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Phoenix Weekend Trips: 3 Budget-Friendly Getaway Ideas

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3 weeks ago

There’s something about Phoenix which keeps you coming back – and that’s not even factoring in the amazing weekend trips that cans be done from Phoenix. The city is alive and kicking, but once you’ve had your fill of city life, it’s time to get out in the way that only Americans know how: a road trip out into the surrounding country.

Using Phoenix as your vacation basecamp, we’ve put together three fun and affordable Phoenix weekend trips. And if you’re looking for something further afield, consider Cave Creek Canyon.

1. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument – For embracing nature (but not literally—ow!)

Head south (and just a little bit west) to the off-the-beaten-track Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The drive takes roughly two hours from Phoenix. It’s a beautiful and remote destination with excellent camping that somehow has sights, sounds and feelings to keep everyone entertained.

Before You Go

Reserve your campground in advance

Remote as this area is, it’s popular with campers. Get on Recreation.gov well in advance and reserve your campsite. If you want to really get off the grid, plan even further ahead and reserve one of four spots at Alamo Canyon Campground. Alamo has pit toilets, trash cans, grills, and picnic tables. There is no cell reception here, and it is tent camping only—no RVs, motorhomes, or trailers.

My recommendation for an easier (and slightly more civilized) choice is to camp at the main Twin Peaks Campground. I couldn’t get a spot at Alamo Canyon when I went, and ended up being glad that I stayed at Twin Peaks. It’s very large with over two hundred sites. That said, it doesn’t feel as crowded as you might expect because of the well-designed layout.

Each camp site is placed within the natural environment so that there is landscaping between each. If you have an RV or campervan, Twin Peaks is the only place to stay in the Monument. There are also rows at the far end of the campground reserved for tent campers.

Twin Peaks has picnic tables, grills, trash cans, dump stations, flush toilets, and showers. For these last, it’s worth knowing that they advertise “solar-heated” showers. I had a cold shower the weekend that I visited. I’m not sure if this was normal, or was due to the fact that I was there in November before the busy season.

Whether you’re in an RV or a tent, you’ll be surrounded by plants such as the namesake organ pipe cactus, saguaro, Palo Verde trees, and to keep things spicy, cholla.

Warning: The cholla growth is thick in the region of Twin Peaks Campground and the trails that lead from it, so watch where you’re stepping and keep your dog on a leash!

Carry a small pair of pliers or tweezers on you at all times in case you need to remove barbed thorns. (Trust me on this one.)

Check the website for alerts

As with any National Park Service area, you can find important notifications about road, trail, and campground closures. This is especially important at Organ Pipe Cactus because the Monument’s southern end is the US border with Mexico. The southernmost roads are often closed due to Border Patrol activities (which are only set to increase given the new administration).

Things to do at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

For such a remote area, there is a wide choice when it comes to hikes, rides, drives and even programs. A weekend itinerary could include many trails. At the visitor center, you can learn about the history and biology of the Monument, as well as getting recommendations for things to do.

Here are the activities I did and can recommend:

  • Perimeter trail around Twin Peaks campground—grab your coffee and wake up with this stroll in the morning
  • Palo Verde Trail—this is a flat, easy trail between Twin Peaks campground and the Visitor Center. It’s a good way to get the lay of the land, though there is no shade, so avoid during the hottest parts of the day.
  • Ajo Mountain Drive—about 19 miles (30 km) through the beautiful landscapes, getting into the thick growth of desert vegetation. The road is unpaved, and with frequent stops to take in the scenery, plan to spend about two hours on the drive.
  • Arch Canyon Trail—a short hike which starts from the Ajo Mountain Drive. The true trail is just over a mile long (1.9 km) round trip. At the end, if you want to climb up toward the canyon top, there is a “social trail,” i.e., not part of the official trail, but many visitors have gone off trail and marked out a path, that leads to the arched rock itself.
  • Red Tanks Tinaja—a “tinaja” is a natural pool which is seasonally filled by rainfall. This trail is a 1.6 mile (2.6 km) round trip, with the trail leading through hillsides covered with both saguaro and the namesake organ pipe cactus.

2. Yuma – Small town and Wild West history

Okay, Arizonans, hear me out. You might think that Yuma has nothing more to offer than being the butt of jokes. I think it deserves better, and has more to offer than that. In fact, Yuma is an excellent destination for the list of budget-friendly Phoenix weekend trips. The drive takes less than three hours.

I’m glad I took a local’s advice and stayed at La Fuente Inn & Suites when I visited. It’s a budget-friendly option with updated rooms and excellent service. They even hand out tickets for free appetizers and happy hour drinks on weekdays. That’s in addition to the standard free daily breakfast buffet.

Mellow Morning Stroll

Start your weekend with an easy vibe by walking the friendly main street. The stores are fun to browse. Most are not what you’d call updated, boutique, or upscale, though that doesn’t mean they aren’t enjoyable or worthwhile.

Although “trendy” isn’t the overall feel of Yuma, there are exceptions on Main Street. Some of the shops feel like true discoveries if you are looking for unique or boutique finds. My favorite was the Desert Olive Farms store. It’s the retail outlet for an olive orchard and vineyard located locally: a true farm-to-table experience.

The shop is clerked by one of the farm owners which means you can get real answers to your burning olive oil-related questions. You can sample any of the olive oil products, so you know how delicious they are before you pull out that credit card. I couldn’t resist buying the basic extra virgin olive oil, the lemon dill dipping oil, and the spicy pickled green beans. I have no regrets about this little splurge!

