National Parks near Phoenix. There’s so much more to the great southwest than Sun Devils Stadium on a Saturday night.
In this article, we’ll familiarize you with the incredible national parks that are within a day’s drive of downtown Phoenix.
There are 10 national park sites for you to see on your next visit to the Grand Canyon State.
I’ve been to so many of these amazing places since retiring from teaching in 2018. Did I mention that I taught history? I spent a lifetime teaching about the history behind these momentous sites. Then I got to see them firsthand. And now I’m sharing the stories of these incredible places with you. It doesn’t get any better than that!
To be clear, this list includes national park sites (as in sites managed by the National Park Service) as well as full-fledged national parks. To learn more about the difference between the various National Park Service designations check out our article that explains everything!
Now let’s go ahead with 10 reasons why you’ll want to hop in your car and make a day’s drive from Phoenix to one of these truly amazing places.
Why Trust Us About National Parks Near Phoenix?
You should probably know that we don’t just make this stuff up out of thin air. My sons have spent their entire adult lives exploring and filming America’s national parks and public lands.
As for me, I’m a retired lifelong educator and a proud dad of these two wonderful guys who are hopelessly obsessed with the national parks. I taught history for over a quarter of a century. Now I enjoy researching and writing articles for More Than Just Parks. I’m always on the hunt for topics where nature and history intersect so please feel free to share any ideas that you might have with me.
We’ve worked with the National Park Service, the Department of Interior, and the U.S. Forest Service for years creating films on important places and issues. Our work has been featured in leading publications all over the world and even some people outside of our immediate family call us experts on the national parks.
Meet The Parks Brothers
We’re Jim Pattiz and Will Pattiz, collectively known as the Pattiz Brothers (and sometimes the Parks Brothers) and we absolutely LOVE the national parks.
Our goal here at More Than Just Parks is to share the beauty of America’s national parks and public lands through stunning short films in an effort to get Americans and the world to see the true value in land conservation.
We hope you’ll follow our journey through the parks and help us to keep them the incredible places that they are. If you’re interested in joining the adventure then please sign up below!
Best National Parks Near Phoenix
1. Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Distance From Phoenix: 1 hour (55 miles) via I-10 E.
Visitors to Revolutionary War & Civil War sites marvel at people who lived several hundred years old. What about people who lived over a thousand years ago? Now that’s old!
With the advent of the railroad in the 19th century more people began to visit these incredible ruins. The rise in visitors had unintended consequences such as damage from souvenir hunting, graffiti and outright vandalism. This raised serious concerns about the preservation of the Casa Grande.
Senator George F. Hoar presented a petition before the U. S. Senate in 1889 requesting that the government take steps to repair and protect these ruins. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison set aside one square mile of Arizona Territory surrounding the Casa Grande Ruins as the first prehistoric and cultural reserve established in the United States.
Further discoveries at the site led President Woodrow Wilson to proclaim Casa Grande Ruins to be a National Monument on August 3, 1918.
Today, visitors to Casa Grande will find a visitors center, museum and bookstore. There is a movie about the park and its history.
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2. Coronado National Memorial | National Parks Near Phoenix
Distance From Phoenix: 3 hours 11 minutes (206 miles) via I-10 E.
With a serious case of “gold fever,” Spanish Explorer & Conquistador Francisco Vasquez de Coronado set off with an expedition in search of the Seven Cities of Cibola which were rumored to be filled with gold.
They didn’t discover the seven cities and neither will you, but a good place to begin your expedition is at the visitor center. There’s a film which provides a brief history of the expedition.
From there you’ll have an opportunity to see the magnificence of the lands once visited by Coronado only you will be able to travel in greater comfort than he did.
The Montezuma Pass Overlook & Scenic Drive is a great place to begin your expedition. It will take you to an elevation of 6,575 feet. The pass offers sweeping views to the east of the San Pedro River Valley and to the west over the San Rafael Valley. If you prefer hiking to driving then you will find some wonderful opportunities to get in those steps and marvel at the magnificence of the American Southwest.
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3. Fort Bowie National Historic Site
Distance From Phoenix: 3 hours 30 minutes (232 miles) via I-10 E.
The west could be a dangerous place in the 19th century. The U.S. established a series of outposts, otherwise known as forts, to bring to provide settlers with a measure of safety in an otherwise dangerous land.
The Battle of Apache Pass pitted Apache warriors against the Union volunteers of a California Column which had been dispatched from California to capture Confederate Arizona and to reinforce New Mexico’s Union army. Fort Bowie was established in 1862 as a result of the Battle of Apache Pass.
While at the fort, visitors can tour the ruins of Fort Bowie and view the exhibits inside the visitor center. There are picnic facilities located at the trailhead on Apache Pass Road and the visitor center.
Visitors can also participate in bird watching, hiking, and wildlife viewing while there.
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4. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area | National Parks Near Phoenix
Distance From Phoenix: 4 hours (267 miles) via I-17 N & US-89 N.
Let’s take a break from learning about all of the wonderful history behind so many incredible places and just have some fun. And Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is the perfect place to do it.
Whether you prefer aquatic adventures or backcountry excitement, Glen Canyon’s got it going on! We’re talking over 1.25 million acres straddling two states.
As far as things to do are concerned, there’s biking, boating, camping, fishing, off road vehicle driving, kayaking, scenic drives, ranger programs and more.
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5. Grand Canyon National Park
Distance From Phoenix: 3 hours 30 minutes (224 miles) via I-17 N.
Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park has a special significance for the founders of More Than Just Parks.
