-perfect scene.
The lake is fed by the Colorado River and covers over 2,000 miles of shoreline. The Rainbow Bridge National Monument is a major vacationer attraction on the lake, and the huge stone arc is the most important pure bridge in the world. It is a superb attraction to mix with having fun with the lake itself.
Many folks spend a day or two staying alongside the shores of the lake. You may need to go to as a day journey or search for a cabin, resort, or campsite in an effort to keep in a single day.
11. Lake Mead
Lake Mead is one other spectacular synthetic attraction. The lake has the very best water capability of any US reservoir and sits on the Nevada-Arizona border. If you’re keen on water actions and lakeside residing, Lake Mead is among the finest locations to go to in Arizona to unwind and loosen up.
We advocate permitting time to take a Lake Mead cruise, because the distinction between desert and an oasis-like physique of water is hanging and finest skilled from the water itself. You also can fish and boat on the lake. The desert mountains are the right locations for scenic drives and biking; nonetheless, it is going to be onerous to draw your self away from the refreshing lake that surrounds them.
If you’re planning a highway journey, Lake Mead is ideally positioned en route to Las Vegas. It is value a detour to benefit from the lake and you might have considered trying to think about combining it with a go to to the close by Hoover Dam.
12. Horseshoe Bend
You can’t go to Arizona with out visiting the Colorado River. Of course, you possibly can select to see many sections of the river, nonetheless, we extremely advocate visiting Horseshoe Bend.
Horseshoe Bend is the postcard picture of the Colorado River. It is unquestionably the most effective locations to go to in Arizona. As you might have guessed, the curve is formed like a horseshoe, and also you’ll discover a implausible viewpoint the place you possibly can respect the distinctive surroundings up shut. Make positive to pack a digicam in the event you’ve obtained one, as Horseshoe Bend is among the hottest sights in the US.
Reaching the point of view is comparatively simple and is only a 1.3-mile spherical hike. Horseshoe Bend is finest visited throughout the early morning or late afternoon, although, as there may be little or no shade and Arizona will get dangerously sizzling in summer season.
13. Hoover Dam
Once the tallest dam in the world, the Hoover Dam has a nostalgic form of energy. While it not holds that grand title, it’s nonetheless one in every of Arizona’s finest locations to go to. It is alleged that the dam may face up to the power of Niagara Falls – which provides you a superb perspective on how sturdy it’s.
You can view the Hoover Dam from afar or drop by the Hoover Dam Visitors Center to ebook a guided tour. Tours sometimes embrace entry to the Hoover Dam tunnels, an elevator journey to the highest, and particular entry to useful rooms all through the constructing.
If you have an interest in structure or simply need to see a nationwide historic landmark up shut, the dam is great to go to. It can be mixed with a visit to Las Vegas, because the dam sits on the Nevada-Arizona border.
14. Glen Canyon Dam
Planning a visit to Glen Canyon National Recreation Park to go to Lake Powell? We advocate taking a detour to go to the Glen Canyon Dam.
Glen Canyon Dam is located in Glen Canyon National Recreation Park, a one million-acre reserve encompassing biking trails, mountaineering trails, and Lake Powell. The dam is a hydroelectric energy plant and has change into an iconic attraction alongside the Colorado River.
Visitors can take boat excursions to view Glen Canyon Dam up shut and even fly over the dam with a flight expertise. The 710-foot infrastructure is unimaginable from a distance and much more spectacular up shut. Of course, to save a bit of cash, you possibly can all the time stroll throughout Glen Canyon Dam Bridge, the place you’ll nonetheless have nice views over the dam.
15. Jerome State Historic Park
Fancy indulging in a little bit of historical past? Jerome State Historic Park is a implausible place to go to in Arizona. The state park has a few acres surrounding Douglas Mansion, which has been remodeled into a unusual mining museum.
Visitors can wander by means of two flooring of informative displays plus outside gardens. The museum balances common mining tales and the native city’s historical past. You can study region-specific minerals and mining processes by means of numerous mediums, together with cinematic movies.
The park may be mixed with a go to to Montezuma Castle or it’s a nice day journey in case you are staying in close by Flagstaff. It is undoubtedly an exercise to notice down in your Arizona itinerary.
16. the Superstition Mountains
The Superstition Mountains cowl 160,000 and are stuffed with beautiful mountainous and desert scenes. That will not be what makes this place well-known, although; it’s the misplaced gold mines.
Legends of gold have stored mining firms and impartial hunters looking the mountains for years. Many hunters have hit the jackpot and located numerous riches. You can be part of the crowds or discover your individual non-gold-related leisure in the mountains.
