Phoenix is surrounded by some of the most interesting small towns in the American West, and most Phoenix residents have never visited half of them. Within two hours in any direction from the I-10 / I-17 interchange, you can reach a Bavarian-themed arts town on a copper mining hillside, a Route 66 ghost-town where wild burros stop traffic, a Victorian dude ranch capital, a genuine frontier ghost town, and one of Arizona’s oldest and best-preserved mining communities.
This guide covers the 10 best small town day trips from Phoenix, organized by drive time so you can plan based on how early you’re willing to leave.
Table of Contents
Under 1.5 Hours from Phoenix
1. Wickenburg, 60 Miles Northwest (1 Hour)
Wickenburg is Phoenix’s most accessible genuine small town: close enough for a comfortable half-day, interesting enough to justify a full day.
The Desert Caballeros Western Museum is the primary draw, a serious institution with a strong permanent collection of Western American art, period rooms recreating 19th-century frontier domestic and commercial life, and rotating exhibitions that regularly feature significant Western artists.
The museum quality is comparable to institutions in cities three times Wickenburg’s size.
The Jail Tree, a large mesquite tree on Tegner Street where prisoners were reportedly chained before the town had a proper jail, is the town’s most photographed landmark and takes about five minutes to see. The surrounding historic commercial district on Frontier Street has several galleries and shops worth a browse.
Best for: Art and history travelers. A half-day from Phoenix with museum and lunch fits comfortably.
Drive: US-60 West, approximately 60 miles from central Phoenix. No freeway required past I-10, the US-60 through the Hassayampa River country northwest of Phoenix is a pleasant drive in its own right.
2. Cave Creek, 35 Miles North (45 Minutes)
Cave Creek, though technically a suburb-adjacent community rather than a remote small town, functions as a day-trip destination in its own right for Phoenix residents seeking a Western-themed escape within easy reach.
The Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area adjacent to town provides excellent desert hiking (the Cave Creek Trail system). The commercial Carefree Highway corridor has Western-themed shops, galleries, and restaurants.
Cave Creek works best as a morning hike destination (Spur Cross Ranch) combined with lunch at one of the Cave Creek Road restaurants rather than as a cultural destination. For travelers seeking genuine historic small towns, the options below are stronger.
1.5 to 2 Hours from Phoenix
3. Prescott, 100 Miles North (1 Hour 35 Minutes)
Prescott is the best overall small town day trip from Phoenix: close enough to be comfortable as a full day, large enough to have genuine restaurant and cultural options, and historically complete enough to fill the full day without padding.
Courthouse Plaza, a genuine historic town square, the kind that American urbanism largely stopped building after 1900, anchors a walkable downtown of Victorian commercial buildings, Whiskey Row saloons, and independent shops.
The Sharlot Hall Museum complex (the former territorial governor’s mansion and five surrounding historic structures) is the finest regional history museum in central Arizona. The Prescott National Forest begins within minutes of the downtown and provides hiking access on the Thumb Butte and Groom Creek trails.
What to do in a day:
- Morning: Sharlot Hall Museum (2 hours)
- Lunch: Gurley Street Grill or the Palace Restaurant and Saloon (1876, the oldest frontier saloon building in Arizona)
- Afternoon: Courthouse Plaza walk, Whiskey Row, galleries
- Late afternoon: Thumb Butte hike or Watson Lake drive (the granite dells surrounding Watson Lake are extraordinary at golden hour)
Drive: I-17 North to AZ-69 West. Approximately 100 miles, 1 hour 35 minutes in normal traffic.
4. Jerome, 120 Miles North (2 Hours)
Jerome is the finest small-town day trip from Phoenix in terms of pure experience quality, the Verde Valley views, the mining history, the gallery scene, the wine tasting, and the architectural drama of a hillside ghost town that refused to disappear. At 2 hours, it requires a genuine day commitment rather than a casual half-day, but the reward justifies it.
