Day Trippin' › Arizona › From Tucson › Montezuma Castle National Monument
The drive from Tucson to Montezuma Castle National Monument takes about 3 hr (north of Tucson), by real roads from ZIP 85701. Along the way we found 61 stops within a short detour: 13 coffee shops, 1 bakeries, 11 ice cream and treats and 19 places to eat.
The list below is the best few of each kind, in driving order, with how far into the drive you reach each one (counted from Tucson) and the detour it adds. Stops marked Our pick are chosen by us; the rest come from OpenStreetMap listings, so confirm hours before you count on them.
Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0
National monument
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.
First third Middle third Last third Montezuma Castle National Monument
About 3 hr by road, heading north from the middle of ZIP 85701. Traffic and weather change that.
Good ones to start with: Dairy Queen (Marana), Starbucks (Marana), Nico's Mexican Food (Marana), R&R Pizza Express (Marana) and Rooster Cogburn’s Ostrich Ranch (Picacho). The page lists 25 in all, in driving order.
Starbucks in Marana, Dutch Bros. Coffee in Casa Grande, Gregorys Coffee in Guadalupe and The Nosh Cafe in Phoenix. Check hours first; they come from OpenStreetMap listings.
Nico's Mexican Food in Marana, R&R Pizza Express in Marana, Subway in Wymola and Iron Skillet in Toltec.
Rooster Cogburn’s Ostrich Ranch in Picacho, Picacho Peak State Park Visitor Center in Wymola, Axe Adventures in Tempe and Oscar Roberts House in Phoenix.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Stops come from our own picks and OpenStreetMap listings; hours and detours change, so check before you go. We do not store anyone's location.