Garden · 1 hr 31 min southeast
Desert Botanical Garden
Thousands of desert plants along garden trails in Papago Park, beautiful in spring bloom.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission
Day Trippin' › Arizona › From Wickenburg
Day trips from Wickenburg
Wickenburg is the Old West town where the Hassayampa River Preserve is minutes away and the Vulture City ghost town under half an hour, with Phoenix's museums a little over an hour and Prescott's Whiskey Row and Burro Creek's canyon about an hour and a half. The best day trips from Wickenburg, by drive time.
59 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from Wickenburg
- Musical Instrument Museum 1 hr 12 min southeast
- Heard Museum 1 hr 20 min southeast
- Desert Botanical Garden 1 hr 31 min southeast
- Arcosanti 1 hr 37 min northeast
- Thumb Butte 1 hr 47 min north
- Watson Lake 1 hr 48 min north
- Quartzsite 1 hr 51 min west
- Montezuma Castle National Monument 2 hr 3 min northeast
- Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte 2 hr 20 min northeast
- Jerome 2 hr 30 min northeast
1 to 2 hours from Wickenburg 12 spots
Lake · 1 hr 48 min north
Watson Lake
A lake in the Granite Dells, a maze of rounded boulders great for paddling and scrambling.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy to moderate
- Year-round
- City of Prescott parking fee (free Wednesdays)
Museum · 1 hr 12 min southeast
Musical Instrument Museum
Instruments from nearly every country in the world, with headphones that play automatically as you walk up.
- 2-4 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission
Town · 1 hr 51 min west
Quartzsite
A desert crossroads that fills with rock, gem and swap-meet vendors every January and February; Hi Jolly's pyramid tomb honors the camel driver from the Army's camel experiment.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Best January and February for shows; October to April otherwise
- Free
Trail · 1 hr 47 min north
Thumb Butte
A loop trail around Prescott's landmark butte with views over town.
- 1.5-2 hrs · Moderate
- Year-round
- Prescott National Forest day-use fee (free Wednesdays)
Museum · 1 hr 20 min southeast
Heard Museum
One of the country's best museums of American Indian art and culture.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (closed Mondays in summer)
- Admission
Landmark · 1 hr 37 min northeast
Arcosanti
An experimental desert town of concrete domes and arches, famous for its bronze and ceramic wind bells.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Guided tour fee
Museum · 1 hr 37 min north
Sharlot Hall Museum
Territorial-era buildings including Arizona's first governor's mansion, and history of the region.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (closed Mondays)
- Admission
2 to 3 hours from Wickenburg 45 spots
National monument · 2 hr 3 min northeast
Montezuma Castle National Monument
A five-story Sinagua cliff dwelling tucked in a limestone cliff above Beaver Creek.
- 1 hr · Easy
- Year-round
- NPS entrance fee (same pass covers Tuzigoot)
Town · 2 hr 30 min northeast
Jerome
A former copper boomtown hanging off Cleopatra Hill, now full of galleries, tasting rooms and views.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- None; paid parking in some town lots
Trail · 2 hr 20 min northeast
Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte
Easy loop around two big red rock buttes right off the highway, with as much or as little climbing as you like.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy to moderate
- Year-round
- Red Rock Pass or America the Beautiful pass
State park · 2 hr 41 min northeast
Slide Rock State Park
Slide down a natural sandstone water chute in Oak Creek, in a historic apple orchard.
- Half day · Easy
- Swimming in summer; open year-round
- State park entrance fee (per vehicle)
Trail · 2 hr 27 min northeast
Cathedral Rock
A short, steep scramble up slickrock to a saddle between Sedona's most famous red rock spires.
- 1.5-2 hrs · Hard (scrambling)
- Year-round; summer mornings only
- Red Rock Pass or America the Beautiful pass
Trail · 2 hr 40 min northeast
Devil's Bridge
Walk out onto Sedona's largest natural sandstone arch for a classic photo.
- 2-3 hrs · Moderate
- Year-round
- Red Rock Pass or America the Beautiful pass
Landmark · 2 hr 59 min northwest
Hackberry General Store
An old Route 66 gas station turned roadside museum and gift shop, packed with vintage cars, signs and photo spots.
- 1 hr · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
State park · 2 hr 31 min west
Alamo Lake State Park
A remote lake known for bass fishing and some of the darkest night skies in Arizona, with no city lights for about 40 miles.
- Full day or overnight · Easy
- Best October to April
- State park entrance fee (per vehicle)
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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 85358 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.