The Best Things to Do in Arizona, Region by Region

The best things to do in Arizona for a first trip are the Grand Canyon's South Rim, the Navajo Nation's Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon, Sedona's red rock trails, Saguaro National Park outside Tucson and the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City. Below are 14 picks sorted into five regions, so you can plan one region at a time. Each one comes with what to do, how long it takes and a tip.

Arizona is bigger than it looks on a map. The Grand Canyon averages only about 10 miles across, yet the National Park Service puts the drive from South Rim Village to North Rim Village at about 212 miles. Pick one or two regions per trip and you will see more and drive less.

How we chose these places to visit in Arizona

We picked places a first-timer would regret missing, spread across all five regions, and confirmed each one on its own official site. The Phoenix metro gets one short mention. Hours and fees change: check the official site before you go.

Northern Arizona

Northern Arizona is canyon and Navajo Nation country: the Grand Canyon, Page, Monument Valley, Petrified Forest and Flagstaff.

1. Grand Canyon National Park, South Rim

What to do: Park once, then ride the free shuttle buses between viewpoints; the National Park Service includes them in your entrance fee. From March through November, Hermit Road, a 7-mile scenic road from Grand Canyon Village to Hermits Rest, is typically closed to private cars, so the red-route shuttle is the way to its overlooks. You can still walk or bike it.

How long: One full day for the rim. Two if you want a sunrise and a sunset.

Tip: The park does not accept cash, so bring a card. The South Entrance and the East Entrance at Desert View are open all year, 24 hours a day. The North Rim is a separate, seasonal trip with limited services, so check the park's official site before you plan on it.

2. Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend, near Page

What to do: Walk the slot canyons of Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon, then hike out to the overlook at Horseshoe Bend. Both are on the edge of Page.

Who runs it: Antelope Canyon is on Navajo Nation land, in the Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park run by Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation. Tour guides are mandatory, so book a guided tour. The Nation charges its own entry fee per person on top of the tour price, limits time inside Upper Antelope to two hours, and bans dogs at all of its tribal parks.

How long: A tour takes a couple of hours. Horseshoe Bend is a 1.5-mile round-trip walk, so allow about an hour.

Tip: Horseshoe Bend is not a Navajo Tribal Park. The National Park Service says the overlook is part of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, but the parking lot is on City of Page land and charges its own fee. National park passes do not apply there, and drones are not allowed.

3. Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

What to do: Drive the 17-mile loop road among the buttes and sign in and out at the visitor center for the 1.5-mile Wildcat Trail.

Who runs it: Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation runs Monument Valley. It is a tribal park, not a national park, and national park passes don't cover it. The park spans 91,696 acres across the Arizona-Utah line. It charges a per-person fee plus a vehicle fee, and motorcycles are not allowed on the loop drive. Places such as Ear of the Wind can only be reached on a guided tour. Alcohol is prohibited across the Navajo Nation, and the Nation asks you to get permission before you photograph anyone.

How long: Half a day for the drive. Add a guided tour for the back areas.

Tip: In winter, the last entry to the scenic drive is typically mid-afternoon. Most of Arizona never changes its clocks, but the National Park Service notes that the Navajo Nation observes daylight saving time. From March to November, Monument Valley runs an hour ahead of Flagstaff, so set your tour time by the Navajo clock.

4. Petrified Forest National Park

What to do: Drive the park road through the Painted Desert, past fossilized logs and a stretch of historic Route 66.

How long: The National Park Service says the 28-mile drive takes about an hour without stops. Give it half a day.

Tip: Taking any petrified wood or rock is illegal, and that includes old Route 66 debris. Check gate hours on the official site.

5. Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff

What to do: Look through the telescopes on the Open Deck at Lowell Observatory on Mars Hill in Flagstaff. Lowell Observatory says Pluto was discovered there in 1930.

How long: An evening.

Tip: Lowell Observatory is typically open noon to 10 p.m. but closed on Tuesdays. Flagstaff was named the world's first International Dark Sky City in 2001, which is why the stars are so sharp.

North Central Arizona

North Central Arizona is red rock, a hillside mining town and cliff dwellings in the Verde Valley.

6. Sedona's red rock trailheads

What to do: Hike from one of the Coconino National Forest trailheads around Sedona, such as Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock Pathway, Boynton Canyon or Fay Canyon.

How long: One to two days.

Tip: At these trailheads you need a Red Rock Pass or an America the Beautiful pass whenever you leave your car. The US Forest Service sells daily, weekly and annual Red Rock Passes online through Recreation.gov and at site kiosks. A few concession sites in Oak Creek Canyon charge their own fees instead. Flooding can close Oak Creek Canyon sites and State Route 89A, so check the Forest Service passes page and az511.gov before you go.

7. Jerome and the Douglas Mansion

What to do: Walk the steep streets of Jerome, a copper town built on Cleopatra Hill, then tour Jerome State Historic Park. James S. Douglas built the mansion in 1916 above his Little Daisy Mine. It is now a museum with a 3-D model of the town and the mines beneath it.

How long: Half a day.

Tip: The Jerome Chamber of Commerce says the town went from a peak of 15,000 people in the 1920s to a low of 50 after the mines closed in 1953. The state park is typically open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily (Arizona State Parks).

8. Montezuma Castle National Monument, Verde Valley

What to do: Walk the short trail to see a 20-room cliff dwelling built in an alcove about 90 feet up a limestone cliff. Then drive about 11 miles to Montezuma Well.

How long: One to two hours for both. Each site has a short 1/3-mile trail.

Tip: The National Park Service says Montezuma Well holds more than 15 million gallons of water and refills with about 1.5 million gallons every day. The Well is free. The Montezuma Castle ticket also covers Tuzigoot National Monument for seven days (official site).

