9 Places to See on an Arizona Road Trip
Arizona is built for a road trip. In one loop you get red rock country, the Grand Canyon, the buttes of Monument Valley, slot canyons and a desert full of giant cacti. The roads are good, the distances are manageable and the scenery changes almost every hour.
In this guide
This route starts and ends in Phoenix and takes about a week. You could squeeze it into five days, but you’d spend most of them in the car. Here are the nine places to see, in driving order.
1. Phoenix and Scottsdale
Phoenix is where most people start, because flights into Sky Harbor are cheap and the rental cars are plentiful. It’s a sprawling city, so don’t plan to spend long. One afternoon is enough.
Spend it at the Desert Botanical Garden, which is a gentle, beautiful introduction to the Sonoran Desert, then have dinner in Old Town Scottsdale. If you’re up early the next day, the Camelback Mountain hike is steep, popular and a real workout.
2. Montezuma Castle
About 90 minutes north on I-17, take a short detour to Montezuma Castle National Monument. It’s a five-story cliff dwelling built by the Sinagua people more than 800 years ago, tucked into a limestone cliff high above a creek.
The loop trail from the visitor center is flat and takes about 30 minutes. It’s a perfect leg-stretch, and far more impressive than the short stop suggests.
3. Sedona
Sedona is the highlight for many people, and it’s easy to see why. The town is surrounded by huge red sandstone buttes that glow orange at sunrise and sunset. Give it at least two nights.
Hike to Cathedral Rock for the classic view, or take the easier Bell Rock trail. Drive up Airport Mesa for sunset. Sedona gets busy, and trailhead parking fills early, so start hikes at dawn or use the free shuttle. Honestly, the crystal shops and vortex tours are skippable. The rocks are the show.
4. Oak Creek Canyon
Instead of heading back to the interstate, take Highway 89A north from Sedona to Flagstaff. It winds up through Oak Creek Canyon, a narrow, green gorge with red cliffs and a creek running through the bottom. It’s one of the most beautiful short drives in the Southwest.
In warm weather, stop at Slide Rock State Park, where a natural water slide runs through the creek bed. Expect cold water and a crowd on summer weekends.
5. Flagstaff
Flagstaff is a mountain town at 7,000 feet, with pine forests, cool air and a historic downtown on old Route 66. After the desert, it feels like another state.
It was the world’s first International Dark Sky City, so visit Lowell Observatory in the evening, where Pluto was discovered in 1930. Downtown has good breweries and cheap places to stay, and it’s the most convenient base for the Grand Canyon.
6. Grand Canyon South Rim
About 90 minutes from Flagstaff, the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is everything people say it is. No photo prepares you for the scale.
Walk part of the Rim Trail, catch the free shuttle out to Hermit Road, and watch sunset from Hopi Point or Mather Point. When you leave, take Desert View Drive east. It runs 25 miles along the rim, with viewpoints all the way to the stone Desert View Watchtower. If you can, stay a night in the park, because sunrise there is unforgettable.
7. Monument Valley
From the east entrance of the Grand Canyon, it’s about three hours to Monument Valley on the Utah border. Its towering sandstone buttes are the backdrop of a thousand Western movies, and they’re even better in person.
It’s on Navajo Nation land. You can drive the 17-mile dirt loop yourself in a normal car if it’s dry, but a guided tour with a Navajo guide gets you into areas that are off-limits otherwise. Stay overnight if you can, and watch the sun come up behind the Mittens.
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8. Page: Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon
Two hours west, the small town of Page has two of the most photographed places in the Southwest. Horseshoe Bend is a short walk from a parking lot to a cliff edge where the Colorado River makes a perfect loop 1,000 feet below. Go at sunset.
Antelope Canyon is a narrow slot canyon with smooth, swirling walls that glow when the light comes through. You can only visit with a Navajo-run tour, so book weeks ahead, especially for the midday light in summer. Lower Antelope is usually less crowded than Upper.
9. Saguaro National Park
From Page, it’s a long drive back to Phoenix, about four and a half hours. If you have two more days, keep going south another two hours to Tucson and Saguaro National Park. This is where the giant saguaro cacti grow, some more than 40 feet tall and 150 years old.
Drive the scenic loop in the western district at sunset, when the cacti turn into silhouettes against an orange sky. It’s the perfect ending to an Arizona road trip.
When to go
Spring and fall are the best times. Summer is brutally hot in Phoenix, Page and Tucson, regularly over 105°F. Winter is mild in the south but brings snow and cold to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon, which sit at high elevation.
Common questions
How many days do you need for an Arizona road trip?
Seven days covers this route comfortably. Add two more for Tucson and Saguaro.
Do I need a 4×4?
No. Every stop here is reachable in a normal rental car. Only the backcountry dirt roads need high clearance.
What’s the time zone situation?
Most of Arizona doesn’t use daylight saving time, but the Navajo Nation does. So from March to November, Monument Valley is an hour ahead of the rest of the state. Always check which clock a tour time is quoted in.
Can you do the Grand Canyon as a day trip from Sedona?
Yes, it’s about two hours each way. Staying closer is far more relaxing, though.
Is the national parks pass worth it?
Yes. The America the Beautiful pass covers the Grand Canyon, Saguaro and Montezuma Castle, and pays for itself on this route.
