3 Best Sights in Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe, Arizona

This popular park with jaw-dropping views of the Valley is a good spot to picnic, rock climb, bike, or hike in a beautiful desert environment. The moderately difficult trail is 3.5 miles out and back, winding up a mountain strewn with boulders and towering saguaro cacti. Dogs are not allowed on the trail. For more information on hiking, see Activities.

Urban Encanto (Spanish for "enchanted") Park covers 222 acres at the heart of one of Phoenix's oldest residential neighborhoods. There are many attractions, including picnic areas, a lagoon where you can paddleboat and canoe, a municipal swimming pool, a nature trail, Enchanted Island amusement park, fishing in the park's lake, and two public golf courses.

An amalgam of hilly desert terrain, streams, and lagoons, this park has picnic ramadas (shaded, open-air shelters), a golf course, a playground, hiking and biking trails, and even largemouth bass and trout fishing. (An urban fishing license is required for anglers ages 15 and over. Visit for more information.) The hike up to landmark Hole-in-the-Rock—a natural observatory used by the native Hohokam to devise a calendar system—is steep and rocky, and a much easier climb up than down. Governor Hunt's Tomb, the white pyramid at the top of Ramada 16, commemorates the former Arizona leader and provides a lovely view.