Day Trips from Phoenix: 14 Kick Ass Arizona Road Trips

This post may contain affiliate links. When clicked, I may receive a small percentage of each sale. This does not affect your price in any way. As an Amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. See our full disclosure policy and privacy policy for more details.

When I saw a posting for a housesit in Scottsdale, Arizona (just outside of Phoenix) for the month of August I knew right away that it would be the perfect adventure for us! We’d been wanting to visit Arizona for awhile, so getting to spend an entire (albeit arguably the hottest) month in the state sounded like an awesome idea. Though I didn’t initially have a huge list of things I wanted to do in the area, I knew that I’d have no trouble planning some day trips from Phoenix during our stay and some great stops for the remainder of our Arizona road trip, once the housesit ended.

When we first started travelling fulltime I rarely put much time or effort into planning excursions or researching things to do but after missing out on some really cool stops due to bad timing I’ve started to change my tune. We had a few months notice for our trip to Arizona so I was able to pull together a pretty great list of things to do both in Phoenix and within a few hours drive.

A few of these day trips from Phoenix might actually be considered better as overnight trips, but it’s no secret that I was born to be on the open road, so half a day of driving feels like a great choice to me and I’ve included them here because they are definitely worth a visit!

The Best Day Trips from Phoenix for Your Next Arizona Road Trip

1. Pima Air & Space Museum and AMARG Boneyard tour, Tucson, AZ

Distance from Phoenix: 120 miles, about 2 hours

Cost: Adults $16.50, with discounts for locals, seniors and kids. Plus costs for optional tours like the AMARG Boneyard tour

Hours: 9-5, but last admission is 3pm

Time spent here: 2-4 hours at the museum, additional 1.5 hours for AMARG tour

Notes: The AMARG tour requires reservations made 10-90 days in advance to gain security clearance because it’s on an active air force base. However, the AMARG tour is currently suspended due to current social distancing requirements; I recommend heading outside immediately upon arrival so that you can spend the hotter part of the day out of the sun and indoors!

This was easily our favourite day trip from Phoenix during our month in the area. We got up nice and early so we could arrive at the museum right when it opened. Since we have a history of spending WAY longer at air and history museums than we planned on, and being August in southern Arizona I knew it was going to get HOT as the day progressed. Since the Boneyard tour isn’t something you can book the day of I made sure to book the tour for a time when I knew we’d be there. In hindsight, I should have booked that tour for after lunch so that we could enjoy an air-conditioned bus during the afternoon heat and spend the cooler morning hours exploring the outside of the museum.

The Pima Air Museum is MASSIVE. It’s home to over 300 aircraft spread out over 80 acres! It’s actually one of the world’s largest non-government funded aerospace museums, so it’s no doubt going to be an impressive day trip from Phoenix.

Depending on how interested your kids (or you!) are about air & space museums you can easily spend 3 or more hours here. We visited in August, so we planned to arrive there shortly after opening to see as much as we could before the heavy afternoon heat set in. All in all we spent about 5 hours wandering the grounds and taking the tour!

2. Tour the Titan II Missile Silo in Tucson, AZ

Distance from Phoenix: 136 miles, about 2 hours

Cost: $10.50/adult for the regular tour. Discounts available. Other tours are available for a higher cost

Hours: Varying seasonally. Check here for current times

Time Spent H ere: 1-2 hours, depending on your choice of tour

Things to Know: There’s a few options for tours here. Most require a reservation, so check the schedule to book the one you want!

The Titan II Missile silo in Tucson, Arizona is home to one of 3 missiles that were built to sit at the ready during WW2, though it was never used. As soon as I realized how close we would be during our month in Phoenix, a trip here was immediately on the list of things we just HAD to do. Military history is something that Seth has been quite passionate about, and how many times in your life will you get to stand above a real (though decommissioned) missile?!

During our day trip from Phoenix we did the Beyond the Blast Door tour which let us explore further than the basic tour. Unfortunately it looks like this tour isn’t offered anymore, but that doesn’t make it any less of a cool destination! On a tour you’ll get to explore various parts of the silo like the command center and you’ll get to see the missile up close. It’s hard to imagine how big a missile is until you see it right in front of you, and hearing the history of the Titan II missile from a docent as they lead you around is a truly fascinating experience, no matter what your interest level is. If you’re planning an Arizona road trip, the Titan II Missile silo is a great choice for the whole family.

3. Montezuma’s Castle & Tuzigoot National Monuments and Jerome ghost town

Distance from Phoenix: 100 miles, around 2 hours

Cost: $10 for both monuments, no cost for Jerome.

