Are you looking for the best things to do in Arizona with kids for your next family vacation? Does your family like to hike, discover spectacular landscapes, learn about our world in museums, and go on fun-filled adventures? If you said yes, then this post is for you.
Arizona is an absolutely amazing state that completely left our family speechless! Before planning our trip to Arizona, I knew to visit top sites like the Grand Canyon, but I had no idea how many other incredible gems were here! This is what I’d like to show you.
Come discover our favorite things to do in Arizona with kids!
(In no particular order.)
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1. THE GRAND CANYON
The impressive Grand Canyon certainly needs no introduction and it alone is the main reason why many people travel to Arizona. Witness millions of years of geologic history layered in bands across this magnificent canyon that is 277 river miles long, up to 18 miles wide and a mile deep. Here your senses will become overwhelmed from its immense size and breathtaking scenery. This truly is a spectacular place to visit!
To add to your Grand Canyon experience, we highly recommend hiking below the rim if you can. Our family chose to hike part of the Kaibab Trail to Ooh-Aah Point (~1 mile into the canyon) and we absolutely loved this experience! This was the perfect length of trail for our family (our youngest hiker was not quite 7 years old) and the scenery here is beyond incredible!
Don’t forget about the North Rim of Grand Canyon. This quieter and completely gorgeous portion of the Grand Canyon is absolutely spectacular to visit! We really loved getting away from the crowds here and highly enjoyed its scenery in this incredibly peaceful atmosphere.
2. SEDONA
Located just 2 hours south of the Grand Canyon is Sedona, a sensational landscape full of majestic red rock formations and stunning scenery. This is a true hiker’s paradise with breathtaking trails for all levels and ages. Our favorite trails here are Doe Mountain trail (see above left), Courthouse Loop/ Bell Rock trail and Fay Canyon. Our favorite sunrise spot is at Airport Mesa Overlook. And our favorite adventure is with Pink Jeep Tours on Broken Arrow Trail (which we highly recommend!)
Our family was seriously impressed with Sedona. Before visiting I had no idea just how beautiful it would be. Sedona’s dramatic landscape, incredible atmosphere and its ever-changing colors that dance upon these rocks simply took our breath away. We highly recommend visiting!
3. OAK CREEK CANYON
Located just 10 miles north of Sedona is West Fork Trail in Oak Creek Canyon. This incredibly fun trail is full of gorgeous scenery, spectacular rock formations and a trail that crosses the creek 13 times! Just grab some water shoes and walk all or part of this 3.3 mile one way, shady, breathtaking trail!
Tip: Arrive early to hike this trail. Due to it’s popularity the parking lot fills up quickly. There is also a charge to park at this trailhead.
4. CHIRICAHUA NATIONAL MONUMENT
When I first saw images of Chiricahua National Monument, I knew that this hidden gem was a place I had to visit! Discover an incredible rock wonderland filled with a sea of enormous hoodoos, unbelievably large balanced rocks and fun passageways to explore. Chiricahua National Monument is truly a breathtaking wonderland of rocks, just waiting to be explored.
Here, we chose to hike the 3.3 mile Echo Canyon Loop (see picture above) and it was spectacular! This unreal landscape completely blew us away, quickly making this hike one of our favorite things to do in Arizona with kids! It also is now one of our favorite hikes in the United States!
5. PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK
Visit one of the largest concentrations of petrified wood in the world! View miles upon miles of beautifully colored petrified wood lying scatted across Northeastern Arizona. Several short trails take you out among the large groupings of petrified wood and let you get a closer look at its amazing colors!
Our family really enjoyed visiting the Petrified Forest and learning about how all of these petrified logs came to be. Don’t miss Giant Logs Loop and Crystal Forest Loop in this park for some fantastic examples of petrified wood. And after you visit, make sure you head down the road to visit the other part of this incredible park which is Arizona’s Painted Desert (see below).
6. PAINTED DESERT
Journey through a land of beautifully colored scenery in the northern section of the Petrified Forest National Park. Numerous overlooks and fun trails will immerse you into this fascinating and unearthly landscape. Visit in the late afternoon or early evening to watch the colors explode and dance across these hills.
Don’t miss hiking on the Blue Mesa Trail (see above left) and visiting Tiponi Point Overlook (see above right) while traveling through the Painted Desert.