Phoenix & Central Arizona

Phoenix & Central Arizona means the desert metro, plus the Superstition Mountains just east of it.

9. Tortilla Flat and Lost Dutchman State Park

What to do: Hike from Lost Dutchman State Park, at the base of the Superstition Mountains about 40 miles east of Phoenix. Then drive the Apache Trail to Tortilla Flat for lunch and prickly pear gelato.

How long: A day trip from the metro.

Tip: Tortilla Flat dates to 1904 and says its population of 6 is not a joke. Lost Dutchman doesn't allow walk-ins or hiker drop-offs, so plan to drive or bike in and pay at the gate (Arizona State Parks). Check az511.gov before driving the Apache Trail beyond Tortilla Flat.

10. Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix

If you're flying into Phoenix, the Desert Botanical Garden in the Papago Buttes is a good desert primer: 140 acres and more than 4,800 species. Give it two to three hours, ideally early in the day.

Tucson & Southern Arizona

Tucson & Southern Arizona is saguaro forest, a living cave and copper-camp history.

11. Saguaro National Park, Tucson

What to do: Saguaro National Park has two districts on either side of Tucson. In the Rincon Mountain District (East), drive the paved 8-mile Cactus Forest Loop. In the Tucson Mountain District (West), take the 6-mile Bajada Loop, a graded dirt road that doesn't need high clearance.

How long: Half a day per district.

Tip: One entrance pass covers both districts for seven days, and the park does not accept cash. It is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas (official site).

12. Kartchner Caverns State Park, Benson

What to do: Take a guided cave tour of the Rotunda/Throne Room or, from October 15 to April 15, the Big Room.

How long: Arizona State Parks lists 1½ hours for the Rotunda/Throne Room tour and 1¾ hours for the Big Room tour.

Tip: Arizona State Parks says Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts found the cave in November 1974 and kept it a secret until February 1978. Book ahead. Photos aren't allowed inside, and you can't take bags or phones into the cave (cave tours).

13. Bisbee's Queen Mine Tour and Tombstone

What to do: In Bisbee, board an original mine train and head 1,500 feet into the Queen Mine on a tour of about an hour. Then drive to Tombstone for Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park, an 1882 red-brick courthouse.

How long: A full day for both towns.

Tip: The Queen Mine Tour requires reservations and doesn't allow children under 6 underground. The City of Bisbee says the town's mines produced 8 billion pounds of copper in almost a century of mining.

West Coast Arizona

West Coast Arizona is the Colorado River and Route 66.

14. London Bridge, Lake Havasu City

What to do: Walk across a London bridge in the Arizona desert, over the Bridgewater Channel in Lake Havasu City, then get out on the water.

How long: A couple of hours for the bridge. A weekend if you're boating.

Tip: Go Lake Havasu says Robert P. McCulloch Sr. won the bid for the bridge in 1968. The 10,276 numbered granite blocks were shipped through the Panama Canal, and the bridge was rededicated in Arizona in 1971. On the way in, stop in Kingman, the self-described Heart of Historic Route 66.

What should a first-timer pack and plan for Arizona?

Bring a card, book tours ahead and respect Navajo Nation rules.

• Bring a card. Grand Canyon and Saguaro national parks do not accept cash.
• Book ahead for Antelope Canyon tours, Kartchner Caverns cave tours and the Queen Mine Tour.
• Buy a Red Rock Pass before you hike in Sedona.
• Set your watch to Navajo Nation time in Monument Valley from March to November.
• Don't bring alcohol onto the Navajo Nation, and ask before you photograph people there.
• Don't plan a Flagstaff stargazing night at Lowell Observatory on a Tuesday.
• Check az511.gov for road closures, especially Oak Creek Canyon and the Apache Trail.
• Leave every rock and piece of petrified wood where you found it.
• Want more drives? See our Arizona road trips.

A one-week loop from Phoenix

This loop takes in three regions in seven days.

1. Day 1: Desert Botanical Garden, then drive to Sedona.
2. Day 2: Sedona trailheads, then Jerome.
3. Day 3: Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well, then on to Flagstaff and Lowell Observatory.
4. Day 4: Grand Canyon South Rim.
5. Day 5: Drive to Page for Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.
6. Day 6: Monument Valley.
7. Day 7: Petrified Forest on the way back south.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the number one thing to do in Arizona?

For most first-time visitors, the top thing to do in Arizona is see the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, which is open all year. Park once and use the free shuttle buses, which the National Park Service includes in the entrance fee.

Can you visit Antelope Canyon without a tour guide?

No. Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation says tour guides are mandatory in Antelope Canyon, part of the Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park near Page, Arizona. The Nation charges its own per-person entry fee on top of the tour price.

Is Monument Valley a national park?

No. Monument Valley is a Navajo Tribal Park run by Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation, and its 91,696 acres span Arizona and Utah. It charges its own fees, and national park passes do not cover it.

Do you need a pass to hike in Sedona?

Yes, at many trailheads. The US Forest Service requires a Red Rock Pass or an America the Beautiful pass if you leave your vehicle at a listed fee site around Sedona, Arizona, such as Cathedral Rock or Boynton Canyon. Daily, weekly and annual passes are sold on Recreation.gov and at site kiosks.

How many days do you need in Arizona?

A week in Arizona covers Phoenix, Sedona, Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, Page and Monument Valley. Add more days for Tucson and Southern Arizona or the Colorado River. The Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona recommends at least three days for the Arizona stretch of Route 66.

Does Arizona change its clocks for daylight saving time?

Most of Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time all year, but the Navajo Nation observes daylight saving time from March to November, according to the National Park Service. That means Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park can run an hour ahead of Flagstaff in summer.