Hours: Montezuma – 8am to 5pm daily; Tuzigoot – 8am to 4:45pm daily

Time spent here: 30 min at each monument, 1-2 hours + lunch in Jerome

Notes: Bring a snack or picnic lunch for a nice break in the shade beside the creek at Montezuma’s Castle

Budget Tip: Consider the National Parks pass if you might visit the Grand Canyon or Walnut Canyon while in the area!

These are all pretty quick stops relatively close to each other that make for a great day trip from Phoenix. Head out in the morning and hit both National Monuments before lunch, then on to Jerome for a late lunch in the hills. You’ll find great views, a fun piece of area history and a quirky town to wander around for the afternoon.

You’ll hit a few historic locations on this mini Arizona road trip. During our travels around Mexico we’ve been lucky enough to see and explore a number of ruins sites so when I heard about the ruins of Montezuma’s Castle and the Tuzigoot settlement I knew we had to stop by for a visit. Both sites are small so neither take long to walk along the path that leads around the grounds. In many parts you can clearly make out the layout of the different rooms, and signs help explain what you are looking at as you walk around. Watch for wildlife as you take in the beautiful views around you.. We found a huge tarantula hiding in a crevice at one point!

Fun souvenir: Collect tokens from various National parks & monuments! They are the size of a quarter and are available to purchase for $1 in the gift store or information building associated with each location. 

4. Visit the old mining towns of Tombstone & Bisbee

Distance from Phoenix: 200 miles, around 3 hours

Cost: No cost to wander the towns, though there may be activities you want to pay for. The mines offer various tours, all under $20 per person

Hours: Hours vary, with most businesses operating from 9am to 5pm. The last tour at both mines leaves by 3 (Good Enough Silver Mine, Tombstone) and 3:30 (Copper Queen Mine, Bisbee)

Time spent here: 2-3 hours each location, depending whether you take a mine tour or participate in experiences in either town

Notes: Mines are open seasonally, so make sure to check online or give them a call to find out if they are open. Even if the mines are closed, the towns still make for a fun day trip from Phoenix.

Old mining towns are such a fun way to spend an afternoon! Though we combined a visit to Tombstone with our tours of the PIMA museum, the AMARG tour and Titan II Missile Silo and ultimately ran out of time, if I did it over again I’d plan a separate day trip from Phoenix to spend some time in both towns.

As it was, we spent so much time checking out airplanes and learning about missiles that we didn’t have enough time to get to Bisbee before sundown. Despite our lack of visit, I’ve done enough research to know that it’s a town worth seeing and the neighbouring copper mine would offer a great tour!

Tombstone offers you the chance to check out life in the 1800’s with a wild west inspired main street and many themed shops and attractions. Nicknamed ‘the town too tough to die’, Tombstone offers ghost tours, cemetery walks, and history abound as you walk down the streets. If you’re lucky you might spot the resident parrot on your way to visit the world’s largest rose bush and you can even watch a reenactment of the old 1881 Wyatt Earp shooting at OK Corral!

5. See the red rocks of Sedona

Distance from Phoenix: 100 miles, about 2 hours

Cost: no admission fee

Hours: vary. Check individual businesses for hours

Time spent here: 2-4 hours or more, depending whether you plan a hike or just sit for a meal & shop

The red rocks of Sedona are a sight that everyone should see at some point in their lives. As you drive north from Phoenix you’ll quickly notice the red mountains rising in the distance, and it won’t be long until you’re surrounded by them. Our first stop, and a worthwhile one, was at the Red Rock Ranger District Visitor Center just 20 minutes south of Sedona on I17. It offers beautiful views of the red rocks and if you stop by while they’re open you can learn a bit about the rock formations and the animals found in the area. Seth was even lucky enough to hold a tarantula on the day we were there! (While I stood 20 feet away firmly NOPEing that experience.) If you have more time than we did you can also use this as a starting point for a hike on the Woods Canyon Trail.

Once we hit Sedona we beelined straight to Tlaquepaque Art Market and spent a couple hours wandering around. The gorgeous Spanish-inspired grounds gave us the perfect space to relax and wander, while enjoying some shade from the hot August sun. Even if you’re not a fan of shopping, this is a beautiful area to wander.

6. Spend the day at Salt River Tubing

Distance from Phoenix: 30 miles, about 40 min

Cost: $19 for tube rental and shuttle service

Hours: 9am- 630pm, but the last tube rental is at 2pm

Time spent here: 2-5 hours, depending which float you choose

Notes: Kids have to be 8 AND taller than 4 feet to rent a tube and use the shuttle bus service; NO GLASS is permitted on the river and they will check your cooler; BRING SUNSCREEN (Sorry for yelling, it’s a mom thing!)

