Arizona summer bucket list: 10 best road trips to keep your cool in 2025
In metro Phoenix, the word “summer” instills dread in the hearts of residents.
It’s an ogre of a season. But it doesn’t have to be that way, thanks to Arizona’s endless diversity. Higher elevations are never far. And as we all know, the higher the elevation, the lower the temperature.
The high-elevation Thompson Trail in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona makes a refreshing summer getaway.
Plan some escapes from the sweaty clutches of the desert so that you can remember again the fun and freedom that summer brings. Make this a summer to remember, for all the right reasons.
Here are 10 Arizona summer getaways so perfect you’ll regret the arrival of autumn.
The Barefoot Trail, Bellemont
One surefire way to get the kids to put down their screens is to encourage them to wade barefoot through sand, mud, pine needles and more.
The Barefoot Trail, off Interstate 40 west of Flagstaff, opened on May 14 for its second season. The tactile experience is designed to engage the senses and heighten awareness of your surroundings. The mostly shaded trail includes adventure stations and reflexology pathways.
Pack a picnic or purchase snacks at the Barefoot Boutique. Adults and kids are welcome but pooches have to stay home. They might leave a little something behind and there are some things you don’t want squishing between your toes. Reserved tickets are $14 for adults, $12 for ages 3-17.
Canyon Coaster Adventure Park, Williams
Every summer should include the excitement of a coaster ride. Swoop through mountainside pines above Route 66 at Canyon Coater Adventure Park.
Unlike those at big amusement parks, these are alpine coasters — individual carts with sled-like seating. The coaster goes clicking up the rails as it climbs a steep hillside before swooping through the trees, fast and flowy, hugging the curves. You control the speed for an exciting milelong ride.
The park also offers summer tubing, riding down big slides perched on an inner tube. The bar and grill makes a fun hangout where you can watch other thrill-seekers on the coaster and tube hill on a large-screen television.
Coaster rides are $20 for people taller than 54 inches, $10 for riders who are 38-54 inches tall and at least 3 years old. Tubing is $10 for one ride, five rides for $25 or two hours for $35.
Rim Lakes Vista Trail, Payson
Almost everyone can enjoy the epic views from atop the Mogollon Rim on this easy paved path.
Rim Lakes Vista Trail begins as a mild woodland stroll. Then the screen of trees breaks apart and the world falls away at your feet. And that’s how it is for the bulk of the hike as the trail traces the edge of this high escarpment. Views remain relentless, mingled with rock outcroppings and tenacious trees clinging to the edge while 2,000 feet below pine forests appear as billowy green clouds.
The paved portion of the trail can be managed in a wheelchair. After about 2 miles, the pavement ends and a rocky singletrack continues to Military Sinkhole Vista, the final viewpoint, and beyond to the Rim Lakes parking area, the trail’s eastern terminus.
From Payson, drive east on State Route 260 for 30 miles to Rim Road (Forest Road 300), directly across the highway from the Mogollon Rim Visitor Information Center. Turn left on Rim Road and drive 7 miles. The parking area is on your left near mile marker 40, just before Mogollon Campground.
Grasshopper Point, Sedona
Nothing is more revered in summer than a swimming hole and you’ll find a classic one in Oak Creek Canyon, just 2 miles north of Sedona.
Grasshopper Point Swimming & Picnic Area offers a scenic respite from the summer heat. Nestled at the base of a towering red rock cliff, this wide clear pool varies in depth. You can have fun splashing in the shallows while the fearless can plunge into deep water from terraced ledges of varying heights.
A clutch of graceful sycamores shades the shoreline. There are picnic tables near the water and restrooms in the parking lot. The Allen's Bend Trail follows Oak Creek for those looking to stretch their legs on a short hike. $12 per vehicle.
Moonlight kayaking in Prescott
Imagine a peaceful summer evening spent paddling in shimmering moonlight across Watson Lake. Born to be Wild Adventures, a mobile kayak rental service, makes the dreamlike outing a reality.
