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Arizona

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From the vastness of the Grand Canyon to Sedona's red rocks and the living Sonoran Desert, Arizona's landscapes are awe-inspiring. The state's spectacular canyons, blooming deserts, raging rivers, petrified forests, and scenic mountains enthrall lovers of the outdoors in pursuit of hiking, rafting, golf, or picturesque spots to watch the sunset. But there is more to Arizona than beautiful vistas. World-renowned spas in Phoenix provide plenty of pampering, while Native American cultures thrive throughout the state.

Guidebooks for Every Journey

Fodor's Arizona & the Grand Canyon

Fodor's Arizona & the Grand Canyon

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Fodor's Essential Southwest: The Best of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah

Fodor's Essential Southwest: The Best of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah

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Fodor's Complete Guide to the National Parks of the USA: All 63 parks from Maine to American Samoa

Fodor's Complete Guide to the National Parks of the USA: All 63 parks from Maine to American Samoa

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Fodor's InFocus Grand Canyon

Fodor's InFocus Grand Canyon

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Fodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West: with the Best Scenic Road Trips

Fodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West: with the Best Scenic Road Trips

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Fodor's Best Weekend Road Trips

Fodor's Best Weekend Road Trips

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Fodor's Travel Award

ROAD TRIPS

Route 66: A Journey Along the ‘Mother Road’

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Guidebooks for Every Journey

Fodor's Arizona & the Grand Canyon

Fodor's Arizona & the Grand Canyon

Easy Planning
Local Writers
Itineraries
Pullout Map

Buy Now See All Guideboks

Fodor's Essential Southwest: The Best of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah

Fodor's Essential Southwest: The Best of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah

Easy Planning
Local Writers
Itineraries
Helpful Maps

Buy Now See All Guideboks

Fodor's Complete Guide to the National Parks of the USA: All 63 parks from Maine to American Samoa

Fodor's Complete Guide to the National Parks of the USA: All 63 parks from Maine to American Samoa

Buy Now See All Guideboks

Fodor's InFocus Grand Canyon

Fodor's InFocus Grand Canyon

Easy Planning
Local Writers
Itineraries
Helpful Maps

Buy Now See All Guideboks

Fodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West: with the Best Scenic Road Trips

Fodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West: with the Best Scenic Road Trips

Easy Planning
Local Writers
Itineraries
Helpful Maps

Buy Now See All Guideboks

Fodor's Best Weekend Road Trips

Fodor's Best Weekend Road Trips

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Local Writers
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Top Destinations

Top Destinations

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Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe

The Valley of the Sun, otherwise known as metro Phoenix (i.e., Phoenix and all its suburbs, including Tempe and Scottsdale), is named for its 325-plus...

North-Central Arizona

Red rock buttes ablaze in the light of late afternoon, majestic mountains tipped white from a fresh snowfall, pine forests clad in dark green needles—north-central...

Tucson

The metropolitan area covers more than 500 square miles in a valley ringed by mountains—the Santa Catalinas to the north, the Santa Ritas to the...

Grand Canyon National Park

When it comes to the Grand Canyon, there are statistics, and there are sensations. While the former are impressive—the canyon measures an average width of...

Phoenix

The nation's fifth-largest city is a bustling metropolis, still growing past its boundaries. Warm weather, stunning sunsets, year-round golf and sports, and delicious cuisine have...

Southern Arizona

Southern Arizona can do little to escape its cliché-ridden image as a landscape of cow skulls, tumbleweeds, dried-up riverbeds, and mother lodes—but it doesn’t need...

Northeast Arizona

Northeast Arizona is a vast and magnificent land of lofty buttes, towering cliffs, and turquoise skies. Most of the land in the area belongs to...

Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon

It's easy to see what draws so many people to Sedona. Red rock buttes—Cathedral Rock, Bear Mountain, Courthouse Rock, and Bell Rock, among others—reach up...

Southeast Arizona

From the rugged mountain forests to the desert grasslands of Sierra Vista, the southeast corner of Arizona is one of the state’s most scenic regions...

Northwest Arizona

Towns like Kingman hark back to the glory days of the old Route 66, and the ghost towns of Chloride and Oatman bear testament to...

Scottsdale

Nationally known art galleries, souvenir shops, and a funky Old Town fill downtown Scottsdale—one of the largest artists' communities in the United States. Fifth Avenue...

Grand Canyon South Rim

Visitors to the canyon converge mostly on the South Rim, and mostly in summer. Grand Canyon Village is here, with a majority of the park's...

Flagstaff

Few travelers slow down long enough to explore Flagstaff, a city of 72,000 known locally as "Flag"; most stop only to spend the night at...

Eastern Arizona

In a state of dramatic natural wonders, Eastern Arizona is often overlooked. This is unfortunate, as it’s one of Arizona’s great outdoor playgrounds. In the...

Tempe and Around

Tempe, Mesa, and Chandler are part of the East Valley, a term for the collection of suburbs located east of Phoenix. Because of their close...

What's Near the Grand Canyon

The northwest section of Arizona is geographically fascinating. In addition to the Grand Canyon, it's home to national forests, national monuments, and national recreation areas...

The White Mountains

With elevations climbing to more than 11,000 feet, the White Mountains area of east-central Arizona is a winter wonderland and a summer haven from the...

Lake Havasu City

If there's an Arizona Riviera, this is it. Lake Havasu has more than 400 miles of lake shoreline—it's actually a dammed section of the Colorado...

Saguaro National Park

Standing sentinel in the desert, the towering saguaro is perhaps the most familiar emblem of the Southwest. Known for their height (often 50 feet) and...

Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Forest National Park’s 221,390 acres, which include portions of the Painted Desert, are covered with petrified tree trunks whose wood cells were fossilized over...

Prescott

In a forested bowl 5,300 feet above sea level, Prescott is a prime summer refuge for Phoenix-area dwellers. It was proclaimed the first capital of...

Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell

Lake Powell is the heart of the huge Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which at 1.25 million acres is about the size of Grand Canyon...

The West Rim and Havasu Canyon

Known as "The People" of the Grand Canyon, the indigenous Hualapai and Havasupai tribes have lived along the Colorado River and the vast Colorado Plateau...

Grand Canyon North Rim

The North Rim stands 1,000 feet higher than the South Rim and has a more alpine climate, with twice as much annual precipitation. Here, in...

Monument Valley

The magnificent Monument Valley stretches to the northeast of Kayenta into Utah. At a base altitude of about 5,500 feet, the sprawling, arid expanse was...

Southwest Arizona

The turbulent history of the West is writ large in this now-sleepy part of Arizona. It’s home to the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation—the largest in...

Navajo Nation East

Land has always been central to the history of the Navajo people: it’s embedded in their very name. The Tewa were the first to call...

Bisbee

Like Tombstone, Bisbee was a mining boomtown, but its wealth was in copper, not silver, and its success continued much longer. The gnarled Mule Mountains...

Kingman

The highway past Kingman may seem desolate, and the city itself doesn't have a ton of attractions, but the mountains that surround the area offer...

Jerome

Jerome was once known as the Billion Dollar Copper Camp, but after the last mines closed in 1953, the booming population of 15,000 dwindled to...

Tombstone

When prospector Ed Schieffelin headed out in 1877 to seek his fortune along the arid washes of San Pedro Valley, a patrolling soldier warned that...

Canyon de Chelly

Comprising two long canyons, each one more than 1,000 feet deep, Canyon de Chelly is one of the major sites in the Four Corners region...

The Hopi Mesas

The Hopi occupy 12 villages in regions referred to as First Mesa, Second Mesa, and Third Mesa. Although these areas have similar languages and traditions...

Wahweap

Most waterborne recreational activity on the Arizona side of Lake Powell is centered on this vacation village, where everything needed for a lakeside holiday is...

Page

Built in 1957 as a Glen Canyon Dam construction camp, Page is now a tourist spot and a popular base for day trips to Lake...

Apache Trail

President Theodore Roosevelt called this 150-mile drive "the most awe-inspiring and most sublimely beautiful panorama nature ever created." A stretch of winding highway, the AZ...

Sierra Vista

A characterless military town on the outskirts of Fort Huachuca, Sierra Vista is nonetheless a good base from which to explore the more scenic areas...

Window Rock

Named for the immense arch-shaped "window" in a massive sandstone ridge above the city, Window Rock is the capital of the Navajo Nation and the...

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

Even first-time visitors to Monument Valley typically recognize the otherworldly landscape—it has appeared in countless Hollywood feature films. Straddling the Arizona/Utah border, the Monument Valley...

