The Best Scottsdale Outdoor Activities For An Adventurous Trip
Looking For Fun Outdoor Activities To Fill Your Scottsdale or Phoenix, Arizona Trip Itinerary?
As a former longtime resident of Scottsdale, Arizona (I lived here 12+ years), I spent a ton of time outdoors as a kid and an adult, even during the summer months, and while it might not always be the most pleasant year round destination for outdoor activities, with the right information, you can still have all the experiences on this list below anytime of year.
🏜 21 Best Outdoor Activities In Scottsdale, Arizona
Aside from the blistering heat of summer and the yellow pollen covered days in spring and fall, Scottsdale is a great place to go outside because of all the fun outdoor, sporty, and adventurey activities.
1. Hike To The Top Of A Mountain
Hiking is by far one of the best outdoor activities (if not the best) in the Scottsdale and Phoenix areas, and there’s even a mountain you can hike right in the middle of the city (Camelback Mountain, pictured above).
No matter what time of year you go, it’s very important to show up prepared because rescues happen all the time on Arizona mountains. If you don’t want to hike alone, there are guided hiking tours available in Scottsdale.
My Top Hiking Trails:
- Camelback (hard difficulty, 2.5 miles, estimated 2 hours)
- Pinnacle Peak (moderate difficulty, 4 miles, estimated 2 hours)
- Piestewa Peak Summit (hard difficulty, 2.1 miles, estimated 1.5 hours)
- Quartz Trail (moderate difficulty, 8.4 miles, estimated 3.5 hours)
- Hole In The Rock (easy difficulty, 0.3 of a mile, estimated 10 minutes)
- Black Mountain (hard difficulty, 2.2 miles, estimated 1.5 hours)
- Papago Park Butte Loop (easy difficulty, 2.2 miles, estimated 1 hour)
2. Choose From One Of 200+ Golf Courses
One of the Scottsdale area’s biggest outdoor activities is definitely golf, and there are more than 200 golf courses to choose from here. I grew up playing golf in this Arizona heat (my first golf tournament had a heat index of 119 degrees!), but the spring and winter seasons are definitely the more pleasant times to play.
My Top Golf Course Picks:
- McCormick Ranch (2 courses near Old Town Scottsdale)
- Desert Forest (desert-style links course)
- Gainey Ranch (27 holes near Old Town Scottsdale)
- Rancho Mañana (high desert course)
- The Mirabel Club (Tom Fazio designed course)
- Grayhawk (36 holes in North Scottsdale)
- Whisper Rock (36 holes)
- Silverleaf (par 72 championship course)
- The Phoenician (luxury resort next to Camelback Mountain, pictured above)
- TPC & TPC Champions (2 courses, location of the Phoenix Open)
- Talking Stick (2 courses on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation with a luxury resort and casino)
- Starfire (27 holes and cheaper rates near Old Town Scottsdale)
3. Have A Canyoneering Or Rappelling Adventure
With all the mountains surrounding Scottsdale, canyoneering and rappelling are some of the most adventurous outdoor activities you can experience here.
Epic Adventures AZ offers some great guided tours (for canyoneering and rappelling) regardless of experience so you don’t have try doing things on your own.
4. Go On A Desert Horseback Ride
Horseback riding through the desert is a unique experience, and when there’s no sight of civilization in the distance, it feels like you’re a cowboy out in the Wild West.
Betty’s Trail Rides (pictured above) takes place out by Lake Pleasant, while MacDonald’s Ranch is closer to Scottsdale and it has a replica Wild West town, a petting zoo, lots of healthy-looking horses, day and moonlight rides, Cowboy Cookouts, and hayrides.
5. Have A Lake Day
One of the closest natural areas with a body of water is Lake Pleasant just a little outside of Scottsdale and there are tons of outdoor activities like boating, fishing, hiking, biking, camping, and horseback riding, plus Castle Hot Springs Resort, Lake Pleasant Cruises, and some historic landmarks (Salvation Peak, Old China Dam, Fort Tule Homestead Riparian Area, Tiptop Mine).
6. Watch (Or Participate In) Bull Riding
One of the most unique things to do in Scottsdale is to visit the Wild West town of Cave Creek, just about 30 minutes to the north.
Similar to the rest of the valley, there are lots of golf courses, trails, and desert landscapes, but Cave Creek is unique because it kept that Wild West style and has the Buffalo Chip Saloon with live music, country dancing, and bull riding.
You can watch bull riding from the stands (pictured above), actually sign up to ride a bull yourself, or just ride the mechanical bull like I did.
7. Climb Some Rocks
With all the mountainous and bouldery terrain in Arizona, this is one of the best places for some rock climbing adventures. There are a few indoor rock gyms if it gets too hot outside (AZ on the Rocks and Black Rock Bouldering Gym), but there are also plenty of great outdoor spots.
Top Rock Climbing Spots Near Scottsdale:
- Black Mountain
- Pinnacle Peak
- Beardsley Boulders Area
- Marcus Landslide
- Piestewa Peak & Freedom Loop
- Big Butte Loop
- Scarlett Canyon
- McDowell Sonoran Preserve Loop
- Camelback (has a little bouldering)
8. Drive To Sedona For The Day
Sedona is one of the most popular day trips from Scottsdale, and it’s got tons of great outdoor activities like stargazing, Jeep desert tours, biking and hiking trails, and beautiful red rock formations (some pictured above), plus it’s on the way to the Grand Canyon.
