Alamo Lake Wildlife Area near Wenden, Arizona is a remote desert oasis where the Bill Williams River spreads into a 3,500-acre bass fishing lake surrounded by saguaro-covered mountains — with dispersed camping on secluded beaches and peninsulas, exceptional birdwatching year-round, and wild burros roaming the desert road in.

The abandoned Anasazi Inn at Gray Mountain, Arizona has been transformed by the Painted Desert Project into a striking outdoor mural gallery — large-scale street art and wheat-paste photography covering the weathered walls of a forgotten roadside motel along Highway 89 on the Navajo Nation.

The Temi' Po' Op' petroglyph site near Ivins, Utah offers a family-friendly 2.9-mile hike along the Santa Clara River to hundreds of ancient rock art panels, an Anasazi farmstead foundation, and sweeping views of the red rock canyon — one of the highest concentrations of petroglyphs in southern Utah.

Apache Lake, located in the Tonto National Forest, is a scenic reservoir offering both developed and dispersed camping options. Surrounded by steep canyon walls and accessible via the historic Apache Trail, it’s a hidden gem perfect for camping, boating, and outdoor adventures. The Burnt Corral Campground provides 76 campsites, and visitors can also enjoy secluded dispersed campsites with stunning views of the lake and desert landscape.

Davis Wash along the Apache Trail (AZ-88) near Apache Lake in the Tonto National Forest is one of the most scenic and accessible dispersed camping areas in the greater Phoenix area — a rugged desert canyon setting at the edge of Apache Lake with wildflowers, Sonoran Desert wildlife, lake views from the hilltops, and the kind of close-to-Phoenix solitude that's increasingly hard to find.

Aztec Ruins National Monument in Aztec, New Mexico preserves one of the best-preserved Ancestral Puebloan great house complexes in the American Southwest — a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring the West Ruin's 400+ interconnected rooms, original wooden ceiling beams, and the largest reconstructed Great Kiva in North America, walkable on a self-guided tour through rooms built in the 1100s.

We first visited Baker hot springs in 1995 and went on and off through out the years while I lived in SLC. We last visited while traveling through Utah in 2017, we camped near the springs at that time there was one other camper. This gentlemen served us pancakes in the morning and told us he had spotted a white llama that came down from the hill to drink from the water. During our visit the water was flowing well and appeared the tubs have been well maintained, due to lack of algae. We found an additional pool in the area that could be dipped in as well as the tubs. There was once some abandoned buildings in the area, they since I believe have been destroyed. I look forward to visiting Baker hot springs again.

Bear Canyon Lake is one of the most rewarding dispersed camping destinations on the Mogollon Rim — a beautiful, narrow, canyon-bound lake at 7,560 feet in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, stocked with rainbow trout six times a year, surrounded by mixed conifer and aspen, and tucked far enough off the main road that solitude is almost always guaranteed.

Bear Flat is one of the Tonto National Forest's most rewarding and least-visited dispersed camping areas — easy forest road access through the pines near Payson, Arizona, with an old homestead site, a spring-fed canyon trail, wild blackberries and bear country solitude on FR 405 and 405A. Tonto Creek is a short drive away with access to a trail leading to the rugged Hellsgate Wilderness.

Discover the beauty of Arizona along Forest Road 124 in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. This scenic destination features rugged forest terrain, towering ponderosa pines, and open meadows dotted with vibrant wild mushrooms. Visitors can also witness burn scars from the historic Rodeo-Chediski Fire, now blending with vibrant new growth—a powerful testament to nature's resilience. Wildlife you may encounter include wild horses, jackrabbits, deer, foxes, and squirrels.

Black Canyon Rim Road (FR 300) winds through the cool, pine-covered high country of Arizona’s Mogollon Rim region, offering a peaceful escape surrounded by towering ponderosa forests. Located just minutes from Black Canyon Lake and only 12 miles from Willow Springs Lake, this area is ideal for dispersed camping, trout fishing, hiking the historic General Crook Trail, and visiting landmarks like the Pleasant Valley War gravesite. Frequent wildlife sightings—such as wild horses, elk, and bears—add to the adventure in this quiet, off-the-beaten-path destination.

Black Canyon Lake is a scenic 78-acre trout fishing lake on the Mogollon Rim in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest — a quiet alternative to the more visited Rim Lakes, with forested shoreline, electric motor boating, and wild horses known to stop at the water's edge.