Patagonia

Served by a spur of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, Patagonia was a shipping center for cattle and ore. The town declined after...

Tubac

Established in 1726, Tubac is the site of the first European settlement in Arizona. A year after the Pima uprising in 1751, a military garrison...

East of Flagstaff

Within an hour's drive east of Flagstaff, you'll find plenty of natural and cultural attractions, from craters and volcanoes to Native American art and architecture...

Havasu Canyon

With the establishment of Grand Canyon National Park in 1919, the Havasupai ("people of the blue-green water") were confined to their summer village of Supai...

Wickenburg

This town, land of guest ranches and tall tales, is named for Henry Wickenburg, whose nearby Vulture Mine was the richest gold strike in the...

Superstition Mountains

Folklore abounds in the Superstition Mountains, where visitors have sought treasure from the Lost Dutchman Mine for generations...

Goosenecks Region, Utah

Monument Valley’s scenic route, U.S. 163, continues from Arizona into Utah, where the land is crossed, east to west, by a stretch of the San...

Ajo

"Ajo" (pronounced ah-ho) is Spanish for garlic, and some say the town got its name from the wild garlic that grows in the area. Others...

Antelope Canyon

It’s saying a lot that in the beautiful swath of Northeast Arizona, Antelope Canyon is arguably the favorite destination of both professional and amateur photographers...

Chiricahua National Monument

With its "upside-down" rock formations and abundant wildlife, the Chiricahua National Monument is well worth the two-hour drive from Tucson. You’ll be rewarded with unique...

Salt River Canyon

Carved from years of erosion, the multicolor spires, buttes, mesas, and walls of the Salt River Canyon—which dramatically drop 2,000 feet—have inspired this marvel’s nickname...

Navajo National Monument

It takes a little effort to reach this remote national monument designated on the site of two prominent, 13th-century pueblos, each with well over 100...

Tumacacori National Historic Park

Father Kino established the Tumacácori Mission in 1791, but the Jesuits didn't build a church here until 60 years later. Walk through the mission ruins...

Kartchner Caverns State Park

Kartchner Caverns is a large and beautifully maintained cave system where visitors can walk through the fantastic stalactites and stalagmites while learning about the unique...

Texas Canyon

A dramatic change of scenery along Interstate 10 will signal that you’re entering Texas Canyon. The rock formations here are exceptional—huge boulders appear to be...

Madera Canyon

This prime hiking and birding area south of Tucson is where the Coronado National Forest meets the Santa Rita Mountains. Higher elevations and thick pine...

Titan Missile Museum

The Titan Missile Museum houses one of the 54 missile silos built around the country during the Cold War in case the United States needed...

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

The largest habitat north of the border for organ pipe cacti (the beautiful multiarmed cousins of the saguaro) is off the beaten path unless you’re...

Holbrook

Holbrook, the largest town close to Petrified Forest National Park, is a monument to Route 66 kitsch. The famous "Mother Road" traveled through the center...

Tortilla Flat

Tortilla Flat might just be the closest thing to the end of the world you'll find. A sort of cowboy rest stop, it's a favorite...

Theodore Roosevelt Lake Reservoir and Dam

Water is a rarity in the desert, which is why Theodore Roosevelt Lake is one of the most popular recreation destinations in the area. Boaters...

Arcosanti

Off the beaten path near Cordes Junction is the unusual community started by Italian architect Paolo Soleri, Arcosanti. Tourists visit partially to stretch their legs...

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Visitors have been fascinated by Casa Grande Ruins for more than 300 years, and it's no wonder. The buildings are a marvel of not just...

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

If all that cacti get overwhelming, take a trip about an hour outside of Phoenix to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, where you'll find a wonderland...

Kitt Peak National Observatory

Funded by the National Science Foundation and managed by a group of more than 20 universities, Kitt Peak National Observatory is on the Tohono O’odham...

Fort Bowie National Historical Site

Fort Bowie was built in 1882 to protect this important travel route for wagon trains. Historic sites, including the fort ruins and the stagecoach stop...

Tonto National Monument

One of the best-preserved examples of Salado cliff dwellings, Tonto National Monument offers visitors a peek at 13th-century life...

Pioneer Living History Village

It's easy to wonder what places in Arizona were like 100 years ago or more. A trip to the Pioneer Living History Village provides an...

Peralta Trail

This 4-mile hike offers a spectacular view of Weaver's Needle, which is one of Arizona's most famous sites in the folklore-rich Superstition Mountains. It takes...

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Lake Powell is the heart of the huge Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which at about 1.25 million acres is roughly the size of Grand...

Hannagan Meadow

Remote even for Eastern Arizona standards, Hannagan Meadow is located along the picturesque Coronado Trail. Stop and have a bite to eat at the lodge...

Greer

The charming community of Greer sits among pine, spruce, willow, and aspen on the banks of the Little Colorado River. At an elevation of 8,500...

Lake Pleasant Regional Park

Lake Pleasant Regional Park is one of the most scenic water recreational areas in the Valley of the Sun...

Pinetop-Lakeside

At 7,200 feet, the community of Pinetop-Lakeside borders the world’s largest stand of ponderosa pine. Two towns, Pinetop and Lakeside, were incorporated in 1984 to...

Kayenta

Kayenta, a small and rather dusty town with a couple of convenience stores, three hotels, and a hospital, is a good base for exploring nearby...

Benson

Back in its historic heyday as a Butterfield stagecoach station, and later as the hub of the Southern Pacific Railroad, Benson was just a place...

Show Low

Show Low has little of the charm of its neighboring White Mountains communities, but it’s the main commercial center for the high country. The city...

Globe

In the southern reaches of Tonto National Forest, Globe is the most modern of the area's dilapidated mining towns. Initially, it was gold and silver...

Snowflake-Taylor

Snowflake and Taylor are a good jumping-off point for exploring Eastern Arizona, especially if you want to get away from the crowds during summer trips...

Springerville-Eagar

Sister cities Springerville and Eagar are the self-proclaimed "Gateway to the White Mountains." Insulated by the unique geography of the Round Valley where they sit...

Cave Creek and Carefree

Some 30 miles north of Phoenix, resting high in the Sonoran Desert at an elevation of 2,500 feet, the towns of Cave Creek and Carefree...

Goulding's Trading Post

Established in 1924 by Harry Goulding and his wife "Mike," this trading post provided a place where Navajos could exchange livestock and handmade goods for...

Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site

Administered by the National Park Service, this well-preserved Navajo trading post provides a glimpse into the region’s legacy as a trading hub of fine weavings...

Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge

Encircled by seven mountain ranges in the Altar Valley, remote Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge is the only place in the United States where the...

Willcox

The small town of Willcox, in the heart of Arizona ranching country, began in the late 1870s as a railroad construction camp called Maley. When...

Deer Valley Rock Art Center

Any visit to Arizona requires a viewing of petroglyphs, and the Deer Valley Rock Art Center is one of the best in the state. Its...

First Mesa

The easternmost of the three main Hopi Mesas, First Mesa comprises several centuries-old communities acclaimed for polychrome pottery and kachina-doll carving. Hano, Sichomovi, and Walpi—with...

Keams Canyon Trading Post

The trading post established by Thomas Keam in 1875 to do business with local tribes is now the area’s main tourist attraction, offering a primitive...

Cameron Trading Post

Cameron Trading Post and Motel, established in 1916 and overlooking a spectacular gorge and vintage suspension bridge, is one of the few remaining authentic trading...

Navajo Nation West

The Hopi Reservation is like a doughnut hole surrounded by the Navajo Nation. If you approach the Grand Canyon from U.S. 89, via Flagstaff, north...

Sonoita

The grasslands surrounding modern-day Sonoita captured the attention of early Spanish explorers, including Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, who mapped and claimed the area in 1701...

Grand Canyon West

The plateau-dwelling Hualapai ("people of the tall pines") acquired a larger chunk of traditional Pai lands with the creation of their reservation in 1883. Hualapai...

Sunrise Park Resort

One of Arizona’s favorite locations for snowplay, Sunrise Park Resort is a prime destination for desert dwellers looking to ski or snowboard—or build a snowman...

Williams

If you are heading to the Grand Canyon from points west, Williams makes sense as a base, especially if you want to take the Grand...

Coronado Trail

One of the most picturesque drives in Arizona—and one of the curviest, too—the Coronado Trail is a 123-mile stretch of off-the-beaten-path road, where you’ll find...

