Sunrise at Saguaro National Park outside Tucson. All photography is ours.
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Arizona with Kids
If you’re heading to Arizona with kids, start in Tucson. We spent Thanksgiving break there and split our days between the two halves of Saguaro National Park, and it was about as easy as a trip to Arizona gets. Start with sunrise over the saguaro forest and some beautiful hikes, and then head back to the hotel pool by lunch to skip the hottest part of the day. Then grab some street tacos, and head back out after dinner for more hiking and a gorgeous sunset. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot a family of javelinas.
Arizona has more National Park Service sites than almost any other state, and we’ve worked our way through a lot of them. As of October 2026, Arizona can also claim the newest National Park – Chiricahua National Park. Cliff dwellings at Montezuma Castle and Walnut Canyon, a stone forest at Petrified Forest, and the loneliest cactus preserve in the country at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Everyone knows and loves the Grand Canyon, but we think you’ll love the others too, and they’re the reason to keep coming back.
Destination guide · Updated October 2026 · Last visited May 2026
Best months
March–April, Oct–Nov
National parks
4 + 18 NPS sites
Fly into
PHX · TUS · FLG · LAS
How long
5 days, a week with the Grand Canyon
Book ahead
Grand Canyon lodges · Havasupai · Antelope Canyon
We’ve visited Arizona several times. The first was a day at Petrified Forest coupled with a trip to Albuquerque, NM. We’d never been to Arizona before and ended up staying at the park until closing time. The Grand Canyon and Glen Canyon came on our big spring break road trip through Utah. Then came a Thanksgiving trip built around Saguaro and Tucson, and a string of shorter stops at the national monuments along I-17 and down near the Mexican border. The sites at Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monument are our most recent visits. Arizona is a special place and we always love visiting.
Your Arizona guide
Enjoy exploring Arizona with kids!
Keep scrolling for the essentials, three road trips, and where to stay.
Essential Arizona
Why we love Arizona
We think you’ll love it too.
Arizona is where we’d send a family that wants a sunny winter national park trip where the trees are cactus and the logs are stone. It’s a special place for us with sunny days and cool nights. The Grand Canyon without the summer crowds make winter the perfect time to go if you don’t mind some snow and some trail closures. Saguaro, Petrified Forest, and the cliff dwellings along I-17 are just the start, so scroll down for the Arizona essentials we recommend.
Saguaro National Park Guide
We got up before the sun to catch the sunrise at Valley View Overlook, then drove the Cactus Forest Loop on the east side. You can do both districts over two days.
Petrified Forest & Painted Desert Guide
We planned a quick stop and spent the whole day. The park has stone logs, purple badlands, and petroglyphs right off the road. It’s great for any age.
Montezuma Castle Guide
A five-story cliff dwelling you can see from a flat paved path. Tuzigoot is only twenty minutes away, so visit both in one morning.
Walnut Canyon Guide
Walnut Canyon is ten minutes from Flagstaff. The Island Trail takes you right past cliff rooms tucked into the canyon wall. It’s small, but worth the stop to get up close to history.
And the rest we’d cross the state for
The Grand Canyon AftT Visit
We came through on our Utah national parks road trip. The South Rim is open all year and the paved Rim Trail works with a stroller. Take advantage of a hike or overlook at sunrise before the buses arrive. Sunsets get crowded. Are you looking for more national park sites? See our guide to Arizona national parks.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Guide
Organ Pipe Cactus is two hours south of Phoenix on the Mexican border. If you want to know what remote feels like, this is it. The scenic Ajo Mountain Drive is pretty extraordinary and one of the few places in the world you can find organ pipe cactus.
Casa Grande Ruins Guide
Casa Grande Ruins was the first prehistoric site ever protected in the United States, and it’s just an hour from Phoenix. It’s a quick stop that’s easy to add to a Tucson or Phoenix trip.
Tonto National Monument Guide
A short, steep paved trail leads up to a cliff dwelling with Roosevelt Lake spread out below. Tonto is an hour east of Phoenix. Pack a picnic and enjoy the lake after your visit.
Tuzigoot National Monument Guide
Tuzigoot is a hilltop pueblo near Montezuma Castle. These two national monuments are only twenty minutes apart, and the same entrance pass covers both.
Lake Mead Guide
Lake Mead is America’s first national recreation area, on the Nevada line below Hoover Dam. We visited in January, which is a good time to visit. Summer can be brutal here.
Sedona
Sedona has red rocks and Slide Rock State Park, a natural water slide the kids will remember. Book Slide Rock parking ahead in summer. It’s still on our list.
Flagstaff AftT Visit
Flagstaff is the practical base for northern Arizona, with cool pines, the Lowell Observatory, and the Grand Canyon just ninety minutes away. This is also the home of NPS sites like Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monuments. Do you want more NPS sites nearby? Check out our Arizona national parks guide.
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Routes
Three Arizona road trip itineraries
One state gives you three very different trips. Pick Tucson and the desert parks, the high country and the canyon, or the cliff dwellings strung along I-17. See all the best stops on a map.
Home base
Tucson
We flew in over Thanksgiving break and used hotel certificates to splurge on the JW Marriott Starr Pass. The lazy river sold the kids. Saguaro is thirty minutes from downtown in either direction. Dinner on the patio at sunset is amazing.
