Arizona is such a special place for us! When I was in grad school I had taken a two-month clinical rotation in Tempe, AZ. My wife helped me move out there and visited about a month later. During that time, it really became clear to us that we wanted to pursue travel PT as a career. We hoped one day that we could both explore Arizona together. Fast forward exactly three years later and we finally made it happen! It was everything we dreamed of! Arizona is full of many different landscapes and we tried our hardest to see them all!
ANTELOPE CANYON
One of the most famous sightseeing tours to do in Arizona is to visit Antelope Canyon. And it’s for good reason! The only way to visit this incredible canyon is by taking a tour through the Navajo Nation. There are tours in both the Upper and Lower Canyons. We toured the Upper Canyon. The main difference is that the Upper Canyon is wider at the bottom and more narrow at the top, the Lower Canyon is the opposite, creating more of a V-shape. In addition, the Lower Canyon is less expensive and longer, while the Upper Canyon is more expensive and only about 1/4 of a mile long.
If you can visit both the Upper and the Lower I would highly suggest doing that! However, if you had to choose to do just one, I would suggest the Upper! Because the Upper Canyon is more narrow at the top it creates more light beams that shine through, creating magical moments and beautiful photos. Most of the famous pictures you see of Antelope Canyon are from the Upper Canyon. But we have also heard great things about the Lower, they are just very different! Honestly, you can’t go wrong! Once you’re finished with the trail be sure to visit the town of Page! There are some great local shops and eats that you won’t want to miss!
CHIRICAHUA NATIONAL MONUMENT
We spent one weekend in Chiricahua National Monument and it was one of our favorite weekends in Arizona! Most of the people who have lived in Arizona their entire lives haven’t even heard of this park. That’s crazy! Located almost 4 hours Southeast of Phoenix probably deters most people from visiting, but I promise it’s worth the drive!
This park has a short 8-mile, paved scenic drive; it doesn’t take long to do but we could’ve driven up and down that road all day it was so beautiful! We ended up hiking The Big Loop throughout the park which hit all the major sightseeing points. It was about 9 miles long with an elevation gain of 1,817 ft. There are many other shorter/easier hikes to do that show off the park just as well too!
I would highly recommend camping in the park if you’re lucky enough to get a spot. There are only 25 spots located at the Bonita Canyon Campground. You can make reservations online or check with the host/ranger for last-minute cancellations. We were not so lucky at claiming one of those spots; however, there are multiple dispersed campsites just down the road outside of the park that are first come first serve. We ended up getting luckier than we imagined and picked out a great spot for the night to camp, hammock, and watch the stars!
FLAGSTAFF
Now, I’m sure you’ve heard of Flagstaff! A town that sits at 7,000 ft and is surrounded by ponderosa pines. It’s a cute town perfect for a weekend getaway filled with great skiing and local eats and brews. We decided to celebrate Paige’s March birthday in Flagstaff and oh what fun we had! It certainly didn’t disappoint, even going after a big snowstorm that rolled through. Honestly, it made it perfect for a day full of skiing at the famous Arizona Snowbowl.
We rented our ski gear directly from the Lodge. Be sure to order your equipment ahead of time to skip the line on arrival. This made our day super easy. We arrived early at the park, checked in, got our equipment, and hit the slopes as soon as they opened. There’s a restaurant on site too if you didn’t pack snacks, and even a little bar halfway down the mountainside if you get thirsty throughout the day! When we were completely wiped out returning our equipment was a breeze! Be sure to check out Arizona Snowbowl Ski Resort for your lift tickets, rentals, and more!
Don’t forget to head into town for dinner and something sweet to celebrate whatever the occasion may be! There are many great local restaurants you won’t want to miss.
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK
It’s no shocker why Grand Canyon National Park is on most people’s bucket lists. This park is breathtaking!! Especially if you decide to hike down into it. Which we finally got to do on our 4th visit there! We did the South Kaibab Trail to Tip off. The out-and-back trail was 8.9 miles long with an elevation gain of 3,245 ft. What a stunning trail!
If you’re not up for hiking down into the canyon that is totally okay! There are plenty of overlooks and easy, flat, rim hikes that you can do as well!
We’ve only explored the South Rim, but we would love to go back and explore the North Rim and knock off more hikes on our bucket list! Comment below if you have any favorites!
Be sure to check out the Yavapai Lodge for coffee, dinner, and drink options!