The confluence of the East Fork and West Fork Black River in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest is one of Arizona's most rewarding dispersed camping destinations — reached via the short but rough Home Creek Road (FR 8750), with trout fishing, a spillway swimming hole, and genuine high-country solitude at nearly 7,500 feet.

The West Fork of the Black River along FR 68 in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest is one of Arizona's most rewarding high-elevation dispersed camping destinations — a clear mountain river at 7,740 feet surrounded by towering ponderosa pine, wild horses, abundant wildlife, and a short hike to Colonel Spring for fresh cold water, in the heart of White Mountains country that bears the scars and recovery of Arizona's largest wildfire.

Explore the historic ruins of Bradshaw City, a former gold-mining boomtown established in 1863 in Yavapai County, Arizona. Once home to nearly 5,000 residents, today it offers visitors a fascinating glimpse into Arizona's mining past, surrounded by beautiful forested landscapes.

Camping near C.C. Cragin Reservoir offers a unique escape into nature, where you can enjoy peaceful solitude surrounded by rugged canyon walls, serene waters ideal for kayaking, and the thrill of fishing for rainbow trout, all while being immersed in the diverse wildlife and scenic beauty of the area.

The Domes of Casa Grande was four massive structures located in Casa Grande, Arizona, that were built to facilitate the manufacturing of computers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. However, the project was never completed, leaving behind only a few foundations that were started and left to molder. One of the buildings is shaped like a flying saucer, and the other three resemble spheres joined together. Despite their abandoned state, the Domes remain a popular destination for urban explorers and photographers, drawing visitors to their otherworldly appearance.

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in Coolidge, Arizona preserves the largest known prehistoric structure in North America — a four-story Hohokam adobe Great House built around 1350 CE, protected by a massive steel canopy, designated as America's first archaeological reserve in 1892, and surrounded by the remnants of a sophisticated farming civilization that irrigated the Sonoran Desert for over a thousand years.

This Chaco Canyon Valley, high-desert landscape has long winters, short growing seasons, and marginal rainfall. Yet, it became the center of a thriving culture a thousand years ago. It was an unlikely place for a major center of ancestral Puebloan culture to take root and flourish. The grand scale of its architecture is monumental, making it a center hub for far-reaching commerce with complex community life and high levels of social organization, creating a cultural vision unlike any other seen before or since. That began in the mid 800s and lasted more than 300 years. Their descendants are the modern Southwest Indians. Many Southwest Indian people look upon Chaco as an important stop along their clans' sacred migration paths-a spiritual place to be honored and respected.

Chevelon Canyon Lake, nestled on the Mogollon Rim in northern Arizona, is a serene, hidden gem offering fishing, hiking, and camping. Accessible via a challenging hike, this narrow reservoir is surrounded by rugged canyon views, perfect for nature lovers seeking adventure.

Cave Creek Canyon in the Chiricahua Mountains near Portal, Arizona is one of the most biologically diverse canyons in North America — a birding mecca with 370+ species, spectacular rhyolite cliffs, year-round flowing streams, multiple campgrounds, waterfalls, and dispersed camping across one of Arizona's most rewarding sky island ranges.

Chiricahua National Monument in southeastern Arizona preserves one of the most spectacular volcanic rock landscapes in North America — 27 million years of erosion have carved towering rhyolite pinnacles, balanced rocks, and soaring spires from the Chiricahua Mountains, explored via 17 miles of hiking trails and an 8-mile scenic drive to Massai Point.

Christopher Creek Campground is a classic Mogollon Rim escape tucked along the banks of a spring-fed creek in the Tonto National Forest — ponderosa pines, flowing water, stocked trout, and cool mountain air just 90 minutes from Phoenix at 5,640 feet elevation.

Cliff Dwellers Stone House along Highway 89A in Marble Canyon, Arizona is one of the most unusual roadside stops in the Southwest — a series of stone rooms and outbuildings built directly beneath and between massive balancing boulders in the 1930s by a former Ziegfeld Follies dancer whose car broke down in the desert and decided to stay, now sitting open and free to explore within Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.

Colossal Cave Mountain Park near Vail, Arizona offers cave tours, hiking and biking trails, horseback riding, camping, and picnicking across a 2,400-acre historic park featuring the crystal-filled Colossal Cave and the 120-year-old La Posta Quemada Ranch. Campsites are tucked among saguaro cacti and mesquite trees in Posta Quemada Canyon — 30 primitive sites across El Bosquecito and La Selvilla, both with water and restrooms. First-come first-served, $15/night. No electricity or RV hookups.

