17 Day Trips From Phoenix, by Real Drive Time

Goldfield Ghost Town is 40 minutes from downtown Phoenix. An hour farther out, Jerome's brick storefronts hang off Cleopatra Hill. Seven of the 17 day trips here are history: copper towns, Old West streets, a cliff dwelling and the ruins of early desert farmers. The rest run to red rock, the Sonoran Desert, pine country, two reservoirs, a river float, a cave and a crater.

Pick Jerome first for history: at 1h 45m it is an hour closer than Tombstone, and the Douglas Mansion is a state park museum. Sedona is the red rock day and Payson the pines.

This November, Kartchner's Big Room tour is running again, Salt River tubing is out of season until late April, and Tonto Natural Bridge's trails are shut after flooding. With a night or two, the weekend getaways from Phoenix reach the Grand Canyon, Page, Bisbee and Zion.

All costs are in US dollars for two people: gas there and back, food, entry fees and local transport. No hotel. Drive times are one-way from downtown Phoenix by road.

The short list

Kartchner, Meteor Crater and Tombstone put you in the car for more than five hours, so leave Phoenix by seven. Anything inside an hour fits a morning.

Closest if you're short on time

Five day trips sit within an hour of downtown Phoenix. Apache Junction is closest at 40 minutes, then Cave Creek at 45 and Lake Pleasant at 50. Boyce Thompson Arboretum and Casa Grande Ruins take an hour. With one morning, take Apache Junction, where Goldfield Ghost Town and Lost Dutchman's trails sit side by side.

Best for mining towns and the Old West

Five Old West and mining towns sit within a day of Phoenix.

Jerome

Jerome is a former copper-mining town on Cleopatra Hill, once nicknamed the Wickedest Town in the West. Walk the hillside stairways between old brick storefronts and find the Sliding Jail, a reminder of the ground movement that once damaged parts of town. The Douglas Mansion, built in 1916 above the Little Daisy Mine, is now the museum of Jerome State Historic Park. Spring is the season for strolling, so come in April.

Jerome

≈ USD 250–USD 350

Mike McBey (CC BY 2.0)

Tombstone

On the third weekend of October, Helldorado Days fills Tombstone's Allen Street with gunfight reenactments. Beyond the festival, Tombstone has Allen Street's gunfight shows, Boothill Cemetery and the red-brick Victorian courthouse of 1882, now a state park museum that retells the Gunfight at the OK Corral. At 2h 50m each way, Tombstone makes a long day.

Tombstone

≈ USD 270–USD 390

tifoultoute (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Prescott

In June, Prescott's height keeps it cooler than Phoenix. Its Whiskey Row is a run of wooden storefronts and old saloons from the frontier years. Spend the morning at the Sharlot Hall Museum, then walk around Watson Lake or hike Thumb Butte.

Prescott

≈ USD 240–USD 350

Cityofprescott (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Cave Creek

Hike the Quartz Trail in Cave Creek Regional Park to find the saguaro locals call the Michelin Man, 45 minutes from Phoenix. As of November 2026, the park's nature center and trailhead restrooms are closed after a water leak. Cave Creek itself is a ranching and gold-mining town, and country music drifts out of the saloons and patios along Cave Creek Road.

Cave Creek

≈ USD 220–USD 330

Timothy A. Gonsalves (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Apache Junction

Apache Junction sits under the Superstition Mountains. Goldfield Ghost Town is the Wild West stop. Lost Dutchman State Park, next door, has the trails into the Superstition Wilderness. Go in March, with the desert in bloom and the days mild.

Apache Junction

≈ USD 220–USD 330

Waqcku at English Wikipedia (Public domain)

Best for cliff dwellings and ruins

Montezuma Castle

Montezuma Castle National Monument, near Camp Verde, is an ancient cliff dwelling tucked into a towering limestone ledge. A gentle trail leads there. Summer runs 35–46 °C (95–115 °F) and winter highs sit near 13 °C (55 °F), so aim for April and pair it with Fort Verde State Historic Park in town.