You can go to the Superstition Mountains Museum, discover the encircling Tonto National Forest, or hike alongside one of many numerous trails. These mountains are the most effective locations to go to in Arizona for journey.
You can discover the mountaineering trails, biking trails, take off-roading excursions, or ebook a scenic helicopter flight – it’s up to you. These are the very best nationwide parks to go to in Arizona.
17. Phoenix
Phoenix is the sunny state capital of Arizona. Located in central Arizona, Phoenix is surrounded by mountains and desert landscapes. Its location appears unlikely for a metropolis, with skyscrapers and luxurious resorts capturing up from what (earlier than 1881) was as soon as sand and mud.
Phoenix is the very best place to go to in Arizona for a big-city expertise. The metropolis is bursting with artwork, nightlife and points of interest, together with extra artwork galleries than you might see in a complete week.
Phoenix is house to the Musical Instrument Museum, Natural History Museum, Phoenix Bat Cave, and Desert Botanical Garden. Read extra: 34 Best Things To Do In Phoenix (By A Local)
18. Desert Botanical Garden
The Desert Botanical Garden is positioned in Papago Park, in the middle of Arizona’s capital metropolis. However, the Desert Botanical Garden is worthy of a spot on our listing in its personal proper. We extremely advocate visiting even in the event you fly into Phoenix and head straight out of the town after (however severely, no less than give the town a day or two).
Why is the Desert Botanical Garden so spectacular? The 150-acre backyard has over 50,000 desert vegetation and is the perfect place to go to for a handy desert expertise. The botanical backyard is a straightforward and enjoyable various for many who don’t have time to go to main desert areas like Saguaro National Park.
Phoenix’s botanical backyard is a implausible place to go to in Arizona. The backyard is a good compromise possibility in the event you nonetheless need to expertise the desert panorama and attribute cacti and flora.
19. Lake Havasu City
If Phoenix is finest for a big-city really feel, Lake Havasu City is finest for the alternative. The tiny metropolis sits subsequent to Lake Havasu, which is fed by the Colorado River and is a sizzling spot for watersports and leisure. But it was the Little London Village that made us take a detour to go to Lake Havasu.
Nature lovers and people on the lookout for a quiet base in Arizona will love Lake Havasu. The metropolis has a sluggish tempo, and its lakeside location is a nice change from Arizona’s dry desert panorama. There are loads of outside actions and points of interest together with Lake Havasu State Park and London Bridge. London Bridge is an architectural marvel transported from London in the Seventies and there’s a distinct English really feel in the London Village.
You can spend your days fishing, having fun with the footpaths and inexperienced area across the metropolis, or swimming and boating on the lake. Don’t neglect to take a look at the Lake Havasu Lighthouses that span the shoreline..
20. Tucson
Tucson is Arizona’s second-largest metropolis and is filled with cultural variety and issues to do. If you desire a completely different Arizona expertise, we advocate visiting Tucson.
Tucson sits simply above the US-Mexican border in Southern Arizona. Thanks to its location, the town has a variety of Mexican affect. One of the highest locations to go to San Xavier del Bac is a Spanish Catholic Mission. This nationwide historic landmark was based in 1692 and welcomes greater than 200,000 guests per yr. The church is taken into account the best Spanish Colonial structure in the United States.
You’ll discover many new experiences and immersion alternatives, from the town’s delicacies to its cultures. You should attempt some Mexican delicacies whereas visiting.
Tucson can be house to the University of Arizona. As a college metropolis, guests can get pleasure from an additional sociable, pleasant ambiance – particularly in the town heart.
While simply outdoors the town heart, you’ll discover points of interest like Saguaro National Park and Arizona Sonora Desert Museum (extra on them later). Tucson is a enjoyable, contemporary metropolis to go to in Arizona. For an introduction to Southern Arizona, don’t look no additional.
21. Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
Arizona Sonora Desert Museum is positioned simply on the outskirts of Tucson. However, the museum deserves a spot on this listing in its personal proper.
The museum is a little bit of all the things – from pure historical past museum to a botanical backyard. Arizona Sonora Desert Museum covers 98 acres. There can be an artwork gallery for guests to get pleasure from.
You may simply spend a complete day on the museum. The museum is an opportunity to expertise a number of vacationer points of interest directly. It is ideal for a household time out.
22. Flagstaff
Flagstaff is a small metropolis in Northern Arizona often called the gateway to the San Francisco Peaks and the Grand Canyon. Flagstaff is among the finest locations to go to in Arizona if you’d like to be centrally positioned amongst a lot of the state’s pure points of interest.