Nestled in an arid landscape, Courtland, born from early 1900s mining fervor, whispers tales of a once-thriving community. A fading jail, a collapsing store, and silent foundations stand as echoes of its past. The hills, marked by mines, caution visitors of the hidden hazards within the remnants of Courtland's mining legacy.

Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood, Arizona is a 423-acre Verde River riparian paradise — home to one of fewer than 20 Fremont Cottonwood-Goodding Willow forests remaining worldwide, three stocked fishing lagoons, 20+ miles of trails, kayaking on the Verde River, and camping under the cottonwoods in the heart of the Verde Valley.

Dos Cabezas Pioneer Cemetery is a hillside frontier graveyard in the ghost town of Dos Cabezas near Willcox, Arizona — the final resting place of approximately 180 pioneers, miners, ranchers, and families from the 1870s onward, with many unmarked graves and a plaque honoring those whose names are known but locations are not.

Edge of the World — known officially as East Pocket — is one of the most dramatic free dispersed camping destinations in Arizona, perched at nearly 8,000 feet on the rim of the Mogollon Rim escarpment in the Coconino National Forest with sweeping views of Sedona's Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness, Cottonwood, and Mingus Mountain stretching across the Verde Valley far below.

Fish Creek Canyon Wilderness Study Area on Cedar Mesa in San Juan County, Utah is one of the most remote and rewarding backcountry destinations in the Bears Ears region — deep canyons reaching 700 feet, natural arches, Ancestral Puebloan ruins, and the historic Emigrant Trail route followed by Mormon pioneers in 1879, accessed via the rugged Snow Flat Road (BLM 237) through some of the most spectacular canyon country in the Southwest.

Fossil Creek is one of only two Wild and Scenic Rivers in Arizona — a spring-fed desert oasis discharging over 30 million gallons of 72°F water daily from the base of the Mogollon Rim, with crystal-clear turquoise pools, travertine waterfalls, lush riparian habitat, and one of the most dramatic creek restoration stories in the American Southwest.

Gleeson Ghost Town is one of southeastern Arizona's most atmospheric abandoned mining communities — featuring the ruins of a hospital, saloon, school foundation, and a restored 1910 concrete jail turned museum, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Dragoon Mountains.

Happy Jack, located in the Mogollon Rim Ranger District of the Coconino National Forest, offers a peaceful escape for dispersed camping. With its cooler summer temperatures, towering pines, and diverse wildlife, it’s a perfect destination for outdoor exploration and relaxation.

Herb Martyr Campground sits at the end of Forest Road 42A in Cave Creek Canyon — a free, primitive campground beside Cave Creek in the Coronado National Forest, where a 12-foot waterfall just below the sites provides one of the most memorable camp soundtracks in southeastern Arizona.

Homolovi State Park near Winslow, Arizona preserves over 300 ancestral Hopi archaeological sites from the 13th and 14th centuries — including the partially excavated pueblos of Homolovi I and II, pottery shards scattered across the desert floor, petroglyphs, and an exceptional visitor center museum telling the story of the Hisat'sinom people who paused here on their great migration north.

Horseshoe Dam on the Verde River in the Tonto National Forest is one of the Phoenix area's most remote and rewarding destinations — a WWII-era earthfill dam listed on the National Register of Historic Places, where water releases create a rare walk-behind waterfall, and the Verde River below offers dispersed camping, exceptional wildlife, and moonbow nights.

Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area near Safford, Arizona is one of the most unusual BLM recreation sites in the Southwest — 2,000 acres of sand dunes for OHV riding alongside two 106°F artesian hot tubs that sprang accidentally from an oil drilling operation in 1928, with camping, wildlife viewing ponds, and a remote desert setting far from anything.

Howard Pocket is one of eight designated dispersed camping areas on the Coconino National Forest rim above Sedona — a ridge-top camp at over 6,000 feet with sweeping views of the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness, West Fork Oak Creek Canyon below, and a panorama stretching east to Oak Creek Canyon, I-17, and the fire towers of the Mogollon Rim country.

Ironwood Forest National Monument is a protected area located in southern Arizona, United States. It was established in 2000 and covers approximately 129,000 acres of Sonoran Desert landscape. The monument is named after the iconic ironwood trees (Olneya tesota) that grow within its boundaries.