Camp Verde

≈ USD 240–USD 350

Seasider53 (CC BY 4.0)

Casa Grande Ruins

A two-hour visit covers Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in Coolidge, the ruins left by early desert farmers, among them a big earthen great house. Winter is mild here, so go then. The monument closes on Juneteenth, Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Coolidge

≈ USD 230–USD 340

Goldmoney10 (CC0)

Best for red rock and the Sonoran Desert

Sedona

At 1h 55m each way, Sedona needs an early start from Phoenix. Spend the day on Cathedral Rock, the view from Airport Mesa, the Red Rock Scenic Byway and the Chapel of the Holy Cross, and come in May.

Sedona

≈ USD 250–USD 360

Terrydarc (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Tucson

Tucson's Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum shows saguaros and the desert's wildlife in natural habitat. Spend the afternoon among the aircraft at the Pima Air and Space Museum. March, before the heat, suits both.

Tucson

≈ USD 250–USD 360

unknown; cleaned up, rotated and levels adjustment by Howcheng. (Public domain)

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Boyce Thompson Arboretum is a desert botanical garden near Superior, an hour east of Phoenix. The new Wallace Desert Garden adds 13 acres and 1.5 miles of trails. Go between mid-March and late April, when the bloom peaks with poppies and lupines along the High Trail.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

≈ USD 230–USD 340

Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Best for pine country and the rim

Payson

Payson is a ranching and lumber town at 5,000 feet, below the Mogollon Rim and inside the largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest in the world. Drive up to Woods Canyon Lake on the rim, near 7,500 feet, to rent a boat, fish for rainbow trout or walk the shoreline trail. Go in mid to late October for the fall color, or in summer for the rim's height.

Payson

≈ USD 240–USD 350

Jedijoe82 (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Tonto Natural Bridge

The state park describes Tonto Natural Bridge as "believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world." As of November 2026, the park's four trails and the area under the bridge are closed after rain and flooding. You can still walk the paved path along the top and the rim viewpoints beside the historic Goodfellow Lodge. Until the trails reopen it is a rim-top stop, so check the park page before you drive. In April the park's pear, apple, apricot and plum trees bloom.

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

≈ USD 240–USD 350

ksblack99 (Public domain)

Best for water days

Lake Pleasant

At 50 minutes, Lake Pleasant is the closest water day: 10,000 acres under the Bradshaw Mountains, with boat rentals at Scorpion Bay and coves for anchoring and swimming. The Pipeline Trailhead is closed from November 10, 2026 to March 10, 2027.

Lake Pleasant

≈ USD 220–USD 330

Cathixx (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Bartlett Lake

Bartlett Lake is a reservoir behind Bartlett Dam in Tonto National Forest, ringed by Sonoran desert mountains. Picnic sites line the west shore. You need a Tonto Daily Pass to park, plus a watercraft sticker for a boat. In summer, launch on a weekday, since weekends bring waits.

Bartlett Lake

≈ USD 230–USD 330

Scotwriter21 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Salt River

Salt River tubing runs from late April to the end of September, a lazy float through Tonto National Forest past saguaros. You can rent a tube and ride a shuttle back to the start. Go in May, before the peak heat.

Salt River

≈ USD 210–USD 320

Z Glyph (CC BY 3.0)

Best for caves and craters

Kartchner Caverns

November is Kartchner Caverns' month, with the Big Room tour running again. The living limestone cave in the Whetstone Mountains was found by two cavers in November 1974. Guided tours pass Kubla Khan, the largest column formation in Arizona. The Big Room tour runs only from October 15 to April 15, takes no kids under seven and should be booked ahead. Photography is not allowed inside the cave.

Kartchner Caverns

≈ USD 270–USD 380

Mike Lewis (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Meteor Crater

Meteor Crater's floor tours are paused for trail restoration as of November 2026, so plan a rim-and-museum day at this offbeat pick near Winslow. Walk the rim between lookout points, put your hands on the 1,406-pound Holsinger Meteorite, then see the Discovery Center and Space Museum. The crater is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Meteor Crater

≈ USD 260–USD 370

Librarybell (CC0)

Which to skip, and when

Skip Tombstone from June to September, when its June average runs near 35 °C (95 °F). Skip Kartchner from mid-April to mid-October if you came for the Big Room, which belongs to a bat nursery then.