Sells

The Tohono O’odham Reservation, the second largest in the United States, covers 4,400 square miles between Tucson and Ajo, stretching south to the Mexican border...

Imperial National Wildlife Refuge

Something of an anomaly, this 25,765-acre wildlife refuge, created when the Imperial Dam was built, is home both to marshy-river species and creatures that inhabit...

Alpine

Known as the Alps of Arizona, the tiny, scenic village of Alpine promotes its winter recreation opportunities most heavily, but outdoors enthusiasts find that the...

The ASARCO Mineral Discovery Center

The American Smelting and Refining Company (abbreviated as ASARCO) gives visitors a glimpse not only of a vast, open-pit mine but also of the complex...

Outside Petrified Forest National Park

Located in eastern Arizona just off Interstate 40, Petrified Forest National Park is set in an area of grasslands, overlooked by mountains in the distance...

Yuma

Today many people think of Yuma as a convenient stop for gas and a meal between Phoenix or Tucson and San Diego. Although this is...

The Round Valley and Coronado Trail

Named by Basque settlers in the late 1800s, the "Valle Redondo," or Round Valley, is a circular, high-mountain basin on the back side of the...

Verde Valley

About 90 miles north of Phoenix, as you round a curve approaching Exit 285 off Interstate 17, the valley of the Verde River suddenly unfolds...

Tuba City

Tuba City, believed to be named after a Hopi chief, "Tsuve," has about 8,600 permanent residents and is the administrative center for the western portion...

Tusayan

The small hamlet of Tusayan, incorporated as a town only in 2010, is little more than a place to sleep and eat when visiting the...

Outside Saguaro National Park

Saguaro stands as a protected desert oasis, with metropolitan Tucson, Arizona's second-largest city, lying between the two park sections. Spread over 227 miles, and with...

Third Mesa

Home to a number of studios in which artisans create weavings, wicker baskets, and jewelry, the Hopi tribe’s Third Mesa has four main communities: Kykotsmovi...

Second Mesa

Dubbed the "Center of the Universe" of Hopi culture, Second Mesa contains the communities of Shungopavi and Mishongnovi; in the former, you’ll find the Hopi...

Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe

The Valley of the Sun, otherwise known as metro Phoenix (i.e., Phoenix and all its suburbs, including Tempe and Scottsdale), is named for its 325-plus...

North-Central Arizona

Red rock buttes ablaze in the light of late afternoon, majestic mountains tipped white from a fresh snowfall, pine forests clad in dark green needles—north-central...

Tucson

The metropolitan area covers more than 500 square miles in a valley ringed by mountains—the Santa Catalinas to the north, the Santa Ritas to the...

Grand Canyon National Park

When it comes to the Grand Canyon, there are statistics, and there are sensations. While the former are impressive—the canyon measures an average width of...

Phoenix

The nation's fifth-largest city is a bustling metropolis, still growing past its boundaries. Warm weather, stunning sunsets, year-round golf and sports, and delicious cuisine have...

Southern Arizona

Southern Arizona can do little to escape its cliché-ridden image as a landscape of cow skulls, tumbleweeds, dried-up riverbeds, and mother lodes—but it doesn’t need...

Northeast Arizona

Northeast Arizona is a vast and magnificent land of lofty buttes, towering cliffs, and turquoise skies. Most of the land in the area belongs to...

Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon

It's easy to see what draws so many people to Sedona. Red rock buttes—Cathedral Rock, Bear Mountain, Courthouse Rock, and Bell Rock, among others—reach up...

Southeast Arizona

From the rugged mountain forests to the desert grasslands of Sierra Vista, the southeast corner of Arizona is one of the state’s most scenic regions...

Northwest Arizona

Towns like Kingman hark back to the glory days of the old Route 66, and the ghost towns of Chloride and Oatman bear testament to...

Scottsdale

Nationally known art galleries, souvenir shops, and a funky Old Town fill downtown Scottsdale—one of the largest artists' communities in the United States. Fifth Avenue...

Grand Canyon South Rim

Visitors to the canyon converge mostly on the South Rim, and mostly in summer. Grand Canyon Village is here, with a majority of the park's...

Flagstaff

Few travelers slow down long enough to explore Flagstaff, a city of 72,000 known locally as "Flag"; most stop only to spend the night at...

Eastern Arizona

In a state of dramatic natural wonders, Eastern Arizona is often overlooked. This is unfortunate, as it’s one of Arizona’s great outdoor playgrounds. In the...

Tempe and Around

Tempe, Mesa, and Chandler are part of the East Valley, a term for the collection of suburbs located east of Phoenix. Because of their close...

What's Near the Grand Canyon

The northwest section of Arizona is geographically fascinating. In addition to the Grand Canyon, it's home to national forests, national monuments, and national recreation areas...

The White Mountains

With elevations climbing to more than 11,000 feet, the White Mountains area of east-central Arizona is a winter wonderland and a summer haven from the...

Lake Havasu City

If there's an Arizona Riviera, this is it. Lake Havasu has more than 400 miles of lake shoreline—it's actually a dammed section of the Colorado...

Saguaro National Park

Standing sentinel in the desert, the towering saguaro is perhaps the most familiar emblem of the Southwest. Known for their height (often 50 feet) and...

Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Forest National Park’s 221,390 acres, which include portions of the Painted Desert, are covered with petrified tree trunks whose wood cells were fossilized over...

Prescott

In a forested bowl 5,300 feet above sea level, Prescott is a prime summer refuge for Phoenix-area dwellers. It was proclaimed the first capital of...

Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell

Lake Powell is the heart of the huge Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which at 1.25 million acres is about the size of Grand Canyon...

The West Rim and Havasu Canyon

Known as "The People" of the Grand Canyon, the indigenous Hualapai and Havasupai tribes have lived along the Colorado River and the vast Colorado Plateau...

Grand Canyon North Rim

The North Rim stands 1,000 feet higher than the South Rim and has a more alpine climate, with twice as much annual precipitation. Here, in...

Monument Valley

The magnificent Monument Valley stretches to the northeast of Kayenta into Utah. At a base altitude of about 5,500 feet, the sprawling, arid expanse was...

Southwest Arizona

The turbulent history of the West is writ large in this now-sleepy part of Arizona. It’s home to the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation—the largest in...

Navajo Nation East

Land has always been central to the history of the Navajo people: it’s embedded in their very name. The Tewa were the first to call...

Bisbee

Like Tombstone, Bisbee was a mining boomtown, but its wealth was in copper, not silver, and its success continued much longer. The gnarled Mule Mountains...

Kingman

The highway past Kingman may seem desolate, and the city itself doesn't have a ton of attractions, but the mountains that surround the area offer...

Jerome

Jerome was once known as the Billion Dollar Copper Camp, but after the last mines closed in 1953, the booming population of 15,000 dwindled to...

Tombstone

When prospector Ed Schieffelin headed out in 1877 to seek his fortune along the arid washes of San Pedro Valley, a patrolling soldier warned that...

Canyon de Chelly

Comprising two long canyons, each one more than 1,000 feet deep, Canyon de Chelly is one of the major sites in the Four Corners region...

The Hopi Mesas

The Hopi occupy 12 villages in regions referred to as First Mesa, Second Mesa, and Third Mesa. Although these areas have similar languages and traditions...

Wahweap

Most waterborne recreational activity on the Arizona side of Lake Powell is centered on this vacation village, where everything needed for a lakeside holiday is...

Page

Built in 1957 as a Glen Canyon Dam construction camp, Page is now a tourist spot and a popular base for day trips to Lake...

Apache Trail

President Theodore Roosevelt called this 150-mile drive "the most awe-inspiring and most sublimely beautiful panorama nature ever created." A stretch of winding highway, the AZ...

Sierra Vista

A characterless military town on the outskirts of Fort Huachuca, Sierra Vista is nonetheless a good base from which to explore the more scenic areas...

Window Rock

Named for the immense arch-shaped "window" in a massive sandstone ridge above the city, Window Rock is the capital of the Navajo Nation and the...

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

Even first-time visitors to Monument Valley typically recognize the otherworldly landscape—it has appeared in countless Hollywood feature films. Straddling the Arizona/Utah border, the Monument Valley...

Patagonia

Served by a spur of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, Patagonia was a shipping center for cattle and ore. The town declined after...

Tubac

Established in 1726, Tubac is the site of the first European settlement in Arizona. A year after the Pima uprising in 1751, a military garrison...

East of Flagstaff

Within an hour's drive east of Flagstaff, you'll find plenty of natural and cultural attractions, from craters and volcanoes to Native American art and architecture...

