Sun-soaked days and cool autumn evenings: Fall is the perfect time to visit Scottsdale, Arizona. From desert-chic boutiques to five-star resorts and dining, visitors come to this upscale enclave to be pampered. They also come for the thrills.
Surrounded by the vast Sonoran Desert, Scottsdale is an adventure lover’s dream for hiking, biking and rumbling over rock-strewn roads in a rugged four-wheeler with Desert Dog Offroad Adventures. Their guided ATV Sand Buddy experience is a thrill-ride through the Tonto National Forest.
On foot, guides from Cliff Creek Outfitters lead hikes through stunning desert terrain like the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, answering questions like “can you actually drink from a cactus” and identifying the flora and fauna of the region.
Wranglers at Saguaro Lake Guest Ranch take riders into the Sonoran Desert with sweeping views of the Goldfield Mountain Range. Wild horse sightings are common as you amble past cacti and mesquite, along the Lower Salt River and into the creosote-covered hills above Saguaro Lake.
Cyclists can ride on the surprisingly lush path along a 30-mile greenbelt that connects Scottsdale to Tempe, and by air the award-winning company Rainbow Ryders soars high above the Sonoran Desert in colorful hot air balloons. Their sunrise and sunset tours put you in a pastel painting with unforgettable views of Scottsdale’s serene beauty. It’s a thrill ride too but with safety top of mind. Rainbow Ryders’ balloon pilots all hold FAA commercial pilot licenses, medical certificates and have a minimum of 500 flight hours.
When it’s time to relax, luxury properties like the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North have a botanical garden feel, with pathways that meander past prickly pear cacti and huckleberry bushes. Inside Four Seasons’ spacious 12,000-square-foot spa, the same prickly pear cactus is used in the luscious Nopal Massage, high in vitamin and mineral content and applied as a soothing gel. The spa also uses other seasonal and indigenous ingredients for scrubs, wraps, facials and massages.
The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is another desert gem — Arizona’s longest-running and largest AAA Five Diamond resort on 65 acres of cactus gardens and swaying palms. The property’s state-of-the-art spa, numerous pools, championship golf courses and dining options are also a draw. In fact, the newly reimagined Toro Scottsdale, inside the clubhouse of TPC Scottsdale, takes golf course dining to a new level.
Under the direction of celebrity chef Richard Sandoval, the Pan Latin menu at Toro Scottsdale features imaginative dishes like poke guacamole and coconut ceviche in a sexy, low-light lounge. A signature seafood experience is the “suviche” bar, a sushi and ceviche raw bar that combines Asian and Latin influences.
Old Town Scottsdale is a favorite destination for visitors and locals, with celebrated restaurants, indie boutiques, museums, taco bars and even hat bars. Cien Agaves Tacos & Tequila is a top 10 Mexican restaurant in Scottsdale, and Mavericks of Scottsdale is a high-end western apparel shop with its own hat bar where shoppers can customize the perfect cowboy hat.
Western spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West is another Old Town Scottsdale treasure, displaying the colorful artifacts and art that bring the American West to life. A highlight is John Clymer’s West, an exhibition of the artist’s extraordinary paintings, many featured on the cover of the classic Saturday Evening Post. The most precious artifact in the collection is the tomahawk peace pipe carried by Meriwether Lewis on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
For visitors who want to stay close to Old Town Scottsdale, the Hotel Valley Ho is a midcentury-modern gem built in 1956 and a favorite of celebrities like Bing Crosby and Zsa Zsa Gabor. This colorful, fully-restored hotel can’t help but make you happy, with its retro touches like mod furniture, cool cabanas, bars, restaurants and swimming pools.
History buffs have long known about Frank Lloyd Wright’s famed desert home, Taliesin West. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wright’s 500-acre campus, including his living quarters and drafting studio, are a fascinating look at how architecture can integrate with the desert landscape. The self-guided walking tours are augmented with an app to download on your smart phone that lets you experience the property at your leisure.
No matter the season, the juxtaposition of raw nature and refined living perfectly describe the surprising number of experiences you can have in Scottsdale. Visitors in fall get the added bonus of mild temperatures for a whole array of autumn activities.
Ginny Prior can be reached at ginnyprior@hotmail.com and followed on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook and at ginnyprior.com.
If you go: Be sure to visit experiencescottsdale.com to find the adventures and accommodations perfect for your upcoming trip.