You can spend your days excitedly exploring all of the close by points of interest. Make positive to keep in Flagstaff for the day and head to the town’s historic downtown. You’ll discover a brewery path, wonderful eating places, and the Flagstaff Visitor Center. Remember to carry a digicam, as you’ll stumble throughout loads of road artwork and nice photograph spots.
Both desert and forest encompass Flagstaff. Coconino National Forest envelops the town and is the most important Ponderosa Pine Forest in the world. For a metropolis the place you possibly can simply take a day journey into nature, Flagstaff is a perfect place to go to in Northern Arizona. Check out our information on the very best cabins in Flagstaff for lodging inspiration.
23. Little Colorado River Navajo Tribal Park
If you’re driving from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, or Monument Valley, ensure to cease at Little Colorado River Navajo Tribal Park. The gorge outlook is completely positioned to slot into even the busiest day journeys.
Little Colorado River Navajo Tribal Park is one other of the very best locations to go to in Arizona to add to your listing. The park is positioned simply north of Flagstaff. If you’re on the lookout for to make a time out of it, mix this with a visit to Lake Powell or Monument Valley.
The park’s important spotlight is the gorge overlook, the place you’ll get to admire the sheer drop of a lesser-visited canyon. Be cautious of the place you’re stepping as there may be little to no barrier safety, and the park isn’t as commercialized as others in Arizona. Many discover it a peaceable various to busier canyons – just like the Grand and Antelope Canyons.
24. Chapel of the Holy Cross
The Chapel of the Holy Cross is among the most original locations to go to in Arizona, and there’s no manner we couldn’t add this distinctive Catholic church to our listing. We’re not spiritual folks, however this is among the most original constructions in Arizona. So it’s value seeing.
The church is wedged between two sandstone buttes and has massive, plain glass home windows that give it a contemporary, stylish design. The Chapel of the Holy Cross will not be your typical church.
You can enter the church to go searching or be part of a service if that’s your factor. The church is close to Sedona and loads of different points of interest, so it isn’t an excessive amount of of a detour to make.
25. Gold King Mine Museum and Ghost Town
Gold King Mine Museum and Ghost Town are by far the quirkiest place on our listing. The property is about up as an Old West mining camp and is designed to provide you with an perception into what the lifetime of a miner was like.
You’ll be absolutely immersed with previous classic automobiles and mining tools on show. Car fans will particularly love this museum, and we advocate visiting in case you are in previous automobiles and automobiles. The selection is spectacular, even when you realize nothing about automobiles.
It isn’t simply all previous relics, although; there are working areas like a sawmill and blacksmith’s store to go to as nicely. Gold King is designed to be a step again in time – absolutely immersing guests in the previous mining way of life.
You can count on to spend no less than a few hours studying, laughing, and admiring your manner across the museum and ghost city. It is like its personal little world and a enjoyable but traditionally informative factor to do in Arizona.
26. Mount Lemmon Scenic Byway
Are you on the lookout for a scenic drive? Mount Lemmon Scenic Byway is an unimaginable, comparatively brief scenic drive from Tucson which you could get pleasure from. Short sufficient to comfortably squeeze right into a day but lengthy sufficient to present various scenes and points of interest, this scenic byway is a good place to drive.
You received’t discover the byway marked on a map. However, it’s the solely paved highway main to Mount Lemmon’s high. The highway is known as Mt Lemmon Highway and begins from the outskirts of Tucson. Altogether, the route is roughly 60 miles lengthy and takes three to 4 hours to full – plus additional time to permit for stops.
Speaking of stops, we advocate stopping at Babad Do’ag Scenic Overlook, Molino Canyon Vista, Thimble Peak Vista, Windy Point Vista, and Geology Vista Point. There are fairly actually dozens of mountaineering trails and trailheads alongside the freeway as nicely. You can simply park up and take a detour on foot.
Allow additional time once more when you attain Mount Lemmon’s peak. There is Mt Lemmon Ski Valley, Mt Lemmon Sky Observatory, and a Fire Lookout Station to go to. Mount Lemmon has a small city on the mountain high too, the place you possibly can seize refreshments and do some mild purchasing.
The ‘Grand Canyon State’ is filled with great actions and vacationer locations. Visiting Arizona is assured to be memorable with breathtaking sights that may make your jaw drop all through your keep. The state has a lot to supply, whether or not you desire a typical desert expertise, a unusual vacationer attraction, or a cultural immersion.
Photo Credit: Chapel of the Holy Cross