Things to do in or near Phoenix AZ (Tucson, Flagstaff: home, camping)

[KLR87]

I'm from PA and am looking into moving to the Phoenix area in 2018. From what I've researched, it seems like there's a lot to see and do within a days trip.

*San Diego and LA are under 6 hours
*Vegas under 4 hours
*Grand Canyon under 4 hours
*White Mountain (I love camping and mountains and this mountain seems like the most scenic one that I've found so far) under 4 hours.
*Rocky Point Mexico beach under 4 hours (is this a safe/decent beach?)
*Museums and shops in and around Phoenix
*Lots of lakes around

Anything else neat that I don't know about? Other than White Mountain, are there any other mountains under a 5 hours drive that have a lot of greenery, streams, scenery? My husband and I are open to pretty much anything. It would be nice to make a list so that once we are out there and settled and family comes out, we have a list of historic/fun/scenic places to take them.

[goolsbyjazz]

Originally Posted by KLR87

I'm from PA and am looking into moving to the Phoenix area in 2018. From what I've researched, it seems like there's a lot to see and do within a days trip.

*San Diego and LA are under 6 hours
*Vegas under 4 hours
*Grand Canyon under 4 hours
*White Mountain (I love camping and mountains and this mountain seems like the most scenic one that I've found so far) under 4 hours.
*Rocky Point Mexico beach under 4 hours (is this a safe/decent beach?)
*Museums and shops in and around Phoenix
*Lots of lakes around

Anything else neat that I don't know about? Other than White Mountain, are there any other mountains under a 5 hours drive that have a lot of greenery, streams, scenery? My husband and I are open to pretty much anything. It would be nice to make a list so that once we are out there and settled and family comes out, we have a list of historic/fun/scenic places to take them.

Well there are lots of places to hike and see in southern Arizona too!

[KLR87]

Originally Posted by goolsbyjazz

Well there are lots of places to hike and see in southern Arizona too!

Seems like it for the entire state in general!

[AZJoeD]

For starters Mt Lemon, Catalina Mountains (near Tucson) is 10,000+ feet, about 2hrs from Phoenix and Humphreys Peak, San Francisco Peaks (near Flagstaff) is 12,000+ feet, again about 2hrs away. Both areas are pretty cool (no pun intended).

Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon are only about 1-1.5 hrs north of Phoenix. Both beautiful places to camp and hike.

In addition there are dozens of places in the high country north of Phoenix that are green most of the year.

Check out this link for some of the lesser known places right here in the state. These 12 Hidden Waterfalls In Arizona Will Take Your Breath Away

No need to head to CA or MX unless your really want an ocean.

[KLR87]

Originally Posted by AZJoeD

For starters Mt Lemon, Catalina Mountains (near Tucson) is 10,000+ feet, about 2hrs from Phoenix and Humphreys Peak, San Francisco Peaks (near Flagstaff) is 12,000+ feet, again about 2hrs away. Both areas are pretty cool (no pun intended).

Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon are only about 1-1.5 hrs north of Phoenix. Both beautiful places to camp and hike.

In addition there are dozens of places in the high country north of Phoenix that are green most of the year.

Check out this link for some of the lesser known places right here in the state. These 12 Hidden Waterfalls In Arizona Will Take Your Breath Away

No need to head to CA or MX unless your really want an ocean.

Sweet! Thanks!

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by KLR87

I'm from PA and am looking into moving to the Phoenix area in 2018. From what I've researched, it seems like there's a lot to see and do within a days trip.

*San Diego and LA are under 6 hours
*Vegas under 4 hours
*Grand Canyon under 4 hours
*White Mountain (I love camping and mountains and this mountain seems like the most scenic one that I've found so far) under 4 hours.
*Rocky Point Mexico beach under 4 hours (is this a safe/decent beach?)
*Museums and shops in and around Phoenix
*Lots of lakes around

Anything else neat that I don't know about? Other than White Mountain, are there any other mountains under a 5 hours drive that have a lot of greenery, streams, scenery? My husband and I are open to pretty much anything. It would be nice to make a list so that once we are out there and settled and family comes out, we have a list of historic/fun/scenic places to take them.

If beaches are a huge thing for you, Arizona isn't really the place to live. It has just about everything except beaches, but beaches are close enough.

Other than beaches, most of the state is scenic in one way or another. Most of the state is public land too. Camping is available everywhere. Some of the best scenery is not on main roads. If you have a high clearance 4WD vehicle, it opens up countless other options that are otherwise unavailable. We have national forests, parks, and monuments everywhere. Plus some of the towns elsewhere in Arizona are nice and scenic to visit. Many things are within a very easy round trip from Phoenix in one day.

I was talking to one of the other regulars on my commuting flights from work up north back home to Phoenix one evening, and we came to the conclusion, after adding up all the things a person can do and the places that they could go, that, if so inclined, most people could spend an entire lifetime adventuring in Arizona without ever leaving the state.

[observer53]

It's actually the White Mountains, not White Mountain. The White Mountains encompasses a pretty wide area above the Mogollon (pronounced mug-ee-YAWN) Rim in northeastern Arizona. Includes the forests around the towns of Payson, Heber, Show Low, Pinetop/Lakeside, Strawberry, Alpine, and others.


Yes, there is a lot of hiking and camping to be done, both in northern Arizona and southeastern Arizona.

[KLR87]

Originally Posted by 43north87west

If beaches are a huge thing for you, Arizona isn't really the place to live. It has just about everything except beaches, but beaches are close enough.

Other than beaches, most of the state is scenic in one way or another. Most of the state is public land too. Camping is available everywhere. Some of the best scenery is not on main roads. If you have a high clearance 4WD vehicle, it opens up countless other options that are otherwise unavailable. We have national forests, parks, and monuments everywhere. Plus some of the towns elsewhere in Arizona are nice and scenic to visit. Many things are within a very easy round trip from Phoenix in one day.

I was talking to one of the other regulars on my commuting flights from work up north back home to Phoenix one evening, and we came to the conclusion, after adding up all the things a person can do and the places that they could go, that, if so inclined, most people could spend an entire lifetime adventuring in Arizona without ever leaving the state.

That sounds awesome!

I get cravings for the beach maybe once a year. As long as I can drive to one in a few hours, I'm good. San Diego is 5 hours away I think.

[KLR87]

Originally Posted by observer53

It's actually the White Mountains, not White Mountain. The White Mountains encompasses a pretty wide area above the Mogollon (pronounced mug-ee-YAWN) Rim in northeastern Arizona. Includes the forests around the towns of Payson, Heber, Show Low, Pinetop/Lakeside, Strawberry, Alpine, and others.


Yes, there is a lot of hiking and camping to be done, both in northern Arizona and southeastern Arizona.

Thanks for the info!

[More Rock]

Drive the dirt road along the Rim from Strawberry to Woods Canyon Lake, explore Cochise County, hike the trails at Boyce Thompson Arboretum, drive the Apache Trail.