Road trippin’

A Travel Blog

4 Unforgettable Day Trips outside of Phoenix

If you have never been to Arizona you may think of it as one big desert with Phoenix as the main attraction, but there is so much more to do in Arizona besides the usual sites of the Phoenix area.

If you are in Phoenix for just a few days or plan on staying longer and want to see the other side of Arizona, check out these recommendations for day trips, all of which are located 2 hours or less outside of the Phoenix area.

1. Granite Mountain Hot Shot Memorial Trail and Yarnell

One June 30, 2013, 19 of Prescott’s elite Granite Mountain HotShot Wildland Fire crew lost their lives while fighting an intense wild fire near Yarnell Arizona. The Granite Mountain HotShot Memorial State Park and Trail was built to honor the Granite Mountain HotShot crew and is the only Arizona State Park dedicated as a Memorial State Park.

The Park is small but offers insight into the tragedy that took place on that day. The incident is also memorialized through the film “Only the Brave” that was released in 2017.

The trail is a seven-mile round trip trek that starts at the park entrance. It is considered strenuous ascending more that 1,100 feet with very steep inclines made out of surrounding granite boulders. The hike can take up to 8 hours round trip with limited access to water and restrooms.

Parking at the Memorial State Park/Trail is also limited but shuttle service is provided to and from the Park/Trail by a free shuttle located at the Yarnell Fire Department which is just a few miles north of the site. Yarnell also offers a Memorial Park dedicated to the Granite Mountain HotShots that is a must see.

https://azstateparks.com/hotshots/the-hotshots/about-the-hotshots

www.yarnellarearesourcegroup.org  

2. Wickenburg-Vulture City

Located about 70 miles from Phoenix, Wickenburg, known as the Roping Capital of the World, is truly a visit to Cowboy Town.

With less than 8,000 residents in the summer months this town comes alive and doubles in size when the Winter snowbirds, many of which are Cowboys and Cowgirls, descend upon the town  for the many equestrian events held each year from October to May.

This year Wickenburg will be celebrating its 74^th annual Gold Rush Days and Senior Pro Rodeo with events running from February 10-12^th.  The Parade will be on Saturday February 11^th. While in Wickenburg visit the Desert Caballeros Museum for a true taste of Western Art.

Just Southwest of Wickenburg out Vulture Mine Rd you will find Vulture City, a real Ghost Town come back to life after careful restoration. Once boasting one of the richest Gold Strikes in Arizona history, Vulture Mine Ghost Town is a must see.

https://www.wickenburgchamber.com/

https://www.vultureminetours.com/

3. Wild Horses of the Salt River

The Lower Salt River Recreation Area located outside of Phoenix, Arizona and inside the Tonto National Forest, is a breathtaking scenic part of the Sonoran Desert.  Meandering along a road known as the Bush Highway, located between the Beeline Highway (Route 87) outside of Fountain Hills, Arizona and Loop 202 in Mesa, Arizona, this beautiful desert land boasts rugged mountain ranges, majestic Saguaros, and the Salt River. Sightseers have the opportunity to park at the many scenic overlooks, hike, canoe, raft, fish, and go birding.  On any given day visitors might even be treated to watching bald eagles soar, bighorn sheep cling to the mountainsides or catch a glimpse of one of the most magnificent sites that this area has to offer, the Wild Horses of the Salt River. 

https://www.visitmesa.com/blog/wild-about-horses/

4. Casa Grande Monument

Casa Grande or “Great House” is a complex of ruins built by the Sonoran Desert People around 1350 C.E., and is believed to be one of the largest prehistoric structures ever built in North America.

Called the Great House by Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino when he visited the ruins in 1694. Still called Casa Grande to this day the ruins sit as a National Monument, part of the National Parks system and are being preserved to fulfill the National Parks mission to make available for present and future generations the many wonders this and other Monuments have to offer.

This adventure is located just 56 miles south of Phoenix on I-10E.

https://www.nps.gov/cagr/learn/historyculture/index.htm