10 Must-Do Daytrips from Flagstaff
Disclaimer: We are not paid to promote any restaurant, hotel, activity, product, or attraction. All opinions are subjective and based on our personal experience. Your experience may be different.
Indoor fun to beat the heat
Unfortunately, sometimes it is just too hot to enjoy the beauty of the desert. Luckily indoor attractions are plentiful. Most notably, OdySea is the largest aquarium in the Southwest. Or check out the highly regarded Musical Instrument Museum.
This city is home to some of the best shopping in the country, with everything from luxury malls, to fantastic outlet malls, to entertainment complexes. Desert Ridge Marketplace is a fun place to kill a few hours. Highlights include a Dave and Busters, a nice theater, and a range of lively restaurants with patios. This is my go-to when I want to kick back and have some fun.
Overall, “The Valley of the Sun” is a great day trip for anyone who enjoys hiking, outdoor recreation, shopping, and dining. There is way too much to cover in a short snippet, so I will refer you to my Phoenix activity guide for more details on the best tourist attractions.
Additional Details
Distance from the city: 2 hours
Recommended activities: Hike Camelback Mountain, South Mountain Park Kiwanis trail, Merkle Trail at Usery Mountain, Cruise aboard Desert Belle, The Phoenix Zoo, Hole in the Rock at Papago Park, Desert Ridge Marketplace shopping & dining, Dinner at Cibo Pizza
Why it’s great: The solitude of the desert is just minutes away from the bustling suburbs of Phoenix. The amazing Saguaro cactus grows only in this region of the country, thus hiking is quite an unusual experience. The metro area is clean and nicely landscaped.
Horseshoe Bend “a unique horseshoe shaped curve of the Colorado River”
Horseshoe Bend is quite an unusual sight to see and a definite add-on to any Northern Arizona vacation itinerary. This natural attraction near Page is one of the most photographed sights out West and rightfully so as the unique horseshoe shaped curve of the Colorado River is a truly mesmerizing, unforgettable sight.
A short, steep hike of about 3 quarters of a mile takes you to the dramatic scary 1000 foot drop. The emerald green color contrasts brilliantly with the red sandstone rock formations. Look but do not get too close – many die attempting to take all sorts of crazy photos!
We made a pit stop here on the way to gorgeous Zion National Park, another natural wonder that should be on everyone’s bucket list. It’s such an incredible sight that I would recommend a specialty daytrip regardless of where you are staying. Other popular touristy activities in the Page area include Antelope Canyon and cruises on beautiful Lake Powell.
Additional Details
Distance from the city 2 Hours
Recommended activities: Hike the trail to Horseshoe Bend, Book a Lake Powell cruise (in advance!), sign up for a tour of Antelope Canyon
Why it’s great: This unique geologic wonder is unlike any place you’ve seen. It’s easily one of the most incredible sights I’ve seen since moving out West (and I’ve seen many!).
Walnut Canyon, Wupatki National Monument, & Sunset Crater
Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater, and Wupatki are 3 great natural gems that can all be combined into one easy daytrip. Wupatki and Sunset are connected via a scenic drive so you can easily hit both in the same day. First on your list should definitely be Walnut Canyon. This incredible site is located just a 1/2 hour outside of town and features both spectacular scenery and historical significance. At Walnut, you can explore ancient cliff dwellings once occupied by the Sinagua tribes far back in the 1100’s. At twenty miles long, 400 feet deep and ¼-mile wide, it’s quite an amazing natural wonder.
The Island Trail Cliff Dwellings
The Island Trail consists of over 200 steep steps and can be quite a challenge to those out of shape (esp combined with the high altitude) although it is totally worth it for the magnificent scenery and rare glimpse into the past. Interestingly, the mountains surrounding Flagstaff are called Sinagua (meaning mountains without water). Walnut was once home to a flowing creek and therefore cherished by the early inhabitants. There’s a lot of history to explore here, so a nice daytrip for history buffs.
Sunset-Wupatki Scenic Drive
Sunset Crater and Wupatki are 2 other interesting historical attractions to check out while in town. Both attractions connect via a scenic loop drive. The paved route, Forest Rd 545, is 36 miles long and worth it in and of itself for the tremendous scenery. Along the way, you will get to take in diverse landscapes including the magnificent San Francisco Peaks, colorful cinder cones, barren desert lands, and tall ponderosa pines.
It’s a nice relaxing drive with barely any congestion and plenty of serene views of the pine forests. 100%, I recommend a stop at the Bonito Meadow overlook, where colorful wildflowers take over the fields in the summer and snow dramatically dusts the peaks in winter.
Wupatki National Monument
This unique 100 room, 4 story pueblo, was built 900 years ago out of sandstone, basalt, and limestone. We had a great time walking around looking at the remains. I imagine any history buff would be impressed. One of the really unique features here is a natural blowhole, which really is a mysterious wonder as no one knows why air blows in and out from the Earth. It’s like a natural vacuum which blows air out when a low pressure system rolls in as the ground is higher pressure and vice versa when a high pressure system comes in.
Sunset Crater
Sunset Crater was created by an explosion almost 1000 years ago. A 1 mile loop trail known as the Lava Flow trail gives you the opportunity to explore the volcanic remains. The volcano is not expected to erupt again. Again, this is a nice stop for history buffs. I love that you can visit both parks via the same admission pass so even if you are only mildly interested, you can still check it out for pretty much nothing.
Additional Details
Distance from the city: Walnut Canyon is about a 15 minute drive from the city. Sunset Crater is about 30 minutes outside of Flagstaff. If you are planning on visiting all 3 altogether, the Sunset Crater monument is about 25 minutes from Walnut Canyon. Note: There is not much in terms of dining options, so eat a full breakfast beforehand and bring a picnic for lunch!
What to do: Lava flow trail at Sunset Crater, Island Trail at Walnut Canyon,Wupatki-Sunset Crater Scenic Drive
Tonto Natural Bridge State Park – “the largest natural travertine bridge in the world”
Payson is another high altitude small town, although it’s pretty tiny and limited in terms of attractions, lodging, and dining options. Flagstaff is the best base location for exploring any of the natural attractions. While the town of Payson itself is nothing to write home about, Tonto is pretty amazing.
This park features the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. The great thing about Tonto Bridge is that all 3 trails are under 1/2 mile, so pretty much doable by anyone in basic shape. A small waterfall near the bridge gives you a rare glimpse of water in the desert.
The drive over will take you through the small communities of Pine and Strawberry. Both of these areas offer quaint restaurants and lots of antique shops. If you love shopping for a bargain, you will love all the vintage shops in these towns. There is a wonderful homemade honey stand along the way and a cute local restaurant known as The Randall House, which has a lovely outdoor patio surrounded by trees.
Additional Details
The drive from Flagstaff to Pine/Strawberry is picturesque with beautiful views of the pines and mountains. Hwy 260, aka the White Mountain Scenic Drive, is really gorgeous. It really feels like you are getting out into the country, which obviously is a major bonus if you are coming from a congested city like Phoenix or Tucson!
Distance from the city: 1 hr 45 min
Recommended activities Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, antique shopping in Pine & Strawberry, Tour the Oldest schoolhouse in Arizona in Strawberry, Hike the Horton Creek Trail in Payson
Why it’s great: The views at Tonto Bridge are unique & gorgeous, the drive over is picturesque and quiet, the weather is nice and cool during the summer season & fall foliage is great around October/November.
