Road Tripping Through Arizona: Scenic Stops and Local Food
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When you think of Arizona, what comes to mind? For many people, it’s vast stretches of brown desert. Others might think of specific landmarks, like Monument Valley or the Grand Canyon. Some might think, instead, of the skiing available at one of the four ski resorts perched high in the mountains.
Whether it’s deserts, snowy peaks, long highways, or the modern cityscapes of cities like Tucson, Phoenix, or Sedona, there’s plenty to see and do on a road trip through the state. With incredible scenery, excellent food, and plenty to do, it can feel surprisingly hard to decide where to start! Fortunately, that’s why you have us.
Exploring Phoenix Arizona
Unless you’re starting your road trip from somewhere like Las Vegas or San Diego, there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to start by flying into Phoenix and renting a car to explore the state.
Truth be told, there’s enough to see and do just in and around Phoenix that you could fill an entire trip, but that doesn’t really get the spirit of a road trip involved, does it? So, we’re only going to cover the city briefly.
Things to Do in Phoenix
First, let’s talk about a few of the things you can do in Phoenix. You can plan to do these the day you arrive, during a short stay in the city, or on the day before or day of your departure.
Visit the Desert Botanical Garden in Papago Park. If you want to see desert flora without trekking out into the desert yourself, the Desert Botanical Garden is a great option. It’s a well-maintained, curated, and carefully natural garden with a ton to experience. Depending on when you visit, you might see a variety of native wildflowers in bloom, partake in a plant sale, or see an interactive art exhibit. The garden is open almost every day year-round, with advance tickets available to make sure you get in the day you want to visit.
Hike to the Hole in the Wall. The Hole in the Wall is very close to the Botanical Garden, just a short hike away through Papago Park. It’s not the most impressive sight in Arizona, but it’s convenient, and it’s a great option to watch a sunset. What is it, though? A large tumble of rock has weathered away with several holes, through which you can view the city around you and watch the sunset (or rise if you’re ambitious enough to get there early). If you visit, be sure to stick to the trail; many people try to climb to places they shouldn’t and end up getting stuck, which can throw off your itinerary, not to mention the embarrassment.
Enjoy local Mexican food at Asi Es La Vida. As one of the top Mexican restaurants in Phoenix, you can get a range of authentic Mexican dishes here. Some will be familiar, but others are likely to be new to you unless you’re a Mexican food connoisseur.
Stroll through Old Town Scottsdale. Scottsdale is one of the many suburban neighborhoods that Phoenix has expanded to surround over the decades. Old Town is the former main street of the town of Scottsdale, and it survives today as a walkable hub for arts, culture, and food. Pretty much anything quintessentially Arizonan can be found here as a microcosm of the state as a whole.
Visiting Superstition
The Superstition Mountains, surrounded by the Superstition Wilderness Area, is a federally designated park and natural area.
It’s home to a variety of prominent landmarks, adventure destinations, and natural wonders, all within easy driving distance of Phoenix:
- Weavers Needle is a distinctive column of rock that is all that remains of an ancient volcanic plug, weathered away. It’s the centerpiece of the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine myth. You can even climb it if you’re an experienced climber.
- Circlestone is known as Arizona’s Stonehenge, a circular arrangement of piled stones created by an ancient civilization for unknown purposes.
- Numerous hiking trails throughout Peralta Canyon, Lost Dutchman State Park, and the surrounding area give you plenty of variety to your hiking throughout the area. The Treasure Loop and the Sophon Draw are both great little trails, and a bunch of other trails lace the area for more to explore.
Both backcountry and in-place camping are available in the area, if you want to spend a night or two in the park, as well.
Stopping in Sedona
Sedona is a much smaller city located about two hours north of Phoenix on your way to the Grand Canyon.
There’s a ton to do in the area, almost all of which is outdoors, with incredible hiking trails, 4×4 off-roading, parks to visit, and more:
- Visit Crescent Moon Picnic Area for a meal. It’s one of the nicest little parks you can visit with an incredible view of Cathedral Rock, and a nice cool river to swim in when the heat gets to be too much.
- Grab a bite at the Chai Spot, an extremely delicious chai shop with incredible décor and a compelling story to back it up.
- Hike the nearby trails. Oak Creek, Boynton Canyon, Soldier Pass Trail, and the Devils Bridge are all excellent. The bridge is particularly incredible but also extremely popular, so don’t expect to have it to yourself.
If you want to go camping in the area, there are a handful of campgrounds you can pick, like Manzanita or Cave Springs. Alternatively, plenty of hotels, resorts, and BnBs are available throughout the town.
Depending on the time of year you visit, make sure to plan in advance. Sedona is a huge tourist spot, and during peak weeks, you can find trails too packed for more people, trailheads with hundreds of cars parked waiting, and lines around the block for food.