Havasu Canyon

With the establishment of Grand Canyon National Park in 1919, the Havasupai ("people of the blue-green water") were confined to their summer village of Supai...

Wickenburg

This town, land of guest ranches and tall tales, is named for Henry Wickenburg, whose nearby Vulture Mine was the richest gold strike in the...

Superstition Mountains

Folklore abounds in the Superstition Mountains, where visitors have sought treasure from the Lost Dutchman Mine for generations...

Goosenecks Region, Utah

Monument Valley’s scenic route, U.S. 163, continues from Arizona into Utah, where the land is crossed, east to west, by a stretch of the San...

Ajo

"Ajo" (pronounced ah-ho) is Spanish for garlic, and some say the town got its name from the wild garlic that grows in the area. Others...

Antelope Canyon

It’s saying a lot that in the beautiful swath of Northeast Arizona, Antelope Canyon is arguably the favorite destination of both professional and amateur photographers...

Chiricahua National Monument

With its "upside-down" rock formations and abundant wildlife, the Chiricahua National Monument is well worth the two-hour drive from Tucson. You’ll be rewarded with unique...

Salt River Canyon

Carved from years of erosion, the multicolor spires, buttes, mesas, and walls of the Salt River Canyon—which dramatically drop 2,000 feet—have inspired this marvel’s nickname...

Navajo National Monument

It takes a little effort to reach this remote national monument designated on the site of two prominent, 13th-century pueblos, each with well over 100...

Tumacacori National Historic Park

Father Kino established the Tumacácori Mission in 1791, but the Jesuits didn't build a church here until 60 years later. Walk through the mission ruins...

Kartchner Caverns State Park

Kartchner Caverns is a large and beautifully maintained cave system where visitors can walk through the fantastic stalactites and stalagmites while learning about the unique...

Texas Canyon

A dramatic change of scenery along Interstate 10 will signal that you’re entering Texas Canyon. The rock formations here are exceptional—huge boulders appear to be...

Madera Canyon

This prime hiking and birding area south of Tucson is where the Coronado National Forest meets the Santa Rita Mountains. Higher elevations and thick pine...

Titan Missile Museum

The Titan Missile Museum houses one of the 54 missile silos built around the country during the Cold War in case the United States needed...

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

The largest habitat north of the border for organ pipe cacti (the beautiful multiarmed cousins of the saguaro) is off the beaten path unless you’re...

Holbrook

Holbrook, the largest town close to Petrified Forest National Park, is a monument to Route 66 kitsch. The famous "Mother Road" traveled through the center...

Tortilla Flat

Tortilla Flat might just be the closest thing to the end of the world you'll find. A sort of cowboy rest stop, it's a favorite...

Theodore Roosevelt Lake Reservoir and Dam

Water is a rarity in the desert, which is why Theodore Roosevelt Lake is one of the most popular recreation destinations in the area. Boaters...

Arcosanti

Off the beaten path near Cordes Junction is the unusual community started by Italian architect Paolo Soleri, Arcosanti. Tourists visit partially to stretch their legs...

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Visitors have been fascinated by Casa Grande Ruins for more than 300 years, and it's no wonder. The buildings are a marvel of not just...

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

If all that cacti get overwhelming, take a trip about an hour outside of Phoenix to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, where you'll find a wonderland...

Kitt Peak National Observatory

Funded by the National Science Foundation and managed by a group of more than 20 universities, Kitt Peak National Observatory is on the Tohono O’odham...

Fort Bowie National Historical Site

Fort Bowie was built in 1882 to protect this important travel route for wagon trains. Historic sites, including the fort ruins and the stagecoach stop...

Tonto National Monument

One of the best-preserved examples of Salado cliff dwellings, Tonto National Monument offers visitors a peek at 13th-century life...

Pioneer Living History Village

It's easy to wonder what places in Arizona were like 100 years ago or more. A trip to the Pioneer Living History Village provides an...

Peralta Trail

This 4-mile hike offers a spectacular view of Weaver's Needle, which is one of Arizona's most famous sites in the folklore-rich Superstition Mountains. It takes...

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Lake Powell is the heart of the huge Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which at about 1.25 million acres is roughly the size of Grand...

Hannagan Meadow

Remote even for Eastern Arizona standards, Hannagan Meadow is located along the picturesque Coronado Trail. Stop and have a bite to eat at the lodge...

Greer

The charming community of Greer sits among pine, spruce, willow, and aspen on the banks of the Little Colorado River. At an elevation of 8,500...

Lake Pleasant Regional Park

Lake Pleasant Regional Park is one of the most scenic water recreational areas in the Valley of the Sun...

Pinetop-Lakeside

At 7,200 feet, the community of Pinetop-Lakeside borders the world’s largest stand of ponderosa pine. Two towns, Pinetop and Lakeside, were incorporated in 1984 to...

Kayenta

Kayenta, a small and rather dusty town with a couple of convenience stores, three hotels, and a hospital, is a good base for exploring nearby...

Benson

Back in its historic heyday as a Butterfield stagecoach station, and later as the hub of the Southern Pacific Railroad, Benson was just a place...

Show Low

Show Low has little of the charm of its neighboring White Mountains communities, but it’s the main commercial center for the high country. The city...

Globe

In the southern reaches of Tonto National Forest, Globe is the most modern of the area's dilapidated mining towns. Initially, it was gold and silver...

Snowflake-Taylor

Snowflake and Taylor are a good jumping-off point for exploring Eastern Arizona, especially if you want to get away from the crowds during summer trips...

Springerville-Eagar

Sister cities Springerville and Eagar are the self-proclaimed "Gateway to the White Mountains." Insulated by the unique geography of the Round Valley where they sit...

Cave Creek and Carefree

Some 30 miles north of Phoenix, resting high in the Sonoran Desert at an elevation of 2,500 feet, the towns of Cave Creek and Carefree...

Goulding's Trading Post

Established in 1924 by Harry Goulding and his wife "Mike," this trading post provided a place where Navajos could exchange livestock and handmade goods for...

Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site

Administered by the National Park Service, this well-preserved Navajo trading post provides a glimpse into the region’s legacy as a trading hub of fine weavings...

Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge

Encircled by seven mountain ranges in the Altar Valley, remote Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge is the only place in the United States where the...

Willcox

The small town of Willcox, in the heart of Arizona ranching country, began in the late 1870s as a railroad construction camp called Maley. When...

Deer Valley Rock Art Center

Any visit to Arizona requires a viewing of petroglyphs, and the Deer Valley Rock Art Center is one of the best in the state. Its...

First Mesa

The easternmost of the three main Hopi Mesas, First Mesa comprises several centuries-old communities acclaimed for polychrome pottery and kachina-doll carving. Hano, Sichomovi, and Walpi—with...

Keams Canyon Trading Post

The trading post established by Thomas Keam in 1875 to do business with local tribes is now the area’s main tourist attraction, offering a primitive...

Cameron Trading Post

Cameron Trading Post and Motel, established in 1916 and overlooking a spectacular gorge and vintage suspension bridge, is one of the few remaining authentic trading...

Navajo Nation West

The Hopi Reservation is like a doughnut hole surrounded by the Navajo Nation. If you approach the Grand Canyon from U.S. 89, via Flagstaff, north...

Sonoita

The grasslands surrounding modern-day Sonoita captured the attention of early Spanish explorers, including Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, who mapped and claimed the area in 1701...

Grand Canyon West

The plateau-dwelling Hualapai ("people of the tall pines") acquired a larger chunk of traditional Pai lands with the creation of their reservation in 1883. Hualapai...

Sunrise Park Resort

One of Arizona’s favorite locations for snowplay, Sunrise Park Resort is a prime destination for desert dwellers looking to ski or snowboard—or build a snowman...

Williams

If you are heading to the Grand Canyon from points west, Williams makes sense as a base, especially if you want to take the Grand...

Coronado Trail

One of the most picturesque drives in Arizona—and one of the curviest, too—the Coronado Trail is a 123-mile stretch of off-the-beaten-path road, where you’ll find...

Sells

The Tohono O’odham Reservation, the second largest in the United States, covers 4,400 square miles between Tucson and Ajo, stretching south to the Mexican border...

Imperial National Wildlife Refuge

Something of an anomaly, this 25,765-acre wildlife refuge, created when the Imperial Dam was built, is home both to marshy-river species and creatures that inhabit...

Alpine

Known as the Alps of Arizona, the tiny, scenic village of Alpine promotes its winter recreation opportunities most heavily, but outdoors enthusiasts find that the...

