On this page
- Why does Arizona have four national parks now?
- Which national monuments in Arizona are worth a stop?
- Northern or southern Arizona: which half suits which month?
- How do Sedona's passes and shuttle work?
- Which Arizona sights are on tribal land?
- Where does Route 66 survive in Arizona?
- What do Arizona's park gates charge a visitor from abroad?
- Phoenix or Las Vegas: which airport for Arizona?
- Why do Arizona's clocks confuse visitors?
- FAQ
Arizona fills the southern half of the canyon country. It runs from the Grand Canyon in the north to the cactus desert around Tucson near the Mexican border. The best things to do in Arizona split the same way. The north holds the Grand Canyon, Page, Sedona and the Navajo Nation. The south holds Phoenix, Tucson, Saguaro and the mountains of the southeast.
The two halves have opposite seasons. A July day is pleasant at the Grand Canyon's rim and dangerous on a trail near Phoenix. Most visitors from abroad pick one half per trip, and the north is where first-timers go. We checked every price and figure below on 26 October 2026 on the National Park Service's, the tribes' and the agencies' own pages.
Why does Arizona have four national parks now?
Arizona has four national parks because Chiricahua joined Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest and Saguaro on 20 October 2026. The act that turned Chiricahua National Monument into a national park became law that day. The Park Service's pages already carry the new name. The visit figures below are the Park Service's counts for 2025.
| Park | What it is | Base | Visits in 2025 | Car fee, 7 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Canyon | The canyon of the Colorado River, seen from two rims | Tusayan, Williams, Flagstaff | 4,430,653 | $35, plus $100 per non-resident adult |
| Petrified Forest National Park | Badlands and one of the world's largest collections of petrified wood | Holbrook, on Interstate 40 | 315,951, an incomplete count | $25 |
| Saguaro National Park | Giant cactus forest in two districts either side of Tucson | Tucson | 847,749 | $25, both districts |
| Chiricahua | Rhyolite spires and balanced rocks left by an eruption 27 million years ago | Willcox | 70,406 | No fee |
The Grand Canyon takes most of the visits and deserves most of the time. Petrified Forest's 2025 count is incomplete: the Park Service's own monthly series records no visits at all for October 2025. In 2024 the park counted 559,254.
Petrified Forest is the only national park with a stretch of Route 66 inside it. A pullout with a 1932 Studebaker marks the spot, almost six miles from the north entrance. The park's 28-mile road runs between Interstate 40 exit 311 and Highway 180 south of Holbrook. It opens from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Our road trip Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica covers the drive across all eight states.
Which national monuments in Arizona are worth a stop?
Arizona's national monuments are smaller than its parks and often closer to the main roads. Several therefore fit into a driving day between bigger stops. Each charges its own fee, all covered by the America the Beautiful pass, and none carries the non-resident surcharge.
- Canyon de Chelly: a canyon in the northeast where Navajo families still live and farm beside ancestral Puebloan ruins such as White House, with no entrance fee. The overlooks are open to anyone; the canyon floor is visited with a Navajo guide.
- Montezuma Castle: a five-storey cliff dwelling of 20 rooms near Camp Verde, in the Verde Valley, $10 per adult, a ticket that also covers Tuzigoot for seven days.
- Walnut Canyon: cliff dwellings of about 1100 to 1250 near Flagstaff, 25 rooms of them on the mile-long Island Trail, $25 a car or $15 a person on foot, separate from the Sunset Crater and Wupatki fee.
- Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano: ancestral Pueblo sites between the Painted Desert and the pine highlands, and the volcano next door, one $25 car fee for both.
- Organ Pipe Cactus: the cactus the monument is named for, in its desert, $25 a car, cards only.
Montezuma Castle drew 320,014 visits in 2025 and Canyon de Chelly 340,586, on the Park Service's figures compiled by Northern Arizona University.
Northern or southern Arizona: which half suits which month?
Northern Arizona suits spring and autumn, and southern Arizona suits winter. The reason is height: the state climbs from about 1,100 feet in Phoenix to about 7,000 feet at Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. The averages below are NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for each station.
| Station | Elevation | July high and low | January high and low |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix Sky Harbor | 1,107 ft | 107°F / 85°F | 68°F / 46°F |
| Tucson | 2,549 ft | 100°F / 76°F | 67°F / 41°F |
| Grand Canyon Village | 6,785 ft | 85°F / 50°F | 44°F / 19°F |
| Flagstaff | 7,003 ft | 82°F / 51°F | 43°F / 18°F |
The monsoon runs officially from 15 June to 30 September. Moisture usually reaches northern Arizona in the first week of July, bringing afternoon thunderstorms, lightning on exposed viewpoints and flash floods in slot canyons. A summer trip to the north is still possible with mornings outside and afternoons under cover.
Winter turns the comparison over. Phoenix and Tucson are mild from November to March, while the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff see snow and nights well below freezing.
How do Sedona's passes and shuttle work?
Sedona is a town of red sandstone buttes inside the Coconino National Forest, two hours north of Phoenix, and parking at its trailheads needs a pass. The Red Rock Pass costs $5 a day, $15 a week or $20 a year at the Forest Service fee sites. The America the Beautiful pass is accepted instead. Neither covers Slide Rock State Park or the concession-run sites.