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What to do in a day trip:
- Arrive by 10 AM to beat midday crowds
- Jerome State Historic Park (mining museum in the Douglas Mansion): 90 minutes
- Lunch at the Haunted Hamburger for the views, or Asylum Restaurant for quality
- Afternoon: Main Street gallery walk, Audrey Headframe Park, Caduceus Cellars wine tasting
- Optional: Verde Valley Wine Trail (drive down to Cottonwood for Page Springs Cellars or Pillsbury Wine Company on the way home)
- Depart by 5 PM for the 2-hour return
Drive: I-17 North to AZ-260 East to AZ-89A South (through Cottonwood). The final ascent on 89A up Cleopatra Hill is narrow and winding but impressive.
5. Sedona, 115 Miles North (1 Hour 55 Minutes)
Sedona is too large and too well-known to qualify as a “hidden gem” small town, but as a Phoenix day trip it remains the most visually spectacular short drive in Arizona. The red rock formations, Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, the Chapel of the Holy Cross, are genuinely extraordinary, and the Pink Jeep Tours provide the most accessible way to experience the backcountry formations without a high-clearance vehicle.
Sedona day trips work best structured around one or two things (a hike, a jeep tour, a wine tasting, a sunset view) rather than trying to see everything. The town itself is heavily commercial; the landscape around it is the actual destination.
Drive: I-17 North to AZ-179 North. Alternatively, AZ-89A through Jerome (add 30 minutes, dramatically more scenic).
2 to 3 Hours from Phoenix
6. Williams, 160 Miles Northwest (2 Hours 15 Minutes)
Williams on Historic Route 66 is a strong day trip for families, the Grand Canyon Railway departs from the historic downtown depot for a 2.25-hour round trip to the South Rim (if you want to combine with the Grand Canyon), and the Route 66 commercial district of Williams itself is among the most intact in Arizona.
The Grand Canyon Railway day trip requires early departure (the train typically leaves around 9:30 AM), leave Phoenix by 7 AM for comfortable arrival. Non-railway visitors have a pleasant morning in the Williams downtown before lunch and a return to Phoenix by late afternoon.
7. Oatman, 195 Miles West (2 Hours 40 Minutes)
Oatman on Historic Route 66 in the Black Mountains is the most unusual day trip from Phoenix: a former gold mining ghost town where feral burros roam the main street freely and weekend gunfight reenactments happen on the wooden boardwalk outside the 1902 Oatman Hotel.
The long drive (nearly 3 hours) is best done as part of a Route 66 road trip day: Phoenix → Kingman (2 hours via I-40) → Chloride (18 miles north, see the Roy Purcell murals) → back south on AZ-93 to AZ-66 → Oatman → continue east or return via Needles and I-40.
The drive over Sitgreaves Pass into Oatman is dramatic enough to be a destination activity in itself.
8. Globe, 90 Miles East (1 Hour 25 Minutes)
Globe is one of Arizona’s most underrated historic towns and one of the most accessible from Phoenix. The downtown has a dense concentration of intact Art Deco commercial architecture from the 1920s–30s (rebuilt after mining prosperity funded reconstruction of a previously modest town) that functions as an outdoor museum of the period. Almost no one goes to Globe specifically, which makes it exactly the kind of discovery that day-trip travel is for.
The Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park, 10 minutes from downtown, preserves a Salado culture pueblo site (1225–1450 CE) with a well-organized small museum.
The Salt River Canyon on US-60 toward Show Low, 30 miles east of Globe, is sometimes called Arizona’s Little Grand Canyon and is one of the most impressive roadside geological experiences in the state.
Drive: US-60 East from Phoenix. Approximately 90 miles, 1 hour 25 minutes. A straight shot with no freeway complexity.