The ASARCO Mineral Discovery Center

The American Smelting and Refining Company (abbreviated as ASARCO) gives visitors a glimpse not only of a vast, open-pit mine but also of the complex...

Outside Petrified Forest National Park

Located in eastern Arizona just off Interstate 40, Petrified Forest National Park is set in an area of grasslands, overlooked by mountains in the distance...

Yuma

Today many people think of Yuma as a convenient stop for gas and a meal between Phoenix or Tucson and San Diego. Although this is...

The Round Valley and Coronado Trail

Named by Basque settlers in the late 1800s, the "Valle Redondo," or Round Valley, is a circular, high-mountain basin on the back side of the...

Verde Valley

About 90 miles north of Phoenix, as you round a curve approaching Exit 285 off Interstate 17, the valley of the Verde River suddenly unfolds...

Tuba City

Tuba City, believed to be named after a Hopi chief, "Tsuve," has about 8,600 permanent residents and is the administrative center for the western portion...

Tusayan

The small hamlet of Tusayan, incorporated as a town only in 2010, is little more than a place to sleep and eat when visiting the...

Outside Saguaro National Park

Saguaro stands as a protected desert oasis, with metropolitan Tucson, Arizona's second-largest city, lying between the two park sections. Spread over 227 miles, and with...

Third Mesa

Home to a number of studios in which artisans create weavings, wicker baskets, and jewelry, the Hopi tribe’s Third Mesa has four main communities: Kykotsmovi...

Second Mesa

Dubbed the "Center of the Universe" of Hopi culture, Second Mesa contains the communities of Shungopavi and Mishongnovi; in the former, you’ll find the Hopi...

Tucson

The metropolitan area covers more than 500 square miles in a valley ringed by mountains—the Santa Catalinas to the north, the Santa Ritas to the...

Phoenix

The nation's fifth-largest city is a bustling metropolis, still growing past its boundaries. Warm weather, stunning sunsets, year-round golf and sports, and delicious cuisine have...

Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon

It's easy to see what draws so many people to Sedona. Red rock buttes—Cathedral Rock, Bear Mountain, Courthouse Rock, and Bell Rock, among others—reach up...

Scottsdale

Nationally known art galleries, souvenir shops, and a funky Old Town fill downtown Scottsdale—one of the largest artists' communities in the United States. Fifth Avenue...

Flagstaff

Few travelers slow down long enough to explore Flagstaff, a city of 72,000 known locally as "Flag"; most stop only to spend the night at...

Tempe and Around

Tempe, Mesa, and Chandler are part of the East Valley, a term for the collection of suburbs located east of Phoenix. Because of their close...

Lake Havasu City

If there's an Arizona Riviera, this is it. Lake Havasu has more than 400 miles of lake shoreline—it's actually a dammed section of the Colorado...

Prescott

In a forested bowl 5,300 feet above sea level, Prescott is a prime summer refuge for Phoenix-area dwellers. It was proclaimed the first capital of...

Bisbee

Like Tombstone, Bisbee was a mining boomtown, but its wealth was in copper, not silver, and its success continued much longer. The gnarled Mule Mountains...

Kingman

The highway past Kingman may seem desolate, and the city itself doesn't have a ton of attractions, but the mountains that surround the area offer...

Jerome

Jerome was once known as the Billion Dollar Copper Camp, but after the last mines closed in 1953, the booming population of 15,000 dwindled to...

Tombstone

When prospector Ed Schieffelin headed out in 1877 to seek his fortune along the arid washes of San Pedro Valley, a patrolling soldier warned that...

Canyon de Chelly

Comprising two long canyons, each one more than 1,000 feet deep, Canyon de Chelly is one of the major sites in the Four Corners region...

Wahweap

Most waterborne recreational activity on the Arizona side of Lake Powell is centered on this vacation village, where everything needed for a lakeside holiday is...

Page

Built in 1957 as a Glen Canyon Dam construction camp, Page is now a tourist spot and a popular base for day trips to Lake...

Window Rock

Named for the immense arch-shaped "window" in a massive sandstone ridge above the city, Window Rock is the capital of the Navajo Nation and the...

Sierra Vista

A characterless military town on the outskirts of Fort Huachuca, Sierra Vista is nonetheless a good base from which to explore the more scenic areas...

Patagonia

Served by a spur of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, Patagonia was a shipping center for cattle and ore. The town declined after...

Tubac

Established in 1726, Tubac is the site of the first European settlement in Arizona. A year after the Pima uprising in 1751, a military garrison...

Wickenburg

This town, land of guest ranches and tall tales, is named for Henry Wickenburg, whose nearby Vulture Mine was the richest gold strike in the...

Ajo

"Ajo" (pronounced ah-ho) is Spanish for garlic, and some say the town got its name from the wild garlic that grows in the area. Others...

Texas Canyon

A dramatic change of scenery along Interstate 10 will signal that you’re entering Texas Canyon. The rock formations here are exceptional—huge boulders appear to be...

Holbrook

Holbrook, the largest town close to Petrified Forest National Park, is a monument to Route 66 kitsch. The famous "Mother Road" traveled through the center...

Tortilla Flat

Tortilla Flat might just be the closest thing to the end of the world you'll find. A sort of cowboy rest stop, it's a favorite...

Arcosanti

Off the beaten path near Cordes Junction is the unusual community started by Italian architect Paolo Soleri, Arcosanti. Tourists visit partially to stretch their legs...

Greer

The charming community of Greer sits among pine, spruce, willow, and aspen on the banks of the Little Colorado River. At an elevation of 8,500...

Hannagan Meadow

Remote even for Eastern Arizona standards, Hannagan Meadow is located along the picturesque Coronado Trail. Stop and have a bite to eat at the lodge...

Benson

Back in its historic heyday as a Butterfield stagecoach station, and later as the hub of the Southern Pacific Railroad, Benson was just a place...

Cave Creek and Carefree

Some 30 miles north of Phoenix, resting high in the Sonoran Desert at an elevation of 2,500 feet, the towns of Cave Creek and Carefree...

Jacob Lake

...

First Mesa

The easternmost of the three main Hopi Mesas, First Mesa comprises several centuries-old communities acclaimed for polychrome pottery and kachina-doll carving. Hano, Sichomovi, and Walpi—with...

Cameron Trading Post

Cameron Trading Post and Motel, established in 1916 and overlooking a spectacular gorge and vintage suspension bridge, is one of the few remaining authentic trading...

Show Low

Show Low has little of the charm of its neighboring White Mountains communities, but it’s the main commercial center for the high country. The city...

Pinetop-Lakeside

At 7,200 feet, the community of Pinetop-Lakeside borders the world’s largest stand of ponderosa pine. Two towns, Pinetop and Lakeside, were incorporated in 1984 to...

Valle (Grand Junction)

...

Marble Canyon

...

Williams

If you are heading to the Grand Canyon from points west, Williams makes sense as a base, especially if you want to take the Grand...

Tusayan

The small hamlet of Tusayan, incorporated as a town only in 2010, is little more than a place to sleep and eat when visiting the...

Third Mesa

Home to a number of studios in which artisans create weavings, wicker baskets, and jewelry, the Hopi tribe’s Third Mesa has four main communities: Kykotsmovi...

Second Mesa

Dubbed the "Center of the Universe" of Hopi culture, Second Mesa contains the communities of Shungopavi and Mishongnovi; in the former, you’ll find the Hopi...

Keams Canyon Trading Post

The trading post established by Thomas Keam in 1875 to do business with local tribes is now the area’s main tourist attraction, offering a primitive...

Fredonia

...

Lees Ferry

...

Snowflake-Taylor

Snowflake and Taylor are a good jumping-off point for exploring Eastern Arizona, especially if you want to get away from the crowds during summer trips...

Willcox

The small town of Willcox, in the heart of Arizona ranching country, began in the late 1870s as a railroad construction camp called Maley. When...

Sonoita

The grasslands surrounding modern-day Sonoita captured the attention of early Spanish explorers, including Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, who mapped and claimed the area in 1701...

Sells

The Tohono O’odham Reservation, the second largest in the United States, covers 4,400 square miles between Tucson and Ajo, stretching south to the Mexican border...

Globe

In the southern reaches of Tonto National Forest, Globe is the most modern of the area's dilapidated mining towns. Initially, it was gold and silver...

Alpine

Known as the Alps of Arizona, the tiny, scenic village of Alpine promotes its winter recreation opportunities most heavily, but outdoors enthusiasts find that the...

