Arizona has a multitude of beautiful outdoor sights to visit and explore.
There are many wonderful Arizona sights. I will list some of our favorite places that we have personally been to and seen in person. Some of these places we visited on the end of our Utah Road trip. Read that blog if you would like to visit Utah as well.
There are so many amazing Arizona sights and so many choices to make on where to visit during your time frame.
My family and I enjoy seeing all that we can see during our trips. That means skimming the areas instead of fully emerging ourselves in one area. Our viewpoint is that we would like to experience and see all the sights and then go back to those places we want to do more in.
Grand Canyon National Park
We visited the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was such a spectacular view of the deep Canyon. Definitely one of the wonderful Arizona sights to see.
We checked out the visitor center there and enjoyed all the beautiful views from that location.
Bright Angel trail is near the visitor center. It’s about a 1/2 mile round trip easy hike. It has a great view and well worth the walk.
We then wanted the experience of hiking down into the Canyon so we chose the Coconino Overlook Trail. 1.3 miles round trip to the Coconino Overlook but you can always hike down lower. Since it was very hot we decided to just do a partial hike down past the overlook. The hike back up is steep and tiresome.
When planning your visit and deciding on what side of the Grand Canyon to visit check out their website. During winter months the North Rim is closed so make sure you check before you plan your visit.
By car the North Rim to the South Rim is about 212 miles apart in driving. So best to figure out which side you want to visit or which side is closest to all your other activities. If you have the time frame and want to check out both sides then plan to spend at least 2 days for that adventure.
If you are close to Canyon Texas or traveling near there, I suggest you check out Palo Duro Canyon as it is like a mini version of the Grand Canyon.
- COST:
- I suggest purchasing an America The Beautiful National park pass. It is good to use for a full year at any National park. You can see a lot of Arizona sights and Utah sights with that pass. Current cost is $80. You can purchase it at any National park entry gate. Each pass allows the pass holder and 3 additional people to get into the park or the entire vehicle if its by car. It is more than worth it if checking out other National parks or if you would go to another one anytime that year.
- TIPS:
- Carry plenty of water with you especially on long hikes.
- Pack a picnic lunch and snacks to have, with a beautiful view you never know how long you might stay out there.
- CLOTHING:
- Wear proper clothing according to the weather.
- Hiking shoes would be good on your exploring trips.
- Hat and sunscreen is highly suggested.
The Wave
I posted this information in my blog 6 Unforgettable Days On The Ultimate Utah Road Trip.
We visited the Wave on our trip throughout Utah so I posted it there. The Wave however is located on the border of Utah and Arizona. It is very easy to add this adventure to your southern Utah trip or your Northern Arizona trip.
Read all about information on how to try and get tickets to hike this wonderful beautiful place by going to my blog on Utah.
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
Monument Valley is another place that we visited on our Utah adventure. I wanted to list it here since it is on the border of Arizona and Utah. If planning your visit and you will be near here don’t hesitate in adding this magnificent place to your Arizona sights itinerary. Read all about it and where to stay on my Ultimate Utah Road Trip.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
My children loved the little unexpected beach area on our long road trip. This area was really pretty and a nice place to cool down and relax in the sand. This wasn’t a planned stop but was a very pleasant surprise visit for us.
So many of these wonderful sites and places to visit straddle Arizona and Utah as the Glen Canyon Recreation area and Lake Powell does. Among others like The Wave and Monument Valley that are on the border of Arizona and Utah too.
- COST:
- We used our National Park Pass taking advantage of seeing all our Arizona sights with it. Check out their website if you need to know accurate pricing.
Lake Powell
Kayaking and exploration of the Antelope Canyon
You can kayak to the Antelope Canyon without a tour and without a permit. With that said I am referring to the part of the Antelope Canyon that does not reach the toured area. The part of the Antelope Canyon that you can access from Lake Powell is part of the lower Antelope Canyon but doesn’t allow you to get into the more amazing area that is toured.
If you want to visit the Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon you will have to pay for a tour. The Antelope Canyon is located on Navajo lands that are sacred to them and can only be accessed by the authorized tour companies.
We visited Lake Powell for a planned kayak journey to the Antelope Canyon. At the time we were visiting, the Antelope Canyons were closed for tours because of COVID. The only part of the Antelope Canyon you could access was the part that you enter from Lake Powell.
We truly enjoyed our kayaking and hiking adventure. It was extremely hot when we had our trip in July ( 112 degrees). The water felt great but the hiking was excruciatingly hot. You have to hike through a lot of sand but the canyon was fun to walk through.
We rented kayaks from Lake Powell Paddle boards and Kayaks in Page, Arizona. We booked ahead of time online so we could have the kayaks for the entire day making sure that we had some for our fun trip. I’d highly suggest that you go during the week so it’s not so busy.
After getting our life vests and signing the paperwork we headed to the boat ramp on lake Powell. They were great with meeting us at the Antelope Point Boat Ramp on lake Powell with the kayaks so we didn’t have to haul them ourselves.
I recommend staying overnight in Page so that you can wake up early and start your kayaking trip first thing in the morning as we did.
From the boat ramp we had to get the kayaks down the hill and into the water. Since the water level is lower than the boat ramp you have to carry your kayak down to the water which makes for a little bit of a work out.
When in your kayak you just take off heading to the left. You keep left following the rock wall and turn left into the first opening that takes you into the canyon. Basically heading to the Antelope Canyon just stay left till you get there.