7. METEOR CRATER NATURAL LANDMARK
I’ll admit, I was unsure about visiting Meteor Crater Natural Landmark when I first saw that it was privately owned and kind of pricey, but I am so glad we decided to go. This incredible crater is ~1 mile across and ~700′ deep! It is also the best preserved impact site on Earth!
Our family thoroughly enjoyed seeing this impressive site. Just to give you an idea of this crater’s size, there is a cut out of a 6 foot tall person down in the center. (You can see this cut out with a telescope that they provide). But in the picture above there are four real people standing along it’s rim on the side closest to me. There are simply no words to describe how small you feel standing next to this massive hole!
The museum at this site is excellent too! Our children really loved all of the interactive videos of how meteors impact Earth and they were really excited to be able to touch a pillow sized meteor fragment from the site that weighed over 1,400lbs!
8. SUNSET CRATER VOLCANO NATIONAL MONUMENT
Did you know that you can visit a volcano and walk in its lava flow in Arizona? About 2 hours south of the Grand Canyon (and 30 minutes north of Flagstaff) is Sunset Crater Volcano. Here, around 1085 A.D., a powerful eruption dramatically changed the landscape and the lives of the people that once lived here forever.
When I first discovered this site, I knew I had to visit with my family. My children had never seen a volcano, let alone be able to walk in a lava flow! This was a great opportunity that I didn’t want to miss! Here, our family had a blast hiking on both the Lava Flow Trail (1 mile) and the Aa Flow trail (0.2 miles). We highly recommend both trails! Just imagine walking on a lava flow that cooled over 900 years ago. This is truly an incredible experience!
9. MONTEZUMA CASTLE NATIONAL MONUMENT
Built approximately 800 years ago by the Sinagua Indians, this incredible 5 story, 20 room building lies practically hidden among the limestone cliffs in the Verde Valley of Central Arizona.
Today you can only gaze at it from afar, but our family really enjoyed visiting this site and trying to imagine what it was like to have lived up in this cliff-side dwelling hundreds of years ago.
10. WUPATKI NATIONAL MONUMENT
In just a 20 minute drive north from Sunset Crater Volcano you can find the ancient pueblos of Wupatki. Ruins of these prehistoric villages dot the landscape today across an environment where food and water would seem impossible to find. And yet 900 years ago populations here used to thrive.
The Wupatki Pueblo (shown above) is the largest of the pueblos found at this site. There are about 100 rooms in ruins here. We really enjoyed seeing it and imagining what life must have been like to live here. But it’s actually not the ruins that impressed us the most here, even though they are pretty cool. What impressed us the most is found along the bottom of the trail. Go just past these ruins, over to their ancient ball court. Here you will find “the blowhole.”
“The Blowhole” is a fascinating geological feature. Here, cold air naturally flies out of the Earth through a small opening. The ancient Native Americans used this natural phenomenon to their advantage. They built a small structure around it and basically created an outdoor air conditioner! We were ecstatic to feel this blast of continuously cold air! This air caused our hair to fly and cooled us off in the hot Arizona sun. This is a amazing experience is something you won’t want to miss!
11. SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK
Step into the world of the Saguaro cactus. This cactus is the nation’s largest and only exists in a small portion of the United States. Here, Saguaro National Park protects this majestic plant on both the east and west side of the city of Tucson.
We were able to to visit the west side of this unique park and discovered a strikingly beautiful desert landscape filled with a forest of giant Saguaro Cacti. Our family loved driving among the cacti here. Don’t miss this unique park if you are looking for memorable things to do in Arizona with your kids. We highly recommend this Western U.S. experience.
12. ARIZONA-SONORAN DESERT MUSEUM
Located in the west section of Saguaro National Park (see above) is the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum. This incredible museum combines all aspects of desert life, with a wonderful focus on the plant and animal life of the Sonoran Desert. With over 230 different animal species and over 1,200 species of plants to discover, this wonderful museum has something for everyone to discover and love about the desert.
From the beautiful and unique cactus garden to walking among humming birds in the aviary to watching a Gila Monster silently walk by, we left this museum with a new appreciation for how much life there really is out in this desert.
13. SABINO CANYON
Sabino Canyon lies on the northeast side of Tucson, AZ. This is a great area to easily experience the beautiful landscape of the American Southwest. Here you can hop onto an educational 45 minute Sabino Canyon tram tour that takes you into the heart of the canyon. Or you can embark on a 2 mile non-narrated tour into Bear Canyon for easier access to several other hiking trails. You can also forego using any tram and simply choose to hike one of the many fun trails that wander through this area.
