The Ultimate Guide to a Road Trip in Arizona: Top places to Visit
As one of the United States’ most colorful states, a road trip in Arizona will offer not only a variety of sights to see, but some intense scenery and landscapes.
From the largest cacti in North America to the deepest spots in the Grand Canyon, a road trip in Arizona, the 48th and last of the continental states to join the U.S., should definitely be on your bucket list!
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Map of Road Trip
HOW TO USE THIS MAP: To view the layers and see the names of the places on this map, click the tab in the top left corner. You can select the check marks to show or hide certain layers. If you select the icons on the map, you will get more information about the point of interest.
HOW TO SAVE THIS MAP: If you select the star icon next to the map name, you can save this map to your Google Maps account. To view it, open Google Maps in desktop or on your phone, select the menu button, go to “Your Places,” scroll to the right to Maps, and you will see this map.
Willcox and Sonoita Wine Regions
Believe it or not, Arizona has not one, but two wine regions! Let that sink in for a moment. Growing grapes in this dry desert climate was such a shock to us originally that we drove to Willcox and Sonoita on our Arizona road trip to see and taste it for ourselves.
Tucked away in the southeastern corner of the state and nestled in the Sulphur Springs Valley between some of Arizona’s most prominent mountain ranges (the Pinaleño Mountains and the Chiricahua Mountains), we were delighted to find several wineries and vineyards offering juicy and delicious wines.
Read more about the Willcox wineries and the Sonoita wineries.
Tombstone
Ed Schieffelin, a lifelong prospector, was in search of gold and silver in 1870s southeastern Arizona.
These areas he searched were very dangerous as the Apache Indians were protecting their lands at all costs. After months of searching the area and finding no gold or silver, a soldier on the Army base where Ed camped told him to give up or the only stone he would discover would be his own tombstone.
When he finally unearthed the motherload of silver, he named his mine “Tombstone Mine” after that encounter with that soldier.
With the promise of silver in the Dragoon Mountains, the town of Tombstone exploded with hundreds of saloons and brothels and quickly became one of the West’s Wildest Outposts.
As robbery and murder filled the streets, the locals recruited a band of lawmen, which included 3 brothers, Morgan, Virgil and Wyatt Earp, along with their close friend, Doc Holliday.
On October 26th, 1881, their efforts sparked a shootout so legendary that performers reenact it on a daily basis (at least 3 times a day!).
In the same Tombstone streets where the shootout occurred, the reenactment shows tourists how the lawmen ordered a band of outlaws to surrender their guns. When they refused, a standoff quickly erupted into a hail of bullets.
This shootout is now infamous and is known as the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Reports say 30 rounds were fired and 3 of the outlaws were left dead. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday became well-known as two of the West’s most dangerous gunslingers.
Admittedly, this area is a lot of fun if not a bit touristy, but it should absolutely be on your list of things to do on your road trip in Arizona.
Tucson and Saguaro National Park
The second largest city in Arizona, Tucson is surrounded by beautiful mountains and Saguaro National Park.
Saguaro National Park is home to North America’s largest cactus, the saguaro (pronounced “suh-waa-row”).
Saguaro National Park actually has two different parts of the park, an east and west portion, split down the middle by the city of Tucson.
The western half, known as the Tucson Mountain District (TMD), is roughly 24,000 acres while the eastern half, known as the Rincon Mountain District (RMD), is roughly 67,000 acres.
In general, the western side (TMD) is the more-visited of the two and has a larger concentration of the saguaro cacti. It’s estimated that there are over 1.5 million saguaro cacti, a plant that can grow up to 50 feet high and is only found in Arizona, in and around the area.
Neither of the parks are too big so you shouldn’t have difficulty exploring both over 2 days.
When the desert exploration portion of your road trip in Arizona is over, be sure to check out one of the numerous breweries in Tucson.
Phoenix
Phoenix, nicknamed the Valley of the Sun, and the capital of Arizona, offers some of the most spectacular colors for sunset anywhere in the southwest.
Though it gets hot (like, really really hot – the most 100-plus degree days in the country), there are still a ton of options for outdoor activities, including some world-class golf courses and some heart-pounding hikes.
Hit the links and/or the trails and you’ll be among the thousands that are enjoying the constant sunshine.
Back in the 1960s, city officials set out to build a new Phoenix skyline and had dreams to create a “Manhattan in the desert”. The vision was to connect the existing southern portion of downtown with a new northern portion.
Construction began on skyscrapers and buildings in the new north, but no one ever stepped forward to build the blocks in between the new north and existing south. Because of this, there are now two separate “cities”, and Phoenix resembles Los Angeles more so than Manhattan.
As the largest and capital city of state 48, no road trip in Arizona would be complete without a stop in Phoenix.
When we visit to Phoenix, we tend to stay near Old Town Scottsdale so we can taste the local wine and award-winning beers.
Don’t forget to start your weekend with a Brunch in Old Town Scottsdale, sip some wine at a Wine Bar or explore the downtown Phoenix Breweries.
