Phoenix

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The Desert Botanical Garden grows desert plants from around the world, Phoenix, Arizona

Camelback Mountain is the best known hike in Phoenix, Arizona

Hole in the Rock frames views of the city at sunset, Phoenix, Arizona

The Heard Museum celebrates American Indian art and cultures, Phoenix, Arizona

About Phoenix

Phoenix is the capital of Arizona and the center of a sprawling metropolitan area in the Sonoran Desert. Surrounded by rugged mountains and saguaro-studded preserves, the city combines a sunny climate with resorts, golf courses and a growing arts scene. Its name reflects its rise from the remains of ancient Hohokam canal systems, which settlers later revived for agriculture.

The Desert Botanical Garden, in Papago Park, displays cacti and desert plants from around the world, and nearby Hole in the Rock is a short scramble to a natural opening with city views. Camelback Mountain offers steep, popular hikes that demand early starts and plenty of water. South Mountain Park and Preserve is among the largest municipal parks in the country, with trails and summit lookouts. The Heard Museum is renowned for its collections of Native American art, and the Musical Instrument Museum displays instruments from nearly every country.

Roosevelt Row downtown is an arts district with murals, galleries and First Friday events. Old Town Scottsdale offers shopping and dining, and Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and studio, is open for tours. Phoenix suits winter-sun travelers, hikers and golfers. Summer heat is intense and dangerous for outdoor activity, so cooler months are best.

Best seasonOctober through April brings warm, sunny days; summer temperatures are extreme.

Ideal stayThree to four days covers hikes, museums and Scottsdale.

ArrivingPhoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is the main gateway, close to downtown.

WiserMap travel guidePhoenix Arizona Camelback Hikes and Desert Botanical GardenPlan a Phoenix trip: Desert Botanical Garden, Camelback Mountain, the Heard Museum, Roosevelt Row, Scottsdale and the best time to beat the heat.Read the guide

12 Things You Shouldn't Miss in Phoenix

Parks 1

Desert Botanical Garden

Set among the red buttes of Papago Park, this 140-acre garden has showcased desert plants since 1939 and holds one of the world's...

Hikes 3

Camelback Mountain

The humped red-rock silhouette of Camelback rises to about 2,700 feet between Phoenix and Paradise Valley, and its two summit rout...

Piestewa Peak

In the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, Piestewa Peak's Summit Trail gains roughly 1,200 feet in just over a mile of rocky switchbacks...

South Mountain Park and Preserve

Covering more than 16,000 acres, this is one of the largest city-managed parks in the United States, a rugged chain of desert ridg...

Viewpoints 1

Hole-in-the-Rock Papago Park

A sandstone butte in Papago Park is pierced by a large natural opening, and a short, easy scramble brings you into the hollow, whe...

Museums 3

Heard Museum

Founded in 1929 by Dwight and Maie Heard, the Heard is one of the country's leading museums of American Indian art and culture, fo...

Musical Instrument Museum

Opened in 2010 in north Phoenix, this museum displays thousands of instruments from close to 200 countries and territories, arrang...

Phoenix Art Museum

The largest art museum in the American Southwest sits on Central Avenue in midtown, with collections running from European old mas...

Family 2

Arizona Science Center

Downtown in Heritage and Science Park, the Arizona Science Center fills several floors with hands-on galleries on the human body,...

Phoenix Zoo

Spread over about 125 acres in Papago Park, the nonprofit zoo houses well over a thousand animals along themed trails, including t...

Neighborhoods 1

Roosevelt Row

Just north of downtown, Roosevelt Row grew from artist-run galleries in old bungalows into Phoenix's best-known arts district. Lar...

History 1

Heritage Square Phoenix

A block of restored late 19th-century homes preserves a glimpse of Phoenix when it was still a young farming town. The centrepiece...

Businesses in Phoenix

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Top-rated local businesses in Phoenix, with real reviews on WiserMap.

Appliance Repair Service

Appliance Care & Repair

4.0(4)

4630 E Elwood St Ste 11, Phoenix

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Roofing Repair

America Roofing

4.0(4)

1005 S 30th Ave, Phoenix

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Deck Builder

Verco Decking Inc

4.8(4)

4340 N 42nd Ave, Phoenix

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Vacuum Cleaner Repair Shop

Mr. Vac & Sew

4.2(5)

3230 E Bell Rd, Phoenix

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Air Duct Cleaning Service

The Top Hatter Inc.

2924 N 34th Pl, Phoenix

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HVAC Repair

Parker & Sons

5.0(4)

3636 E Anne St A, Phoenix

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Kitchen Remodeler

Countertop Rock

3308 E Madison St, Phoenix

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Vacuum Cleaner Repair Shop

ABC Vacuum

5.0(4)

2545 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix

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Appliance Repair Service

Urban Appliance Repair

308 W Helena Dr, Phoenix

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Painter

Your Glendale Painter

5.0(3)

4397 W Bethany Home Rd #1074, Phoenix

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Photo credits

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Photo: Dru Bloomfield from Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

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