Although Sedona can definitely be visited on a day trip from Scottsdale, if you want to explore more, do a couple hikes, go on some tours, or continue driving up to the Grand Canyon, it’s best to spend a couple of nights in Sedona.
9. Attend The Loudest Professional Golf Tournament
The Phoenix Open (held every year in North Scottsdale) is one of the most unique sporting events in the country and the loudest golf tournament that exists. On the 16th hole (pictured above) its tradition to yell, boo, and heckle the golfers as loud as you can.
This tournament has become a large drinking fest, but those actually interested in golf can walk the course and experience one of the most unique tournaments in the sport (I really like the Pro Am held on the first day).
10. Play Some Pickup Sports
Before I started playing pickup soccer in my mid-twenties, I never thought to search for pickup sports when I was traveling, but now I try to find meetup groups (sports, hiking, etc.) wherever I go.
I used to play at a couple pickup soccer groups in Scottsdale (North Scottsdale Soccer was my favorite), but no matter what activity you choose, meetup groups are a great way to connect with others, get outdoors, and have some fun.
11. Kayak Or Paddleboard On Tempe Town Lake
Being a desert, there aren’t a ton of water activities around Scottsdale, but Tempe Town Lake has lots of outdoor activities near the water like biking, kayaking, rowing, paddleboarding, fishing, and boating.
The ASU (Arizona State University) campus is also right next door so if you’re visiting in the fall, you can check out an ASU football game (they’ve had some decent footballing years).
12. Go Mountain Biking In The Desert
Scottsdale, Arizona is a popular place not only for hiking trails, but also for mountain biking trails (pictured above). If you don’t want to go alone, there are plenty of guided tour options with Arizona Adventure Guides.
Be extra cautious on these desert trails though, I knew a guy who was riding downhill and lost control before plunging into a giant cactus bush!
13. Watch Some Of The Worlds Most Beautiful Horses
Every year beautiful horses are brought from all over the world to participate in various competitions at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show. It’s held in North Scottsdale during the winter, so it’s a great outdoor activity to watch or walk around looking at all the beautiful horses (pictured above).
14. Visit A Desert Botanical Garden
Scottsdale’s landscape isn’t the prettiest in terms of color (it’s typically very brown), but it’s a unique environment that’s beautiful in its own kind of way and it deserves some appreciation. Aside from going out and hiking to see the wild nature of Arizona, you can visit the Desert Botanical Garden to get a good look.
15. See The Hole In The Rock
Papago Park is a large outdoor area just south of Old Town Scottsdale with lots of great activities like hiking (the famous Hole In The Rock is here), golfing (Rolling Hills and Papago Golf Club, I could sometimes hear lions roaring from the zoo when I played these courses), the Hall of Flame Museum, the Phoenix Zoo, and the Desert Botanical Garden.
16. View A Famous Arizona Sunset
Nowhere has sunsets quite like Arizona (one example pictured above), and simply enjoying one of these amazing and colorful sunsets is one of the best outdoor activities you can do in the Scottsdale and Phoenix areas.
You never know when it’s gonna look quite as incredible as the sunset above, so just keep going out at dusk everyday and hope for some clouds because they usually help create a beautiful sunset.
17. Watch MLB Spring Training
Because of its warmer spring temperatures and stable weather conditions, 15 Major League Baseball teams come to the Scottsdale and Phoenix areas for Spring Training.
Spring Training Games To Catch In Scottsdale:
- Diamondbacks
- Chicago Cubs
- Chicago White Sox
- Cincinnati Reds
- Cleveland Guardians
- Colorado Rockies
- Kansas City Royals
- LA Angels
- LA Dodgers
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Oakland A’s
- San Diego Padres
- San Francisco Giants
- Seattle Mariners
- Texas Rangers
18. Watch The Diamondbacks
Besides Spring Training, regular MLB season Diamondback games are held in Downtown Phoenix. A unique VIP experience at the stadium is the Swimming Pool Suite right in the middle of the stands, but tickets are quite expensive (it always sells out and tickets start around $5,000).
My family went to a few games when I was growing up (pictured above) and we always had a blast.
19. Visit The Wildlife World Zoo
The Wildlife World Zoo is west of the greater Phoenix area, but it’s worth a visit as they have the largest amount of exotic and endangered animals in the state, and it’s a more closeup experience (like the Kangaroo Walkabout where animals roam about).
The picture I took above at the Wildlife Zoo always makes me laugh because of his face 😆. He followed me around wherever I walked, I think because of the red hat I was wearing.
20. Watch The Sunrise Or Sunset From A Hot Air Balloon
If you’re not fearful or anxious about heights, one of the most popular ways to watch the sunrise or sunset in Arizona is on a hot air balloon ride. If I had to choose, I would suggest the sunset option because they can be so incredibly beautiful.
21. Check Out The Barrett-Jackson Car Show
One of the best event activities to experience in Scottsdale is the Barrett-Jackson Car Show, and though some of it takes place indoors, there are lots of outdoor tent areas (pictured above) to explore as well.
My dad took me when I was in high school and we walked around for a couple of hours or so, but you could definitely spend the entire day here (it’s such a huge event).
🔁 Sum Up: Best Outdoor Activities In Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is such a great place to be outside, despite the scorching summer heat, and there are so many great outdoor activities to experience here. Some of my favorites are hiking (especially Camelback Mountain), golfing (Rancho Mañana is my favorite), horseback riding, rock climbing, and bull riding (just watching though).