Cottonwood and Jerome
The Verde Valley is located just about smack dab in the middle of Arizona, and includes the towns of Cottonwood and Jerome. The Lonely Planet has named the Verde Valley region a “Top 10 Tourist Destination” for the wide amount of activities you can do.
From rafting down the Verde River, hiking in nearby Sedona, or sampling wine at the various tasting rooms, both Cottonwood and Jerome are both great destinations for a road trip in Arizona.
In the late 1800s, Cottonwood drew residents from Phoenix with the reputation of having the best illegal booze (mostly liquor) and was nicknamed the “biggest little town in Arizona.”
Fast-forward to today, Cottonwood is a charming historical town with numerous tasting rooms for the local wine and great food.
In 1905, Jerome was founded as a mining town and was known as the “Wickedest Town in the West”. From numerous brothels, saloons, gambling halls, and gunfights, the history of Jerome is extensive and a self-guided walking tour is easily done in this small town.
While strolling through this quaint town, stop in at one of the several winery tasting rooms.
Sedona
With its towering red rock cliffs and deep green forests painted against an electric blue sky, Sedona is a truly magical place. Millions of people flock to Sedona every year for its spiritual vortex or its incredible hiking trails.
Whether you are looking for spiritual connectivity, hiking trails, or local breweries and wineries, Sedona is an absolute must on your Arizona road trip!
Flagstaff
When most people think of Arizona, they think of hot temperatures, flat desert, and hundreds of cacti.
And for a lot of the state, that may be true.
But Flagstaff is absolutely nothing like that. At the highest elevation on Route 66, Flagstaff is an alpine oasis with lush greenery and crisp mountain air that is a welcomed break from that dry desert heat.
Arizona’s highest peak, Humphreys Peak (12,600 feet) is located just north of Flagstaff for day hikes and you can celebrate with a hard-earned beer at one of the several breweries in town.
Grand Canyon
With over 5 million visitors yearly to the Grand Canyon, it’s a no-brainer, must-see stop on your road trip in Arizona.
Known for its dramatic views into the deep gorge carved by the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon is over 277 miles long and at its widest point is 18 miles across!
While 90% of visitors first see the Grand Canyon from the South Rim, the North Rim is thousands of feet higher, has more alpine vegetation, and (most importantly) has WAY less people.
While we highly suggest you try to make it to the North Rim, it will add an additional 3.5-hour drive to your road trip in Arizona.
Page and Lake Powell
If the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is on your road trip in Arizona itinerary, then Page, Arizona, is just a quick and beautiful 2-hour drive north, located right at the border of Arizona and Utah.
Page is home to the Glen Canyon Dam (only 15 feet shorter than the Hoover Dam) and is considered to be the gateway to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and the dam-formed Lake Powell. This area attracts more than 3 million visitors per year for all sorts of fun on the water.
Page is also home to the iconic and picturesque Horseshoe Bend which is where the Colorado River makes a big U-shaped turn. If you haven’t seen it in person, you’ve probably seen it on your computer’s or TV’s screensaver.
You know the one. It’s a gorgeous sight to see on your Arizona road trip….just be careful as there aren’t many guard rails and it’s a long way down!
Also nearby is the recently-discovered (1997) Antelope Canyon, which is a natural slot canyon on Navajo land.
The canyon is absolutely stunning, but if you want to experience and explore it, you must be accompanied by a Navajo guide from one of the local tour companies.
There are several hiking trails in and around Page, including the Horseshoe Bend Overlook (1.4 miles round-trip – part of NPS system), the Hanging Garden Trail (1.2 miles round-trip), and the Page Rimview Trail (10-mile loop) which encircles the whole city of Page and offers stunning views every which way.
Monument Valley
Right on the border of Arizona and Utah, lying within the Navajo Nation along US Highway 163, Monument Valley is a majestic and oft-photographed spot, not only in Arizona, but in all of the United States.
Monument Valley features large portions of flat land and then, BAM, huge sandstone buttes towering up to 1,000 feet high.
You can pay a fee to drive through the park on a 17-mile dirt road or book a guided tour to access some of the less-visited areas of the Monument Valley Tribal Park.
If you think you recognize this stop on your road trip in Arizona, you probably do.
But this time you don’t recognize it from a screensaver, rather the classic movie, “Forrest Gump”.
That’s right.
It was in this area, with Monument Valley behind him in the distance, where Forrest said that he was pretty tired, ending his lengthy run, and heading back home.
You’ll likely want to get a picture with the same views behind you from the middle of the street….just be careful as it is still an active road!
Overall Road trip in Arizona
While you have 50 states to choose from when it comes to planning a road trip, a road trip in Arizona is one of our favorites for the wide variety of things to do and see.
Epic views at Horseshoe Bend and the Grand Canyon, iconic red rock canyons and hiking, serene and green alpine mountains, old Western shootouts, cacti galore, big city living, scrumptious craft beer, and Arizona-grown wine all await you on your Arizona road trip through the magnificent State 48!