“We founded More Than Just Parks after a spur of the moment road trip with friends to the Grand Canyon during which we discovered the National Parks for the first time.” –More Than Just Parks Co-Founder Will Pattiz
For visitors to the Grand Canyon, a good place to start is the Grand Canyon South Rim Visitor Center. You can learn about the history of this geologic wonder there.
Places of interest along the Canyon Rim include the Yavapai Museum of Geology and Verkamps Visitor Center.
“Now we have canyon gorges and deeply eroded valleys, and still the hills are disappearing, the mountains themselves are wasting away, the plateaus are dissolving, and the geologist, in the light of the past history of the earth, makes prophecy of a time when this desolate land of Titanic rocks shall become a valley of many valleys, and yet again the sea will invade the land, and the coral animals build their reefs . . . Thus ever the land and sea are changing; old lands are buried, and new lands are born.”
-John Wesley Powell, Explorations of the Canyons of the Colorado
CHECK OUT: LIST OF 128 U.S. NATIONAL MONUMENTS RANKED
6. Lake Mead National Recreation Area | National Parks Near Phoenix
Distance From Phoenix: 3 hours 30 minutes (234 miles) via US-93 N.
Visitors to Lake Mead National Recreation Area can enjoy a variety of water recreation activities including: biking, boating, canoeing, camping, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, hunting, kayaking, scenic driving and even scuba diving.
Bicyclists are welcome at Lake Mead on park roads and on routes designated for bicycle use. There are also approved backcountry roads which are designated routes and are marked with a yellow arrow sign with a number on it.
Worried that there won’t be a place to launch your boat? Don’t be! If you’re planning on boating then Hemenway Harbor, PWC Beach, Boulder Harbor, Callville Bay, Echo Bay, Temple Bar, South Cove, Willow Beach, Cottonwood Cove, Katherine Landing, North Arizona Telephone Cove, Cabinsite Cove and Princess Cove all offer safe places to launch your boat.
And, if you’re looking to spend the night, there are over 900 camping and RV sites at 15 different locations. Too many to list here, but don’t worry as I’m confident there’s a site for you. Be sure to check ahead before you depart and make your arrangements so you won’t have any unpleasant surprises.
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7. Montezuma Castle National Monument
Distance From Phoenix: 1 hour 30 minutes (93 miles) via I-17 N.
I am fascinated by the cultures which predated the arrival of the Europeans. Montezuma Castle was established in 1906 as the third National Monument dedicated to preserving Native American culture. These were the folks who came along long before Columbus and the Gang.
Visitors to the site can examine a collection of amazing artifacts including basketry, hunting, jewelry, pottery and tools. There’s even a Southwest Virtual Museum where you can check out these amazing collections online.
Montezuma Castle National Monument encompasses 826 acres and lies in the Verde Valley at the junction of the Colorado Plateau and Basin and Range physiographic provinces. Visitors are encouraged to check out the surroundings including the plant and animal life.
While you’re there, check out the Montezuma Well which has been home to many prehistoric groups of people since as early as 11,000 CE. Visitors can still see the irrigation canal, picnic areas, and historic Back ranch house at Montezuma Well.
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8. Old Spanish National Historic Trail | National Parks Near Phoenix
Distance From Phoenix: 7 hours 40 minutes (482 miles) via I-17 N, US-160 E and US-191 N.
This one is quite a drive, but it’s definitely worth it if you don’t mind spending some quality time with your car (and the people in it of course).
It was the Mexican trader Antonio Armijo who led the first commercial caravan from Abiquiú, New Mexico to Los Angeles in late 1829. Over the next twenty years, Mexican and American traders continued to use routes similar to the one he pioneered.
This trail network was a combination of the indigenous footpaths, early trade and exploration routes, and horse and mule routes which became known collectively as the “Old Spanish Trail.”
Today numerous programs and activities are available at sites and in communities along the Trail.
9. Petrified Forest National Park
Distance From Phoenix: 3 hours 18 minutes (203 miles) via AZ-87 N & AZ-260 E.
Imagine a forest of petrified wood. It’s like something from another world and you have the opportunity to experience it firsthand.
Petrified Forest National Park, located in northeastern Arizona, is home to the Rainbow Forest. It’s chock full of colorful petrified wood.
If you’re new to the park then the visitor center is always a great place to start out. There’s an 18 minute orientation video to familiarize you with the park. There’s also a bookstore, exhibits, gift shop, restaurant and public amenities.
It’s also home to the Rainbow Forest Museum, which features paleontology exhibits and many trail access points.
10. Saguaro National Park | National Parks Near Phoenix
Distance From Phoenix: 1 hour 34 minutes (105 miles) via I-10 E.
Saguaro National Park is unique in that it is bisected by the city of Tucson. It has two districts – East & West. It takes 30-45 minutes to travel between the two districts.
The park is home to the Saguaro Cactus. It’s a large, tree-sized cactus with a relatively long lifespan–up to 250 years.
The primary outdoor activities are biking, camping, hiking and horseback riding. It’s well worth a visit to this park as the desert beauty makes for an otherworldly experience.
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Check Out Our Saguaro Film
Map Of National Park Sites Near Phoenix
List Of National Park Sites Near Phoenix
- Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
- Coronado National Memorial
- Fort Bowie National Historic Site
- Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Lake Mead National Recreation Area
- Montezuma Castle National Monument
- Old Spanish National Historic Trail
- Petrified Forest National Park
- Saguaro National Park
Our goal here at More Than Just Parks is to share the beauty of America’s national parks and public lands through stunning short films in an effort to get Americans and the world to see the true value in land conservation.
We hope you’ll follow our journey through the parks and help us to keep them the incredible places that they are. If you’re interested in joining the adventure then please sign up below!
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