5 Scenic Drives from Flagstaff — Routes, Stops & Timing

This is the signature scenic drive from Flagstaff, and it deserves its reputation. Highway 89A drops 2,500 feet from the ponderosa pine forests above Flagstaff into the red-rock desert of Sedona, carving through Oak Creek Canyon the entire way. The road begins with a series of steep, tight switchbacks at the canyon rim — dramatic and well-maintained but not for nervous drivers. Once you reach the canyon floor, it follows Oak Creek through towering red and orange sandstone walls for 15 miles of continuous beauty.

Mile-by-Mile Stops

• Mile 0 — Flagstaff departure: Head south on Highway 89A from the Milton Road / Route 66 intersection. The road climbs gently through pine forest for the first few miles.
• Mile 4 — Oak Creek Vista (overlook): The first stop and one of the best. A large paved pullout on the right side gives you a stunning view down into the canyon from the rim — 1,000 feet straight down. There's a small vendor market here with Native American jewelry and crafts. Free. 15-minute stop minimum.
• Mile 5-7 — The Switchbacks: After the vista, the road plunges into the canyon via a series of hairpin turns. No place to stop, just drive carefully and enjoy the views from the car. Speed limit drops to 25 mph here for good reason.
• Mile 12 — Slide Rock State Park: The most popular stop on the route. Natural rock waterslides in Oak Creek, formed by centuries of water flowing over smooth red sandstone. $20-30 per vehicle (price varies by season). Swimming is seasonal (May-September) but the walk through the old apple orchard to the creek is beautiful year-round. Allow 1-2 hours if you swim, 30 minutes for a quick look.
• Mile 14 — Grasshopper Point: A less crowded swimming hole with cliff jumping for the adventurous. $10 per vehicle. The water is cold (fed by Oak Creek from the mountains above) but the swimming holes are deep and clear. More of a local hangout than Slide Rock, which means fewer crowds.
• Mile 20 — Midgley Bridge: A high bridge over Wilson Canyon with views of Sedona's red rocks opening up ahead. Small pullout parking on the north side. Free. This is where the canyon transitions to open Sedona terrain.
• Mile 27 — Sedona: You arrive in uptown Sedona. Turn around and drive back the same route, or return via I-17 north (faster, 50 minutes, no scenery).

Fall Color Notes

Oak Creek Canyon is Arizona's premier fall color drive. The canyon's unique microclimate supports bigtooth maple, Gambel oak, and Arizona sycamore alongside the ponderosa pines — creating a red, orange, and gold display that peaks in early to mid-October. The color shows best in the lower canyon (miles 10-20) where the maples concentrate. On peak color weekends, the road backs up from Slide Rock parking and the Oak Creek Vista lot fills by 9 AM. Go on a weekday or arrive before 8 AM on weekends.

This loop takes you through a landscape that looks like it belongs on another planet. About 900 years ago, Sunset Crater erupted and covered the surrounding area in lava and cinder cones. The Sinagua people who lived here adapted, farming the volcanic soil, and built the stone pueblos you'll see at Wupatki National Monument. The drive combines volcanic geology, Ancestral Puebloan architecture, and painted desert vistas in a single 36-mile loop that starts and ends on US 89 north of Flagstaff.

The Route

• Start: Drive north on US 89 from Flagstaff (12 miles). Turn right onto the Sunset Crater - Wupatki Loop Road (FR 545). The turnoff is well-signed.
• Sunset Crater Visitor Center (mile 2 of loop): Start here for context. A small museum explains the eruption (around 1085 AD) and its impact on the region. $25 per vehicle covers both Sunset Crater and Wupatki. Ranger talks are excellent when available.
• Lava Flow Trail (mile 3): A 1-mile paved loop through a frozen lava field. You'll walk across actual lava flows with interpretive signs explaining the geology. Easy trail, 30-45 minutes. The black lava against the ponderosa pines is surreal — bring a wide-angle lens.
• Lenox Crater Trail (mile 4): A steeper 1-mile round-trip hike up a cinder cone for panoramic views of the volcanic field and the Painted Desert to the northeast. The cinders are loose — wear sturdy shoes. 30-45 minutes.
• Painted Desert Vista (mile 15): As the road descends from the volcanic highlands, the landscape opens to reveal the Painted Desert stretching northeast toward Navajo Nation. Multiple pullouts here. The colors shift with the light — morning and late afternoon are best for photography.
• Wupatki Pueblo (mile 22): The largest structure in the monument — a 100-room pueblo built by the Sinagua people around 1100 AD. A 0.5-mile paved trail loops through the ruins. The ball court (one of the northernmost Mesoamerican ball courts ever found) is fascinating. Allow 45 minutes.
• Return to US 89 (mile 36): The loop exits back onto US 89. Turn left (south) to return to Flagstaff (20 minutes).

