7 greatest highway journeys in Arizona

Arizona has all the time lured highway trippers to its wild desert panorama, crisscrossed by highways threading by means of this sprawling swath of the American Southwest, from the state’s stunning ski hills in Flagstaff to its saguaro cactus-studded ghost cities mere minutes from Mexico. 

Regardless of having tons of of routes to select from (Arizona is the nation’s sixth-largest state), you’ll see extra if you happen to go gradual. Uncover a museum in a former copper boomtown now exhibiting paintings from luminaries like Ai Weiwei and Cey Adams or cease in a high-altitude city to style regionally made wine.

Stake out some routes, settle in and discover at your personal tempo. To see every little thing from Indigenous cliff dwellings to quirky cities on Route 66, listed below are the seven greatest highway journeys in Arizona.

1. Excessive-desert whiskey and wine highway journey

Finest highway journey for wine nation

Prescott – Sedona; 60 miles 

Discover your model of leisure in northern Arizona’s mile-high metropolis of Prescott, famed for its Gold Rush-era saloons on Whiskey Row and Watson Lake’s granite dells. This route switchbacks up Mingus Mountain into Jerome, a cliffside village greatest identified for its ghosts, which can also be a part of the wonderful Verde Valley Wine Trail.

Proceed by means of the pines all the way down to the historic cities of Clarkdale (Tuzigoot National Monument is price a cease), Cottonwood, and Cornville, which have a dozen wineries between them, on the best way to Sedona. 

2. Craters and cave dwellings highway journey

Finest highway journey for historic websites

Sedona – Wupatki Nationwide Monument; 88 miles 

From Sedona’s pink rock canyons, this route climbs by means of forests to nearly 7000ft in Flagstaff, the gateway to the realm’s geological and cultural previous. Distinguished by its quite a few historic websites and monuments, head east of Flagstaff to Walnut Canyon, dwelling to 25 cave dwellings constructed by the pre-Columbian Sinagua individuals, then proceed to Winona – its namesake bridge is a picturesque relic from Route 66.

Proceed north to face by the rim of a cinder cone at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. After an eruption simply over a thousand years in the past destroyed the fertile land, the Sinagua migrated by means of the ponderosa pines and Painted Desert to the realm that’s now Wupatki National Monument, the place you may see their historical pueblos. 

Detour: Cease on the Museum of Northern Arizona, a small however completely fashioned gallery that celebrates Native American tradition and historical past, in addition to the biology and anthropology of the encompassing space. Examine the website for the calendar of occasions, workshops and subject lessons.

3. Route 66 highway journey

Finest highway journey for Americana

Kingman – Seligman; 87 miles 

This highway journey on Route 66, the longest stretch nonetheless in use, is the proper wind-down if you happen to’ve been partying it up in close by Las Vegas. Try sights just like the Route 66 Museum and dozens of buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Kingman, then hit the historic “Mom Highway” that threads by means of the sagebrush and villages to Seligman.

These quirky pink indicators planted on the roadside? They’re an homage to the historic Burma-Shave advert campaigns. From Seligman, you’ll nonetheless see Route 66 signposts pointing to Ash Fork. However purists take word – though the Mom Highway technically continues to Williams, a buzzy city that’s the departure level for the Grand Canyon Railway, a lot of the authentic highway is buried underneath the I-40. 

Planning tip: Admission to the Arizona Route 66 Museum additionally consists of the theater and Electrical Car Museum. The Kingsman Customer Middle, the place it’s all housed, has a lot of info and memorabilia about this iconic highway. 

4. Cactus giants and gunslingers highway journey

Finest highway journey for dwelling deserts and the previous Wild West

Tucson – Bisbee; 97 miles 

Set within the Sonoran Desert, Tucson is the epicenter for exploring the lengthy relationship between individuals and crops. Cease on the Tucson Botanical Gardens or the 21-acre Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum for a primer on desert tradition, guided hikes and artwork reveals. Then drive deep into the stomach of Saguaro National Park to commune with its century-old namesake cacti, which bloom and bear edible fruit in spring.

After driving among the many spiky sentinels, the highway brings you to Tombstone, the “Too Robust to Die” city. As soon as the staging grounds for gunfights on the OK Corral, the group performs arduous into its Wild West historical past. Proceed south to Bisbee, a former copper boomtown that’s now targeted on the humanities. The Artemizia Foundation reveals up to date work from celebrated artists reminiscent of Cey Adams and Ai Weiwei.

5. Navajo tradition and heritage highway journey

Finest highway journey for Navajo tradition

Kayenta – Monument Valley; 27 miles 

Though this highway journey is a brief jaunt, it goes deep into the center of Navajo tradition. Begin your journey in Kayenta on the open-air Navajo Shadehouse Museum to be taught in regards to the code talkers employed by the navy through the Second World Conflict. Driving north, this route traces the stays of volcanic upheaval reminiscent of Agathla Peak rising above historical ancestral Puebloan cave dwellings. 

Planning tip: To entry these websites up shut, you’ll want to move to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, crossing into Utah earlier than doubling again into Arizona to get to the doorway.

6. Coronado Path Scenic Byway 

Finest highway journey for thrill-seekers

Springerville – Morenci; 117 miles 

The Coronado Path Scenic Byway appears to be a straight shot south, however there’s a giant twist to this highway journey – 460 turns to be precise. Initially in-built 1981 and echoing the 1600s-era route traveled by its namesake Spanish explorer, it was given the not-so-subtle freeway quantity 666 and nicknamed “The Satan’s Freeway.”

Renamed Freeway 191, this highway journey in Arizona’s White Mountains close to New Mexico units off from Springerville, the positioning of the Casa Malpais Archaeological Park, earlier than dipping and weaving by means of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. An important spot to fuel up and seize lunch is on the Hannagan Meadow Lodge. Close to Clifton, look out for an oddball nationwide landmark – the Arrow Tree, a useless pine punctured with arrows.

Native tip: When you’re taking the final twists and turns to Morenci, preserve an eye fixed out for wildlife reminiscent of bears, bobcats, bighorn sheep and wolves. 

7. Grand Canyon rim-to-rim highway journey

Finest basic highway journey

South Rim – North Rim; 210 miles 

It’s straightforward to get fixated by Grand Canyon National Park with its layers of limestone and the Colorado River snaking a mile under the South Rim. Gaze on the gorge’s expanse, trek the paths after which discover the opposite aspect of the 1.2-million-acre park on a highway journey from rim to rim. Exit due east, stopping at Duck on a Rock Viewpoint for picture ops or visiting the 1916 buying and selling put up in Cameron to buy vintage Navajo rugs.

This highway journey good points elevation, passing by means of Marble Canyon close to Vermilion Cliffs Nationwide Monument, celebrated for the Wave, a formation composed of sandstone swirls. That is condor territory, so look ahead to these winged giants gliding overhead, then journey southbound by means of the conifers in Kaibab Nationwide Forest to the North Rim, which sits at 8000ft. 

Planning tip: Earlier than you set off on this highway journey, examine the park’s web site for excessive warmth warnings on the South Rim in summer season and for closures on the North Rim in late fall.