River tubing is definitely the best way to shake off some of Arizona’s summer heat! With floaties, parking and the shuttle back from where you get out included in the price, it’s a pretty cheap option for an afternoon of fun. Depending on how long you’re interested in floating, there are routes that can occupy you from 1.5 to 4 hours. So pack a cooler or 2 (be sure there are no glass bottles!) and head on out to Salt River for some floating fun.

7. Go for a swim at Slide Rock State Park

Distance from Phoenix: 120 miles, about 2 hours

Cost: Summer- $20/car Monday- Thursday, $30/car Friday-Sunday; Winter- $10/car

Hours: Summer- 8am- 7pm; Hours vary seasonally

Time spent here: 30 minutes to all day

Notes: During fire season it’s common for Slide Rock State Park to be closed because of it’s location in Coconino National Forest, so check the website before planning a trip. Pack a change of clothes if you don’t want wet clothes in your car after.

While we sadly didn’t actually make it here during our visit, it wasn’t for lack of trying and it’s right at the top of my list for next time we’re in the area! You’ll want to come early though as when we drove past it looked like the parking lot was packed, which was the main reason we didn’t spot in to check it out. Located right on I17, a swimming stop at Slide Rock would combine perfectly with a visit to Sedona to make a great full day trip for Phoenix, as it’s just 15 minutes past the town.

8. Wander the towns of Carefree and Cave Creek

Distance from Phoenix: 35 miles, about 45 min

Cost: no admission fee, optional lunch or shopping

Hours: check hours for individual businesses

Time spent here: 2-3 hours, depending on how much time you spend shopping and dining

Carefree is a neat little town just northwest of Phoenix. It’s pretty sleepy overall but full of photogenic street signs, funky shops and tasty restaurants. You can easily spend an hour here, or stretch it to a nice all day trip from Phoenix. Though it’s a small town boasting only about 3000 residents, one of the biggest draws to take a road trip here is all of the fun and funky shops that line the main road. You could spend all day popping in and out of them, and will find some great treasures along the way.

One of our favourite shops in Carefree was the Rare Earth Gallery. It showcases tons of amazing rocks and minerals, so made for an amazing place to explore. Make sure you head outside to see all the giant pieces they have on display!

If you visit on a Friday morning like we did, you can shop at the local farmer’s market held year round at the Carefree sundial. It offers a great mix of local farmers and artisans and was near where I captured this photo of the town sign.

We ate at both Big Earl’s Greasy Eats and Harold’s Cave Creek Corral and can happily recommend both. Big Earl’s is a retro, greasy-spoon style diner located in an old gas station. Though there is a bit of seating inside, we opted to sit out front under the red canopy, despite the heat! On the day we visited there was a nice breeze so sitting outside definitely felt preferable to sitting inside where the A/C seemed to be lacking. Harold’s is clearly a local favourite, hosting live music and theme nights throughout the week. The western style restaurant is the perfect place to grab a steak and a beer during your visit to Carefree. They have a great offering of daily features and happy hours, like all you can eat spaghetti on Monday’s and prime rib Wednesdays, so plan your trip to coincide with your favourite menu offering!

9. Explore the Petrified Forest National Park & the Painted Desert

Distance from Phoenix: 200 miles, about 3 hours

Cost: $20/vehicle, per park. If visiting multiple national parks, consider the yearly national parks pass to save money!

Hours: 8am- 5pm

Time spent here: 2 hours in each park, but could be done in an hour if you just want to see highlights

Notes: Stop by the visitors centers for an interesting intro to how these parks came to be. Please don’t take any petrified wood with you when you leave.

One of the constants in our various road trips has been visiting different US National Parks and National Monuments. I started collecting the tokens that they sell at each one, and have amasses a super fun collection! It’s a great way to look back on our travels and remember all the great places we’ve been. Ever since I realized that the US park service has tokens to commemorate each national park and monument, we’ve made a serious effort to visit every one that crosses our path.

Located just a few hours from Phoenix, Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert sit on either side of Route 66 and make for a really interesting daytrip from Phoenix or stop on your Route 66 road trip. While you could easily do this trip in a single day, that will makes for a lot of driving. For us, 6 hours in a day feels like no big thing but I often forget that we’re anomalies in that regard! What I’d recommend instead is to make this an overnight road trip and spend some time in Flagstaff and Holbrook as well. This way you’ll get a fun weekend trip from Phoenix instead!

Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert both offer an easy to navigate, short drive that hits various vistas and fun stops throughout. If you are in a hurry you can easily see highlights of both parks in an hour or 2, but it’s well worth taking some time to hop out and do some of the short walks offered. If you have all day, you’ll find some really great longer hikes, too! We spent about 2 hour in each park, and feel like we hit all the main points without committing to any hikes (because I’m not about that life haha).

10. Experience history on Route 66 in Winslow and Holbrook

Distance from Phoenix: 200 miles, about 3 hours

Cost: No admission cost

Hours: Some stops have no closing time, however you may want to check ahead online if there’s something you’re keen on.

Time spent here: 1 hour in each town for fun photo ops

When we first accepted a housesit in Scottsdale we didn’t really have any plans for what would come next. At the time we weren’t too into planning, so we made a habit of just saying ‘yes’ then figuring out the next steps as we went. While exploring Phoenix and all the areas around it I came to realize how close we were to Route 66, and quickly decided that was the perfect next stage for us. And so, we came upon Winslow and Holbrook, both a couple hours east of Phoenix. While we visited as part of a larger road trip of Route 66, I don’t hesitate to suggest them as a great day trip from Phoenix or as a part of a larger Arizona road trip.

Granted, this will make for one of the longer day trips from Phoenix but if you’re not afraid of some driving and are looking to explore a piece of American history, head up to Winslow & Holbrook! Both towns are just 30 minutes apart on the original Route 66 and are fun to explore for an afternoon.

Winslow, Arizona was a mainstay on the original Route 66 and was originally made famous by the 1972 hit song ‘Take it Easy’ by The Eagles. When the interstate built in 1979 bypassed the town, the effects were felt immediately. The struggling town was instantly forgotten and thrust into the struggle that much of small town America faces. After struggling to stay afloat for nearly 2 decades a few locals got together and had an idea for how to bring traffic back to their once-famous town: create the corner that the Eagles so famously sang about! So they dropped a statue- since named Easy- on a random street corner, painted a mural depicting  key pieces of the song and invited tourists to stop by and take a photo. And it worked! Now nearly 100,000 people visit Winslow each year. While most people come just to take a few photos and hop back on the interstate, the Old Trails Museum a couple blocks away is a nice stop!

After you’ve had your fun in Winslow, head to the WigWam Motel in Holbrook for a step back in time and a fun photoshoot. This still-operational motel built in 1950 and a mainstay of Route 66 would be a great place to spend the night if you’re looking for a neat experience and a place to rest after your drive.

11. Walk through an old Lava Tube and visit historic Williams

Distance from Phoenix: 175 miles, about 2.5 hours

Cost: no admission cost. Optional lunch at a Route 66 diner

Hours: Check individual businesses for hours. Lava tubes have no closing time, but it’s easier during the daylight

Time spent here: 2 hours in town, and 1.5 at the lava tubes

Notes: Check forest fire warning for the Coconino Forest as the Lava tubes may be closed during fire season. While the lava tubes are open year round, 2 roads that lead to them are closed in the winter so this is a more ideal summer activity. During rainy weather the roads leading to the parking lot can get very muddy. Don’t forget a flashlight (or 2 or 3, to be safe!), good shoes and warm sweater!

Williams was the last town on Route 66 to be bypassed by I-40, and it still holds a bit of that Route 66 charm today. Se spent an hour walking around town and stopped into Twisters Diner for lunch. The minute you step through the door you’ll be transported back to the 60’s. The checkerboard floor, red and white décor and Coca Cola advertisements covering the walls will have you feeling like you’re ready to pull up a stool at the soda fountain. We weren’t all that hungry but felt obligated to enjoy our first meal on Route 66, so decided to share a hotdog and fries. It was a great snack!

While you’re wandering the town of Williams you might be lucky enough to find their zipline operational or catch the train arriving on the Grand Canyon Railway.

After lunch in Williams head back towards Flagstaff and check out the lava tubes nestled in the Coconino Forest. It’s an easy, scenic drive off the interstate, and a nice mini-hike down into the tubes. Warning: it might be a little difficult for anyone with difficulties balancing or climbing over some rocks. Once you get into the caves be sure to take a minute to turn your flashlights off to see just how dark it is inside! If you want to take the walk the tube offers a mile-long path into the earth, ending at a larger cavern.