Tangible history

The Territorial State Prison museum is another a pleasant surprise. I stayed much longer than I had planned here because I got caught up in the experience. The self-guided tour strikes the right balance between information and immersive experience. You can even take a custom guided tour here, combined with a ghost town tour if you want to splurge on this experience.

The prison records on display contain many stories of the individual prisoners and wardens who lived and worked here, alongside the broader history of the building and region. Then with that information in mind, visitors can walk into some of the old cells and imagine what it might have been like to serve a sentence here in the days of the Wild West.

These are just a couple of options for the activities in Yuma. There are a lot more to choose from, but a weekend flies by, so choose wisely!

3. Get on the water at Lake Havasu

Although the desert is endlessly fascinating, sometimes you need a weekend getaway on the water. Landlocked Phoenix is lucky to have this option within a three-hour drive. Lake Havasu City provides easy access to the reservoir. It’s a close entry point, with lodgings, no-wake zones on the water, and businesses that rent watercraft.

Why add Lake Havasu City to your Phoenix weekend trips?

One of Lake Havasu City’s unofficial mottos is “at least we aren’t Yuma,” playing on that Yuma-punching-bag theme. And if you consider the town from the point of view of the all-important location, location, location, sitting on the shore of Lake Havasu might give this town an edge.

But considering the merits of each town, I’d give the reward to Yuma, no contest. Lake Havasu City proper is a much less entertaining burg with less to offer in terms of interesting shopping or historic sites. That is, unless you happen to enjoy guns, mediocre restaurants, and a few clothing/souvenir stores that specialize in weird Swarovski-crystal bedazzled denim and baseball caps. If that happens to be your thing, absolutely plan to spend some time in the town itself.

The most entertaining tourist draw is London Bridge, and the “English Village” area of shops and restaurants around the bridge entrance. London Bridge is called such because of the titan of industry who purchased the actual bridge in London, had it taken town, transported, and rebuilt brick by brick roughly a century ago. The Village is about as “English” as a made-in-China Union Jack souvenir keychain, but it’s the place to visit while you’re on dry land here.

A budget-friendly way to get out on the water

But back to the reason we’re here for the weekend, which is to get outside and on the water. The typical option is a motorboat. For us more introverted, nature-loving types, and particularly for solo travelers, I recommend renting a kayak and paddling around the London bridge area.

I rented from Wacko Kayaks for $45 for the whole day. The owner let me pick the time to meet up, gave me careful directions to the meeting point, and then picked it up when I was ready, about 15 minutes after I messaged him. He also gave me recommendations for my paddling route, which turned out to be excellent. His meeting point is Rotary Park, which allows you to launch and start paddling within the low wake zone.

The paddling route

If you’re unsure of your paddling skills or prone to motion sickness, sticking to the low-wake zone is absolutely the way to go. Starting from Rotary Park, I first paddled past the channel and out around a point of the island, just to get a peek of the view up the lake. I did have to leave the low-wake zone to do this, and wouldn’t have done it if there was much boat traffic.

However, I lucked out since it was a cloudy day, and apparently “chilly” by Lake Havasu standards, though I found it ideal paddling weather. This got me warmed up, and I was able to see the first few of the little lighthouses that dot the shore here. These are small-scale replicas of lighthouses that can be seen around the world.

Turning back toward the park, I turned up the channel. Note that this requires paddling through what looks like a marina, and the entry is easy to miss. From there, the route is a lovely paddle up through the park. Not far past the park, the channel flows under London Bridge and past the Village. Thanks to the advice of the Wacko owner, I found a little sand beach past the Village, pulled the kayak up, and went to the Village for a stroll and lunch.

You’ve worked up an appetite paddling the channel. Now what?

During my weekend in Lake Havasu City, I went to a few different restaurants and have to say I understand the insiders’ warnings that there really isn’t much good food to be had there. The views over the water give the English Village restaurants the right atmosphere, but you’re paying tourist prices for mediocre-at-best food.

According to a few locals, there are some more upscale restaurants with good meals, but they did not fit my search for budget-friendly attractions.

Of course, I’m not saying I exhausted all of the food options and that there are no good meals to be found. It’s just that I didn’t find any. Well, except for one, and it was an unexpected treat. It’s a mac and cheese stand called Tasty Waves, and it sits opposite the entry to the visitor center.

The surprising find for a tasty meal

I wish I hadn’t just finished part of an undercooked meal at another restaurant, so I didn’t have the appetite for a full mac-and-cheese order. But I still needed a snack, and Tasty Waves had one of the best baked pretzels I have ever eaten. Who knew? The right choice for a good meal is at this stand. Then you can stroll around the Village and down the park before heading back to pick up your kayak.

As much as I’ve been down on the superficiality and mediocrity of the town here and the English Village, the kayak trip turned the touristy, cheesy Village into an entertaining backdrop for good clean fun. Being on the water changes the whole experience. Ultimately, the kayak rental makes the trip worthwhile.

Being out on the water, gliding down the channel helped me to just embrace the experience and get on board with the silliness. Other boaters shouted friendly, joking greetings. To top off the entertainment, I even encountered a hilarious mini pirate ship. It is piloted by a crew shouting to those on shore before shooting candy from their “canon.”

There you have it. If you’re choosing among Phoenix weekend trips, you can pick from a variety of options. These include a camping weekend amid desert scenery, a small underrated town with historical interest and charming shops, or an adventure on the water with some silly, touristy fun. Better yet, you can do all of this on a small budget.


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