When we planned a family trip to Arizona in August, I expected the heat to be the part we would simply have to tolerate. Daytime temperatures were around 35–40°C, and we were travelling with my husband, our baby, toddler and my parents, so spending entire days outside in the desert wasn’t exactly realistic.
What surprised me was how manageable it actually felt.
The dry heat made a huge difference. It was obviously hot—40°C is still 40°C—but without the humidity we are used to at home in Toronto, it didn’t have that same heavy, sticky feeling. Even carrying the baby in a carrier was more comfortable than I had expected.
We spent eight days split between Sedona and Scottsdale, which ended up being just enough time to see quite a bit without feeling as though every day needed to be packed. Sedona was mostly about scenery, drives and a few planned experiences. Scottsdale was where we slowed down completely, and surprisingly, it ended up being the highlight of the trip.
Is Arizona too hot to visit in August?
For us, no and I would go again in August.
I wouldn’t recommend arriving with an itinerary built around afternoon hikes and hours outdoors in direct sun. We went into the trip knowing we needed to work with the heat rather than pretend it wasn’t there.
In Sedona, that meant doing more scenic driving, stopping at viewpoints and heading north toward Flagstaff for a cooler day. In Scottsdale, we spent the hottest parts of the day at the resort or indoors and usually went to the pool later in the afternoon once the sun wasn’t quite as intense.
August also felt noticeably quieter. We never had the sense that we were fighting crowds everywhere we went, particularly at our Scottsdale resort. For the trade-off of having hotter temperatures, I would happily travel at that time of year again.
Our 8-day Arizona trip at a glance
| Stay | What we did |
|---|---|
| Sedona – first 4 days | Uptown Sedona, Verde Canyon Railroad, Arizona Snowbowl Scenic Gondola, red rock scenic drive, Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock area, Tlaquepaque and sunset at the airport overlook |
| Scottsdale/Phoenix – remainder of trip | Westin Kierland, lazy river, FlowRider, Children’s Museum of Phoenix, outlet shopping, restaurants and plenty of resort time |
| What we skipped | OdySea Aquarium and Butterfly Wonderland—we decided we’d rather stay at the resort |
Eight days felt about right. We had plans, but there was enough room to change our minds without feeling like we were wasting the trip.
Starting in Sedona
We landed in Phoenix, picked up our rental car and stopped at Hawaiian Bros for lunch before making the drive to Sedona. It was our first time trying it and we really enjoyed it. We already had Oahu booked for October, so Hawaiian food apparently became an accidental theme at both ends of this Arizona trip.
For Sedona, we rented an Airbnb rather than staying at a hotel. It worked really well because we had a kitchen, more room to spread out and somewhere comfortable to have meals at home instead of taking everyone to a restaurant every time we were hungry.
Our Airbnb was also conveniently close to Whole Foods, Safeway and plenty of restaurants.
We ate at Tres Amigos, which was good, and also tried Hideaway House. Hideaway House had good food, generous portions and was another meal we enjoyed.
Staying in a house also gave us a few moments we probably wouldn’t have had at a resort. We kept seeing animals that looked like wild pigs wandering around the neighbourhood, which we later learned were javelinas. One evening, we were standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes when a deer casually walked past our window.
It was one of those small travel moments that had nothing to do with the itinerary but somehow stays with you.
Uptown Sedona and the Verde Canyon Railroad
We spent some time walking around Uptown Sedona and going through the shops. If you’ve never visited, Sedona has a very noticeable spiritual side. There were crystals everywhere, along with psychic readings and different spiritual services. We weren’t there specifically for any of that, but it made wandering around the shops interesting and gave us something easy to do without having to spend hours outside.
One of our bigger planned experiences was the Verde Canyon Railroad, where we took an evening train through the canyon.
We loved the experience itself. The carriage was spacious, the lounge-style chairs were comfortable and the charcuterie box was surprisingly delicious. We were also able to switch our bottles of champagne for apple cider so Pierce could have some. Each passenger car also had access to an open-air viewing car, so we could go outside and enjoy the scenery without having to stay outside for the entire trip.
The guide was helpful, and it was a very easy way for all three generations of our family to see more of the landscape without hiking in August.
My only hesitation was the length. The full journey is around four hours, which the railway also lists as the standard experience, and by the end we felt it was a little too long.
I would still do it again. I just wouldn’t underestimate how much of the day it takes up.
Escaping the heat at Arizona Snowbowl
The following day, we drove north toward Flagstaff to ride the Arizona Snowbowl Scenic Gondola.
The biggest appeal in August was the temperature. It was roughly 10 degrees cooler when we visited, and after being in the desert heat, that alone made the drive worthwhile.
We took the gondola up for the views, walked around a little and otherwise kept the day very easy. The mountain scenery was beautiful, but I would keep expectations realistic if you’re used to Canadian mountain destinations.
Coming from Toronto and having visited places like Banff, I was expecting a little more infrastructure around the mountain. Snowbowl was much more basic. There was the gondola, scenery and somewhere to eat, but it wasn’t an extensive tourist destination with an entire village built around it. The food was decent, typical pub-style food and it did exactly what we needed it to do that day.
We weren’t looking for another packed attraction. We wanted views, cooler air and a slower day.
Scenic driving was the right way for us to see Sedona in August
Our last full Sedona day was probably the simplest. We drove.
Rather than building the trip around hikes, we drove through the red rocks and stopped at places that looked worthwhile along the way. Our route included the Red Rock Ranger District Visitor Center, Bell Rock Vista Trailhead, the Cathedral Rock area around Back O’ Beyond Road, Chapel of the Holy Cross and Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village.