The entire loop has no gas stations, no restaurants, and limited cell service. Bring water, snacks, and a full tank of gas. There are restrooms at both visitor centers.

Lake Mary Road is the drive most visitors don't know about. It heads southeast from Flagstaff through rolling ponderosa pine forest, past two mountain lakes, through aspen groves, and ends at the small ranching community of Mormon Lake. The road is fully paved, gently winding, and almost empty compared to the Oak Creek Canyon crowds. It's a locals' favorite for fishing, fall color, and Sunday drives.

What You'll See

• Miles 1-5 — Upper Lake Mary: The larger of the two lakes, visible from several pullouts on the left side of the road. When water levels are high (spring and early summer), the lake reflects the pine-covered hills beautifully. A few informal fishing access points along here — rainbow trout and northern pike.
• Miles 5-8 — Lower Lake Mary: A smaller, shallower lake that can dry to a meadow by late summer in drought years. When it's full, it's peaceful and uncrowded. Osprey and bald eagles fish here in spring.
• Miles 8-12 — Aspen Groves: This stretch passes through the best aspen groves on the drive. In early October, the aspens turn a deep gold that lights up the forest. Several pullouts for photos. The combination of golden aspens and dark green pines against blue sky is classic Northern Arizona.
• Miles 12-20 — Pine Forest Cruise: Rolling hills of ponderosa pine with occasional meadows. Elk sightings are common at dawn and dusk — drive carefully. The road is straight and fast through here but speed limit is 55 mph and enforced.
• Mile 28 — Mormon Lake Village: A tiny community with a general store, a lodge (Mormon Lake Lodge — steak dinners and country dancing on weekends), and not much else. The lake itself is Arizona's largest natural lake, though "lake" is generous — it's shallow and frequently more meadow than water. The lodge restaurant is worth a stop for lunch.
• Mile 32 — Mormon Lake: Road continues to the Dairy Springs area. Turn around here or loop back via I-17 north (30 minutes back to Flagstaff).

Lake Mary Road is excellent for fishing. Upper Lake Mary is stocked with rainbow trout and also holds northern pike, walleye, and catfish. An Arizona fishing license is required ($37 non-resident daily, $55 for 5 days). You can buy licenses online at azgfd.com or at Walmart and sporting goods stores in Flagstaff.

Snowbowl Road is the shortest drive on this list but arguably delivers the most scenic value per mile. The road climbs from about 7,000 feet at the base to 9,500 feet at the Arizona Snowbowl ski area — a 2,500-foot elevation gain in just 7 miles. The entire route is lined with dense forest that transitions from ponderosa pine to aspen to Engelmann spruce as you ascend. In fall, the aspens turn this road into a golden tunnel.

The Drive

From Flagstaff, drive north on US 180 for 7 miles, then turn right onto Snowbowl Road (FR 516). The turn is well-signed. The road is two lanes, fully paved, and winds steadily uphill through increasingly spectacular forest. There are no formal pullouts in the lower section, but several wide shoulders appear as you climb. The last 2 miles, where the aspens dominate, are the most stunning stretch.

