7 Most Overlooked Arizona Towns For 2025

Why do many Arizona towns hide in plain sight, even to Arizonans? The state stretches from red-rock plateaus near Utah down to cactus-filled desert on the Mexican border, bordering New Mexico, California, and Nevada. Arizona became part of the United States in 1912 and still carries centuries of Indigenous anthropology, Spanish missions, and mining settlements. Cities like Phoenix and Tucson get a lot of attention, while the smaller towns are not seen as tourism-worthy. These places kept their pace. You’ll still find weekend events, dusty hiking trails, and odd little landmarks off the main roads. Pack the car, take the back roads, and see what Arizona looks like when no one is watching.

Safford

Safford is overlooked, but it is the only place in Arizona to tour a mountaintop observatory and soak in a mineral spa on the same day. Begin your visit at the EAC Discovery Park Campus, which is the official visitor center for the Mount Graham International Observatory. They have weekend tours to the summit, which is home to some of the latest cutting-edge observatories in the world. Then, spend some time at Roper Lake State Park, ten minutes away, where you will find fishing docks, hot springs, and paddleboard rentals.

Continue driving to the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area to walk canyon trails and view desert wildlife around the Gila River. Before heading back, take time to reserve a soak at Kachina Mineral Springs Spa, a natural spring where mineral-based geothermal waters flow into open-air tubs.

Willcox

Willcox offers more than it gets credit for, especially if you like wine, railroads, and orchards. First, head to the Rex Allen Museum, which features memorabilia from a local cowboy musician and movie star. From there, drive southeast to Chiricahua National Monument, which contains a network of rugged trails winding through rock spires and rhyolite formations. After your hike, visit Apple Annie’s U-Pick Orchard, which offers seasonal fruit such as apples, peaches, and pumpkins.

In the afternoon, taste local vintages at Zarpara Vineyard, which features a relaxed tasting room and a patio with views of the Dos Cabezas Mountains. Make sure to revisit during the Willcox Wine Country Festival, which takes place in Railroad Park, where dozens of Arizona wineries are present alongside live music and food trucks.

Globe

This small town sits quietly on US 60, often ignored by travelers heading east. Kick off your itinerary at Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park. You can wander through partially restored Salado ruins and a desert botanical garden. Then, stop downtown for breakfast or coffee at Vida e Caffè, followed by an easy hike at Round Mountain Park for panoramic views of the town and the desert to the north, south, east, and west.

In the afternoon, visit the Cobre Valley Center for the Arts, located in a 1906 courthouse with rotating exhibits and live performances. If you time it right for October, you can celebrate the Apache Jii Festival. This one-day festival takes over Downtown Globe and showcases Indigenous dance, music, and food.

Clarkdale

Everything here runs through the canyon, copper, and train tracks. First, visit the Arizona Copper Art Museum, where antique weaponry and decorative copper pieces keep the town’s mining tradition alive. Then walk to the depot for the Verde Canyon Railroad for a scenic ride through secluded desert canyons and along winding river bends.

After your return, take a short drive to the Tuzigoot River Access Trail. This mellow course trails along the Verde River and offers views of some ancient pueblo ruins in the distance. If you want to wrap up your day, just ten minutes away is one of the Jerome Ghost Tours, a whimsical evening of touring around haunted hospitals and through abandoned mine shafts. Jerome seems to come alive in March at the Clarkdale Car Show, where classic cars, food trucks, and live music transform the experience into an electrifying event.

Miami

Forget beaches. This Miami is all copper, grit, and small-town backbone. Begin your sightseeing at the Bullion Plaza Cultural Center and Museum, which contains exhibits about Apache resistance, Mexican-American history, and the town’s mining history. As you leave the museum’s parking lot, walk across the street to Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, a historic Catholic church with stained glass and original interior wood dating back to 1917. For local and visiting creatives and crafters, Julie’s Sewing Corner is part of a small shopping district, both a quilter’s supply store and a sewing workshop.

Then, experience the community atmosphere this afternoon at the Cobre Valley Recreation Center, with indoor courts, a pool, and fitness classes in a no-nonsense, community recreation setting. If you happen to be in town in early September, Miami Fiesta brings food, live music, local vendors, and a yearly street-only weekend celebration.

Snowflake

Snowflake often goes unnoticed, but it blends pioneer history with rural quirkiness. Head to the Stinson Pioneer Museum, where relics of original settlers and a 19th-century jail depict the relics of frontier life to visitors. Visit the Snowflake Alpaca Ranch to meet 80+ alpacas and shop for handmade wool items and sustainable farm tours. Snowflake Municipal Golf Course is just a short drive away, where visitors can golf the wide desert fairways and enjoy low-touch golf in a friendly environment, with tee times often available.

Afterwards, pamper yourself at the Snowflake Spa, a friendly wellness spa. In July, the Snowflake Pioneer Days Festival celebrations include parades, rodeos, and historical reenactments.

Quartzsite

Quartzsite does not show up on most travel plans, except in winter, when RVs flood the town. Visit the Hi Jolly Cemetery and check out the pyramid-headed grave of a 19th-century camel driver from the U.S. Army’s Camel Corps. Just off Main Event Way is the Tyson Wells Market Center. Every January and February, this area is lined with tents full of gems, tools, and handmade items.

Inside a utilitarian building off a side road, Joann’s Gum Gallery displays gum wrappers and memorabilia inside over 100 display cases and is one of the weirdest collections in Arizona. Before you leave, walk up the Quartzsite Rock Alignment, which is a large design of desert rocks created during WWII. On January 18, check out the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show, a tent city that lures thousands of travelers in RVs.

Missed by Most, Worth Your Time

These are places that don’t have shiny brochures or the hype of trending travel blogs. They’re holding onto their modest buildings, handmade signs, and quiet trails. They are your small-town science centers buried in the desert, your ghost tour through a forgotten hospital, and a gum wrapper collection tucked behind a dirt road. Each has something to offer. Their value comes from never asking to be noticed. And the fewer people who stop and stay, the more they stay the same. So if you’re tired of taking the same road, flipping through the same guidebook, and seeing the same stops, it’s time to peel away. The road is open.