Scottsdale · $$$$$ — Lush Fazio desert parkland
Road trips · Arizona
Arizona road trips & hidden gems.
Arizona is the Southwest at its most cinematic — the Grand Canyon, Sedona’s red rocks, saguaro deserts, and some of the darkest night skies in the country, all within a day’s drive. Winter and the shoulder seasons are golden; summer in the low desert is no joke. Come for the scale, stay for the light.
Happening in Arizona
WM Phoenix Open
Barely two dozen marquee events hit the whole country in a year — and Arizona has one this February. Roamward builds the trip around it: the scenic route in, the detours worth a slack day, and when rooms sell out.
Prime planning windowPlan the trip around it →
Best time to visitOct–April (desert) · summer up north
Don’t missSunset at the Grand Canyon’s South Rim
Published gems10
Hikes22 curated
Scenic drives4
Worth-the-detour corridors
Drives through Arizona
Ranked city-to-city drives that cross Arizona — each with honest +N min detours on the shelf.
Gem Hunt nominees
What locals say you shouldn’t miss.
Community-nominated candidates. Add yours and vote to help choose the first published finalists.
Lowell Observatory
Where Pluto was discovered, on a hill above Route 66 Flagstaff — the night sky as the main event.
Taliesin WestFrank Lloyd Wright's desert masterwork and winter home — architecture that grows straight out of the Sonoran landscape.
Jerome Grand HotelA former hospital turned hotel clinging to Cleopatra Hill — Arizona's most famously haunted overnight.
Chiricahua National MonumentA "Wonderland of Rocks" sky island in the far southeast — hoodoo forests almost nobody drives to.
BisbeeA vertical old copper-mining town turned artist colony in the Mule Mountains, an hour past Tombstone.
Meteor CraterA 50,000-year-old impact crater off I-40 — a near-perfect bowl you can stand on the rim of.
Worth traveling for
Events that put Arizona on the calendar.
The big ones
National parks in Arizona.
The bucket-list landscapes — when to go and what not to miss.
Explore by interest
Everything else worth a stop in Arizona.
Start with a few highlights, choose one interest, or explicitly open the full state guide.
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Scenic drives
Scenic routes through Arizona.
More worth the detour
The general guide to Arizona.
Museums, monuments, historic sites, and local-only stops from Roamward's shared place map.
Arcosanti
Paolo Soleri's experimental 'arcology' rising from the high desert since 1970; tours, bronze-bell foundry, cafe.
Bearizona Wildlife ParkDrive-through wildlife park (bears, wolves, bison) in the pines off I-40.
Chief Yellowhorse Trading PostStep inside and you can stand with one foot in Arizona and one in New Mexico — the state line runs straight through the floor of a Navajo-family-owned trading post built into the base of the Painted Cliffs, turquoise cases on one side, sandstone bluffs looming outside.
ChlorideArizona's oldest continuously inhabited mining town, with a visitor center at the Mineshaft Market, the Roy Purcell "Journey" murals (1966) about 1.5 miles out a maintained dirt road, a 1917 jail, and the Jim Fritz museum (open most Saturdays).
Colorado River State Historic ParkArmy Quartermaster Depot (1864) that supplied the desert Southwest; river-history exhibits.
Dateland Travel CenterThe date-shake oasis of I-8, with Medjool groves and the famous shakes.
Boots on
Best hikes in Arizona.
From family-easy to bucket-list — trails worth the detour, great for the RV & camping crew.
Bear Mountain (Sedona)
a relentless red-rock climb to a panoramic summit — exposed, strenuous, and worth it
Bell Rock (Sedona)an easy red-rock loop
Bright Angel to Plateau Point (Grand Canyon)the classic canyon descent — turn around anytime
Camelback, Cholla Trail (Phoenix)the longer east-side route to Camelback's summit — still extremely difficult, exposed, and boulder-strewn; limited designated street parking, and a scheduled trail closure Aug. 10–21, 2026
Camelback, Echo Canyon (Phoenix)Phoenix's iconic, extremely difficult summit scramble — exposed, rocky, and regularly underestimated; go near sunrise, carry ample water, and turn back in dangerous heat
Cathedral Rock (Sedona)a short, steep red-rock scramble — magic at sunset
Beyond the parks
Wild lands in Arizona.
National forests, wilderness, and monuments — the big scenic public land between the parks and the gems.
Coconino
Sedona red rock and ponderosa high country.
CoronadoSky-island mountains rising from the desert.
Vermilion CliffsThe Wave and towering red escarpments.
Organ Pipe CactusThe only place organ pipe cactus grows wild in the US.
ChiricahuaA “wonderland of rocks” — balanced stone spires.
Glen Canyon / Lake PowellSlickrock canyons and the maze of Lake Powell.
