Arizona Road Trip: 3 Wonderful Days in Tucson and Phoenix
For my second travel nurse assignment, I chose sunny Prescott, Arizona. I spent 3 beautiful months there and was constantly exploring. I saw all parts of the state: from the tallest cacti in Tucson, to hiking Humphrey’s Peak- the highest mountain, seeing the aspen trees turn bright yellow in Flagstaff, watching the sun rise over the Grand Canyon, finding hidden caves in Sedona, and experiencing the astounding beauty of Lake Powell. But after taking a road trip to Phoenix and Tucson in November, it quickly became apparent that this area may be my favorite part of Arizona.
We saw towering Saguaro cacti as tall as buildings, the most vibrant sunsets that made the sky glow orange and red, caught a ‘wave’ in the desert, and.. kicked myself for not going down there sooner!
I think that the beauty down in this area is often overshadowed by Arizona’s other more popular attractions such as the Grand Canyon and overcrowded touristy Sedona. (Still love you tho..)
We went down on a Tuesday afternoon just in time for sunset, and left Friday morning after a sunrise hike. So it was technically 2 days and 2 half days. Feel free to rework this itinerary to whatever best fits your timing needs!
In this post I will dive into everything we did including hikes, the best places to watch the sunrise and sunset, when to go, and where to stay!
Want more content on Arizona or planning a road trip? Check out my posts on a California Road Trip Around the Eastern Sierras, Sedona Cave Hikes, and the Most Epic Campsite in Arizona!
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Planning your trip? Use my favorite resources!
Accommodation – I recommend Booking.com to find the best deals on hotels.
Flights – I recommend Skyscanner to look for the best prices and deals on flights.
Rental cars – I recommend DiscoverCars to shop around at multiple car rental agencies.
Travel insurance – I recommend Safety Wing; keep your trips insured to protect yourself while traveling.
Tours/experiences – I recommend Viator!
When To Go
We went here in mid November, and somehow it was STILL. HOT. I would recommend going to Phoenix and Tucson in the winter months December- March if you don’t want to keel over from the heat midday. However, Saguaro cacti bloom April- June and from pictures it looks pretty special so this may be something to consider for your trip timing as well!
Honestly, the only time I would say not to go is during the summer when temperatures can routinely go above 100 degrees. Hiking during that isn’t safe, and being outside just isn’t enjoyable!
Where to Stay
We stayed in an Airbnb in both Phoenix and Tucson. During COVID, I think Airbnbs are the way to go. If you can find a place to yourself with a self check in that is very clean, I find I feel a lot safer here than in a hotel. Both of the Airbnbs that I have linked are the ones we stayed in and I would 100% recommend them.
Day Zero: Arrival in Tucson
We left Prescott, Arizona to begin our little road trip around noon. It was a 4 hour drive down to our first stop: Tucson.
I was between choosing Tumamoc Hill, a local favorite, and the Linda Vista Loop trail. I ultimately opted for the Linda Vista Loop because the other trail seemed very crowded by other peoples’ accounts, and it was a little farther so I don’t think we would have made it in time for sunset.
The Linda Vista Loop was only 2.2 miles and 425 ft. of elevation gain. It wasn’t crowded, had an abundance of cacti, and it was a great pick for sunset. See latest trail reviews & conditions here.
Day One: Tucson
The next day we were up early to go to Sabino Canyon. When researching for things to do around Tucson, Sabino Canyon kept coming up as a highly rated place for hikes and sightseeing. I’m glad we went here because the hike we did was rather leisurely and filled with cacti and beautiful mountain views. There is an 8$ fee for Sabino Canyon, but if you have an Annual National Parks pass they will accept this too! Check out the latest here on the area.
The trail we hiked was the Esperero, Rattlesnake, and Phoneline loop. It was 4.3 miles and 700 ft. of elevation gain. See the latest trail reviews & conditions here.
Next up was Saguaro National Park. This park has two different sections on either side of Tucson. It’s hard to decide between the two and while most blogs I read didn’t recommend doing both if you only have one day, we visited both and enjoyed it. However, if you plan to go on longer hikes, backpack, or bike in either of the sections, you will want to choose just one district or spend more than one day in the area.
- Saguaro East is less visited with more hiking trails and backpacking hikes are available as well. There is also a loop paved drive here through the Saguaros that many people mountain bike.
- Saguaro West has a more dense concentration of Saguaro and is recommended if you don’t have much time.
In Saguaro East we drove the 8 mile Cactus Forest drive and stopped for some photographs. This took us about 1-2 hours.
In Saguaro West we drove the 6 mile Bajada Loop, hiked Signal Hill (0.3 mi), and watched the sunset from the Valley View Overlook trail (0.8 mi).
It was honestly so. much. fun. seeing all these cacti. The Saguaro’s shape against the sunset is now one of my all time favorite views.
After all of our sunset Saguaro exploring was complete, we headed up to Phoenix to get some rest before our next day of adventures.
Day Two: Phoenix
Our second day started by hiking the Peralta trail to Weaver’s Needle. This trail is 5.8 miles and 1560 ft. of elevation gain. This is one of those hikes where the hike is just as pretty as the destination! Check out recent trail info here.
Next we hiked to the Wave Cave. This trail is 3.2 miles and 870 feet of elevation gain. We did these hikes back to back because the trailheads are literally right down the road from one another. If you are in good physical shape, short on time, it’s not too hot, you start early, AND you have enough food and water; I would totally recommend this. However, we were trudging up to the Wave Cave. We were dehydrated and REALLY tired in the heat, so it wasn’t the best idea. However, the cave is really freaking cool, and the hike itself is beautiful! Check out recent trail info here.
After all of that hiking we were obviously famished and tired, so we split a pizza and rested a while before watching the sunset! Photo tip: to capture the best photos, sunsets and sunrises are my favorite. For sunsets, I plan to be at a place about an hour before the sunsets for golden hour. This golden light is so much prettier than harsh daylight in my opinion. I also plan to stay after sunset for a little while; this is when the sky will turn different hues of deep red, orange, and purple.
For sunset, we went to the Lost Dutchman State Park. This place has to be my favorite mountain shot in the Phoenix area that we’ve seen, and it has a pretty awesome history! If we had more time in Phoenix, I would have loved to hike, camp, and explore more here. Oh well just another reason to come back! 😉 Check out the park’s current conditions here.
Day Three: Phoenix
On our our final day, we woke up extraaa early to make it to the top of Piestawa Peak for the sun rise.
This trail is 2.2 miles and 1150 feet in elevation gain. This trail was very steep, it’s basically just a continuous stair climber! It was also very crowded here, it kinda seemed like it was a lot of locals’ early morning workout before heading to work.. I’m jealous!
This hike was great for sunrise, and really neat because you can see Phoenix’s city lights for MILES starting the trail in the dark. Check out recent trail info here.
And that concludes my Arizona road trip to Phoenix & Tucson!
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