Our family rode the tram through this incredible canyon and we loved it! This tram makes nine stops along its route where you can hop off, hike a little, maybe even have a picnic and then hop back on and head back anytime you want. On this ride the tram operator provides incredible information about the desert landscape. And as an added bonus the tram is covered and shady to keep you out of the intense Arizona sun. Taking the tram ride and going on a short hike here are great things to do with kids in Arizona. And it is a great way for any family to experience the beauty of the American Southwest!
14. KARTCHNER CAVERNS STATE PARK
Have you ever wanted to embark on an adventure through a living “wet” cave where the formations are still actively growing? At Katchner Caverns you can! This cave, which is less than an hour south of Tucson, is home to one of the world’s longest soda straw stalactites (21′ 3″). It is also home to the world’s most extensive formation of brushite moonmilk and the tallest & most massive column in Arizona, Kubla Khan at 58 feet. At Kartchner, there is a strong focus on protecting and preserving this cave. So be aware that several restrictions such as no backpacks, cameras or cellphones inside the cave are in place (hence the photo above is of a post card that I purchased.)
Our family really enjoyed our visit to Kartchner Caverns! We loved how this cave was so natural and untarnished and so alive. As you listen to the drips throughout the caverns, you can almost feel the cave growing. And here, you may even be lucky enough to experience a rare “cave kiss” or two (a drop of water that lands on you while in a cave.) These kisses are said to bring 7 years of good luck! And once our children heard this, they couldn’t wait to get dripped on and they had a blast counting up all of the years of luck that Kartchner Caverns was giving our family!
15. BISBEE COPPER QUEEN MINING TOUR
What a Great Tour! Begin your adventure into by getting outfitted in a hard hat, a miner’s headlamp and a yellow slicker and then step aboard a mine train that will transport you deep into the Queen Mine.
Journey back in time as your tour guide recounts their actual experiences while working in this mine! Listen to their personal stories about what mining life was really like. For example, have you ever wondered where miners use the bathroom? We found this out and so much more! Our guide even told us about all the little pranks that the miners used to play on each other, which really brought this mine to life. We learned so much about mining here and our entire family had a blast! The Bisbee Queen Mine Tour does an incredible job with this personalized experience making it one of our favorite things to do in Arizona with kids. And we highly recommend visiting!
16. PIMA AIR & SPACE MUSEUM
Visit one of the largest non-government funded aviation & space museums in the world! Discover over 350 historical aircraft on over 80 acres and in over 250,000 square feet of indoor display space! Our family thoroughly enjoyed visiting this museum and learning all about these amazing planes.
We also highly recommend taking the offsite AMARG “Boneyard” bus tour if you visit. This tour requires advanced reservations and clearance so make sure you look into it well before you go. The Boneyard is the largest aircraft storage and preservation facility in the world! And this tour is incredible!
17. KITT PEAK OBSERVATORY
Kitt Peak National Observatory is home to one of the largest arrays of optical and radio telescopes in the world! We chose to participate in their 4 hour family friendly “Nightly, Observing Program” and we loved it!
On this program you will begin the evening with seeing a dramatic sunset over the Arizonan desert. This is followed by learning how to use a star chart and locate constellations in the sky. Finally, you will get to view numerous planets, nebulas and other astronomical objects that are visible in the night sky through their research-class high powered telescopes!
We learned so much about the night sky here and we highly recommend this incredible experience!
18. QUEEN CREEK OLIVE MILL
Queen Creek Olive Mill was a fun place to visit for our olive-loving family! We joined in on their Olive Oil 101 educational tour, saw olives growing on their trees and learned all about how they make their extra virgin olive oil. I had no idea how much went into making olive oil! This tour was fascinating and a lot of fun!
19. TOMBSTONE
So I put Tombstone on this list because it is such an iconic site in the American Wild West and a place that many people want to travel to. But honestly, in my opinion, it’s not really for families with young children. Tombstone happened to on our way so we stopped, but we only spent an hour or so wandering up and down the famous Allen Street before we moved on.
If you are traveling with older children or just other adults then you’ll probably want to check out the famous O.K. Corral (with their daily gun fight reenactments), the famous Bird Cage Theatre (a former wild west brothel and gambling hall) and check out the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park (which is filled with an abundance of history of those who tamed this wild territory.)