Jerome State Historic Park perches on Cleopatra Hill above the Verde Valley in Jerome, Arizona — home to the 1916 Douglas Mansion, Arizona's largest adobe structure and now a remarkable copper mining museum with period rooms, a 3D model of the underground mines, mineral exhibits, and sweeping panoramic views of the Verde Valley and Sycamore Canyon.

Kitt Peak National Observatory rises to 6,877 feet in the Quinlan Mountains of the Tohono O'odham Nation southwest of Tucson — home to the largest collection of major optical research telescopes on Earth, with daytime tours of historic telescope domes, sweeping Sonoran Desert views, and nighttime stargazing programs that have drawn over 2 million visitors since 1964.

This mile-long lava tube cave was formed roughly 700,000 years ago by molten rock that erupted from a volcanic vent in nearby Hart Prairie. The top, sides and bottom of the flow cooled and solidified first, after which the insides of the lava river continued to flow emptying out the present cave.

Lowell Observatory on Mars Hill in Flagstaff, Arizona is one of the most historically significant astronomical research institutions in the world — a National Historic Landmark where Pluto was discovered in 1930, where the first evidence of the expanding universe was detected in 1912, and where the 24-inch Clark Telescope built in 1896 still operates for public viewing beneath some of the darkest skies in the American Southwest.

Lynx Lake is a serene 55-acre reservoir at 5,600 feet in the Bradshaw Mountains of the Prescott National Forest — one of central Arizona's most popular recreation areas offering trout fishing, kayaking, hiking, gold panning on Lynx Creek, dispersed camping along FR 30, and a rich mining history stretching back to the first gold discovery in 1863.

McDowell Mountain Regional Park is a 21,099-acre desert jewel in the northeast Valley near Fountain Hills — one of Maricopa County's largest and most scenic regional parks with 50+ miles of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails, sweeping views of the surrounding mountain ranges, and camping options from developed RV sites to primitive tent-only areas.

McFadden Peak is one of only two fire lookout sites in the Sierra Ancha wilderness of the Tonto National Forest — a 7,165-foot summit above Pleasant Valley with 360-degree views of one of the most historically significant and remote corners of Arizona, reached by a 2.9-mile round trip hike up Forest Road 561.

Meadow Hot Springs near Fillmore, Utah is a rare and fragile gift — three clear geothermal pools on private agricultural land, opened to the public through the ongoing generosity of the landowner. The main pool reaches 100°F with remarkable clarity, fish swimming in the cooler pools, and the kind of quiet rural Utah setting that makes a detour off I-15 completely worthwhile. Respect the rules, pack out everything, and help keep this one open.

Mingus Lake is a small trout-stocked pond at 7,500 feet on Mingus Mountain in the Prescott National Forest — a quiet day use fishing spot surrounded by ponderosa pines with sweeping Verde Valley views, a campground less than a mile away, and one of the most scenic drives in central Arizona on the way up.

Forest Road 608 on the western Mogollon Rim near Pine, Arizona offers some of the most accessible and rewarding dispersed camping in the Coconino National Forest — rim-edge canyon views, cool ponderosa pine forest at 7,000 feet, wildlife, wildflowers, and classic high-country solitude just 90 minutes from Phoenix.

Montezuma Castle National Monument near Camp Verde preserves one of the best-preserved prehistoric cliff dwellings in North America — a five-story, 20-room Sinagua apartment complex notched 90 feet up a limestone cliff above Beaver Creek, designated in 1906 as one of America's first four national monuments and still as remarkable today as when Theodore Roosevelt first protected it.

Montezuma Well near Rimrock, Arizona is one of the most quietly astonishing natural features in the American Southwest — a 368-foot-wide, 55-foot-deep limestone sinkhole discharging 1.5 million gallons of spring water daily, home to five species found nowhere else on Earth, surrounded by 900-year-old Sinagua cliff dwellings and an irrigation canal still carrying water today.

FR 95 is a 30-mile forest road corridor through the Coconino National Forest below the Mogollon Rim — offering some of the best dispersed camping in Arizona, with nearby access to East Clear Creek, the historic Moqui Lookout fire tower, Blue Ridge Reservoir, water play in Barbershop Canyon, and miles of ponderosa pine backcountry to explore.

Mount Graham — the 10,720-foot summit of the Pinaleño Mountains — is Arizona's tallest sky island range in the Coronado National Forest near Safford, offering dramatic elevation changes, ancient mixed-conifer forest, Riggs Flat Lake, and some of the most diverse wildlife in North America including the endangered Mount Graham red squirrel.

