What can we do on weekends — events, hikes and day trips from Phoenix?

Visit Phoenix keeps the most complete events calendar for the metro, from the Arizona State Fair in autumn and the big January–February sports and auction weeks to farmers’ markets and festivals every weekend of the cool season [1]. Inside the city, the mountain preserves offer hundreds of kilometres of trails; Phoenix closes the busiest ones on extreme-heat days, so check before you go in summer [2].

Arizona State Parks run the lakes, canyons and historic sites within a day’s reach, and an annual pass pays for itself after a few visits; reservations matter for the popular parks in spring [3]. The state tourism office organises the regions and road trips, and the classic day trips from Phoenix are Sedona’s red rocks, Tucson’s desert parks and food scene, Prescott’s historic centre and Flagstaff’s mountains, each roughly ninety minutes to two and a half hours away; the Grand Canyon is a long day or an overnight [4].

Our area guides cover nine parts of the state with the outdoors, culture, food and day trips for each, so you can plan a season of weekends [5].