Welcome to our Phoenix Arizona Outdoor Adventure Guide! Phoenix is one of the biggest cities in the USA and in my opinion has the best in-city hiking of any place in the country. The Sonoran Desert and “The Valley” overlap with cacti and coyotes around the corner in every direction. My partner Jill did a cooking school in Northern Phoenix and we were lucky enough to live in this gorgeous city during her time in school. Not only is the hiking world class in the city…the radius of epic day trips is tough to match! Come explore the Valley with us…Suns Up!

In this Outdoor Adventure Guide we share everything from our favorite adventures to post nature town grub from our time in Phoenix Arizona. All in hopes that you can have the outdoor adventure of a lifetime when you visit this amazing big city hiking masterpiece in the Valley of the Sun.

Phoenix Arizona Need to Know’s:

Phoenix is one of the top 5 cities in the US in terms of population. Therefore it has an easy to fly into international airport, plenty of traffic depending on where you’re going/when you’re going, and pretty much anything you could imagine in terms of restaurants, arts, culture, sports, and of course…outdoor adventuring!
Phoenix is located in the Sonoran Desert. The most famous of its inhabitants is the mighty Saguaro Cactus, which blooms in late springs, and is the gigantic cacti that is the state’s emblem along with the Grand Canyon.
Depending on where you’re living/staying in Phoenix is important for how you would choose your hiking areas. Most lots fill up fast and early on the weekends, and some even on the weekdays like the streets surrounding the famous Camelback Mountain.
Phoenix gets HOT. Super hot most of the summer. Some of the hiking trails even close down to minimize injuries and deaths. It’s best advised to do a hiking visit during Autumn, Winter, and the Spring. Day trips to nearby towns like Payson and Pine would be recommended especially during the summer.
There is water in Phoenix! Which there really isn’t supposed to be, but depending on how you feel about dams the Saguaro Lake, Roosevelt Lake, and more are nearby and can be available for outdoor adventure water activities like kayaking and SUP’s.

Phoenix Arizona Outdoor Adventure Things To Do:

Hikes/Walks:

1. Phoenix Mountains Preserve.
We were located right by this preserve and Two Bit Peak was at least a weekly tradition!

2. McDowell Sonoran Conservancy.
A variety of connecting preserves in Scottsdale/Phoenix have created corridors for wildlife. I saw my first javelina near the Lost Dog Trailhead!

3. Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak for challenging climbs!
Sunrise and Sunset up on Camelback is a Valley tradition!

4. Papago Park for more leisurely walks.
Home to the famous Hole in the Rock trail.

5. Phoenix Botanical Gardens.
Want to combine art with your cacti? Or prefer paved paths but still get a Sonoran Desert feel? Check out the amazing botanical gardens! The Arizona Trail Association annual meeting and the DEVOUR Culinary Classic are great ways to combine a trip to the gardens with a special event!

6. Usery Mountain Regional Park.
Located in Mesa this multi use trail system is great for trail running, flat walks, and mountain biking!

Phoenix Arizona Outdoor Adventure Day Trip Destinations:

Sedona Arizona.
Just a 2-2.5 hour drive to the famous Red Rocks. Here’s a hiking guide I have done on Sedona!
Stop in Old Town Cottonwood for lunch at Maynard from Tool’s Merkin Vineyards and Queen B Vinyl Cafe, or hit a ghost tour or art gallery in Jerome Arizona!
Pine Arizona.
Get on the Arizona Trail, eat some delicious food, and smell the lavendar in this nearby AZT town in “Rim Country.”
Payson Arizona.
Bigger than Pine, similar vibe. Awesome hiking trails in the nearby national forest.
Tucson Arizona.
We have lived in Tucson too, here’s our guide to the best food city in the USA!
Lost Dutchman State Park, Cave Creek Regional Park, Organ Pipe National Monument…the list of nearby state parks and public lands is more or less endless!
Longer than a day trip (for me!): Grand Canyon National Park, Petrified Forest National Park, Flagstaff.
More like long weekend trips to me for driving distances…but certainly pretty close!

There’s a plethora of road trips if you’re into hiking, horseback riding, and/or exploring the desert right outside of Phoenix. I tried to limit day trips to no more than two hours one way and we’d spend the whole day. I had always thought Phoenix was one of the best hiking cities in the USA before I lived there, what I didn’t realize was how diverse of an offering of nearby day trips the city has to offer!

Phoenix Arizona Other Things To Do:

Restaurants:
a. Pizzeria Bianco
b. Chino Bandido
c. The Rez: An Urban Eatery
d. Bad Hambres
e. Feringhee Modern Indian Cuisine
f. I will plug the DEVOUR Culinary Classic again here so that you can try more restaurants than you could get to in a year’s time! Plus they have year round resources and events if you’re into supporting the local food scene!
Farmers Markets:
There are year round farmers markets all over the city. We went to the downtown Phoenix and Roadrunners Farmers Markets. You can also join Recycled City and start dropping your food compost at the downtown market, we were (and will be again) members!
Volunteering:
I volunteered at the Urban Garden in Mesa Arizona and at the Hope Thrift Stores in Northern Phoenix.
The land conservancies, animal shelters, food banks/soup kitchens, and more are looking for volunteer support!
Art/Culture:
a. Phoenix Museum of Art
b. The Musical Instrument Museum
c. We went to the Phoenix Suns NBA Games.
The Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA, Arizona Diamondbacks in the MLB, the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL, and the Phoenix Open for Golf. are also in the city. There’s plenty of options for sports fans!
d. Roosevelt Row has an extensive set of street art and murals. They also have an underground food tour that starts at one of them!

Phoenix Arizona is an excellent place to live if you enjoy the great outdoors!

We were brought to live in Phoenix for food and education. And along the way we got to take part in unbelievable community activities and groups, watched NBA hoops live, and enjoyed nooks and crannies of the 5th biggest city we never knew existed in all of our shorter trips to the “Valley.”

We certainly wouldn’t consider ourselves locals but we LOVED living here and in my opinion (I will say it again) Phoenix Arizona features the best in-city hiking (with a silver medal to Los Angeles and bronze medal to Las Vegas) of any metro city in the USA. If the Sonoran Desert is calling…Phoenix is an excellent place to set up basecamp!

Be careful though…you might never leave the Valley :).

Thanks so much for reading!

Because Adventure Feeds the Soul, Mike