It was a really good way to see Sedona with a baby, toddler and my parents because no one had to spend hours walking in the heat. We could get out, enjoy the views, take photos and then get back into the air-conditioned car.
One thing I would plan differently is the timing. A lot of Sedona’s attractions and visitor facilities close around 4 or 5 p.m., so don’t assume you can save everything for late afternoon just because sunset is much later.
We reached the Chapel of the Holy Cross after it had closed. Thankfully, Carl and I had visited on a previous trip, so missing it wasn’t a big deal for us, but I wouldn’t leave it until the end of the day if you’ve never been.
We finished the evening at the Sedona Airport Scenic Overlook for sunset. There were quite a few people there, but it never felt uncomfortably crowded. It was an easy ending to a day that had mostly been spent taking in Sedona from the road.
Then we got to Scottsdale and didn’t really want to leave the hotel
After four days in Sedona, we drove back toward Scottsdale and checked into The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa.
This ended up being the highlight of the whole trip.
I had originally been sold on the hotel because of the lazy river, and it was probably the amenity we used most. We tried to get in every day, usually after around 4 p.m. when the sun had come down a little and it felt more comfortable being outside.
The resort’s water area also has a waterslide and FlowRider surf simulator in addition to the lazy river. Carl paid US$55 to do the FlowRider when we were there. He had already tried one on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas and knew he enjoyed it, so it was an easy decision. If you’re curious about that trip too, I wrote about the ship separately in my Icon of the Seas family review.
August felt like low season at Kierland. I wouldn’t say we had the place to ourselves, but the resort felt relaxed rather than busy, which was exactly what we wanted.
By this point in the trip, the Scottsdale part stopped feeling like sightseeing and started feeling like an actual vacation.
Where we ate in Scottsdale
Scottsdale also gave us some of the best and one of the most disappointing meals of the trip.
We went to Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, which was good. The revolving sushi setup made it an easy casual meal and was something a little different without requiring much planning.
The standout, though, was De Babel. The food was fantastic and easily one of our favourite meals of the trip, but the tahini ice cream was what I kept thinking about afterward. I loved it. It’s actually one of the desserts on De Babel’s menu, and I would go back for that alone.
Our last dinner was very different.
We decided to try Hula’s Modern Tiki because we had enjoyed Hawaiian Bros so much on our first day and thought ending the trip with another island-inspired meal would be fun. It was a complete letdown for us.
To be fair, Hula’s describes its menu as a fusion of Island and Mainland flavours rather than strictly traditional Hawaiian food. But even with that distinction, the flavours weren’t what we were expecting at all. After enjoying Hawaiian Bros earlier in the week, the comparison made the meal even more disappointing.
It was one of the few restaurants from the trip I wouldn’t go back to.
Children’s Museum of Phoenix and knowing when to stop sightseeing
We did leave the resort for part of one day to visit the Children’s Museum of Phoenix and do some shopping at Phoenix Premium Outlets.
The museum reminded us quite a bit of the children’s museum we had visited in Las Vegas. There were lots of interactive play areas, including a large climbing structure and activities like a bike and car wash. The museum is designed around hands-on play rather than exhibits children simply look at, which worked well for our toddler.
If you’re deciding between the two destinations with young kids, I wrote more about our experience at the other museum in Las Vegas With a Toddler Was Better Than We Imagined.
We had originally planned another day around OdySea Aquarium and Butterfly Wonderland. Then we changed our minds. By that point, we were enjoying the Westin so much that leaving the lazy river to check another two attractions off our itinerary seemed unnecessary. We decided to stay at the hotel instead. I don’t regret it at all.
One thing travelling with kids has made us better at is recognizing when a trip doesn’t need another activity added to it. We still choose the places we want to visit and the things we genuinely want to experience, but having enough time to change the plan is often what makes a vacation actually feel relaxing.
Was eight days enough for Sedona and Scottsdale?
For us, eight days was almost perfect.
Four days gave us enough time in Sedona to see the landscapes, spend time in town, take the train, head to Snowbowl and dedicate a day to driving around without feeling like we were constantly packing up for the next stop.
Then Scottsdale gave us the opposite experience. Instead of trying to see everything in Phoenix, we deliberately slowed down.
I wouldn’t shorten the trip much. The reason it worked was that there was enough time for a Children’s Museum day, shopping and restaurants while still having days when the lazy river was basically the itinerary.
Would I go back to Arizona in August?
Yes.
That surprised me more than anything else about this trip.
Before going, Arizona in August sounded like something we were doing despite the weather. After going, I can actually see advantages to visiting at that time of year.
The dry heat was much more bearable for me than humid summer weather, even when carrying the baby in a carrier. We adjusted what we did during the hottest parts of the day, and because we weren’t trying to force an aggressive outdoor itinerary, the temperatures didn’t ruin the trip.
I’d also happily take advantage of the quieter summer atmosphere again.
If your idea of an Arizona vacation is hiking for hours every day, August probably isn’t when I would choose to go. But if you want Sedona’s scenery, scenic drives, a few planned activities and then several days relaxing at a Scottsdale resort, I wouldn’t automatically rule summer out.
Travelling with my parents, a toddler and a baby could easily have turned an eight-day road trip into something exhausting. Instead, slowing the pace down was exactly what made it work.
Sedona gave us the scenery and the road-trip part of the vacation.
Scottsdale made us want to stay longer.
And Arizona in August turned out to be nowhere near as crazy an idea as I thought it was going to be.
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