20. MACDONALD'S RANCH
A Perfect Southwest Experience! Just imagine riding off into the sunset through a beautiful cacti filled desert landscape! The setting was perfect!
We chose to take a sunset ride at MacDonald’s Ranch on the outskirts of Scottsdale, AZ and it was perfect! The ranch and staff were great, the scenery was amazing, our horses were awesome and our family had the time of their lives! This was the perfect southwest experience and is at the top of our favorite things to do in Arizona with kids! We highly recommend it!
21. HORSESHOE BEND
Horseshoe Bend is an incredibly picturesque and highly photographed site located in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Here the Colorado River created an ~1,000 foot deep gorge with a 270 degree horseshoe-shaped bend and it’s simply spectacular!
Horseshoe Bend is best viewed mid-day, but please know that the parking lot can fill up much earlier. And when this lot is full, visitors will be turned away. For our visit, we didn’t want to risk this and so we visited at 9:30am. (See picture above. The water is in slight shadow but it still looks extremely impressive.)
When visiting, know that there is a $10 charge to park. This is because the parking lot is owned by the city of Page and not part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. At the parking lot, you will find restrooms. Use them here since there are none out at the viewpoint.
To reach this magnificent view, it is an easy 3/4 mile walk to the lookout. Yet, this walk is extremely sunny, so be sure to bring plenty of water and a sun hat. Along the way there are two shade stations if you are needing to get out of the sun for a moment or two. And when you finally reach this incredible viewpoint, please keep a close eye on any children because there are no railings at the edge of this gorge.
Plan on at least 1 hour to visit Horseshoe Bend.
Horseshoe Bend is a fantastic site to see when visiting Arizona!
22. VERMILION CLIFFS NATIONAL MONUMENT
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument is a remote and unspoiled geologic treasure exploding with gorgeous red sandstone swirling formations and incredible slot canyons that lie along the Arizona/Utah boarder. There are several different sections of this park to explore. Paria Canyon has some of the best slot canyon hiking in the southwest. Coyote Buttes is home to “The Wave” and some pretty spectacular swirling sandstone formations. And Buckskin Gulch is one of the longest continuous slot canyons in the world.
Special note: To hike the popular Coyote Buttes North “The Wave” you need a permit, and only 20 permits are distributed per day! (Half of these permits are distributed through an advanced lottery (apply 4 months before your desired hiking month) and half are distributed in person for the following day.)
A permit is also needed to day hike at Paria Canyon, but there is no person/day limit here.
23. MONUMENT VALLEY
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Parks lies across the Arizona/ Utah boarder in one of the most dramatic and most photographed spots on Earth. This picturesque valley boasts majestic sandstone towers that lie scattered across the desert floor. The scenery here is simply spellbinding.
Here you can take a tour of the park or self-drive the 17 mile loop and visit the spectacular view points on your own.
Keep Reading for Unique Lodging Options in Arizona – including where we said in Monument Valley and This Unbelievable View from Our Room!
24. NAVAJO BRIDGE & THE CALIFORNIA CONDOR
The Navajo Bridge, located near Page, Arizona, is one of only seven land crossings of the Colorado River for 750 miles. Built in 1928, this historic bridge now sits beside a new Navajo Bridge and it makes a perfect spot to watch the critically endangered California Condors who live here. These Condors are one of the rarest birds in the world. They are the largest land bird in North America and have a wing span up to 9 1/2 feet and weigh up to 23 pounds!
Currently there are only 80 California Condors in Arizona and only 250 free-flying birds in the Americas! Each bird is tagged with a number (see picture above) in hopes that we can help this species to grow again in the wild.
Here at Navajo Bridge, our family was fortunate enough to see 4 California Condors! We hope that you can be so lucky too!
25. CATHEDRAL WASH HIKE
Cathedral Wash is an absolutely spectacular hike near Marble Canyon in the Glen Canyon Recreation Area, near the Navajo Bridge. It is listed as a 3.3 mile difficult out & back hike that ends at the Colorado River (but for our family it was 4.5 miles.)
The scenery while walking/ climbing through this wash is absolutely unbelievable! But it was extremely hot and this trail has many difficult spots of climbing up onto and off of ledges to follow the cairns on the trail. (Our youngest is 9 and he loved it, but all of our kids needed boosts in several spots during our hike.)