Springerville-Eagar

Sister cities Springerville and Eagar are the self-proclaimed "Gateway to the White Mountains." Insulated by the unique geography of the Round Valley where they sit...

Goulding's Trading Post

Established in 1924 by Harry Goulding and his wife "Mike," this trading post provided a place where Navajos could exchange livestock and handmade goods for...

Yuma

Today many people think of Yuma as a convenient stop for gas and a meal between Phoenix or Tucson and San Diego. Although this is...

Cameron

...

Tuba City

Tuba City, believed to be named after a Hopi chief, "Tsuve," has about 8,600 permanent residents and is the administrative center for the western portion...

Kayenta

Kayenta, a small and rather dusty town with a couple of convenience stores, three hotels, and a hospital, is a good base for exploring nearby...

Tucson

The metropolitan area covers more than 500 square miles in a valley ringed by mountains—the Santa Catalinas to the north, the Santa Ritas to the...

Phoenix

The nation's fifth-largest city is a bustling metropolis, still growing past its boundaries. Warm weather, stunning sunsets, year-round golf and sports, and delicious cuisine have...

Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon

It's easy to see what draws so many people to Sedona. Red rock buttes—Cathedral Rock, Bear Mountain, Courthouse Rock, and Bell Rock, among others—reach up...

Scottsdale

Nationally known art galleries, souvenir shops, and a funky Old Town fill downtown Scottsdale—one of the largest artists' communities in the United States. Fifth Avenue...

Flagstaff

Few travelers slow down long enough to explore Flagstaff, a city of 72,000 known locally as "Flag"; most stop only to spend the night at...

Tempe and Around

Tempe, Mesa, and Chandler are part of the East Valley, a term for the collection of suburbs located east of Phoenix. Because of their close...

Lake Havasu City

If there's an Arizona Riviera, this is it. Lake Havasu has more than 400 miles of lake shoreline—it's actually a dammed section of the Colorado...

Prescott

In a forested bowl 5,300 feet above sea level, Prescott is a prime summer refuge for Phoenix-area dwellers. It was proclaimed the first capital of...

Bisbee

Like Tombstone, Bisbee was a mining boomtown, but its wealth was in copper, not silver, and its success continued much longer. The gnarled Mule Mountains...

Kingman

The highway past Kingman may seem desolate, and the city itself doesn't have a ton of attractions, but the mountains that surround the area offer...

Jerome

Jerome was once known as the Billion Dollar Copper Camp, but after the last mines closed in 1953, the booming population of 15,000 dwindled to...

Tombstone

When prospector Ed Schieffelin headed out in 1877 to seek his fortune along the arid washes of San Pedro Valley, a patrolling soldier warned that...

Canyon de Chelly

Comprising two long canyons, each one more than 1,000 feet deep, Canyon de Chelly is one of the major sites in the Four Corners region...

Wahweap

Most waterborne recreational activity on the Arizona side of Lake Powell is centered on this vacation village, where everything needed for a lakeside holiday is...

Page

Built in 1957 as a Glen Canyon Dam construction camp, Page is now a tourist spot and a popular base for day trips to Lake...

Window Rock

Named for the immense arch-shaped "window" in a massive sandstone ridge above the city, Window Rock is the capital of the Navajo Nation and the...

Sierra Vista

A characterless military town on the outskirts of Fort Huachuca, Sierra Vista is nonetheless a good base from which to explore the more scenic areas...

Patagonia

Served by a spur of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, Patagonia was a shipping center for cattle and ore. The town declined after...

Tubac

Established in 1726, Tubac is the site of the first European settlement in Arizona. A year after the Pima uprising in 1751, a military garrison...

Wickenburg

This town, land of guest ranches and tall tales, is named for Henry Wickenburg, whose nearby Vulture Mine was the richest gold strike in the...

Ajo

"Ajo" (pronounced ah-ho) is Spanish for garlic, and some say the town got its name from the wild garlic that grows in the area. Others...

Texas Canyon

A dramatic change of scenery along Interstate 10 will signal that you’re entering Texas Canyon. The rock formations here are exceptional—huge boulders appear to be...

Holbrook

Holbrook, the largest town close to Petrified Forest National Park, is a monument to Route 66 kitsch. The famous "Mother Road" traveled through the center...

Tortilla Flat

Tortilla Flat might just be the closest thing to the end of the world you'll find. A sort of cowboy rest stop, it's a favorite...

Arcosanti

Off the beaten path near Cordes Junction is the unusual community started by Italian architect Paolo Soleri, Arcosanti. Tourists visit partially to stretch their legs...

Greer

The charming community of Greer sits among pine, spruce, willow, and aspen on the banks of the Little Colorado River. At an elevation of 8,500...

Hannagan Meadow

Remote even for Eastern Arizona standards, Hannagan Meadow is located along the picturesque Coronado Trail. Stop and have a bite to eat at the lodge...

Benson

Back in its historic heyday as a Butterfield stagecoach station, and later as the hub of the Southern Pacific Railroad, Benson was just a place...

Cave Creek and Carefree

Some 30 miles north of Phoenix, resting high in the Sonoran Desert at an elevation of 2,500 feet, the towns of Cave Creek and Carefree...

Jacob Lake

...

First Mesa

The easternmost of the three main Hopi Mesas, First Mesa comprises several centuries-old communities acclaimed for polychrome pottery and kachina-doll carving. Hano, Sichomovi, and Walpi—with...

Cameron Trading Post

Cameron Trading Post and Motel, established in 1916 and overlooking a spectacular gorge and vintage suspension bridge, is one of the few remaining authentic trading...

Show Low

Show Low has little of the charm of its neighboring White Mountains communities, but it’s the main commercial center for the high country. The city...

Pinetop-Lakeside

At 7,200 feet, the community of Pinetop-Lakeside borders the world’s largest stand of ponderosa pine. Two towns, Pinetop and Lakeside, were incorporated in 1984 to...

Valle (Grand Junction)

...

Marble Canyon

...

Williams

If you are heading to the Grand Canyon from points west, Williams makes sense as a base, especially if you want to take the Grand...

Tusayan

The small hamlet of Tusayan, incorporated as a town only in 2010, is little more than a place to sleep and eat when visiting the...

Third Mesa

Home to a number of studios in which artisans create weavings, wicker baskets, and jewelry, the Hopi tribe’s Third Mesa has four main communities: Kykotsmovi...

Second Mesa

Dubbed the "Center of the Universe" of Hopi culture, Second Mesa contains the communities of Shungopavi and Mishongnovi; in the former, you’ll find the Hopi...

Keams Canyon Trading Post

The trading post established by Thomas Keam in 1875 to do business with local tribes is now the area’s main tourist attraction, offering a primitive...

Fredonia

...

Lees Ferry

...

Snowflake-Taylor

Snowflake and Taylor are a good jumping-off point for exploring Eastern Arizona, especially if you want to get away from the crowds during summer trips...

Willcox

The small town of Willcox, in the heart of Arizona ranching country, began in the late 1870s as a railroad construction camp called Maley. When...

Sonoita

The grasslands surrounding modern-day Sonoita captured the attention of early Spanish explorers, including Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, who mapped and claimed the area in 1701...

Sells

The Tohono O’odham Reservation, the second largest in the United States, covers 4,400 square miles between Tucson and Ajo, stretching south to the Mexican border...

Globe

In the southern reaches of Tonto National Forest, Globe is the most modern of the area's dilapidated mining towns. Initially, it was gold and silver...

Alpine

Known as the Alps of Arizona, the tiny, scenic village of Alpine promotes its winter recreation opportunities most heavily, but outdoors enthusiasts find that the...

Springerville-Eagar

Sister cities Springerville and Eagar are the self-proclaimed "Gateway to the White Mountains." Insulated by the unique geography of the Round Valley where they sit...

Goulding's Trading Post

Established in 1924 by Harry Goulding and his wife "Mike," this trading post provided a place where Navajos could exchange livestock and handmade goods for...

Yuma

Today many people think of Yuma as a convenient stop for gas and a meal between Phoenix or Tucson and San Diego. Although this is...

Cameron

...

Tuba City

Tuba City, believed to be named after a Hopi chief, "Tsuve," has about 8,600 permanent residents and is the administrative center for the western portion...

Kayenta

Kayenta, a small and rather dusty town with a couple of convenience stores, three hotels, and a hospital, is a good base for exploring nearby...

Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe

The Valley of the Sun, otherwise known as metro Phoenix (i.e., Phoenix and all its suburbs, including Tempe and Scottsdale), is named for its 325-plus...

North-Central Arizona

Red rock buttes ablaze in the light of late afternoon, majestic mountains tipped white from a fresh snowfall, pine forests clad in dark green needles—north-central...

Grand Canyon National Park

When it comes to the Grand Canyon, there are statistics, and there are sensations. While the former are impressive—the canyon measures an average width of...

Southern Arizona

Southern Arizona can do little to escape its cliché-ridden image as a landscape of cow skulls, tumbleweeds, dried-up riverbeds, and mother lodes—but it doesn’t need...

Northeast Arizona

Northeast Arizona is a vast and magnificent land of lofty buttes, towering cliffs, and turquoise skies. Most of the land in the area belongs to...

Southeast Arizona

From the rugged mountain forests to the desert grasslands of Sierra Vista, the southeast corner of Arizona is one of the state’s most scenic regions...

Northwest Arizona

Towns like Kingman hark back to the glory days of the old Route 66, and the ghost towns of Chloride and Oatman bear testament to...

Grand Canyon South Rim

Visitors to the canyon converge mostly on the South Rim, and mostly in summer. Grand Canyon Village is here, with a majority of the park's...

Eastern Arizona

In a state of dramatic natural wonders, Eastern Arizona is often overlooked. This is unfortunate, as it’s one of Arizona’s great outdoor playgrounds. In the...

What's Near the Grand Canyon

The northwest section of Arizona is geographically fascinating. In addition to the Grand Canyon, it's home to national forests, national monuments, and national recreation areas...

The White Mountains

With elevations climbing to more than 11,000 feet, the White Mountains area of east-central Arizona is a winter wonderland and a summer haven from the...

The West Rim and Havasu Canyon

Known as "The People" of the Grand Canyon, the indigenous Hualapai and Havasupai tribes have lived along the Colorado River and the vast Colorado Plateau...

Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell

Lake Powell is the heart of the huge Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which at 1.25 million acres is about the size of Grand Canyon...

Grand Canyon North Rim

The North Rim stands 1,000 feet higher than the South Rim and has a more alpine climate, with twice as much annual precipitation. Here, in...

Side Trips Near Phoenix

There are a number of interesting sights within a 1- to 1½-hour drive of Phoenix. To the north, the thriving artist communities of Carefree and...

Navajo Nation East

Land has always been central to the history of the Navajo people: it’s embedded in their very name. The Tewa were the first to call...

Monument Valley

The magnificent Monument Valley stretches to the northeast of Kayenta into Utah. At a base altitude of about 5,500 feet, the sprawling, arid expanse was...

Southwest Arizona

The turbulent history of the West is writ large in this now-sleepy part of Arizona. It’s home to the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation—the largest in...

The Hopi Mesas

The Hopi occupy 12 villages in regions referred to as First Mesa, Second Mesa, and Third Mesa. Although these areas have similar languages and traditions...

Apache Trail

President Theodore Roosevelt called this 150-mile drive "the most awe-inspiring and most sublimely beautiful panorama nature ever created." A stretch of winding highway, the AZ...

Side Trips near Flagstaff

Travelers heading straight through town bound for the Grand Canyon often neglect the area north and east of Flagstaff, but a detour has its rewards...

Havasu Canyon

With the establishment of Grand Canyon National Park in 1919, the Havasupai ("people of the blue-green water") were confined to their summer village of Supai...

East of Flagstaff

Within an hour's drive east of Flagstaff, you'll find plenty of natural and cultural attractions, from craters and volcanoes to Native American art and architecture...

Goosenecks Region, Utah

Monument Valley’s scenic route, U.S. 163, continues from Arizona into Utah, where the land is crossed, east to west, by a stretch of the San...

Superstition Mountains

Folklore abounds in the Superstition Mountains, where visitors have sought treasure from the Lost Dutchman Mine for generations...

Antelope Canyon

It’s saying a lot that in the beautiful swath of Northeast Arizona, Antelope Canyon is arguably the favorite destination of both professional and amateur photographers...

San Francisco Volcanic Field

The San Francisco Volcanic Field north of Flagstaff encompasses 2,000 square miles of fascinating geological phenomena, including ancient volcanoes, cinder cones, valleys carved by water...

Salt River Canyon

Carved from years of erosion, the multicolor spires, buttes, mesas, and walls of the Salt River Canyon—which dramatically drop 2,000 feet—have inspired this marvel’s nickname...

Madera Canyon

This prime hiking and birding area south of Tucson is where the Coronado National Forest meets the Santa Rita Mountains. Higher elevations and thick pine...

Coronado Trail

One of the most picturesque drives in Arizona—and one of the curviest, too—the Coronado Trail is a 123-mile stretch of off-the-beaten-path road, where you’ll find...

Outside Saguaro National Park

Saguaro stands as a protected desert oasis, with metropolitan Tucson, Arizona's second-largest city, lying between the two park sections. Spread over 227 miles, and with...

The Round Valley and Coronado Trail

Named by Basque settlers in the late 1800s, the "Valle Redondo," or Round Valley, is a circular, high-mountain basin on the back side of the...

Navajo Nation West

The Hopi Reservation is like a doughnut hole surrounded by the Navajo Nation. If you approach the Grand Canyon from U.S. 89, via Flagstaff, north...

Outside Petrified Forest National Park

Located in eastern Arizona just off Interstate 40, Petrified Forest National Park is set in an area of grasslands, overlooked by mountains in the distance...

Grand Canyon West

The plateau-dwelling Hualapai ("people of the tall pines") acquired a larger chunk of traditional Pai lands with the creation of their reservation in 1883. Hualapai...

Verde Valley

About 90 miles north of Phoenix, as you round a curve approaching Exit 285 off Interstate 17, the valley of the Verde River suddenly unfolds...

Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe

The Valley of the Sun, otherwise known as metro Phoenix (i.e., Phoenix and all its suburbs, including Tempe and Scottsdale), is named for its 325-plus...

North-Central Arizona

Red rock buttes ablaze in the light of late afternoon, majestic mountains tipped white from a fresh snowfall, pine forests clad in dark green needles—north-central...

Grand Canyon National Park

When it comes to the Grand Canyon, there are statistics, and there are sensations. While the former are impressive—the canyon measures an average width of...

Southern Arizona

Southern Arizona can do little to escape its cliché-ridden image as a landscape of cow skulls, tumbleweeds, dried-up riverbeds, and mother lodes—but it doesn’t need...

Northeast Arizona

Northeast Arizona is a vast and magnificent land of lofty buttes, towering cliffs, and turquoise skies. Most of the land in the area belongs to...

Southeast Arizona

From the rugged mountain forests to the desert grasslands of Sierra Vista, the southeast corner of Arizona is one of the state’s most scenic regions...

Northwest Arizona

Towns like Kingman hark back to the glory days of the old Route 66, and the ghost towns of Chloride and Oatman bear testament to...

Grand Canyon South Rim

Visitors to the canyon converge mostly on the South Rim, and mostly in summer. Grand Canyon Village is here, with a majority of the park's...

Eastern Arizona

In a state of dramatic natural wonders, Eastern Arizona is often overlooked. This is unfortunate, as it’s one of Arizona’s great outdoor playgrounds. In the...

What's Near the Grand Canyon

The northwest section of Arizona is geographically fascinating. In addition to the Grand Canyon, it's home to national forests, national monuments, and national recreation areas...

The White Mountains

With elevations climbing to more than 11,000 feet, the White Mountains area of east-central Arizona is a winter wonderland and a summer haven from the...

The West Rim and Havasu Canyon

Known as "The People" of the Grand Canyon, the indigenous Hualapai and Havasupai tribes have lived along the Colorado River and the vast Colorado Plateau...

Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell

Lake Powell is the heart of the huge Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which at 1.25 million acres is about the size of Grand Canyon...

Grand Canyon North Rim

The North Rim stands 1,000 feet higher than the South Rim and has a more alpine climate, with twice as much annual precipitation. Here, in...

Side Trips Near Phoenix

There are a number of interesting sights within a 1- to 1½-hour drive of Phoenix. To the north, the thriving artist communities of Carefree and...

Navajo Nation East

Land has always been central to the history of the Navajo people: it’s embedded in their very name. The Tewa were the first to call...

Monument Valley

The magnificent Monument Valley stretches to the northeast of Kayenta into Utah. At a base altitude of about 5,500 feet, the sprawling, arid expanse was...

