Arizona in the summer
 

This is our first summer in Scottsdale due to COVID. We’d like to find a nice getaway for a week this summer, possibly in an Airbnb that is dog friendly. Would love suggestions where to go that’s within 3+ hour drive and has walkable paths, cooler temps and decent restaurants to order in. Planning to keep the social distancing this summer.

Welcome to Arizona Judyblue! Flagstaff will be cooler as would the White Mountains. I suspect more order in availability in Flagstaff.

Thank you. We are considering Prescott. Thoughts?

Bisbee, southeast of Tucson in the Mule Mountains, has all those things, about a 3 hour drive. It will depend, of course, on your taste in towns. You can get an idea by doing a search, lots of Bisbee information online. Definitely more of an off-beat destination than either Flag or Prescott, with a variety of day trip possibilities.

Personally I wouldn't trust an AirBnB for sanitizing. If I was set on doing this I'd consider an RV, particularly in an area with national parks, etc.

Rent a small motor home with AC and head for the Flagstaff/Sedona area. Less than an hour out of Flagstaff is the Arizona Snowbowl which is at an even higher elevation.
Having the motor home is a lot more flexible than being stuck in one AirBnB.

Sanitizing a motor home yourself would take less time, but I wouldn't trust an RV rental company any more than I'd trust an AirBnB. Your choice, depending on your risk tolerance.

Thank you all for the replies so far. I think we will feel comfortable using Airbnb with a Superhost—they can’t afford bad press. We are definitely not RV people. Still open to hear about other locations that would be cooler and fairly close by. Thanks again!

White Mountains will give you nature, dog friendly, and MUCH cooler temperatures. Ordering in will be more limited, especially depending on whic=h town you choose. My top choice would be Greer but only three restaurants and one private caterer to choose from. Hard to beat the serenity of this area.

Bisbee tends to be about 10° cooler than Tucson & 20° cooler than Phoenix/Scottsdale.

Judy, many life long Tucson as have summer homes in the White Mountains, Show Low, Pinetop, Lakeside, etc. The air there reminds me of the Colorado Rockies, cool and crisp.
Some have places in Sedona and many spend summers in San Diego. Any of these places will offer escapes from the heat. And these are residents of Tucson which can be up to ten degrees cooler than Phoenix and Scottsdale due to the higher altitude. I can give you the contact info for an excellent rental agency for San Diego if you wish.

Thanks and you’re right! We are looking at places with more upscale options to order in safely and have walkable towns. We have family in San a Diego, but it’s be harder to social distance! So far, Prescott is looking pretty good.

Predicted high today in Phoenix is 109* It is not even summer yet.

Prescott sounds like a good choice for you. It is full of adventure and historic landmarks. You will have the change to practice social distancing and explore the beauty of nature, while relaxing. There're plenty of activities such as kayaking, fishing, hiking, mountain biking. That's if you're more the adventurous type, otherwise, historical sites will do just fine. Stay safe and healthy!

Thanks! Same to all of you!