From Phoenix and Tucson you can reach red rock country, the pine forests, old mining towns and a second desert city in two to four hours, which makes a weekend away easy to plan. The trick is choosing a trip whose driving fits a Friday evening and a Sunday afternoon, and checking the roads first: in November 2026 the flood closure of SR 89A changed the usual Sedona and Flagstaff routes.
Drive times below were measured with OSRM from downtown, without stops or traffic.
Quick comparison
| Getaway | From Phoenix | From Tucson | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedona | 116 mi, about 2 h 15 min | 229 mi, about 4 h 10 min | Red rock hikes, Verde Valley cliff dwellings |
| Prescott and Jerome | 99 mi, about 2 h | 212 mi, about 4 h | Courthouse plaza, pine trails, a hillside mining town |
| Tucson | 113 mi, about 2 h | — | Saguaro, Sabino Canyon, Mount Lemmon |
| Tombstone and Bisbee | 184 to 207 mi, 3 h 30 min to 4 h | 72 to 95 mi, 1 h 30 min to 2 h | Old West history, a mine tour, Kartchner Caverns |
| Flagstaff | 144 mi, about 2 h 35 min | 257 mi, about 4 h 30 min | Cool summer weather, volcanoes and cliff dwellings, a Grand Canyon day |
| Payson | 89 mi, about 1 h 45 min | — | The shortest escape to the pines |
| Tubac | — | 45 mi, about 55 min | Arts village, Spanish mission ruins |
Sedona
Getting there: from Phoenix, Interstate 17 north and State Route 179, about 2¼ hours. Don't plan to loop back through Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff: SR 89A north of Slide Rock State Park has been closed since the November 1, 2026 floods, and the detour by SR 179 and I-17 is about 58 miles.
What to know this weekend:
- Red Rock State Park is closed after flood damage. Slide Rock State Park was due to reopen on November 7, 2026, reached from Sedona; SR 89A north of the park is still closed.
- Sedona's free trailhead shuttle normally runs Thursday to Sunday all year, but confirm which routes are running after the flood.
- On the way up, Montezuma Castle near Camp Verde charges $10 per adult (under 16 free), and Montezuma Well is free. The same $10 fee covers Tuzigoot in Clarkdale for seven days.
Weekend plan: Friday night in Sedona or Cottonwood; Saturday on the trails, starting early for parking; Sunday at Montezuma Castle on the drive home.
Prescott and Jerome
Getting there: Prescott is about 99 miles (160 km) from downtown Phoenix, roughly two hours. Jerome is about 111 miles from Phoenix and can be added on the way home through Cottonwood.
What to know: Prescott twice served as Arizona's territorial capital and sits in pine country at an average elevation of about 5,400 feet. The Courthouse Plaza is the centre of town, and the Sharlot Hall Museum preserves the territorial Governor's Mansion. In Jerome, Jerome State Historic Park is part of the state park system.
Weekend plan: Saturday in Prescott, Sunday over the mountain to Jerome and down to the Verde Valley, then I-17 back to Phoenix.
Tucson from Phoenix
Getting there: Interstate 10, about 113 miles and two hours.
What to know:
- Saguaro National Park's $25 vehicle pass is valid for seven days in both districts, so one pass covers a weekend. The east district has an 8-mile paved loop, the west a 6-mile graded dirt loop.
- Downtown, the university and Fourth Avenue are linked by the Sun Link streetcar, and Sun Tran says its buses and streetcar remain fare free.
- Summerhaven on Mount Lemmon is about 39 miles and 1 hour 20 minutes from downtown by the Catalina Highway.
- Catalina State Park on the north edge of town charges $20 per vehicle for two to four people.
Weekend plan: Saturday morning at Saguaro's east district or Sabino Canyon, afternoon downtown by streetcar; Sunday up Mount Lemmon or at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
Tombstone and Bisbee
Getting there: from Tucson, Tombstone is about 72 miles (1½ hours) and Bisbee about 95 miles (2 hours); the two are 23 miles apart on SR 80. From Phoenix, allow 3½ to 4 hours.
What to know:
- Kartchner Caverns State Park near Benson, about 54 miles from Tucson, is on the way. Cave tours are by reservation; on the 2026 fee schedule the Rotunda/Throne Room tour costs $30 for adults, $15 for ages 7 to 13 and $5 under 7, and tour ticket holders don't pay the park's day entrance.
- In Tombstone, Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park is part of the state park system.
- In Bisbee, the Copper Queen Mine Tour takes visitors underground.
- Coronado National Memorial, south of Sierra Vista, has no entrance fee.
Weekend plan: Friday to Benson or Sierra Vista; Saturday at Kartchner and Tombstone; Sunday in Bisbee and back to Tucson. With an extra day, add Chiricahua National Park, about 74 miles from Bisbee and free to enter.
Flagstaff
Getting there: from Phoenix, I-17 north, about 144 miles and 2 hours 35 minutes.
What to know:
- The NWS points out that I-17 climbs from about 1,000 to 7,000 feet, and Flagstaff averages 90.1 inches of snow between October and May. From November to April, check az511.gov before you leave.
- One $25 vehicle pass covers both Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki national monuments; Walnut Canyon is a separate $25.
- The South Rim is about 87 miles from Flagstaff, but there are no hotel rooms inside the park until the post-flood water supply is restored, and the Grand Canyon fee is $35 per vehicle, cards only.
- Don't return via Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon while SR 89A is closed.
Weekend plan: Saturday at Sunset Crater and Wupatki on one pass; Sunday at Walnut Canyon or a Grand Canyon day trip, then I-17 home.
Payson and Tonto Natural Bridge
Getting there: about 89 miles (143 km) from Phoenix, roughly 1¾ hours.
What to know: Tonto Natural Bridge State Park near Payson charges $10 for adults and $5 for ages 7 to 13, and children 6 and under are free.
Tubac from Tucson
Getting there: about 45 miles (72 km) south of Tucson, under an hour.
What to know: Tumacácori National Historical Park charges $10 per adult, valid for seven days, and Tubac Presidio State Historic Park is in the village. It is an easy day trip or a quiet overnight.
Before you go
- Check az511.gov on Friday for SR 89A and any winter closures on I-17.
- Carry a card: the Grand Canyon and Organ Pipe Cactus take no cash at their entrances.
- Buy one Saguaro pass for both districts, and one pass for Sunset Crater and Wupatki.
- Book Kartchner cave tours before you leave home.
- Pack layers for Flagstaff and Prescott; they are thousands of feet higher than Phoenix.
Details checked November 6, 2026.
