- Home
- About
- Canada
- US
- Destinations
- Adventures
- Guides
- Canada
- A Guide to Biking From Banff to Jasper, Alberta
- A Guide to Biking the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia
- A Biking Guide for Quebec’s Eastern Townships
- A Guide to Biking British Columbia’s Gulf Islands
- Niagara Area Bike and Wine Tour Guide
- A Guide to Visiting and Biking the Okanagan Valley in BC
- A Guide to Biking Prince Edward County, Ontario
- Vancouver Airport Layover Guide
- A Bike and Wine Tour Guide for Victoria to the Cowichan Valley
- US
- Europe
- South America
- Canada
- Book & Gear Reviews
- Travel Resources
- Contact
5 Great Things to Do In & Near Phoenix That Don’t Involve Golf
March is prime time for trips to the Phoenix – Scottsdale area of Arizona. Families, couples, singles – everyone wants a dose of sunshine.
But what can you do if you’re not into playing golf on one of the more than 200 golf courses that dot the area?
Plenty!!
Here’s my list of five great things to do if and near Phoenix or Scottsdale that don’t involve golf – or tennis for that matter.
Hiking
- The hiking is excellent in and around Phoenix. Try the popular Piestewa Peak hike (formerly Squaw Peak) - an outdoor version of the Stairmaster. The most popular route is the Summit Trail – which takes you roughly 1.2 miles to the top. But it gets busy – very BUSY. The other option is the Circumference Trail. It’s 3.5 miles long and doesn’t see nearly the traffic of the Summit Trail.
- Another classic hike is the one up Camelback Mountain. You can choose the 2.2 mile Echo Canyon Route or the 2.8 mile Cholla Lane route. Be prepared for some steep hiking – but you’ll be rewarded with 360 degree views of Phoenix.
Aerial view of Camelback Mountain
- Head out of town to the Superstition Mountains. There are lots of trails to choose from, and a choice of access points. Try one of the trails out of Lost Dutchmen State Park, just 40 miles east of Phoenix.
Botanical Gardens
- Look for over 50,000 plants in the Desert Botanical Gardens. Spring is a particularly beautiful time to visit with many plants coming into bloom. There’s also a “Music in the Garden” series on Friday nights from early March through until June, though you can’t bring the kids.
Drive the Apache Trail
- I discovered this remarkable drive on my recent visit to Phoenix. Jaw dropping scenery begins at the Theodore Roosevelt Dam, at the junction of Highway 88 and 188, and ends just outside of Apache Junction, though you could continue all the way to Globe. The Apache Trail is mostly a dirt road, often narrow, and not a place you want to be caught with an RV. In fact they’re prohibited. Take water and a lunch – though you can get something to eat in Tortilla Flats – and plan on lots of stops so you can really enjoy the scenery.
Beautiful scenery along the Apache Trail
Visit Museums
- The Phoenix Art Museum, a world class museum, boasts over 18,000 works of art from many genres including American, Asian, European, Western American and Modern. They have also, along with the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in Tucson, have established a photography exhibit with over 80,000 photographs representing 2,000 photographers.
- The Heard Museum is the place to go if you are interested in American Indian art and history. Exhibits change frequently.
- The Pueblo Grande Museum Archaeological Park, a National Historic Landmark, is a prehistoric Hohokam Indian village site that was occupied between 100 and 1450 AD. The ruin is located at 4619 East Washington Street in Phoenix. You’ll need to pay a fee before you walk the self guided trail to the ruins.
Architecture Tours
- Take an architecture tour of Taliesin West in Scottsdale – Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home, studio and architectural campus. Or visit The Hotel Valley Ho – one of the best known mid century hotels in the US. Other area tours will educate you about sustainable architecture in the southwest or designing with solar. If you have time, an interesting place to visit is Cosanti, the gallery, studio and residence of Paolo Soleri, out in Paradise Valley. You’ll find bronze and ceramics windbells and depending on the time of year, you might be able to watch a bell being poured.
Of course you van always enjoy wonderful spa treatments, excellent shopping and fine dining in Phoenix and Scottsdale.
But is there something else you think every visitor to Phoenix or Scottsdale should enjoy? Or is there a restaurant worth trying??
Leigh McAdam
Photo credit: Camelback Mountain
Vote for my article on WorldTravelist.com, sharing the best travel content on the web.
About Hike Bike TravelAvid world traveler. Craves adventure - & the odd wildly epic day. Gardener. Reader. Wine lover. Next big project - a book on 100 Canadian outdoor adventures.
View all posts by Hike Bike Travel →
14 Responses to 5 Great Things to Do In & Near Phoenix That Don’t Involve Golf
Leave a Reply
About
I’ve been all over the world – to all continents but Antarctica and to a grand total of 53 countries. I’ve always got some sort of an adventure planned – even if it’s only a weekend. I thrive on change and travel provides that.
Feel free to email me at
leighmcadamtravels at gmail dot com
STAY CONNECTED
Food Recipes and Restaurants
Surprising Saskatoon: A City of Great Restaurants
TweetSaskatoon took me aback. I figured since it was a prairie city, seemingly in the middle of nowhere – that there would be a backwoods feel to the whole food scene. But was I ever wrong. Saskatoon is a city of great restaurants. Within an hour of landing I was enjoying a fantastic lunch at Souleio’s on [...]
Great list…although as a golfer, I have all the reason I need to visit:)
@D.J.You get the best of all worlds then. When I wrote this blog I was thinking of the people that come to Phoenix on a business trip but don’t know that there’s so much to do aside from golf. I was also thinking of families on spring breaks who might be staying at resorts but still wanted to get out and see the area. Hopefully I’ve given people a few new ideas.
Haha- love the title of this post! I think I would really enjoy all the hiking and walking around the area.
@Jade I certainly enjoy the hiking though as it heats up, it will have to be done early in the day. Either that or head off to Sedona for the day.
Great ideas! Love that picture of the Apache Trail! Another great thing to do now that is it warming up is go stand up paddle boarding! People can get paddle boarding lessons and rent equipment in the Pleasant Harbor Marina.
@David I’d give that a try!
Ooooh, I want sun! And the idea of spending an evening in a Botanical Garden with music is really, really great!
@Sabrina – I used to do visit the Denver Botanical Gardens – for an evening of music in beautiful surroundings. Phoenix sounds equally lovely.
I lived in Arizona for 7 years and never hiked Camelback. All the talk of how steep it was scared me
@Annette Scrambling isn’t for everyone – though if you take your time and concentrate on what’s just ahead of you – then I bey you could do it.
Wonderful suggestions. It’s funny that so many people do think that Phoenix = golf period. Not true as you’ve shown. Love the view of Camelback Mountain — it’s one of my favorite sights there.
@Cathy Nothing wrong with golf – but I always think it’s interesting to see what else a city offers. And in Phoenix there’s so much more than meets the eye.
Hi! OMG! I’ve been looking for an article like this one forever, I’m traveling to Arizona and staying there for a while..
This all look like great options!
Is downtown Phoenix and Scottsdale fun? I heard about first Friday in downtown Phoenix is it worth it??
Plus I haven’t been to the Scottsdale Quarter I heard there’s a ton of cool stores and restaurants.
I’ll make my reservation in Scottsdale next week. I’m looking for a place that I can walk to bars or restaurants.
Thanks for shearing.
@Pauline I don’t actually know about Friday in downtown Phoenix. But I can tell you that Scottsdale is full of wonderful shops & restaurants though many are very expensive.