Recently, I took two weeks to go on a road trip through the state of Arizona.
Traveling, or not traveling, right now is a very personal decision and one that I did not take lightly. My friend and I agreed on some important things ahead of time - we would not be doing any indoor dining, museums, bars, etc.
Some nights, eating outside in November was more comfortable than others (plot twist: Arizona isn’t always warm). Some nights we cooked in our Airbnbs. If we encountered people without masks, even outdoors, we distanced ourselves from the situation.
I will mention things throughout these Arizona city guides in regards to how certain areas, restaurants, etc. handled coronavirus protocols.
But our overall goal for the trip was to hike, run, and generally spend time outside - alone. This was not the trip for trying all of Arizona’s restaurants and bars and museums and this guide reflects that.
First stop:
PHOENIX
WHERE WE STAYED
We stayed in a really unique vintage airstream trailer in the Coronado neighborhood of Phoenix. Though it seemed a little off the beaten path and wasn’t in the heart of downtown, we loved the trendy design, small private yard and firepit! The Airbnb also came with two Schwinn bikes which I used to get around town when I first arrived.
You can follow the Phoenix airstream on Instagram!
FOOD
Urban Beans
3508 N 7th St #100 | phoeniz, az
A local vegan spot with everything from alcohol to coffee to cocktails, sushi to breakfast burritos and pancakes to live jazz music and other events. Though I didn’t appreciate being upsold on a $2.00 side of dipping sauce for my sushi, it was a nice spot to hang out for a little while after landing.
The Vig Fillmore
606 N 4th Ave | phoenix, az
The perfect outdoor dining experience - our own personal heater, a local IPA and a tasty lamb burger.
Ollie Vaughn’s
1526 E McDowell Rd. | phoenix, az
Super cute coffee shop with a sandwich menu (we both got the turkey, duh) and outdoor seating area out back.
Garage-East
3000 E. Ray Road | Building 7 | gilbert, az
Though not in Phoenix, I highly recommend taking the 30 minute drive out to Gilbert, Arizona to check out Agritopia and Barnone.
Agritopia is an “urban agriculture community” in Gilbert and Barnone is it’s repurposed plane hanger where you’re find crafty stores like Prickly Pear Paper along with a brewery (12 West Brewing Co.) and wood-fired pizza outlet (Fire & Brimstone).
After walking around Barnone, grab a table outside Garage-East - an experimental wine bar with friendly staff and fire pits! We loved the East-Garage Orchard (a red blend of Tempranillo, Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre Sangiovese).
We were also able to order from Fire & Brimstone - though you had to go to the counter one building over to place your order - food was delivered right to our East-Garage fire pit. We opted for a Mediterranean themed spread:
Mezze Plate
Beets & Green Salad
The Greek Pizza
We loved it here and didn’t want to leave! But equipped with a to-go bottle of Orchard and a firepit waiting for us back at the Airbnb, we grudgingly headed back to Phoenix.
DAILY JAM
310 S Mill Ave #A101 | Tempe, AZ
On our way out of Phoenix, we stopped for lunch at this spot with a patio in Downtown Tempe (Mill Ave.). From the little we saw of it, Tempe was a super cute college town and I wish we had gotten to explore more of it!
Apparently Daily Jam is known for their red velvet waffles.
MORE TIME?
Mesa Arizona Farm to Table Food Crawl
WHAT TO DO
Papago Park & The Desert Botanical Gardens
The thing to do at Papago Park is to hike up to “Hole in the Rock.” We were feeling a little too hungover on our visit, but it’s a quick hike up about 200 feet for pretty cool views of the park through the rock formation.
While you’re at Papago Park you can walk or run some other short trails or visit the Phoenix Zoo. We opted for the Desert Botanical Gardens (reservations need to be made ahead of time due to COVID-19 and masks need to be worn at all times).
I had heard great reviews of these botanical gardens and we were a little disappointed. We would be even more disappointed as the trip went on and we realized we were seeing almost everything from the gardens out on our hikes, with no one else around and no entrance fees.
It would have been worth it had the exhibits been really informative - but we didn’t learn nearly as much as we had hoped to.
The best part of the Desert Botanical Gardens in my opinion was the gift shop!
superstition mountains
50 miles (about an hour) east of Phoenix lay the Superstition Mountains. We did two hikes in this area:
1568 Feet of Elevation Gain
5.8 Miles
Note that to reach the trailhead, you’ll need to drive down a long dirt road. Our Malibu rental car did OK, but had there been a recent rain, I’m not sure we would have made it.
My favorite part of this hike was when we stopped and said “listen to how quiet it is….” The first of many of those moments on this trip.
954 Feet of Elevation Gain
4.3 Miles
Go counterclockwise (the way the AllTrails map is written) for an easier descent. The path is definitely hard to follow at times, so download the map!
My favorite part of this hike was one of the AllTrails reviews which read, “if you get lost using this app, learn your weaknesses.” We were cracking up every time we lost the trail, hearing that reviewers’ words in our heads.
This trail also had a ton of cool cactus and really awesome views of the entire Superstition Range.
SUNSET AT LOST DUTCHMAN STATE PARK
A nice spot with picnic tables and bathrooms to watch the sunset!
goldfield ghost town
4650 N Mammoth Mine Rd | Apache Junction, AZ
This wasn’t on my initial itinerary, but we couldn’t resist stopping by - I’m pretty sure you’re not allowed to plan a trip to Arizona without stopping at a ghost town.
Goldfield was definitely touristy, but it was almost deserted when we arrived.
The “town” has souvenir shops, a restaurant, a cafe, pottery studio, church, railroad tours, shooting gallery, reptile exhibit and more. But in the 1890’s, it was a bustling town that looked like it might end up larger than Mesa - until there was no more gold.
We felt a little bit like we had stepped into a weird alternate universe….COVID pandemic + ghost town. It was wild.
My all-time favorite post-hike treat is a chai latte which I was able to get (though we had to wait outside the cafe because one of the workers wasn’t wearing a mask andddd was packing some heat).
Another suggestion - have a look around the Blue Bird Gift Shop (5405 N Apache Trail, Apache Junction, AZ)- another wild place.
more time?
CAMELBACK MOUNTAIN - I initially steered clear of this hike because it’s highly trafficked, but had COVID not been a factor - it looks like a really great workout! 2600+ feet of gain in just 4.8 miles roundtrip!
TOM’S THUMB - Looks like another short but steep one in the area, with stunning views!
SHOPPING - There were a number of cool looking stores we didn’t have a chance to stop at including:
TUBE THE SALT RIVER - If we had come in the summer months, when COVID wasn’t part of the equation, this would definitely be on my itinerary!
WHAT WOULD i CHANGE
I wish we had gotten to explore a little more of Phoenix,- we really never even got to see the “downtown” area and so we left with the opinion that it was just filled with strip malls. If I were to go back, I’d look for an Airbnb or hotel in the Roosevelt Row (RoRo) neighborhood which is known for its restaurants, cafes, shops, etc. But the main point of this trip was to be outside, in nature, away from other people to stay safe.
On a return visit I might spend a night or two in either Tempe or Mesa as both are a bit closer to the Superstition Mountains. Tempe seemed like a great little walkable downtown area and Mesa is known for it’s farm to table food.
A second trip to Phoenix would definitely include the Camelback hike!