Southwest Arizona

The turbulent history of the West is writ large in this now-sleepy part of Arizona. It’s home to the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation—the largest in...

The Hopi Mesas

The Hopi occupy 12 villages in regions referred to as First Mesa, Second Mesa, and Third Mesa. Although these areas have similar languages and traditions...

Apache Trail

President Theodore Roosevelt called this 150-mile drive "the most awe-inspiring and most sublimely beautiful panorama nature ever created." A stretch of winding highway, the AZ...

Side Trips near Flagstaff

Travelers heading straight through town bound for the Grand Canyon often neglect the area north and east of Flagstaff, but a detour has its rewards...

Havasu Canyon

With the establishment of Grand Canyon National Park in 1919, the Havasupai ("people of the blue-green water") were confined to their summer village of Supai...

East of Flagstaff

Within an hour's drive east of Flagstaff, you'll find plenty of natural and cultural attractions, from craters and volcanoes to Native American art and architecture...

Goosenecks Region, Utah

Monument Valley’s scenic route, U.S. 163, continues from Arizona into Utah, where the land is crossed, east to west, by a stretch of the San...

Superstition Mountains

Folklore abounds in the Superstition Mountains, where visitors have sought treasure from the Lost Dutchman Mine for generations...

Antelope Canyon

It’s saying a lot that in the beautiful swath of Northeast Arizona, Antelope Canyon is arguably the favorite destination of both professional and amateur photographers...

San Francisco Volcanic Field

The San Francisco Volcanic Field north of Flagstaff encompasses 2,000 square miles of fascinating geological phenomena, including ancient volcanoes, cinder cones, valleys carved by water...

Salt River Canyon

Carved from years of erosion, the multicolor spires, buttes, mesas, and walls of the Salt River Canyon—which dramatically drop 2,000 feet—have inspired this marvel’s nickname...

Madera Canyon

This prime hiking and birding area south of Tucson is where the Coronado National Forest meets the Santa Rita Mountains. Higher elevations and thick pine...

Coronado Trail

One of the most picturesque drives in Arizona—and one of the curviest, too—the Coronado Trail is a 123-mile stretch of off-the-beaten-path road, where you’ll find...

Outside Saguaro National Park

Saguaro stands as a protected desert oasis, with metropolitan Tucson, Arizona's second-largest city, lying between the two park sections. Spread over 227 miles, and with...

The Round Valley and Coronado Trail

Named by Basque settlers in the late 1800s, the "Valle Redondo," or Round Valley, is a circular, high-mountain basin on the back side of the...

Navajo Nation West

The Hopi Reservation is like a doughnut hole surrounded by the Navajo Nation. If you approach the Grand Canyon from U.S. 89, via Flagstaff, north...

Outside Petrified Forest National Park

Located in eastern Arizona just off Interstate 40, Petrified Forest National Park is set in an area of grasslands, overlooked by mountains in the distance...

Grand Canyon West

The plateau-dwelling Hualapai ("people of the tall pines") acquired a larger chunk of traditional Pai lands with the creation of their reservation in 1883. Hualapai...

Verde Valley

About 90 miles north of Phoenix, as you round a curve approaching Exit 285 off Interstate 17, the valley of the Verde River suddenly unfolds...

Saguaro National Park

Standing sentinel in the desert, the towering saguaro is perhaps the most familiar emblem of the Southwest. Known for their height (often 50 feet) and...

Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Forest National Park’s 221,390 acres, which include portions of the Painted Desert, are covered with petrified tree trunks whose wood cells were fossilized over...

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

Even first-time visitors to Monument Valley typically recognize the otherworldly landscape—it has appeared in countless Hollywood feature films. Straddling the Arizona/Utah border, the Monument Valley...

Chiricahua National Monument

With its "upside-down" rock formations and abundant wildlife, the Chiricahua National Monument is well worth the two-hour drive from Tucson. You’ll be rewarded with unique...

Tumacacori National Historic Park

Father Kino established the Tumacácori Mission in 1791, but the Jesuits didn't build a church here until 60 years later. Walk through the mission ruins...

Kartchner Caverns State Park

Kartchner Caverns is a large and beautifully maintained cave system where visitors can walk through the fantastic stalactites and stalagmites while learning about the unique...

Navajo National Monument

It takes a little effort to reach this remote national monument designated on the site of two prominent, 13th-century pueblos, each with well over 100...

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

The largest habitat north of the border for organ pipe cacti (the beautiful multiarmed cousins of the saguaro) is off the beaten path unless you’re...

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Visitors have been fascinated by Casa Grande Ruins for more than 300 years, and it's no wonder. The buildings are a marvel of not just...

Lake Pleasant Regional Park

Lake Pleasant Regional Park is one of the most scenic water recreational areas in the Valley of the Sun...

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Lake Powell is the heart of the huge Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which at about 1.25 million acres is roughly the size of Grand...

Imperial National Wildlife Refuge

Something of an anomaly, this 25,765-acre wildlife refuge, created when the Imperial Dam was built, is home both to marshy-river species and creatures that inhabit...

Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge

Encircled by seven mountain ranges in the Altar Valley, remote Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge is the only place in the United States where the...

Sunrise Park Resort

One of Arizona’s favorite locations for snowplay, Sunrise Park Resort is a prime destination for desert dwellers looking to ski or snowboard—or build a snowman...

Saguaro National Park

Standing sentinel in the desert, the towering saguaro is perhaps the most familiar emblem of the Southwest. Known for their height (often 50 feet) and...

Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Forest National Park’s 221,390 acres, which include portions of the Painted Desert, are covered with petrified tree trunks whose wood cells were fossilized over...

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

Even first-time visitors to Monument Valley typically recognize the otherworldly landscape—it has appeared in countless Hollywood feature films. Straddling the Arizona/Utah border, the Monument Valley...

Chiricahua National Monument

With its "upside-down" rock formations and abundant wildlife, the Chiricahua National Monument is well worth the two-hour drive from Tucson. You’ll be rewarded with unique...

Tumacacori National Historic Park

Father Kino established the Tumacácori Mission in 1791, but the Jesuits didn't build a church here until 60 years later. Walk through the mission ruins...

Kartchner Caverns State Park

Kartchner Caverns is a large and beautifully maintained cave system where visitors can walk through the fantastic stalactites and stalagmites while learning about the unique...

Navajo National Monument

It takes a little effort to reach this remote national monument designated on the site of two prominent, 13th-century pueblos, each with well over 100...

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

The largest habitat north of the border for organ pipe cacti (the beautiful multiarmed cousins of the saguaro) is off the beaten path unless you’re...

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Visitors have been fascinated by Casa Grande Ruins for more than 300 years, and it's no wonder. The buildings are a marvel of not just...

Lake Pleasant Regional Park

Lake Pleasant Regional Park is one of the most scenic water recreational areas in the Valley of the Sun...

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Lake Powell is the heart of the huge Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which at about 1.25 million acres is roughly the size of Grand...

Imperial National Wildlife Refuge

Something of an anomaly, this 25,765-acre wildlife refuge, created when the Imperial Dam was built, is home both to marshy-river species and creatures that inhabit...

Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge

Encircled by seven mountain ranges in the Altar Valley, remote Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge is the only place in the United States where the...

Sunrise Park Resort

One of Arizona’s favorite locations for snowplay, Sunrise Park Resort is a prime destination for desert dwellers looking to ski or snowboard—or build a snowman...

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Southern Arizona

Tucson

Eastern Arizona

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Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe

Tucson

Grand Canyon National Park

Northwest Arizona

Saguaro National Park

Outside Saguaro National Park

North-Central Arizona

Petrified Forest National Park

Outside Petrified Forest National Park

Southern Arizona

Eastern Arizona

North-Central Arizona

Northwest Arizona

Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe

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Grand Canyon National Park

Northeast Arizona

Petrified Forest National Park

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Saguaro National Park

Outside Saguaro National Park

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How This Experimental Village in the Arizona Desert Tried to Propose an Alternative to Urban Living

Major Closures at Grand Canyon Will Impact Labor Day Travel

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Fodor's Arizona & the Grand Canyon
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...

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Fodor's Essential Southwest: The Best of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah
Whether you want to take in the views from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, explore Salt...

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Fodor's Complete Guide to the National Parks of the USA: All 63 parks from Maine to American Samoa
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...

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Fodor's InFocus Grand Canyon
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...

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Fodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West: with the Best Scenic Road Trips
Whether you want to hike through jaw-dropping landscapes of Yosemite, see rare wildlife...

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Fodor's Best Weekend Road Trips
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