The free Sedona Shuttle runs from three park-and-ride lots to five trailheads. The Cathedral Rock and Soldier Pass car parks close while it runs. Our Sedona guide covers the shuttle timetable, the hikes, Slide Rock and the 2026 fire closures in Oak Creek Canyon. Sedona lies 30 miles from Flagstaff, and the Park Service puts it 119 miles from the Grand Canyon's South Rim.
Which Arizona sights are on tribal land?
Several of Arizona's best-known sights are on tribal land, and the tribes that live there run them. The national park pass does not cover them. The Navajo Nation spreads across the northeast of the state, and its rules apply around Page and in Monument Valley.
| Place | Tribe | Entry in 2026 | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antelope Canyon, near Page | Navajo Nation | $15 per person, per location, per day, plus the tour | Authorised Navajo guide mandatory |
| Monument Valley, on the Utah line | Navajo Nation | $10 per person per day plus $15 per vehicle, raised on 1 January 2026 | Scenic drive on your own; some areas by tour only |
| Havasu Falls | Havasupai Tribe | $455 per person for the three-night campground stay | Every visit booked before arrival |
| Grand Canyon West and the Skywalk | Hualapai Tribe | Tickets from $59 | Not affiliated with the national park |
Monument Valley's own page states that it does not accept the national park pass. Its scenic drive opens from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in winter, with last entry at 2:30 p.m. The Navajo parks close on Thanksgiving, the day after, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Grand Canyon West is the one of these within a day trip of Las Vegas, about 122 to 130 miles away depending on the source. It lies about 250 road miles and five hours from the national park's South Rim. Havasupai has no walk-ins: entering the reservation without a permit and a wristband counts as trespassing.
Where does Route 66 survive in Arizona?
Route 66 survives in Arizona along about 350 miles of the old road, and 2026 is its centennial year: the highway dates from 11 November 1926. Williams was the last town on the whole route that the interstate bypassed, in 1984.
The longest stretch to drive is in the northwest. Interstate 40 bypassed the 84 miles between Seligman and Kingman through Peach Springs, so the old road there runs on its own. The Bureau of Land Management counts the 158-mile corridor from east of Seligman to near Golden Shores among the longest continuous sections left anywhere.
The car outside Delgadillo's Snow Cap, a Route 66 drive-in in Seligman.
The Grand Canyon's route from Las Vegas runs through Kingman, Seligman and Williams anyway. That makes this part of Route 66 a near-free detour on the Southwest national parks loop.
What do Arizona's park gates charge a visitor from abroad?
A visitor from abroad pays the $100 non-resident surcharge at one Arizona park, the Grand Canyon. It is the only Arizona park among the eleven that carry it. Everywhere else in the state the fee is the same for residents and visitors.
| Two adults from abroad, one car | Without a pass | With the $250 non-resident pass |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Canyon | $235 | included |
| Glen Canyon, at Page | $30 | included |
| Petrified Forest | $25 | included |
| Saguaro | $25 | included |
| Total | $315 | $250 |
The pass also replaces Sedona's Red Rock Pass and covers every national monument. It pays for itself on an Arizona trip of this shape, and by far on a trip that adds Zion and Bryce Canyon. Our guide to national park fees for international visitors explains how to buy it before the flight. The Grand Canyon, Organ Pipe, Petrified Forest and Saguaro take cards only.
Phoenix or Las Vegas: which airport for Arizona?
Phoenix and Las Vegas are the two big airports for an Arizona trip, and the choice depends on which half of the state comes first. Phoenix is closer to the Grand Canyon, Sedona and Tucson. Las Vegas is closer to Zion and Grand Canyon West, and it suits a loop through Utah.
| From | To | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Phoenix | Grand Canyon South Rim | 231 miles, about 4 hours |
| Phoenix | Sedona | 113 miles |
| Phoenix | Tucson | about 113 miles, approximate |
| Las Vegas | Grand Canyon South Rim | 278 miles |
| Flagstaff | Grand Canyon South Rim | 81 miles |
| Page, Arizona | Grand Canyon South Rim, through Desert View | about 139 miles, approximate |
Flagstaff's small airport has American Airlines flights from Phoenix, Dallas–Fort Worth and Los Angeles, which shortens the drive to the Grand Canyon to 81 miles. A car is essential for anything beyond the Grand Canyon itself, which the railway from Williams reaches.
Why do Arizona's clocks confuse visitors?
Arizona's clocks confuse visitors because the state ignores daylight saving time while its neighbours, and one large part of the state, observe it. Arizona law keeps Mountain Standard Time all year. The Navajo Nation, across the northeast, moves its clocks with Utah and New Mexico. The Hopi Reservation, surrounded by Navajo land, does not.
From 8 March to 1 November 2026 a road trip therefore crosses clock changes that do not show on a map. The Grand Canyon and Page show the same time as Las Vegas. Monument Valley and Zion run an hour ahead, and so does the Navajo land around Antelope Canyon. The Hopi mesas are back on Arizona time. The Antelope Canyon operators state that their tours keep Arizona time all year, but read the time zone on every booking.
After 1 November, Arizona and Utah show the same time until March, and Arizona sits an hour ahead of Las Vegas. Our Utah guide covers the parks north of the state line, from Zion to Moab.