9. Winslow, 155 Miles East (2 Hours)
Winslow earns its place on any Phoenix day trip list primarily for La Posada Hotel, a 1929 Fred Harvey Company property designed by architect Mary Colter and extensively restored since 1997. The hotel’s Turquoise Room restaurant (James Beard-recognized) is the best restaurant on this entire day trip list, and staying for lunch or dinner at La Posada is worth the 2-hour drive on its own.
The Standin’ on the Corner Park (the Eagles song “Take It Easy” reference) is the famous tourist stop and takes 15 minutes. Meteor Crater, 35 miles west on I-40, is one of the better roadside science experiences in the Southwest.
Drive: I-40 East from Phoenix. Straightforward freeway drive.
10. Bisbee, 200 Miles Southeast (3 Hours)
Bisbee is technically too far for a comfortable day trip from Phoenix, 3 hours each way puts you at 6 hours of driving for a day with 4–5 hours in town, which is at the outer limit of reasonable. But as a long-day or overnight trip, Bisbee is the finest small town destination accessible from Phoenix in any direction.
If you’re committed to making it a day: depart Phoenix by 6:30 AM, arrive Bisbee by 9:30 AM, do the Queen Mine Tour first (90 minutes), walk the historic district and have lunch (3 hours), and depart by 3 PM for a 6 PM return. It’s a very full day.
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Better option: Bisbee overnight. Stay at the Copper Queen Hotel, add Tombstone in the morning, and make it a proper southern Arizona weekend.
Planning Tips for Phoenix Day Trips
Leave early. The Arizona sun in summer means outdoor activities are best done before noon. For day trips to Jerome or Williams, departing Phoenix by 7–7:30 AM gives you the best part of the day in comfortable temperatures.
Avoid summer midday at low elevations. Oatman, Wickenburg, and Globe are all below 4,000 feet elevation and can reach 105–110°F in July and August. Schedule outdoor activity in the morning and rest midday, or save low-elevation towns for October through April.
High-elevation towns (Jerome, Prescott, Williams) are summer-friendly. All three are above 5,000 feet and run 15–25°F cooler than Phoenix. Summer day trips to these towns are genuinely comfortable.
Fuel up in Phoenix. Gas prices in small towns and remote areas are consistently higher than in the Phoenix metro. Fill up before departure.
Frequently Asked Questions About day trips from Phoenix
What are the best day trips from Phoenix AZ?
For small-town character: Jerome (2 hours), Prescott (1.5 hours), and Wickenburg (1 hour) are the three best. For geological spectacle: Sedona (2 hours) and Globe/Salt River Canyon (1.5 hours). For Route 66 nostalgia: Oatman (2.5 hours) and Williams (2 hours).
What small towns near Phoenix are good for a day trip?
Wickenburg is the closest genuine small town (1 hour). Prescott is the best overall day trip (1.5 hours). Jerome is the most dramatic (2 hours). All three are in the cool central Arizona highlands.
Is Bisbee worth a day trip from Phoenix?
No, At 3 hours each way, Bisbee is better as an overnight trip than a day trip. But if you’re determined to do it as a day trip, depart Phoenix by 6:30 AM to maximize your time in Bisbee. The Queen Mine Tour is the priority; don’t leave without doing it.
What is the closest historic small town to Phoenix?
Wickenburg, 60 miles northwest of central Phoenix, is the closest town with genuine historic character and a specific reason to visit (the Desert Caballeros Western Museum). Cave Creek is closer but less historically significant.
Get Out of Phoenix
Phoenix is a remarkable city, but it was designed for cars and heat and suburbs rather than for the kind of wandering that reveals character. The towns surrounding it, most within two hours, were not.
They were built for mining, or for ranching, or for railroads, and the character those industries left behind is still visible in the buildings, the layout, and the people who stayed.
Pick a direction. Pack water. Leave by 7 AM. Phoenix will be there when you get back.
→ Plan your Arizona road trip: Best Small Towns in Arizona | Hidden Gems in Southern Arizona