Each day they deliver a fleet of kayaks, paddleboards, pedal boats and canoes to one of three Prescott lakes — Watson, Willow and Goldwater — and pick them up again at the scheduled time. Guests can explore miles of shoreline and slip in and out of slender coves.
Nighttime kayaking takes place only at Watson Lake, 3101 Watson Lake Road, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on select weeks from May through October when the moon is big and bright. For moonlight outings, single kayaks are $25, tandem kayaks and canoes are $50.
Grand Canyon North Rim
Skip the long lines at the South Rim and make the winding, scenic drive to the quiet side of the abyss.
Of the millions of people that visit Grand Canyon National Park each year, only 10 percent get to the North Rim, which rises 1,000 feet higher than its southern counterpart. North Rim visitors will encounter more elk, deer and wild turkeys than tour groups. There are no helicopter rides, shuttle buses or bustling village.
Atop the lonely Kaibab Plateau, the North Rim is defined not just by elevation but by isolation — a free-floating sanctuary cloistered and cocooned. This is an alpine outback of sun-dappled forests interrupted by luxuriant meadows drenched in wildflowers. Cabins, hiking trails and mule rides await. $35 per vehicle.
Christopher Creek Lodge, Payson
Escape not just the heat this summer but the whole urban experience. Trade in traffic, noise and stress for a peaceful cabin in a shady forest when you check in at Christopher Creek Lodge. Tucked at the base of the Mogollon Rim, on the banks of a spring-fed stream, this is the hideout you need.
The lodge opened in 1950 as a store and bar, and began hosting overnight guests three years later. Today, they offer a variety of rustic accommodations all rich with character — creekside cabins, cozy tandem trail bunks, motel units. The stream is stocked with trout and the woods are filled with chirping birds. That sounds like a recipe for a very tranquil retreat.
Motel rooms start at $80, trail bunks at $110 and cabins at $170 per night.
First Friday ArtWalk, Flagstaff
There’s nothing like a street party in a college town to restore a love of summer.
On the first Friday of each month in downtown Flagstaff, the shops, galleries, bars and restaurants come alive from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Stroll the streets in the cooling evening while savoring food, drink, live music, and special exhibits.
A creative energy envelops the walkable downtown during First Friday ArtWalk, with some galleries hosting wine-and-cheese openings and street performers entertaining crowds. Many businesses extend their hours to keep the party going well into the night.
Luna Lake Campground, Alpine
While the White Mountains are sprinkled with bodies of water, Luna Lake flies a little under the radar. The 120-acre impoundment of the San Francisco River sits just 5 miles east of Alpine for extra convenience, ringed by forests and wetlands.
A healthy population of rainbow and cutthroat trout make this a popular destination with anglers, and the 8,000-foot elevation makes it great for summer campers. The campground sits at the edge of a green meadow amid a cluster of ponderosa pines. Some sites have lake views. There’s a boat ramp and picnic areas with gazebos.
Thompson Trail, White Mountains
Traversing a narrow, forested canyon along the west fork of the Black River, where Apache trout swim, the Thompson Trail is one of Arizona's prettiest high-country trails.
It starts wide on an old railroad grade passing manmade waterfalls. These barriers protect the habitat of the endangered Apache trout. At a gate, the trail veers toward the water and pinches down to a singletrack. It pulls you into the woods alongside the tumbling river, lined by wildflower-dotted meadows in this lush canyon bottom for 2.5 miles.
The West Fork Black River Trail marks the turnaround point for this hike. Return the way you came.
From Pinetop, drive east on State Route 260. Turn right on SR 273, signed for Sunrise Ski Area, and continue 14 miles to Forest Road 116. Turn right on this gravel road and proceed 4 miles to a small parking area at the trailhead. FR 116 is bumpy but manageable in a sedan.