At the Top

• Scenic Chairlift (summer/fall): Arizona Snowbowl runs the scenic chairlift from Memorial Day weekend through mid-October. The ride takes you from 9,500 feet up to about 11,500 feet — above treeline, with 360-degree views of the Painted Desert, Grand Canyon rim, Sedona red rocks, and the volcanic fields. Tickets are around $25-30 for adults. The views from the top are genuinely breathtaking and impossible to replicate from any road.
• Humphreys Peak Trailhead: The trailhead for Arizona's highest point (12,637 feet) is in the Snowbowl parking area. The hike is a strenuous 10-mile round trip with 3,300 feet of elevation gain — a full-day commitment. Not part of a scenic drive, but the trailhead parking area itself offers excellent views to the south.
• Agassiz Lodge: The base lodge usually has food and drinks available in summer and fall. Basic fare but the patio views looking south over Flagstaff and the surrounding forest are hard to beat.

Fall Color

This is the best fall color drive in the Flagstaff area. The aspen groves on Snowbowl Road typically peak in the last week of September and first week of October — about a week earlier than Oak Creek Canyon, since the elevation is higher. On peak weekends, traffic backs up and the Snowbowl parking lot fills by mid-morning. Go on a weekday or arrive before 9 AM. The golden light of late afternoon backlights the aspens beautifully on the drive back down.

This is the shortest drive on the list — just 3 miles from I-40 Exit 204 to the Walnut Canyon National Monument visitor center. But the approach deserves mention because the views of the 400-foot-deep canyon that appear as you drive in are stunning and unexpected. You're driving through flat, unremarkable terrain, and then suddenly the earth opens up to reveal a massive limestone gorge with 800-year-old cliff dwellings tucked under the canyon walls.

The Approach

Take I-40 East from Flagstaff to Exit 204 (well-signed for Walnut Canyon National Monument). The access road is a gentle 3-mile drive through piñon-juniper woodland that gives no hint of what's ahead. As you near the visitor center, the canyon rim appears and the scale of the gorge becomes apparent. The first view from the visitor center observation deck — straight down 400 feet into a sinuous, forested canyon — is one of the most underrated views in Northern Arizona.

At the Monument

• Island Trail: A 1-mile loop that descends 185 steps into the canyon and passes 25 cliff dwelling rooms tucked under limestone overhangs. The Sinagua people built these between 1100-1250 AD. You'll walk through actual rooms and doorways. Moderately strenuous due to the stairs and the 7,000-foot elevation. Allow 45-60 minutes.
• Rim Trail: A 0.7-mile paved loop along the canyon rim with overlook views down to the cliff dwellings across the canyon. Accessible and easy. 20-30 minutes. Several interpretive panels explain the geology and human history.
• Admission: $15 per person or free with America the Beautiful pass. The visitor center has a small museum with Sinagua artifacts and an excellent 10-minute introductory film.

While the drive itself is short, the canyon is worth the detour. It's far less crowded than the Grand Canyon or Montezuma Castle, and the experience of walking through cliff dwellings — stepping where people lived 800 years ago — is more intimate than any overlook.

Gas Up First

None of these drives have gas stations along the route (except Sedona at the end of Oak Creek Canyon). Fill up in Flagstaff before you leave. The cheapest gas is at Costco (I-17 exit), Fry's (East Route 66), and Safeway (East Route 66).

Cell Service

Cell service is unreliable on all five drives. Oak Creek Canyon has dead zones through most of the canyon floor. The Sunset Crater-Wupatki loop has essentially no service for the 20-mile middle section. Lake Mary Road has spotty coverage. Download offline maps before you leave Flagstaff — Google Maps and Apple Maps both support offline map downloads.

Winter Driving

From November through March, Snowbowl Road and Lake Mary Road can have snow and ice. Snowbowl Road is plowed during ski season but can be slippery — carry chains or have all-wheel drive. Oak Creek Canyon's switchbacks can ice over in winter mornings. Highway 89A occasionally closes briefly during heavy storms. Check az511.gov for current road conditions before any winter drive.

Combining Drives

You can combine Snowbowl Road and Oak Creek Canyon in a single day — Snowbowl in the morning (the aspen light is best before noon), back to Flagstaff for lunch, then Oak Creek Canyon in the afternoon (the switchback drive into the canyon is best with afternoon sun). The Sunset Crater-Wupatki loop pairs well with a late afternoon return via the Painted Desert viewpoints when the light is golden. Lake Mary Road and Walnut Canyon can be combined since both start from the same side of Flagstaff (southeast).