Shae and I will be staying in Louisiana until the end of February to experience Mardi Gras, then we’re heading west for the rest of the year.
Our next state will be Arizona and it’s looking like we’ll have 3 weeks there before my parents arrive from the UK. They’re coming to visit from mid-March until the beginning of May and we’ll be spending some time at the Grand Canyon while they’re here, so it’s the rest of Arizona that we’re trying to plan out at the moment.
Here’s what we have planned so far and what we need from you.
Accommodation
I took a look at hotel prices in Arizona a couple of nights ago and was surprised at how high they were – $200-$300 or more per night in many cases. With a budget of $100 per day which has to include gas, activities, food, etc., that’s obviously out of the question.
Thankfully Hyatt has several category 1 and 2 properties in Arizona, so they only cost 5,000 and 8,000 points per night respectively. There’s also a pet-friendly Country Inn & Suites that’s category 2, so only costs 15,000 Radisson Rewards points per night which is also good value. (n.b. Hyatt points are much more valuable than Radisson Rewards points which is why a category 2 Hyatt property is 8,000 versus 15,000 for a category 2 Radisson property.)
The places we stay will therefore be influenced by accommodation costs even more than normal, so it’s looking like we’ll stay in Tucson, Phoenix and Flagstaff/Sedona.
Things To Do In Arizona
We’ve already done some research into things to do in Arizona and thankfully most of the things on our list are near the three locations I listed earlier.
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Old Tucson Studios
- Horseshoe Bend
- Cathedral Rock Trailhead
- Highway 179 – Red Rock Scenic Byway
- Sabino Canyon Recreation Area
- Antelope Canyon
- Chapel of the Holy Cross
- Devil’s Bridge Trail
- Mooney Falls
- Havasu Creek
- Queen Creek
- Moenave Dinosaur Tracks
- Bearizona Wildlife Park
- Slide Rock State Park
- Petrified Forest National Park
- Oljato-Monument Valley
- Saguaro National Park
- Biosphere 2
- The Wave Trail
- Coyote Buttes
- Havasu Falls
- Bedrock City
- Four Corners Monument
- Seven Sacred Pools
- Walnut Canyon National Monument
- Arizona Biltmore
Your Suggestions
It seems like we have a fairly decent list of things to do in Arizona, but I’m sure there’s a lot of stuff missing. In particular, it seems like our list in and around Phoenix is pretty sparse, so if you know of anything worth doing / eating / visiting in that area (or anywhere else in Arizona), we’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments below.
Cactus League spring training takes place around Phoenix in March. General admission tickets are pretty reasonable, although I suppose with food, beverage, etc. that could add up.
Thanks, I’ll take a look 🙂
Your photo for this post gives a good suggestion–look for a dark skies area when the moon is in “new moon” phase and plan to go out away from the lights to look at the stars. Online research can also tell you when you can see the milky way wherever you are. The higher elevation you are at, the more stars you will see. It is quite a rare treat to see the stars like this. We did this in Utah in October and, by luck, it was new moon and the milky way was across the middle of the sky. A lovely and free experience.
We spent a week in Terlingua in 2018 which is a Dark Sky area and it was the first time either of us had seen the Milky Way too. It was an incredible experience, so I’m hoping we’ll get to do it again too while we’re there.
An article I was reading last night made it sound like Flagstaff has some kind of Dark Sky ordinance, so hopefully we’ll get to experience it while we’re up in that part as we’ll probably be too close to light pollution in Tucson and Phoenix to see the Milky Way there.
Meteor Crater (40 mi east of Flagstaff), Sunset Crater (north of Flagstaff). Be sure to take the jeep tour with a Navajo guide in Monument Valley. Well worth the money.
Awesome, thanks – I’ll add them to the list.
When visiting Tucson I would recommend a visit to Catalina State Park. It has very beautiful desert/mountain scenery and a variety of hiking trails. I saw on the website that leashed pets are allowed on the trails. When we were there last March there were great wildflower displays. Don’t miss Sabino Canyon with awesome scenery and great hiking with a rushing stream and waterfalls. Saguaro National Park has two sections, one on the eastern edge of the city and one on the western side. They are both different with scenic driving and hiking throughout. Near the western side is the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum which is well known for featuring desert plants and animals of this part of the desert. If you like southwest art, the DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun in Tucson is really neat and features the artwork, studio, former home and chapel of the artist.
Tombstone is a fun day trip for an old west experience with quite a bit to see and do. You can find the world’s largest rose bush here (if you are into that kind of thing) and it was blooming in March and early April last year when I visited.
Elsewhere in Arizona I would highly recommend Antelope Canyon as it is such an unusual experience and the colors are phenomenal. The boat tour on Lake Powell is a wonderful experience, especially going to Rainbow Bridge National Monument, the largest natural stone arch in the U.S.
I second visiting Monument Valley, one of our favorite Southwest places and the backcountry tour with a Navajo guide is such a great experience.
You might not be in that area, but Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Northeast Arizona is another favorite with exceptional scenery that you can see at various locations on the rim and also by taking a Jeep tour with a Navajo guide in the valley below.
Thanks so much for all of those suggestions – I’ll add them to our list.
Definitely go down to Tombstone on a weekend day … tons of cowboy fun … Shae will love Bearizona … also some great food can be found in Williams. Oh go to Nat geo visitor center for grand canyon.
Thanks – I’ll add them to the list too 🙂
Taliesin West-(Scottsdale) Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home. Very interesting especially if you’ve never seen one. Don’t go in the rain though. The house leaks like crazy. The tour is $35 – $40 – but so worth it. Skip meteor crater $22 and put it toward this one.
Pink Jeep tours in Sedona where they take you to the Vortex (I didn’t feel anything).
Lake Powell – stay on a houseboat
Lake Havasu – home of the historic London Bridge
Ghost towns- skip Oatman – it’s just so commercial. . It’s for kids. Do research and find the cool abandoned ones.
Also – when you get to CA – Bodie is the most incredible ghost town. It’s closed in winter so must research but do check it out. You won’t be sorry. It’s near Mammoth Lakes .
Thanks for all those suggestions . It’s funny that you mention Bodie as another friend mentioned that just the other day, so I can’t wait to check it out once we finally hit California on the road trip.
I ditto the comments re Frank LLoyd Wright house and jeep trip in Sedona although it’s teeth rattling.
Thanks – looks like a jeep trip will definitely have to be in order.
pink jeep tours
Thank you 🙂
When you’re in Phoenix be sure to visit the music museum in Scottsdale. It’s really special. Also several years ago it was a great place to get lunch.
Thanks for the suggestion – I’ll add it to the list 🙂
Sedona is one of my favorite places on earth, it is truly stunning. We’ve stayed at every range of accommodations there and the best views were at the then Sedona Best Western Plus, which has now been completely renovated and is called Sky Rock Inn of Sedona. I’ve hiked the Devil’s Bridge trail, it’s definitely worth it, the last 1/2 hour is quite strenuous.
If you are into wine tasting, Verde Valley is next to Sedona. Some tasting rooms are in Cottonwood and Jerome, quaint towns. Jerome is considered a “ghost town” it was a former copper mine town, although now has a commercial element but worth a visit, it has some nice artisan shops but one of the best parts is it is located on a mountain side and you get an amazing view of the entire valley. Not far past Jerome heading up the mountain is a viewpoint worth a few minute detour.
If you enjoy southwest cuisine Sedona has many great dining choices!
Thanks for all the suggestions – I’ll add them to the list. Several people have mentioned Jerome to us, so I think we’ll definitely have to visit there.