Visiting the Grand Canyon
One trip to the Grand Canyon can easily take up an entire road trip if you want it to. The canyon is huge – duh – and there are a million things to see and do in tourist spots, small towns, and scenic side areas all around it.
Rather than go through all of it here, though, check out one of our other posts on the subject.
Whether you’re just visiting the canyon for a day or you want to make a whole adventure out of it, there are plenty of options. Seeing the canyon at least once should be on everyone’s bucket list, and we’re so happy we were able to do so a few years ago.
Heading South to Tucson
Tucson, and all of Southern Arizona, is a very different kind of trip than the one heading north to the Grand Canyon. It’s no less compelling – alright, maybe a little less compelling, since there’s only one Grand Canyon – but it gives you a different kind of experience.
Explore Saguaro National Park. Saguaro National Park, home to those iconic, massive cacti that give the place its name, is one of the star attractions in southern Arizona. You can easily spend a week or more exploring, with camping available in cabins, at campsites, and in the backcountry. Many different trails offer a variety of hiking experiences, from short in-and-out hikes to longer loops with switchbacks and high elevations. Make sure you have enough water! This is the deep desert, after all.
Take the scenic Bajada Loop. Road trips aren’t all about getting to a destination; they’re about the journey! The Bajada Loop is a five-mile loop of road to the west of Tucson in Tucson Mountain Park. It’s an incredible drive, with plenty of places to stop for scenic overlooks or trailheads to go hiking as well. You can easily make a day of it or do a there-and-back drive in a couple of hours.
Drive the Cactus Forest Loop. To the east of Tucson is the Rincon Mountain District, the less-beloved cousin of the Tucson Mountain District. It’s also gorgeous and has a lot to do, but since it’s smaller and less renowned than the western side of the city, fewer people visit. The Cactus Forest Loop is a paved road loop that takes you pretty much all the way around the park, with plenty of trailheads, overlooks, and educational stops to make along the way.
Ski Mt. Lemmon. If you’re a fan of winter sports and like to hit the slopes, Arizona is home to four ski resorts, one of which is right here in Mt. Lemmon. The mountain is generally snow-covered in the winter and makes for some excellent skiing, but you won’t be able to put the skis to use in the summer. Even then, it’s still a tourist spot, with a restaurant, a fudge shop, and more to see.
Grab a bite in Tucson. Whether you’re spending a day or a week in Tucson, there are hundreds of great restaurants to choose from.
- Agustin Kitchen is a favorite of city residents and mixes fresh, local ingredients with French-American hybrid cuisine.
- Barrio Bread is tucked away in the Broadway Village Shopping Center (a great place to visit in its own right) and makes a huge variety of bread using heritage grains.
- Bata is an upscale restaurant gaining national attention for their innovative food and their use of local ingredients; 80% of their food comes from within 20 miles of Tucson.
- Maico Restaurant is on the southern end of the city and serves up some of the best Mexican food this side of the border. If you need energy for the day ahead, their breakfast burritos are incredible.
This just touches on the barest tip of the iceberg that is food in Tucson, so be sure to browse a great list like this one to find something to suit your tastes.
Other Arizona Attractions
Hitting the big cities and making day trips from there is a great option, but there are also a ton of smaller attractions and hidden gems throughout the state you can explore.
Antelope Canyon, located on Navajo land, is a fun and compelling 2-hour tour and hike far to the north beyond the Grand Canyon. You have to take a guided tour, so plan ahead, but it’s incredibly worthwhile if you do.
Petrified Forest National Park, located to the east of Sedona, is one of the more unique destinations in Arizona and the entire country. Known for Triassic fossils and petrified trees from millions of years ago, the only reason it’s not a prime spot to visit is that it’s so far away from just about anything else. It’s a great place to stop if your starting point is New Mexico, though!
Monument Valley is, similarly, pretty far out of the way. If you’re starting in Utah and heading south, though, you can dip across the border and check it out. It’s definitely worth seeing if you want to plan the trip out.
The Four Corners is about as far away as you can get from SoCal, but it’s still a pretty interesting place to visit. One geographic point where four different states meet is a quirk of how the land was divided hundreds of years ago, and while it’s not worth the trip all on its own, there are enough other interesting things in the area to do that you can pencil it in.
The southern border has a lot of compelling museums, tourist destinations, and monuments to the history of the state. From the Sanguinetti House Museum in the southwest to the Slaughter Ranch Museum in the southeast, there’s a lot to see along the way.
Your Favorite Spots
Arizona is huge, laced with small towns, scenic spots, and great restaurants, and it’s impossible for us to cover it all – not the least because we haven’t been everywhere ourselves! So, if you’re an Arizona native or you’ve visited the state before, we’d love to hear from you. What are your favorite destinations, most memorable scenic overlooks, or best eats along the way? Let us know in the comments below!