12. See the cliff dwellings at Walnut Canyon National Monument

Distance from Phoenix: 150 miles, about 2 hours

Cost: $10/person over 16 years old

Hours: 9am- 5pm daily

Time spent here: 1 hour

Notes: The path includes a 185ft descension into the valley which can be quite strenuous, especially for those not acclimated to hiking at this elevation (like me)

This National Monument doesn’t seem like much from the parking lot, and won’t take too much time to explore but it’s definitely worth a stop! You’ll pass through a small gift shop/office where you’ll either flash your National Parks pass or pay admission before passing through into the grounds of the Monument. Once inside the park you’ll take a short walk on a paved pathway towards a large hill (or maybe mountain? I grew up near the Canadian Rockies so anything smaller than that is a hill to me haha). The paved path continues around the edge of the hill/mountain, forming a circle back to the stairs leading to the visitor’s center. The 1 mile walk is an easy one, however you will be faced with a 185ft decline into the valley, all done on stairs. And, no surprise here, what goes down must come up. So be prepared to ascend those same steps! (and let me tell you, they’re harder going back up!).

Once you make it down the stairs and are ready to set out on the path to see the dwellings, they are quite neat to see.

Though we were tight on time and didn’t want to venture too far off of the route we were heading, this would be a great opportunity to head 25 minutes north and also visit the Sunset Crater National Monument, a volcanic crater that last erupted 1000 years ago. The Wupatki National Monument is also very close, as well.

13. Flagstaff

Distance from Phoenix: 150 miles, about 2 hours

Cost: Activity dependant

Hours: check individual businesses for hours

Time spent here: 1.5 hours

Whether you head to Flagstaff as it’s own daytrip, or stop in while on a mission to see other Arizona road trip highlights, it’s a city worth spending some time in. There are many shops, restaurants and activities that can entertain for a whole day or just part of one. One of the most popular spots here is the Lowell Conservatory which offers tours and a chance to do some stargazing. We just stopped into town briefly on our way to Williams, so didn’t do any tours. We stopped into the visitors center in the historic train station and wandered the old downtown for a bit. Head north to the Arizona Snowbowl to catch a ride on the scenic chairlift and take in some great views. This is especially awesome in the fall!

14. Wander around Scottsdale

Distance from Phoenix: 13 miles from downtown, about 20 min

Cost: Free! (plus any shopping you do)

Hours: check individual businesses for hours

Time spent here: 1.5 hours or so

Scottsdale is located just 20 minutes north east of Phoenix, and where we spent our month house sitting. On one particularly hot day when we just didn’t feel like exploring too far from home we decided to head to old town Scottsdale and see what was up. We were pleasantly surprised by what we found! Not only are there great shops and restaurants lining the streets, there were some beautiful courtyards, too. We were also excited to find signs all over the place with information about the historic piece we were looking at, and with numbers corresponding to the map that the tourism board had created. I’m sure you could find the map in the local visitors center, but we just used the one found here.

15. Go on a foodie adventure in Phoenix and the surrounding area

If there’s one thing I do when visiting a new area, it’s seek out some great places to eat! During our month in Arizona I got to know Groupon pretty well, so many of the places we ate we found courtesy of a great deal voucher. But despite the lowered price, we were still very happy with everything we found, and wouldn’t hesitate to order any of them again.

From sipping wine and nibbling some absolutely delicious bruschetta at Postino Wine Bar to hitting up the Thirsty Lion for a killer Groupon deal, I feel like we got a pretty well rounded taste of Phoenix cuisine. To this day one of our best Groupon deals was actually found at Thirsty Lion. When buying a Groupon it’s essential to read the fine print to see if anything is excluded from

One of our favourites that we actually visited a couple times as a break from the August heat was the RoadHouse Cinema- a movie theater with a full service restaurant inside of it. We loved being able to get comfortable for a movie in the A/C and have some great food and drinks brought to our seats! The second time we went

Thirsty Lion

15. Search for Street Art in Phoenix

Even from our very first road trip, the hunt for great street art has been a serious one. From the streets of Playa del Carmen and Mexico City to random alleys on USA road trips, street art is such an amazing thing to seek out.

So when we had a day to explore Phoenix, searching for great street art was a natural choice. And boy, did the city deliver! We walked around downtown for barely a couple hours and managed to find TONS of awesome ones!

My standard method is to Google ‘street art (city name)’ to find some premade blog posts and maps to follow, pick an area that seems to have a few close together, then wander around the neighbourhood to find more.

When visiting Phoenix there are obviously endless things to do and day trips to plan. I hope this list will help you plan your next Arizona vacation and give you some ideas for some awesome day trips from Phoenix!