Arizona Landscapes

Arizona has been checked off of my list on my road to visit all 50 states since the first year. In fact, it's the first state we marked off. We live in Minnesota, but Arizona is the first trip Matthew and I took together shortly after we started dating.

I've been to Arizona many times. My company's headquarters are located in Scottsdale, so I have been there for various trainings and conferences over the years. Most of my time has been spent in and around Scottsdale, with one trip to Tombstone during a long training where we had a weekend free to explore.

in 2019 Matthew and I went to Arizona to visit friends of his. We stayed with his friend in Mesa for most of the trip and drove up to Las Vegas for a couple of days while there. We did visit Sedona and Suspicion Mountain as well.

As I searched for destinations to round out my 50 state travel plans, I'd constantly see different pictures and posts of Arizona destinations that took my breath away. Having already visited Arizona I would envy the views of other travelers but hadn't put a lot of thought into going back. Eventually, I realized I couldn't accept not seeing the wonders that I didn't even know I wanted to experience, so I planned a return trip to the state. While this trip will likely be an add on trip either after we finish the rest of the US states, or possibly an extra trip in a year that we have less travel planned, I've decided that we need to do Arizona justice.

Day one: Fly to Phoenix, drive to Saguaro National Park

• Tucson Mountain District

  • Bajada Loop Drive

  • Valleyview Overlook Trail

  • Signal Hill Petroglyphs

  • Desert Discovery Trail

Day two: Visit Saguaro National Park, Drive to Petrified Forest

• Rincon Mountain District

  • Cactus Forest Drive

Day three: Visit Petrified Forest, Drive to Monument Valley

• Tiponi Point

• Tawa Point

• Painted Desert Inn

• Blue Mesa Trail

• Crystal Forest

Day four: Monument Valley

• Valley Drive Loop

• Forest Gump Point

• Mexican Hat

Day five: Drive to Antelope Canyon

• Upper Antelope Canyon tour

• Lower Antelope Canyon tour

• Horseshoe Bend

Day six: Drive to Grand Canyon

• Shoshone Point

• Grand View Point

• Moran Point

Day seven: Visit Grand Canyon, drive to Sedona

• Desert View Point

• Grand Canyon Village

• Desert View Drive

Day eight: Visit Sedona

• Cathedral Rock

• Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts

Day nine: Drive to Phoenix, fly home