ORGAN PIPE CACTUS NATIONAL MONUMENT
Don’t sleep on National Monuments! We have a goal to visit all the National Parks so sometimes we overlook a national monument nearby, but never again! We’ve come to realize that National Monuments are just as cool as National Parks! Some are even on their way to being identified as National Parks. And this one should be!
Organ Pipe Cactus is a HUGE and BEAUTIFUL park! There are so many hiking trails and beautiful scenic areas to visit all year round! We visited the park in mid-March and the weather was perfect! We completed the Mount Ajo via Bull Pasture to Estes Cayon Loop. It was 8.9 miles long with an elevation gain of 2,667 ft. There were wildflowers everywhere, so many shapes, sizes, and species of cacti, and breathtaking mountain views!
Be sure to add this one to your list!
PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK
Petrified Forest National Park is not on a lot of people’s radar. Typically, there more worried about getting to the Grand Canyon and spending as much time there as they can. However, if you have time to stop and check this park out, I would highly recommend it! This unique park offers fossils from over 200 million years ago!! Woah. There is petrified wood, vast views, and colorful geological formations. A very interesting park for those who like to learn about different ecosystems and landscapes!
PHOENIX
Phoenix is a very fun city to explore! From the concert venues, basketball games, top-notch restaurants, and fun activities, Phoenix makes for a very well-rounded day!
To start your day you should definitely hike the famous Camelback Mountain. A short, but tough hike. There are two routes you could take to complete this hike. Camelback Mountain via Echo Canyon Trail (2.6 miles/1,522 ft) or Camelback Mountain via Cholla Trail (3 miles/1,279 ft). Either way be sure to bring plenty of water because it’s going to get steep and hot!! This mountain is located right in the middle of town and provides 360-degree views that stretch forever!
Aside from Phoenix, there are many other really cool towns nearby that we got to explore and fell in love with, such as Peoria, Glendale, Tempe, Mesa, and Scottsdale. Each town was unique and perfect if you didn’t want to go to downtown Phoenix, but still wanted a great day filled with fun activities and great food!
TUSCON
Tuscon is a great location for outdoor activities. There are many recreation areas, state parks, and even a National Park. If you want to see some cool and unique cacti be sure to check out Saquaro National Park! This large park is sectioned into two sides, East and West. You can spend quite some time here, hiking, biking, camping, and more! Between the East and West sides is where Tuscon is located.
It’s been quite some time since we visited Saguaro National Park, but more recently we hiked Bear Canyon to Seven Falls Trail in Tuscon. This trail is located in the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area. The trail was 8.4 miles long with an elevation gain of 1,069 ft. Another great area for hiking or a day of exploring is Catalina State Park. We hiked Romero Canyon Trail to Romero Pools. This trail is 6.1 miles long with an elevation gain of 1,318 ft. Each of these parks was beautiful and had lots of great hiking options/other activities for all ages and levels.
Do you have a favorite thing to do in Tuscon? Let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!
SEDONA
Sedona holds a special place in our hearts. We have visited 4 times now and still can’t get enough of it! The hiking trails are endless, the food is delicious, and the views are gorgeous! There’s no place like Sedona and I can’t recommend visiting this town enough.
We’ve done just about all the “popular” hikes, Devils Bridge, Seven Sacred Pools, Cathedral Rock, and Bell Rock. But some of our favorites were the lesser-known hikes, such as Boynton Canyon and Bear Mountain. There are still so many more hikes, restaurants, and activities that we would like to do in Sedona, and already can’t wait to get back!
SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN RANGE
Arizona is high on my list when it comes to the best hiking states. There’s the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and of course the Superstition Mountain Range. I’ve lost track of how many weekends I’ve spent here hiking a new trail. Every time I went back it was different and somehow better than before. So, if you’re looking for some great hiking trails be sure to check out the Superstition Mountains! You won’t be disappointed.
WILDFLOWERS
Our time in Arizona in 2023 was an unusually wet winter season. It rained more than we would have liked, but sometimes you must endure pain to see beauty. The rain wasn’t fun, but the aftermath of what the rain had left was astonishing. The amount of wildflowers we had seen before we left for the summer was more than we had seen just about anywhere else. So, please enjoy some photos of our favorite wildflowers!
Please feel free to comment below with any other recommendations or comments you have on Arizona! We’d love to hear from you. If you have any questions regarding hiking trails, restaurants, must-dos, or anything else, please contact us directly.