Mount Lemmon is the crown of the Santa Catalina Sky Island — a 9,159-foot escape rising from Tucson's desert floor through six life zones to pine forest, dispersed camping, hiking, and the southernmost ski area in the United States, all accessible via the 27-mile Catalina Highway Scenic Byway.

Muley Point on Cedar Mesa near Mexican Hat, Utah is one of the finest and least known dispersed camping overlooks in the American Southwest — perched 2,400 feet above the San Juan River canyon on BLM land with panoramic views stretching to Monument Valley, the Goosenecks, Valley of the Gods, and the Four Corners region, accessible via a five-mile gravel road with no fees and no reservations.

Navajo Bridge at Marble Canyon, Arizona spans the Colorado River 467 feet above the water — one of only seven crossings of the river for 750 miles, with two steel arch bridges side by side, a free interpretive center, and some of the most dramatic canyon views in the Southwest accessible to anyone willing to walk out onto the 1929 historic pedestrian bridge.

The Navajo Moenave Dinosaur Tracks near Tuba City, Arizona preserve hundreds of authentic Early Jurassic footprints embedded in 200-million-year-old sandstone — walked among in the open desert with Navajo guides from the community of Moenave, no glass cases, no barriers, no crowds. Just the tracks and the landscape where they were made.

Navajo National Monument in northern Arizona preserves three of the most intact Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings in the Southwest — Betatakin, Keet Seel, and Inscription House — set within the dramatic Tsegi Canyon system on the Navajo Nation, with free entry, free camping, and ranger-led tours to dwellings last occupied around 1300 AD.

The Midgley Bridge swimming hole on Oak Creek in Sedona is one of the most beautiful and accessible creek experiences in Arizona — reached by a short descent on the Midgley Bridge Trail and Huckaby Trail, with red rock narrows, natural water chutes you can ride, deep swimming holes, and canyon views that rival anything Slide Rock has to offer with a fraction of the crowds.

Red Rock Crossing on Oak Creek near the Village of Oak Creek is one of the most iconic and photographed views in Arizona — Cathedral Rock rising 1,515 feet above the creek, reflected in pools of clear water, accessible via the Baldwin Trail from Verde Valley School Road with swimming holes, Buddha Beach, sand banks, and the kind of day that ends with a double rainbow if you stay long enough.

Escape into Arizona’s rugged high country along FR 171 and Young Road, where peaceful pine forests, dispersed campsites, and rim-edge views invite backcountry adventure. Located within easy reach of Willow Springs Lake for fishing and picnics, this quieter alternative to the main Rim Road is perfect for wildlife watching, off-grid camping, and exploring the cool, scenic landscapes of the Mogollon Rim region.

Explore the rugged beauty of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, a UNESCO biosphere reserve where vast desert landscapes meet striking mountain ranges. Discover rare flora, hike scenic trails, and experience the vibrant biodiversity of Arizona’s Sonoran Desert.

Palatki Heritage Site is one of the largest and best-preserved Sinagua cliff dwelling complexes near Sedona, Arizona — featuring ancient rock art, pictographs up to 6,000 years old, and guided tours through red sandstone alcoves in the Coconino National Forest.

Peralta Regional Park is a Pinal County gem nestled against the Superstition Mountains near Gold Canyon — offering 31 remote campsites, 9+ miles of multi-use trails, a stargazing node, and a gateway to the Superstition Wilderness.

Petrified Forest National Park in northeastern Arizona preserves one of the world's largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood — 225 million years old — alongside the sweeping multicolored badlands of the Painted Desert, ancient petroglyphs, and Ancestral Puebloan ruins across 93,500 acres.

Picacho Peak State Park along Arizona's I-10 corridor is one of the most historically layered state parks in the Southwest — a striking volcanic peak rising 1,500 feet from the Sonoran Desert floor, site of the westernmost battle of the American Civil War, a showcase for spring wildflower blooms that draw visitors from across the state, and a developed campground with 85 electric sites just 45 miles from both Phoenix and Tucson.

The Pinal Mountains rise to 7,848 feet just south of Globe, Arizona — a sky island of ponderosa pine and white fir tucked inside the Tonto National Forest, offering cool summer camping, eight hiking trails, sweeping views from the lookout tower and some of the most surprising wildlife encounters in central Arizona.