Bucket-list wonders
Scenic landmarks in Arizona.
The iconic slot canyons, overlooks, and rock formations — and how you actually get to visit each one.
Horseshoe Bend
The Colorado River’s 270° bend, 1,000 feet down.
Antelope CanyonThe light-beam slot canyon on Navajo land.
Monument ValleyThe mittens and buttes of the classic Western.
The WaveThe undulating sandstone bowl made famous worldwide.
White PocketBrain-coral sandstone with no permit lottery.
Bell RockSedona’s iconic bell-shaped butte & vortex.
The gloriously weird detour
Roadside Americana in Arizona.
Giant statues, folk-art wonders, vintage neon, and roadside oddities — the stops worth the exit.
Where to wake up
Camping in Arizona.
The most scenic places to pitch a tent or park the rig — each with how to reserve and how RV-friendly it is.
Raise a glass
Breweries, distilleries & wineries in Arizona.
The trip-worthy taprooms, distilleries, and wine country.
Arizona Stronghold / Verde Valley
a surprising high-desert wine trail near Sedona.
Arizona Wilderness Brewinga sustainability-minded brewery using Arizona-grown grains.
Dragoon Brewinga no-nonsense Tucson brewery built around a flagship IPA.
Four Peaks Brewingan Arizona icon (Kilt Lifter) in a landmark old creamery building.
Mother Road Brewinga Route 66 brewery anchoring Flagstaff’s mountain-town beer scene.
Wren House Brewinga neighborhood Phoenix brewery widely rated among the state’s best.
Where to eat
Road-trip dining in Arizona.
Restaurants, diners, and food halls that fit the drive — curated by town, not scraped from a phone book.
Cameron Trading Post Restaurant
Historic 1916 stone trading post near the Grand Canyon East entrance serving legendary Navajo tacos beneath hand-woven rugs.
ConfluenceChef-driven, seasonally sourced modern cooking that doubles as a casual lunch spot and a serious date-night room. The culinary reason to detour into tiny Carefree.
English Rose Tea RoomFull formal afternoon tea — bone china, chandeliers, loose-leaf service — run by an English expat since 2001 and named Phoenix Magazine's best. A genuinely charming curveball on a desert itinerary.
Keeler's Neighborhood SteakhousePolished steakhouse in Carefree's Historic Spanish Village with a rooftop patio made for desert evenings. The special-occasion dinner on the north Valley's quiet end.
Big Earl's Greasy EatsBurger stand in a converted filling station, open 364 days a year with an old-time candy shop attached and drive-in movies on Saturday nights. Pure roadside Americana.
Buffalo Chip Saloon & SteakhouseRebuilt after a devastating fire and still hosting live bull riding on Wednesday and Friday nights alongside mesquite-grilled steaks. Dinner and a rodeo in one stop.
Snow season
Best ski resorts in Arizona.
Big-mountain steeps, all-mountain variety, and family hills.
On two wheels (road)
Best cycling in Arizona.
Scenic road rides, iconic climbs, and car-free rail-trails.
Knobby tires
Best mountain biking in Arizona.
Trail systems, bike parks, and gravel routes.
Sedona (Hangover / Hiline)
exposed red-rock tech with jaw-dropping views.
Prescott Circle Trailgranite-dell singletrack in cool high country.
50 Year Trailthe "Chutes" and desert flow north of Tucson.
South Mountain (National Trail)rugged in-city desert tech with skyline views.
Flagstaff (Mount Elden)cool pine-forest singletrack at 7,000 ft.
Soak it in
Best hot springs in Arizona.
Resorts, historic bathhouses, and wild primitive soaks.
Arizona Hot Springs (Ringbolt)
a slot-canyon ladder climb to riverside pools below Hoover Dam.
Verde Hot Springsremote riverside ruins-and-pools reached by a rough road and ford.
Castle Hot Springsa historic luxury desert resort reborn around its springs.
Hot Well Dunestwo soaking tubs amid off-road sand dunes in the southeast.
Chasing water
Best waterfalls in Arizona.
From roadside stops to bucket-list hikes — easy ones flagged for the RV & family crew.
Tee it up
Public golf you can book in Arizona.
Scottsdale · $$$$$ — Heaven and Hell par 3
Peoria · $$$$$ — Isolated mountain-desert masterpiece
Scottsdale · $$$$$ — Home of the rowdy 16th
Scottsdale · $$$$$ — Desert target golf icon
Scottsdale · $$$$$ — Boulders, canyons, big carries
Take me out
MLB ballparks in Arizona.
Plan the Arizona trip
Get the scenic route, the stops, and the timing.
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Where to stay
Find a place to stay near Arizona.
Hotels, cabins, and rentals close to the action — compare and book for your trip.
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