Day Trippin' › Arizona › From Phoenix › Best mountains and viewpoints
Our picks for the best mountains and viewpoints within 3 hours of Phoenix: 33 places, 2 under an hour away, 19 between 1 and 2 hours and 12 between 2 and 3 hours, counted by road time from ZIP 85004.
We put first the places with a real photo, a well-known name, a family-friendly note and an official site, then list the rest by drive time. The closest is Taliesin West, 33 min northeast of Phoenix.
Under 1 hour 1 to 2 hours 2 to 3 hours
Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0
#1 · National monument · 1 hr 25 min north
A five-story Sinagua cliff dwelling tucked in a limestone cliff above Beaver Creek.
Heads-up: Leashed pets are fine on the trail but not in the visitor center.
Photo: Seasider53, CC BY 4.0
#2 · Town · 1 hr 47 min north
A former copper boomtown hanging off Cleopatra Hill, now full of galleries, tasting rooms and views.
Heads-up: Steep streets and stairs; parking is tight on weekends. The big 300 Level lot is free, with a free shuttle on weekends and holidays.
Photo: Lee Adlaf from Birmingham, AL, USA, CC BY 2.0
#3 · Canyon · 1 hr 51 min southeast
A green desert canyon with a creek, pools and saguaro slopes. Ride the narrated shuttle up the canyon road, then walk back down or hike from the top stops.
Heads-up: The Sabino Canyon Crawler shuttle was suspended on November 2, 2026 after flooding, so check before you go. No dogs anywhere in the area (service animals are OK).
Photo: National Map Seamless Server, Public domain
#4 · Landmark · 2 hr 43 min northeast
A nearly mile-wide crater left by a meteorite 50,000 years ago, with a museum on the rim.
Heads-up: Privately run. There's a pet ramada outside for dogs.
Photo: dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0
#5 · National park · 1 hr 42 min southeast
The graded dirt Bajada Loop runs through some of the thickest saguaro forest anywhere, with a short climb at Signal Hill to boulders covered in ancient Hohokam rock carvings.
Heads-up: The Bajada Loop is unpaved but fine for regular cars, and closes to vehicles from dusk to dawn. Dogs can go on the loop road and the paved Desert Discovery Trail, but not on the Signal Hill path.
Photo: Mikesanchez1109, CC BY-SA 3.0
#6 · National monument · 2 hr 29 min north
Walk lava flows and cinder fields at the foot of a volcano that erupted around 1085.
Heads-up: The cone has been closed to hiking since 1973. Leashed dogs only on the paved part of the Lava Flow Trail.
Photo: WClarke, CC BY-SA 4.0
#7 · Scenic drive · 2 hr 50 min southeast
Climb from saguaro desert to pine forest in about an hour, with big viewpoints like Windy Point on the way up and pie and cabins in tiny Summerhaven near the top.
Heads-up: The road is narrow and curvy, and it can close or require chains in storms; check the Pima County Sheriff road line before winter trips. It is about 25 degrees cooler on top, so bring layers.
Photo: dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0
#8 · National park · 2 hr southeast
Drive the paved 8-mile Cactus Forest Loop through thick stands of giant saguaros below the Rincon Mountains, with pull-offs and short walks on the way.
Heads-up: The park takes cards only, no cash. Loop drive hours differ between NPS pages, and long rigs (40 ft combined, or wider than 8.5 ft) are not allowed on the loop.
Photo: Greg Hume, CC BY-SA 3.0
#9 · National monument · 53 min southeast
See the four-story adobe Great House that Ancestral Sonoran Desert People built about 700 years ago, now under a large protective roof.
Heads-up: Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (gate closes about 3:45) and closed on four holidays.
Photo: Elitemedia.network, CC BY-SA 4.0
#10 · Landmark · 1 hr 5 min north
An experimental desert town of concrete domes and arches, famous for its bronze and ceramic wind bells.
Heads-up: Visits are by guided tour; book ahead. Many spots are reached only by stairs. Leashed dogs OK on the grounds. The café is closed for now.
Photo: DesertCorner, CC BY-SA 3.0
#11 · Garden · 1 hr 36 min southeast
A 49-acre desert garden and preserve in Oro Valley with shaded paths, art galleries, a bistro and lots of hummingbirds.
Heads-up: Grounds open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed on four holidays. Only service animals; free wheelchairs at admissions.
Photo: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 3.0
#12 · National monument · 1 hr 43 min north
A hilltop Sinagua pueblo with views over the Verde River and Tavasci Marsh.
Heads-up: Leashed pets are fine on the trails but not in the visitor center.
Photo: Benjamin Cody, CC BY-SA 3.0
#13 · Museum · 1 hr 49 min north
The Douglas Mansion museum tells the mining story, with a big view over the Verde Valley.
Heads-up: Closed Christmas Day.
Photo: Wendy from Pennsylvania, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
#14 · State park · 1 hr 55 min north
Easy trails along Oak Creek with red rock views and a visitor center.
Heads-up: No pets and no swimming in the park.
Photo: William Wadas, CC BY-SA 4.0
#15 · National monument · 2 hr 15 min north
A stairway trail down to cliff dwellings tucked into ledges of a forested canyon.
Heads-up: The Island Trail drops 185 feet by about 240 steps you climb back up, and may close for snow or ice. Dogs on the Rim Trail only.
Taliesin West (33 min), Montezuma Well (1 hr 33 min), Chapel of the Holy Cross (1 hr 46 min), Gates Pass Scenic Overlook (1 hr 46 min), Thumb Butte (1 hr 47 min), Schnebly Hill Road (1 hr 48 min), Airport Mesa (1 hr 51 min), Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park (1 hr 54 min), Crescent Moon Picnic Site (1 hr 55 min), Oak Creek Canyon (1 hr 55 min), Doe Mountain (2 hr 2 min), Woods Canyon Lake and the Rim Road (2 hr 9 min), Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (2 hr 25 min), Sonoita and Elgin Wine Country (2 hr 28 min), Arizona Snowbowl (2 hr 30 min), Madera Canyon (2 hr 33 min), Kitt Peak National Observatory (2 hr 35 min), Wupatki National Monument (2 hr 48 min)
Our top picks are Montezuma Castle National Monument (1 hr 25 min), Jerome (1 hr 47 min), Sabino Canyon Recreation Area (1 hr 51 min), Meteor Crater (2 hr 43 min) and Saguaro National Park West (1 hr 42 min). The page lists 33 places in all.
33: 2 under an hour away, 19 between 1 and 2 hours and 12 between 2 and 3 hours, by road from ZIP 85004.
Taliesin West, about 33 min northeast of Phoenix.
9 need no pass or fee, including Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park, Chapel of the Holy Cross and Jerome. Fees change, so check each place.
26 of the 33 list themselves as open year-round. Places with a season say so on their card; check hours before you go.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner); places under 25 minutes away count as in town. Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.