Then head to
Casa Grande Ruins
It’s an hour north on the way back toward Phoenix. Casa Grande takes about an hour and has shade over the big house.
Add on
Organ Pipe Cactus
It’s two hours southwest of Tucson. Organ Pipe is a long day or an easy overnight in Ajo. Go in winter only.
Start
Phoenix
Fly into PHX. If you have a spare day, the Desert Botanical Garden and the Musical Instrument Museum are both worth it.
Then head to
Montezuma Castle & Tuzigoot
It’s ninety minutes north. Visit Montezuma Castle first, then Tuzigoot twenty minutes away. Add Montezuma Well if there’s time.
Finish
Flagstaff & Walnut Canyon
It’s an hour further up the hill. Walnut Canyon is ten minutes east of town, and Sunset Crater and Wupatki make a loop to the north.
Home base
Flagstaff
It’s cooler and cheaper than staying at the rim, and it’s central to everything up north.
Then head to
Grand Canyon South Rim
It’s ninety minutes north. Ride the free shuttle, walk the Rim Trail, and stay for sunset. If you can get a room at the rim, take it.
Finish
Petrified Forest
It’s two hours east on I-40. Petrified Forest is a drive-through park, so it works on the way home. Give it more time than you think.
When to go
Time your visits with the weather and the region
We’ve been to the desert parks in late November and January, and both were perfect. The desert is dangerous in summer, so save it for October through April. Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon are the reverse. They get real snow in winter and are at their best from May through October.
Swipe the chart sideways to see the full year.
March – April
The desert is in bloom and Tucson and Phoenix are warm without being brutal. The Grand Canyon has thawed out. Spring break crowds are real, so book early.
May – September
Phoenix and Tucson run past 100 degrees and monsoon storms roll in during July. Stay high. Flagstaff, Sedona in the morning, and the canyon rim are all pleasant.
October – November
This is our pick. We did Saguaro over Thanksgiving break and the weather was perfect for hiking. Every park in the state is open and comfortable.
December – February
This is prime season for Saguaro, Organ Pipe, Casa Grande, and Lake Mead. Pack a coat for Flagstaff and expect snow on the rim of the Grand Canyon.
Where to stay
Pick a good base to start your Arizona adventure
Arizona is easier when you pick one region and stay put. Here’s where we’ve stayed and where we’d stay next.
Desert trips
Tucson & Phoenix
We used hotel certificates to stay at the JW Marriott Starr Pass in Tucson, and the lazy river and water slide made it a vacation on its own. Both cities are full of chain resorts, which makes them easy to book on points.
- Tucson for Saguaro and the Desert Museum
- Starr Pass or a Scottsdale resort for a pool-heavy trip
- Watch for resort fees on award stays
Canyon trips
Grand Canyon Village & Tusayan
In-park lodges open more than a year ahead and go fast. Tusayan is seven miles south and usually has rooms, with a shuttle into the park.
- El Tovar or Bright Angel Lodge if you can get them
- Tusayan chains for points bookings
- Williams as the budget base an hour south
High country trips
Flagstaff & Sedona
Flagstaff is the practical choice. It’s cool, central, and cheaper. Sedona is the scenic one and prices show it.
- Flagstaff for Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater, and the canyon
- Sedona for red rocks and Slide Rock
- Check Slide Rock parking reservations in summer
Good to know
Questions families ask us about Arizona
Yes, and it’s one of the easier national parks to do with young kids. The park is split into two districts with Tucson in the middle, so you can base at a hotel with a pool and drive thirty minutes to either side. We spent two days there over Thanksgiving break. The Cactus Forest Loop Drive on the east side and the Bajada Loop on the west are both short scenic drives with quick stops, and the Signal Hill petroglyphs are an easy walk. Get up for one sunrise at Valley View Overlook. Our full guide has all the details.
Fly into PHX for the desert parks and the I-17 monuments. Choose TUS for Saguaro and Organ Pipe, and FLG if the Grand Canyon is the whole trip. Las Vegas works well for the South Rim and Lake Mead, and award seats into Vegas are usually easier to find than into Phoenix.
Yes, you’ll need one everywhere. The parks are spread across a big state and there’s no practical way between them without one. Make sure the air conditioning works.
Phoenix averages over 100 degrees from June through September and regularly tops 110. Hiking in the desert on a summer afternoon is dangerous. If you’re there in summer, go early, carry more water than you think you need, and plan pool time for the afternoons. We’ve stuck to November through March for the desert parks and never regretted it.
Start with Montezuma Castle and Walnut Canyon. Montezuma Castle is a flat paved loop with a five-story cliff dwelling in plain view. Walnut Canyon’s Island Trail is 240 steps down and back up and takes you right past the cliff rooms. Petrified Forest is the other easy win because you can see almost everything from the car with short walks in between. All three have Junior Ranger badges you can finish in an afternoon.
Yes, and it’s easy. Phoenix to the South Rim is about three and a half hours and Flagstaff sits right between them. A week gives you Saguaro or the I-17 monuments, Flagstaff’s parks, and the canyon without feeling rushed.
Map
Essential Arizona, mapped
Keep exploring
Where to go next
New Mexico with Kids
New Mexico has white dunes, deep caverns, and ancient pueblos an easy drive east. The food is a destination unto itself – yum!
Utah with Kids
Utah has five national parks in a row, starting just north of the Arizona line.
