20 Beautiful Places to Visit in Arizona — From Stunning National Parks to an Underground Restaurant

Arizona is known for its stunning landscapes: Towering buttes meet hills covered with saguaro cacti, and arid canyons hide towering waterfalls. Archaeological sites like cliff dwellings and petroglyphs enhance the often otherworldly scenery. Our list of the best places to visit includes iconic natural landmarks like the Grand Canyon but also quirkier attractions such as an underground restaurant, a magical art installation in Phoenix, and a midcentury chapel perched on the red rocks of Sedona.

• Best tourist destination: Grand Canyon National Park
• Underrated hidden gem: Petrified Forest National Park
• Best for families: Horseshoe Bend
• Best for couples: Chapel of the Holy Cross
• Best for solo travelers: Yayoi Kusama’s Fireflies Infinity Mirror Room

Read on to discover the rest of our recommendations for the 20 most beautiful places to visit in Arizona.

Grand Canyon National Park

It would be impossible not to include the Grand Canyon — the number one attraction in Arizona — in a list of must-visit places. Staggering in size, it cuts through the state for almost 300 miles and is an average of 10 miles wide and one mile deep. (For comparison, the deepest point on Earth, the Mariana Trench, is seven miles deep.) Explore this awe-inspiring national park by hiking, cycling, or catching one of the park shuttles.

Petrified Forest National Park

There are just three national parks in Arizona (among 22 National Parks Service sites), and while the Grand Canyon soaks up all the attention, the Petrified Forest National Park slips under the radar. The visually stunning park is best known for its Rainbow Forest, which showcases colorful petrified wood over 200 million years old. There are also petroglyphs and paleontology exhibits.

Horseshoe Bend

Horseshoe Bend has become one of the most photographed sites in Arizona. The perfectly horseshoe-shaped bend in the Colorado River sits within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. It's located near the town of Page, Arizona, and close to the sprawling Lake Powell.

Chapel of the Holy Cross

Built among the vibrant red rock on the outskirts of Sedona, the Chapel of the Holy Cross is one of the most unusual churches in the U.S. The chapel, which is within the Coconino National Forest, draws not only pilgrims, but also tourists who visit for the striking midcentury architecture and stunning views over the desert landscape.

Yayoi Kusama’s Fireflies Infinity Mirror Room

The Fireflies Infinity Mirror Room in the Phoenix Art Museum was envisioned by renowned Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Her work, “You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies,” is what it sounds like — a mixed-media installation that uses LED lights and mirrors to create the effect of being surrounded by fireflies in the dead of night. It’s magic.

The Wave

Technically called Coyote Buttes North, The Wave is just one feature within the expansive 112,500-acre Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness. The stunning rock formation resembles a wave made of sandstone; it's so photogenic that it has long drawn travelers and photographers willing to go through the competitive permit process and make the strenuous 6.4-mile round-trip hike to get there.

Havasu Falls

The spectacular blue-green water of Havasu Falls has captivated visitors for years. The falls sit on Havasupai lands near the isolated community of Supai and Grand Canyon National Park. Accessing the village, falls, and spectacular — and carefully protected — scenery requires plenty of advance planning and a permit.

Wupatki National Monument

Wupatki National Monument is a must for travelers who are fascinated by how ancient people survived and thrived in the hot Arizona desert. The monument sits within a beautiful landscape, but the remains of pueblos are what truly catches the eye. Three structures from the early 1100s still stand. The sandstone and limestone buildings pay homage to the thriving Pueblo communities that lived and traded there.

Grand Canyon Caverns and Grotto

The Caverns Grotto offers one of the most unique dining experiences around: a meal served 210 feet below the Earth’s surface in a 345-million-year-old cave network. The menu is simple, but the scenery is out of this world. Underground diners get 360-degree views of the ancient cave, which stretches 60 miles from Peach Springs, Arizona, to the Grand Canyon. 

Biosphere 2

Billed as “the world's largest Earth science experiment,” Biosphere 2 is a controlled environment created to understand the planet's living systems and the impacts of climate change. Visit this University of Arizona lab to experience diverse ecosystems like lush mangrove wetlands and humid tropical rain forests — a far cry from the arid desert covering much of the state.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument

Vast Canyon de Chelly National Monument has been inhabited by several Indigenous groups for millennia. Inside the stunning monument are 800-foot-tall spires, prehistoric rock art, towering sandstone cliffs, and a surprisingly lush desert canyon. The park sits on Navajo lands in the northeastern part of the state.

Antelope Canyon

The slot canyons in northern Arizona are on land that belongs to the Navajo Nation and require a tour guide to access. The advance planning is well worth the experience of hiking through a narrow canyon and watching the light play on the red rock. There are two sites, the Upper Antelope Canyon and the Lower Antelope Canyon. Once you visit, you'll understand why they're so widely photographed — this is among the prettiest areas of Arizona.

Meteor Crater National Landmark

If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if a meteor struck the Earth, make your way to the Meteor Crater National Landmark near Winslow, Arizona. The dramatic crater, which is about a mile wide and 550 feet deep, resulted from the impact of a 150-foot-wide meteor. Visitors can walk along the crater rim or view the vast depression from the visitor center on its edge.

Saguaro National Park

This national park, which is split by the city of Tucson, has the important job of protecting the cactus-filled Sonoran Desert landscape. But beyond providing a place for the nation's largest cacti to flourish, Saguaro National Park also has trails leading to petroglyphs and drives that provide a stunning view of the Arizona desert. 

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

Imagine it: an expansive valley dotted with towering sandstone pinnacles that seem to shoot out of the Earth, reaching heights of up to 1,000 feet. This is Monument Valley, a park within the Navajo Nation that offers some of the most stunning desert views in the world. When you’re done taking in the sights, visit the artisans selling handcrafted jewelry and other Navajo goods. 

Montezuma Castle National Monument

This monument in Camp Verde, Arizona, protects a set of dwellings built into a rock wall by the Sinagua people between approximately 1050 and 1425. The dwelling, which is a 20-room wonder, is beautifully preserved and showcases how ancient people survived in the unforgiving desert.

Desert Botanical Garden

The desert landscape of Arizona supports a surprising number of plant and tree species, a fact celebrated at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. In the 55-acre botanical garden, several trails lead visitors through displays of otherworldly cacti framed by mountain peaks as well as vivid wildflowers that lure butterflies and hummingbirds.

Chiricahua National Monument

Utah isn’t the only state with bizarre-looking hoodoos and precariously balanced rocks. The Chiricahua National Monument in southeastern Arizona has been nicknamed the "Wonderland of Rocks" for its surreal rock structures. Rising from the desert, the Chiricahua Mountains contain five biomes — from dry grassland to forests — and support diverse wildlife, including peccaries and mountain lions.

Coconino Lava River Cave

Visiting this mile-long lava tube cave, about a 30-minute drive from downtown Flagstaff in the Coconino National Forest, is a magical experience. Geologists estimate it's almost 700,000 years old, the result of a nearby volcanic eruption. You can still see traces of the "river" of molten rock that carved out the tube, including "lavasicles" (small stalactite-like formations caused by drips) and sections of floor that resemble waves.

Walnut Canyon National Monument

Walnut Canyon National Monument showcases one of the state’s geological wonders. The canyon, which dips 350 feet below the rim, is set southeast of downtown Flagstaff, Arizona. And while Walnut Canyon is a stunning site, the monument also protects the remains of ancient cliff dwellings, which were built into the rock.