You will encounter the hardest portion of kayaking first off especially if windy or a lot of boat traffic which can create some big waves. After you get to the no wake zone sign and are turning left in the canyon you will notice a big difference.
The kayaking part was a little over a 4 mile round trip taking about 2 hours give or take to reach the area to hike on foot.
As you kayak through the canyon area you will notice little spots that you can pull over at and take a break. We used some of those spots to stop at on our way back out from Antelope Canyon to stop for little swim breaks. As you continue through it will start to get more narrow and pretty with the high rock walls. When you are at the location to park your kayaks you won’t miss it as it dead ends there. Park your kayak and then take off on foot exploring the canyon.
It took some time to make it to the areas that really looked cool. We should’ve timed it but I would guess we hiked for about 2 hours round trip. We didn’t make it all the way down as far as we would’ve liked but the heat can do that to you.
How long or how far you hike will be determined on how much time you have, how hot or tired you are, or how prepared you are with enough water and snacks.
Our kayak journey back was fun also as we would stop in areas where we could get out and swim. Just make sure that you allow enough time to get back so your rentals aren’t late or before it’s too windy if the weather is turning.
You can book kayaking/hiking tours and go with a group if you like that added comfort. My family and I like to do our own adventure.
ADDED UPDATE: If you are not able to rent kayaks from Lake Powell Paddle boards and Kayaks because of the low water level then you could book a tour that they have available. You could still see Antelope Canyon but only with booking their kayaking tour. They do offer rentals being launched at the Wahweap boat launch to explore Wahweap Bay and Lone Rock area. I’m sure that would be beautiful and fun, but that will not give you access to get to the Antelope Canyon.
Check other rental places as they might offer kayak rentals to be launched at Antelope point Public boat ramp or if you have your own you might still be able to launch from there.
Antelope Canyon
- COST:
- Our cost to rent kayaks at that time period was $55 per double kayak per day. We used our National Park pass for our entrance fee for lake Powell. If you book a tour your cost will be more than that as well as booking a Antelope Canyon tour that is not accessed from the lake.
- TIPS:
- Take plenty of water with you. I’d suggest a hydration backpack. We saw many people there during July with only 1 water bottle each. That won’t be enough!!!! Take a sack lunch and snacks as well. We did and it was nice to have some nutrition to give us more energy needed to continue our journey. It was also very enjoyable having a lunch in the canyon with a beautiful calming view.
- CLOTHING:
- Depending on the weather dress accordingly. It’s not a bad idea to pack a pair of hiking shoes in a backpack or waterproof bag so you can get by with sandals or water shoes on the kayak. The sand you will hike in can get very hot especially in the summer. When the sand would get on my feet it felt like they were burning from the hot sand. Definitely don’t want to hike barefoot in the sand in the summer.
Sunset Crater Volcano National Park
My family, son in particular, enjoyed seeing the lava rocks. Seeing first hand what the land surrounding a volcano can look like was very interesting. Seeing the lava flow path and fields and the fissure where the ground split open and lava had erupted from was a unique experience.
There are many scenic overlooks and trails that you can hike.
- COST:
- We used our National Park pass so we didn’t have any fees at this park. Check out their website for current pricing.
- TIPS:
- Bring extra water when hiking.
Sedona
Sedona is a beautiful outdoor world of exploration and a great place to add to your Arizona sights list. There are many places that you can hike in Sedona. We wanted to check out some of the hiking trails that included a vortex.
We were very new on the whole vortex experience. Evidently it’s said that at these special places a natural energy radiates from them. A magnetic energy from the earth perhaps? Some people go to these places to meditate, pray and for spiritual cleansing. Some believe it has healing powers. Whatever the belief is some say it works/helps or they feel the energy.
The trails that we hiked were enjoyable and had beautiful scenery but we didn’t feel anything or notice anything different. The twisted trees were pretty cool along with the heart shaped rock I’m guessing someone left there in the tree for all to see.
We hiked the trail to the Boynton Pass vortex. That trail was interesting and we had fun exploring around there. The views were beautiful. Make sure that you bring some water if out there in the heat or hiking long. We had a National Park pass and I’m pretty sure that was good for parking there, if not I believe parking was $5.
The other vortex we went to was the vortex at the Airport Mesa. We were lucky enough to find a free parking spot there (If I’m recalling correctly it was free) where it was really close to the vortex. We didn’t have to do any hiking which was nice for us that day since our time was very limited and we just really wanted to check out the vortex.
Chapel of the Holy Cross
This is a beautiful Roman Catholic church built in the pretty red rocks in Sedona in the 1950’s.
It is open to visitors just check online for their hours.
We enjoyed the visit and admired the beauty of this church and the surrounding natural beauty of the red rocks. Inside the church is beautiful with the magnificent crucifix and very tall large windows.
I loved being able to light a candle for a loved one or for a special intention.
- COST:
- Free to enter and park there while exploring the church and church grounds. To light a candle does cost but it’s a reasonable price.
All of these places I’ve listed are wonderful Arizona sights that are fun to visit.
I know there are so many more places that we haven’t had the pleasure of exploring.
Arizona has a lot to offer and if you love the outdoors I suggest you go and admire the beauty first hand.
If taking a road trip read my blogs that can offer you some great advise and tips. How To Avoid A Horrible Vacation With Family.
My family and I had some wonderful Arizona Adventures and I think your family will too. There are so many Arizona sights worth checking out that you most definitely won’t get bored.