10 Amazing Arizona Day Trips That Are Worth The Drive In 2025

Saguaro National Park is one of the easiest day trips in Arizona because of its proximity to the state’s major international airports. It takes less than 25 minutes to reach the park from Tucson International Airport and between an hour and 40 minutes to two hours from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. That quick access leaves plenty of time to enjoy a great deal of what this iconic park has to offer. Covering a 92,000-acre area, the Saguaro National Park preserves a Sonoran Desert ecosystem and invites day trippers to hike its trails or drive and bike through paved roads for close-up views of cactus gardens and forests.

Notably, the park is divided into the Tucson Mountain District, located west, and the Rincon Mountain District, located east. It is possible to explore both sections on a day trip by prioritizing highlights, like the five-mile Bajada Loop Drive in the western district and the eight-mile Cactus Forest Loop Drive in the eastern district. Both scenic drives are great ways to explore the desert fauna and flora, and the Bajada Loop Drive even features picnic areas, hiking trailheads, and petroglyphs created by the Hohokam people over a thousand years ago. For hikers, the park has several short trails that can be completed in a day, including the 3.8-mile Loma Verde Trail, accessible from the Cactus Forest Loop Drive.

Archaeology enthusiasts will be delighted on a day trip to the Montezuma Castle National Monument, one of the best-preserved cliff dwellings that sheds light on the ancient Sinagua people. Located just an hour and 30 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, this castle was built and used between 1100 CE and 1425 CE by the Sinagua people, a culture related to the Hohokam people. The five-story dwelling consists of 20 rooms, built with local materials like wood, stone, and mud mortar, highlighting the architectural skillfulness of the ancient culture. Day travelers are welcome to hike a short trail to the castle and tour the museum, which contains farming tools, weapons, pottery, and other artifacts related to the Sinagua people.

Sedona is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the US, and an amazing place for a day trip in Arizona. Famous for its red rock formations and spiritual energy, this town is a paradise for adventures and is only an hour and 50 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Upon arrival, travelers are urged to hike some of the town’s top trails, like the 1.1-mile out-and-back Cathedral Rock Trail and 4.6-mile round-trip Devil’s Bridge Trail, to best soak in the red rock scenery. Both trails are challenging and can take hours to complete, but they lead to the area’s most iconic red rock formations and impressive scenery. For similar experiences, the Red Rock State Park just outside the town is worth visiting. This park is less crowded and features five miles of trails that wind through red rocks and Oak Creek.

Slide Rock State Park is near Sedona, but it deserves a separate day trip, as it is exciting and beautiful. Positioned approximately 2 hours from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, this park is best known for an 80-foot natural water slide on Oak Creek, where tourists can cool off and have fun. This water slide alone is worth the visit to the park, plus the beauty of the surrounding red rock canyon, and the trees add to the experience. The slide can be reached via the 0.3-mile Slide Rock Route, which crosses a footbridge and includes more wading and fishing holes. Meanwhile, the park has other short trails such as the 0.25-mile Pendley Homestead Trail, which winds through apple orchards, the Oak Creek Canyon, and a historic homestead with farming equipment and rustic cabins dating to the 1930s. The park also hosts over a dozen picnic areas in a meadow, and the 0.25-mile Clifftop Nature Trail, which presents picturesque views of the Slide Rock swim area.

History buffs and just about anybody who appreciates music will absolutely love a day trip to the Musical Instrument Museum, located right in the city of Phoenix, just 20 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. While it may seem easy to reach, this museum is the largest of its kind in the world and can take up an entire day, as it has much to offer, including thousands of instruments from every corner of the planet. Guests are welcome to tour the museum to see and learn about instruments, ranging from celebrity-owned guitars to a giant Octobass, and numerous instruments from around the world, including rattles, gongs, banjos, and drums of different shapes and sizes. Simply put, an in-depth exploration of this museum is like a journey through time and around the world on the vehicle of music. There’s even a gallery where curious minds can have fun and get inspired by trying out a variety of instruments. Needless to say, kids would absolutely be in paradise here. As if that’s not enough, the museum features a 300-seat music theater, where over a hundred concerts are held year-round.

More commonly known as Roosevelt Lake, this lake is the largest in Arizona, with a surface area of over 20,000 acres. Arguably the best place in the state for water adventures, it is only an hour and 40 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and makes for an excellent day trip. The lake has 128 miles of shoreline and is within the Tonto National Forest, where it offers a myriad of water-based activities from swimming to motorized boating and kayaking with impressive mountain and desert scenery. With the water bustling with a variety of fish, including trophy largemouth bass, crappie, and more, the lake is also a paradise for anglers. Off the water, the Roosevelt Lake Marina has a waterfront restaurant, picnic areas, and a convenience store to delight day travelers. Additionally, there are several trails in the area to enjoy, including the Vineyard Trail, which leads to gorgeous views of several lakes, including Roosevelt Lake and the surrounding wilderness. For history buffs, the lake is near the Tonto National Monument, where well-preserved cliff dwellings shed light on the history of the Salado people, who inhabited the area over 700 years ago.