Tubing on the Salt River is out of season from October to late April. If you want the trail under Tonto Natural Bridge, wait until the park reopens it.

Common questions

What's the closest day trip from Phoenix?

Apache Junction, about 40 minutes east of Phoenix, is the closest of the 17 day trips on this page. Goldfield Ghost Town and Lost Dutchman State Park sit below the Superstition Mountains. Cave Creek is next at about 45 minutes, then Lake Pleasant at about 50.

What's the best history day trip from Phoenix?

Jerome, about 1h 45m north of Phoenix, is the history day trip to pick first: a former copper-mining town on Cleopatra Hill with the Douglas Mansion museum and the Sliding Jail. Tombstone, at about 2h 50m, is the Old West alternative, and Montezuma Castle near Camp Verde is the cliff dwelling.

How much does a day trip from Phoenix cost for two?

A day trip from Phoenix costs about $210 to $390 for two people on this page, covering gas, food, entry fees and local transport, with no hotel. The trips within an hour sit at $220 to $340, and Kartchner Caverns and Tombstone reach $380 to $390.

How far is Sedona from Phoenix for a day trip?

Sedona is about 1h 55m from Phoenix by road, so the round trip runs close to four hours. A day there covers Cathedral Rock, Airport Mesa, the Red Rock Scenic Byway and the Chapel of the Holy Cross if you leave Phoenix early.

Can you do the Grand Canyon as a day trip from Phoenix?

The Grand Canyon's South Rim is about 3h 30m from Phoenix each way, so it sits on the weekend getaways page rather than this one. In-park hotels at the South Rim have been closed since August 31, 2026. The concessioner says stays from November 20 are going ahead as planned.

Is Tonto Natural Bridge open?

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park is open, but as of November 2026 its four trails and the area under the bridge are closed after rain and flooding. The paved path along the top of the bridge and the rim viewpoints are open, about 1h 50m from Phoenix.

When is Salt River tubing open?

Salt River tubing runs from late April to the end of September. The 2026 season opened on April 25. The river is about 2 hours from Phoenix, and May is the month to go, before the peak summer heat.

Can you see the Big Room at Kartchner Caverns?

Kartchner Caverns runs its Big Room tour from October 15 to April 15 only. The rest of the year the room belongs to a bat nursery. The Rotunda/Throne Room tour runs all year, and the cave is about 2h 30m from Phoenix.

What are good summer day trips from Phoenix?

Prescott and Payson are the summer day trips from Phoenix, both in the mountains about 1h 45m and 1h 30m away. Payson sits at 5,000 feet below the Mogollon Rim, and Woods Canyon Lake up on the rim sits near 7,500 feet.

What's a good day trip from Phoenix with kids?

Meteor Crater, about 2h 50m from Phoenix near Winslow, is the family pick: rim lookouts, a 1,406-pound meteorite you can touch, and a Discovery Center with a 4D movie. Floor tours of the crater are paused for trail restoration as of November 2026.

What's an offbeat day trip from Phoenix?

The offbeat day trip from Phoenix is Meteor Crater near Winslow, about 2h 50m away: an impact crater you walk the rim of, beside the largest meteorite ever found there. Kartchner Caverns, a living cave in the Whetstone Mountains, is the other odd one.

The bottom line

For November, book Kartchner's Big Room. Then plan Jerome for April and Tombstone for Helldorado weekend. Plan your day trip free to get this list sorted for your date and group.

Browse more day trips by city. For a night away, see the weekend getaways from Phoenix.

Drive times are routed by road from downtown Phoenix in November 2026; costs come from the same pricing the planner uses. Closures change with the weather; check each park's page before you go. Cover photo: Arizona Biltmore, Phoenix, by w_lemay (CC BY-SA 2.0).