Arizona's boom-and-bust history left behind trading posts, mining towns, homesteads, and roadside relics slowly being reclaimed by the desert. These are places that once thrived — some for decades, some for just a few years — before the ore ran out, the railroad moved on, or the money dried up. What remains ranges from crumbling foundations to standing walls and rusted equipment that looks like it was abandoned last week.

From lava tubes to sandstone alcoves, Arizona's caves and caverns are some of the most overlooked destinations in the state. Whether you're squeezing into a slot or standing inside a massive natural bridge, these underground worlds offer a completely different view of the landscape. Worth every step it takes to get there.

Arizona's forests surprise people who only know the desert side of the state. The Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, Prescott, and Tonto National Forests cover millions of acres of tall pines, mountain meadows, and canyon country at elevation. This is where we do most of our camping — and where AZ Places guided trips are based.

There's nothing quite like soaking in a natural hot spring with your camp near by. Arizona and Utah has a handful of them — some easy to reach, some requiring a real commitment to get to. All of them worth it. This is a short list, but every one of these spots is memorable.

Arizona's parks protect some of the most dramatic landscapes in North America, from the Grand Canyon to ancient cliff dwellings to petrified forests. These managed lands offer infrastructure, interpretation, and access to places that would otherwise be difficult to reach. Whether you're a first-time visitor or a longtime Arizona resident, the parks always deliver.

Arizona and the greater Southwest hold some of the most significant prehistoric sites in North America — cliff dwellings, great houses, hilltop pueblos, petroglyphs, and pottery fields left by the Hohokam, Sinagua, Ancestral Puebloans, and Salado peoples. These are not reconstructions or replicas. They are the real thing, still standing in the same desert and canyon country where they were built centuries ago. We believe in seeing them firsthand.

The Sonoran Desert is one of the most diverse and visually striking landscapes on earth, and we've barely scratched the surface of what's out there. Box canyons, boulder fields, towering saguaros, and wide open bajadas — the desert has its own rhythm if you slow down enough to notice it. This section covers the places that belong to the low desert with some great desert camping.

Arizona's recorded history is short and densely packed — territorial prisons, Cold War missile silos, ghost towns, pioneer cemeteries, and homestead foundations scattered across the desert. From the Ziegfeld Follies dancer who built a stone house beneath a boulder to the train robbers who hid in a dry cave, the stories embedded in these places are stranger and more compelling than anything in a textbook. We believe in seeing history firsthand whenever possible.

Arizona has more water than most people expect — mountain lakes tucked into the pines of the Mogollon Rim, desert rivers that carve through canyon country, and quiet shorelines that feel a world away from the city. These are places for fishing, swimming, kayaking, camping on the water, and simply sitting next to something that moves. Several of the lakes and rivers in this list are spots we return to year after year.

From volcanic cinder cones to granite summits, Arizona's peaks offer some of the most rewarding views in the Southwest. You don't always have to hike to the top — sometimes the drive up is enough. These are the high points we've stood on and the ones still on our list