Papago Park is a treasure in Arizona, perfect for a long day trip. Located only six minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, this park preserves a desert landscape, interesting geological formations, and a couple of world-famous attractions that can take up the entire day. Day travelers can best explore the park by hiking or biking some short trails, like the 2.5-mile Double Butte Loop, which winds through unique red rock formations and the desert landscape. The Hole-in-the-Rock Trail is another great and short trail in the park, stretching only 0.2 miles through a large wind-eroded hole. In the meantime, Papago Park hosts the Desert Botanical Garden, an attraction renowned for hosting the most diverse collection of arid plants on the planet. Over 50,000 desert plants thrive in this 140-acre garden, and day travelers are welcome to hike short nature trails to see and learn more about the plants and how they have adapted to the environment. Additionally, Phoenix Zoo, the largest privately-owned zoo in the US, is right in Papago Park to delight wildlife lovers. Covering a 125-acre area, this zoo features thousands of animals from around the world, including komodo dragons, Sumatran tigers, and lions, and trails are available to see them all.

As one of the US states with a rich mining history, Arizona is full of ghost towns, many of which boomed in the 1800s and early 1900s, when tons of copper and other minerals were discovered across different parts of the state. Jerome is perhaps the most popular of these ghost towns and makes for the perfect day trip for history buffs from Phoenix. First off, the town is around two hours from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Second, Jerome is super interesting and was once nicknamed the Wickedest Town in the West, due to the rampant vices prevalent in the town in its heyday. Rich copper deposits were first discovered in the area in the late 1800s, and by the 1920s, the town was one of the largest in Arizona, hosting nearly 15,000 people. Unfortunately, following the First World War, the Great Depression, natural disasters, and the closure of most mines, Jerome quickly plunged into ghost town status.

Today, day travelers are invited to learn about the town’s mining history and early inhabitants at Jerome Society Mine Museum and see ruins like the Sliding Jail, which was built in 1905. Notably, the current site of the jail is over 200 feet from its original spot on the mountainside. The jail started sliding in the 1930s after a period of blasts from nearby mining operations, and eventually stopped in the middle of the town, where it is currently secured with an iron fence. More must-see attractions in the town include the historic Jerome Grand Hotel, which opened in 1927, and the La Victoria Studio, which features a crumbling structure, glass-blowing tours, and interesting glass arts.

Lake Havasu City is approximately three hours from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, making it great for a day trip full of water-based adventures, a rare experience in many parts of Arizona. The town is named for the lake on the Colorado River, which is a paradise for motorized boating, paddling, and fishing. These activities can be enjoyed at Lake Havasu State Park, which also features a beach, wildlife, a desert garden, and the Mohave Sunset Trail that meanders along the shoreline and through desert landscape. Away from the water, Lake Havasu’s London Bridge is a cool place to walk and learn about how the bridge was dismantled and transported from a city in England to its current location across the Brigewater Canal. Around the bridge are several restaurants, shops, and hotels, alongside a beach with a swimming area, and more boating opportunities.

Although slightly farther, the Grand Canyon deserves an exception as it is one of the country’s natural treasures, often described as one of the geological wonders of the world. Located around 3.5 hours from the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, a day is a fairly enough time to enjoy the Grand Canyon South Rim, as it is mostly about the views. For starters, one can easily soak in some of the best views of the canyon from Mather Point, which is a five-minute walk from the visitor center. A day is also enough time to bike the Greenway Trail, one of the park’s best trails, stretching 13 miles along several viewpoints and attractions. On this greenway, day travelers can also easily visit the Yavapai Museum of Geology for an in-depth knowledge of the geology of the Grand Canyon, including the names of various rock layers.

In the meantime, it is possible to cut short the 3.5-hour journey from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon with a quick 20-minute flight to the Flagstaff Pulliam Airport. From Flagstaff, it takes approximately an hour and 30 minutes to reach the Grand Canyon South Rim, leaving plenty of time for more adventures, like riding the 25-mile Desert View Drive or hiking the eight-mile Bright Angel Trail, the park’s most popular trail.

Known as the Copper State and ranking as the sixth-largest state in the US, Arizona is a lovely destination with so much to offer. From expansive desert landscapes and massive lakes to well-preserved structures dating back many hundreds of years, this state is indeed endowed, making it an incredible place for day trips. Moreover, the state has two international airports, both offering fair prices and proximity to most of its top day trip destinations, like those listed above. From Papago Park to the Grand Canyon, these Arizona day trips are memorable and worth the drive in 2025.