US Summer Road Trip Outdoor Adventure Destinations: American Southwest
Cathedral Rock in Sedona Arizona.
We share five US Summer Road Trips that are in and near the American Southwest in this article. All of these destinations have an Outdoor Adventure flair to them and all are within six hours of driving from Sedona Arizona! US Summer Road Trip Outdoor Adventure Destinations American Southwest awaits in this article.
We will be breaking apart the US into regions, and from the places that we have lived as nomads over the past three years, and we will share our summer road trip guides within six hours of those locations! If you are looking for a Summer Road Trip Destination in the American southwest with Outdoor Adventure energy this article is for you.
Our full list will feature the summer road trip guide from these destinations that we have lived in:
1. Columbus Ohio (Midwest)
2. Traverse City Michigan (Great Lakes)
3. Grand Junction Colorado (Mountain West)
4. Seattle Washington (PNW)
5. Malibu/Joshua Tree California (SoCal)
6. Paso Robles California (Central Cali)
7. Sedona Arizona (American Southwest)
8. Tamarindo Costa Rica (Lower Central America)
Without further ado here is your US Summer Road Trip American Southwest Destinations List!
Flagstaff Arizona.
Arizona’s Winter Wonderland means super cool temperatures in the summer compared to the rest of the state! This makes for a perfect Summer Road Trip Spot.
Hike to the top of Arizona (Humphrey’s Peak) via a strenuous day hike leaving from Flagstaff’s Ski Resort’s Parking Lot. The highest point in the state will also probably be the coldest in the summer once you heart stops thumping from your trek to the top.
Flagstaff also boasts an outstanding urban trail system, a few miles of the Arizona Trail that meander right through Buffalo Park, and a very solid restaurant and brewery scene.
Distance from Sedona Arizona: 1h 21m (to Humphrey’s Peak Trailhead.)
Trekking to the Top of Arizona article.
Road Trip Add On’s From Here:
Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. Walnut Canyon National Monument, Arizona.
Grand Canyon National Park
The North Rim is open and temperatures are cooler and the South Rim will give you the opportunity to traverse the Rim to Rim Hike or raft the Colorado River.
However you determine it fits into your road trip a summer jaunt to the Grand Canyon from Sedona Arizona MUST BE INCLUDED on this list.
It’s my favorite of the US National Parks and no matter how many times I return to this special place I find it to be another epic dream come true that I will never forget.
If you are a first-timer and enjoy camping heading down the Colorado River with Grand Canyon Whitewater would be a recommendation.
If you are an avid hiker and can handle the heat a backcountry trip with camping at the wilderness sites or Phantom Ranch would be on my list.
Distance from Sedona Arizona: 2h 31m. (To South Rim’s Grand Canyon Village.)
Road Trip Add On’s From Here: Page Arizona, Monument Valley Arizona.
Durango, Colorado
Just coming in at 5 hours and 54 minutes from where we lived in Sedona is the SW Colorado Mountain Town of Durango!
Durango boasts great in-town hiking (Animas Mountain and Sky Steps), the nearby Mesa Verde National Park, and a funky town featuring everything from a Scenic Railroad to Sweaty Buddha Yoga to an awesome Food Composting Scene to a beautiful river trail running through town to bike.
I spent a week in Durango and feel that for those looking to find some Colorado mountains in the summer from Sedona would enjoy a road trip here.
Distance from Sedona Arizona: 5h 54m.
Road Trip Add On’s From Here:
Four Corners Monument Navajo Tribal Park, Arizona/New Mexico/Utah/Colorado.
Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
Puerto Penasco, Mexico
Let’s face it…people enjoy the beach and the ocean in the summer!
So doing a Summer Road Trip Article without including a water destination wouldn’t seem right.
Puerto Penasco Mexico, aka Rocky Point, is a smudge under six hours from Sedona and this small town in Sonora Mexico will have you feeling the ocean vibes in no time. Pack your passport and get ready for excellent water sports, great beach space for morning runs/walks, and the nearby El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserves is one of 34 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Mexico.
Kite surfing is big here and the restaurants go from traditional Mexican street fare to “upscale resorty.”
Distance from Sedona Arizona: 5h 33m.
Road Trip Add On’s From Here: Isla San Jorge, Mexico. (Blue Footed Booby’s aren’t just in the Galapagos!)
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona/Mexico.
Zion National Park, Utah.
Three of the Ten Best Day Hikes in the United States (according to me) in Angels Landing, the Narrows, and the currently closed Observation Point.
The best spaghetti squash enchiladas in the world (located just outside of the park in Springdale Utah at The Whiptail.)
A great shuttle system cutting down on the emissions in the park.
Sure Zion gets too many tourists, but there’s a reason, and most popular US National Parks do as well.
Figure out a way to come early in the day and during the week and this is one of the most jaw-dropping beautiful places to visit. And it’s just a few hours away from Sedona in the state of Utah.
Read about my most recent (and probably favorite) trip to Zion HERE!
Distance from Sedona Arizona: 4h 46m.
Road Trip Add On’s From Here: Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.
Coral Pink Dunes State Park, Utah.
We have so many more places we could include but hopefully this gives you a new idea or rekindles a spark with an old destination!
From Arizona to Colorado to Utah to Mexico your summer road trip options with outdoor adventuring are endless.
Thanks for reading and comment below with another option you love within six hours of Sedona, Arizona!
Because Adventure Feeds the Soul,
Mike R