Pinery Creek dispersed camping on FR 42C near Onion Saddle in the Chiricahua Mountains offers one of the most rewarding off-the-beaten-path camp experiences in southeastern Arizona — cliff views at 6,160 feet, a cold clear creek for swimming, an Acorn Woodpecker granary tree right in camp, and the kind of solitude that only comes from finding a place most people drive past.

Red Cliffs Recreation Area near Leeds, Utah is a BLM gem tucked against dramatic red sandstone cliffs just off I-15 — featuring Early Jurassic dinosaur tracks in the sandstone, Ancestral Puebloan ruins, 14 hiking trails through Quail Creek Canyon, and one of the most visually striking campgrounds in southern Utah.

Red Rock State Park is Sedona's most serene and family-friendly outdoor destination — a 286-acre nature preserve along Oak Creek where five miles of interconnected trails wind through manzanita and juniper to the creek's lush riparian corridor, framed by the iconic red rock formations that make Sedona famous worldwide.

Riggs Flat Lake is an 11-acre alpine lake at 9,000 feet near the summit of Mount Graham in the Coronado National Forest — stocked with rainbow, brown, and brook trout, surrounded by pine forest and meadow, and sitting at the end of the Swift Trail as a reward for the drive up.

Roosevelt Lake is Arizona's largest lake entirely within state borders — a 21,000-acre desert reservoir formed by the historic Theodore Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River, offering world-class bass fishing, kayaking, lakeside camping, and sweeping Sonoran Desert views just 90 miles from Phoenix.

Just a day trip away from Tucson & 4 miles shy of the border of Mexico is a rare opportunity to look back at over a century of Arizona's mining history. From a once-thriving community of 1,200 people to a modern-day ghost town. Ruby has access to over 350 acres of trails, two lakes, and incredible biodiversity.

Discover Saddle Mountain in Tonopah, Arizona, a hidden gem for rock hounds, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts. This stunning desert landscape offers chalcedony and quartz hunting, vibrant sunsets, petroglyph exploration—perfect for a unique desert adventure.

Saguaro National Park East — the Rincon Mountain District — protects one of the densest saguaro forests on earth alongside the 8-mile Cactus Forest Drive, 128 miles of hiking trails, and a wilderness backcountry that climbs from Sonoran Desert to pine forest at 8,666 feet in the Mica Mountains.

Sand Island Petroglyphs near Bluff, Utah preserves over 100 yards of continuous rock art panel on the banks of the San Juan River — spanning 2,500 to 8,000 years of human history from Archaic hunters to Ancestral Puebloans, Ute, and Navajo peoples, including five Kokopelli figures, San Juan Anthropomorphs, and some of the most accessible ancient rock art in the Bears Ears National Monument region.

Sasco Ghost Town near Red Rock, Arizona is the crumbling remains of a Southern Arizona copper smelting operation from the early 1900s — featuring the ruins of the Rockland Hotel, smelter foundations, and a fascinating piece of Arizona mining history off the beaten path.

Sears Kay Ruins is an ancient Hohokam fortification in the Tonto National Forest near Carefree, Arizona — listed on the National Register of Historic Places and accessible via a short self-guided loop trail with sweeping desert views.

Sheep Bridge Hot Springs is one of Arizona's most remote natural soaking spots — a 99°F geothermal spring on the banks of the Verde River in the Tonto National Forest, reached only by a rugged 4x4 drive through Bloody Basin or a long backcountry hike.

Shoofly Village Ruins near Payson, Arizona is one of the most accessible ancient archaeological sites on the Mogollon Rim — a 4-acre prehistoric compound with 80+ rooms, a surrounding stone wall, and interpretive signs that bring a 1,000-year-old community back to life.

Silver Bell Cemetery is a historic frontier graveyard tucked inside the Ironwood Forest National Monument near Marana, Arizona — the last visible remnant of the original Silverbell mining community that boomed and went bust in the early 1900s.

Explore Silver Reef Ghost Town near Leeds, Utah, a once-thriving mining town uniquely built on silver-bearing sandstone. Founded in 1875 and abandoned by 1891, this historical gem offers a fascinating glimpse into the Wild West's mining past, scenic views, and family-friendly activities.

Slide Rock State Park in Oak Creek Canyon north of Sedona is one of Arizona's most beloved natural attractions — an 80-foot natural sandstone water slide worn slick by Oak Creek, a historic 1912 apple orchard, wading pools, hiking trails, and canyon views that have drawn visitors from around the world since Frank Pendley built his homestead here more than a century ago.