Overall this is probably one of the most incredible trails I’ve ever hiked, but it was also the most difficult & dangerous. Please be careful if attempting this hike. Check the weather for possible flash floods and if you go, definitely bring lots and lots of water with you for this hike! Cathedral Wash Trail is an absolutely magnificent hike and one you’ll definitely remember forever!
Arizona Sites on Our Bucket List
With limited vacation time, like our family has, there’s no way a person can see everything that they want to or do everything that’s amazing in each state. This is why I wanted to add a section for the sights that are on our family’s bucket list for the next time we are able to visit to Arizona.
Please let me know in the comments section at the bottom if you have been to any of the sites below and what you thought about them. Also, if there are any sites you love that are not listed here, let me know. I would love to hear about them!
Walnut Canyon National Monument
Walnut Canyon National Monument takes you back in time and lets you walk through an ancient cliff dwelling consisting of 25 cliff-side rooms that were once inhabited by the Sinagua people. It is amazing to think how these Native Americans accessed these dwellings so high up in the cliff and lived here for so many years.
Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon is a spectacular slot canyon located just east of Page in northern Arizona. Known for its wave-like structure and its 120′ walls of red-hued swirling sandstone, Antelope Canyon is a photographer’s dream. Guided tours are require to enter this canyon, and there are several operators you can chose from. One important note is that the famous light beams that light up this canyon are not always visible. These beams occur most often during the summer with the best views being between late March and early October.
This site looks absolutely amazing! It was closed, sadly, when we were in the area and so we couldn’t visit, but I hope that one day I am fortunate enough to see this magnificent site!
Waterfalls of the Supai Region
Four gorgeous waterfalls in northwest Arizona that I can’t wait to visit someday.
Havasupai Falls, Havasu Falls, Mooney Falls & Navajo Falls
Musical Instrument Museum
Located in Phoenix, this is the World’s Only Global Musical Instrument Museum!
This wraps up our list of the Top Things to Do in Arizona with kids.
I hope you found it helpful in planning your future trip to Arizona and discovered several sites that you would like to visit.
Have a Great Trip!
Keep on Reading for Amazing & Unique Lodging Options throughout Arizona
(+ Fantastic Options for Families.)
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Unique Lodging Near the Grand Canyon
Glamping – Under Canvas Grand Canyon–(South Rim)
- Upscale safari-styled tents, 25 minutes from Grand Canyon South Rim
- ‘Top 15 Resorts in the US – Southwest’ by Condé Nast Traveler
- Nightly smores by the campfire, restaurant onsite
- For Families: Deluxe Tent + Kids Tent (1 king/ 2 twins) + private bathroom
Dude Ranch – Grand Canyon Western Ranch – (near the Skywalk)
- Stay at an active ranch in a private cottage with old west styled log walls
- Horseback riding (sunset ride options), wagon rides, overnight horseback riding/ campout adventure, authentic western-styled home cooking, live cowboy entertainment after dinner
- For Larger Families: Sleeps up to 5 in the cabins & up to 6 in the Glamping Tent.
Sedona Lodging with a Spectacular View
Sky Rock Inn of Sedona (Our Favorite)
- Sleek adobe-styled hotel, situated on a hillside that allows spectacular views of the red rocks. (Tips: best views are from the 2nd & 3rd floor rooms)
- Enjoy coffee at sunrise and cocktails at sunset on the large terrace, Enjoy smores under the star-lit sky at the fire pits, and swim in the pool or hot tub all overlooking the gorgeous red rock scenery.
- An About-Town Shuttle Service is available, wellness workshops/ classes (mediation, yoga), and close to everything.
Unique Lodging Near Tombstone
Tombstone Monument Guest Ranch
- Step back in time to the era of the cowboy in this 1880s working cattle guest ranch with a western frontier built town.
- Offers Horseback Riding , Working Ranch Experience, Archery, UTV Touring and more
- For Families: Rooms offered with 2 queens or Suites with 2 rooms (1 King/ 1 Queen), some with private terraces and Dragoon Mountain Views.
Lodging With A Spectacular View of Monument Valley
- Relaxed lodge with an Old West Vibe
- Located just over the Arizona boarder in Utah
- Goulding’s Lodge has a indoor pool, a fantastic restaurant and a spectacular view of Monument Valley. (See below)
- For Larger Families: Offers suites, with kitchenettes, that can sleep up to 6 or deluxe rooms with a balcony that can sleep up to 5.
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