Sunny Flat Campground sits at the entrance to Cave Creek Canyon near Portal, Arizona — a well-developed Forest Service campground shaded by sycamores and oaks at 5,200 feet, with canyon wall views, year-round water, and one of the most dramatic lightning and thunderstorm experiences the Chiricahua Mountains can deliver.

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument north of Flagstaff preserves the youngest volcano on the Colorado Plateau — a 1,000-foot cinder cone that erupted around 1085 CE, covering 800 square miles in ash and forever changing the lives of the Sinagua people, with dramatic black lava fields, colorful cinder cones, and three short trails through an otherworldly volcanic landscape.

Parsons Trail is the gateway to Sycamore Canyon Wilderness — Arizona's largest canyon wilderness at 56,000 acres, stretching 21 miles from the Verde Valley floor to the Colorado Plateau rim. A 7.4-mile round trip along Sycamore Creek through towering red sandstone walls leads to Parsons Spring, one of the most rewarding hike-to destinations in central Arizona.

Explore the Tabernacle Hill Lava Tubes in Utah, a captivating natural wonder located near Leeds. This unique geological formation offers adventure seekers a chance to hike, explore underground lava tubes, and take in scenic desert landscapes. Ideal for outdoor enthusiasts, photographers, and campers, the lava tubes are a must-see for those seeking an off-the-beaten-path experience in Southern Utah.

The Titan II Missile Interpretive Site inside the Ironwood Forest National Monument near Marana, Arizona is one of 18 former nuclear missile launch sites that once ringed Tucson during the Cold War — a decommissioned silo where a 9-megaton warhead sat on 58-second launch readiness for over 20 years, now open to the public as a free interpretive site.

The Salado Phenomena, 700 years ago, blended ideas of neighboring Native American cultures to emerge a unique and vibrant society. Tonto National Monument showcases two Salado-style cliff dwellings. Colorful pottery, woven cotton cloth, and other artifacts tell a story of people living and using resources from the northern Sonoran Desert from 1250 to 1450 CE.

Discover Tonto Natural Bridge State Park near Payson, Arizona, home to the world’s largest natural travertine bridge. Explore scenic hiking trails, enjoy wildlife sightings, and relax in beautiful picnic areas.

Topaz Internment Camp near Delta, Utah is the site of one of the largest WWII Japanese American internment camps — where nearly 8,000 American citizens were confined from 1942 to 1945. A small museum in Delta preserves their story.

Tuzigoot National Monument near Clarkdale, Arizona preserves a 110-room Sinagua hilltop pueblo built between 1000 and 1400 CE — one of the best-preserved prehistoric villages in the American Southwest, with sweeping views of the Verde Valley, a museum of 3,000+ artifacts, and a short self-guided loop trail through stone rooms occupied by 250 people for nearly 400 years.

Twin Arrows Trading Post a Route 66 roadside attraction was built in the late 1940's and was abandoned in 1995. It consists of giant yellow wooden twin arrows, an abandoned gift shop and Valentine’s diner, some gas pumps, and big tanks in the back still remain. The building and various structures are deteriorating, this Icon has certainly seen better days. From what I understand the land is owned by the Twin Arrows Navajo Casino, that appears have yet to cleanup the area. Now abandoned buildings and structures have become a canvas for graffiti artists. Lots of interesting and creative graffiti to explore.

Two Guns is one of Arizona's most haunted and storied Route 66 ghost towns — a cursed stretch of Canyon Diablo where a Navajo massacre, a Wild West showman, a mountain lion zoo, a murder, and a devastating fire all converged on the same dusty patch of high desert east of Flagstaff.

Valley of the Gods near Mexican Hat, Utah is the lesser-known cousin of Monument Valley — a 17-mile BLM loop road through isolated sandstone buttes, mesas, and spires carved from 250-million-year-old Cedar Mesa sandstone, with free dispersed camping on the valley floor, no fees, and formations named Seven Sailors, Castle Butte, Rooster Butte, Setting Hen, and more.

Verde Hot Springs is one of Arizona's most storied remote soaking destinations — the ruins of a 1920s resort along the Verde River in the Tonto National Forest, where two natural hot spring pools survive among graffiti-covered walls and concrete foundations, reached by a rough 19-mile dirt road and a river crossing.