Journey for Scottsdale Adventures

If you want to combine your love of the desert with your love of adventure, Scottsdale is the place to be. While a hiking tour through the desert and mountains may be adventure enough for some, here are some ideas to take your trip to the next level with exciting Scottsdale adventures.

Day 1 – Bike Through the Desert

Arizona Outback Adventures can organize half-day, full-day, and multi-day desert adventures for your group. While they do offer hiking and backpacking tours, their focus is on mountain biking. Imagine biking up rocky mountain trails or cycling along a desert trail between towering cacti. AOA will arrange a guided mountain biking adventure through the Sonoran Desert that will be the highlight of your trip to the Sonoran Desert.

Arizona Outback Adventures
17465 N. 93rd Street
Scottsdale, AZ
866.455.1601

Day 2 – Hot Air Balloons

For amazing views of the surrounding mountains and deserts, you can always hike up to the top of the nearest mountain, or you can take a shortcut with a hot air balloon tour! Take some great photographs as you float through the air, viewing the desert life from a perspective you don’t usually have. You’ll get close enough to see wildlife—deer, javelina, coyotes, and roadrunners—and head far up into the clouds to get an amazing 360-degree view of the area. Try morning or evening balloon flights for some of the most amazing sunrises and sunsets you will see from any Scottsdale adventures! Aerogelic Ballooning and 360-Adventure Tours are two of several local companies in the area that can get your hot air adventure on its way.

Aerogelic Ballooning
526 N 74th Street
Scottsdale, AZ
480.991.4260

Day 3 – Helicopter Flights

If you want to get those great aerial photographs and amazing views but want something more exciting than a hot air balloon ride, take a helicopter flight! There are many helicopter tour companies in the Scottsdale area, and all offer 360-degree aerial tours of the surrounding area. Some, like Sunstate Helicopter Tours, offer lessons, too! This is a great way to get a quick view of the beautiful Sonoran Desert and the surrounding area.

Sunstate Helicopter Tours
7430 E Butherus Drive, Suite G
Scottsdale, AZ
480.993.3223

Day 4 – Rappelling Scottsdale Adventure

Your Scottsdale adventure begins with a hike through the desert and continues on to the top of a local mountain peak. Once at the top, you’ll start your descent. Enjoy the views as you slide your way down the mountain in a controlled descent off a vertical drop. The best part of hiking up a mountain is coming down!

Epic Adventures
480.246.7207
15525 N. 83rd Way, Suite 6
Scottsdale, AZ

Day 5 – Rock Climbing

Feeling agile and ready for an activity to test your strength, balance, and endurance? Then go rock climbing. There are numerous climbing spots around the Scottsdale area. A favorite climb of locals is Tom’s Thumb, a 200-foot tall granite dome with over 30 routes to the summit. Or, take a guided tour that is tailored to your abilities and preferences. This is great for those climbers needing a climbing buddy for full-day or half-day climbing adventures.

360-Adventure Tours
480.418.7816
tours@360-adventures.com

Day 6 – Canyoneering

If you’re in great shape, then canyoneering is the adventure for you. A combination of hiking, rock climbing, and scrambling, you make your way up a mountain, then rappel down some of the Sonoran Desert’s beautiful natural canyons and gorges. Canyoneering involves skill in carefully selecting and finding your way through the many obstacles a desert mountain can have: boulders, steep drop-offs, deep pools, large gaps, and some very tight spaces. This isn’t a gentle every day hike on a desert trail; you make your own trails and memories on this Scottsdale adventure.

360-Adventure Tours
480.418.7816
tours@360-adventures.com

Day 7 – ATV/UTV Rides

Tired of hiking, scrambling, and climbing? Take a guided tour through the desert on an ATV. Drive deep into the Sonoran Desert over rocky desert terrain while keeping an eye out for coyotes, javelina, and deer. Get all the thrills of off-roading through the desert while learning about the history and wildlife of this wonderful desert area from your guide. There are many ATV tour companies in the area; book a tour through Desert Wolf Tours and try their ATV & Machine Gun Adventure for a little twist.

Desert Wolf Tours
877.613.9653
info@desertwolftours.com

Day 8 – Go-Kart Racing

Head to Octane Raceway for some heart-pounding go-kart racing! Their 1/3-mile course is mostly indoors, but a portion of the track swings outside for a quick glimpse of those desert mountains. Best of all, their racing karts are electric and have no emissions –you’ll have all the fun of racing without any of the fumes. You can book a group session, or just walk-in and join a group. Other area go-kart facilities include Cracker Jax and K1Speed.

Octane Raceway
9119 Talking Stick Way
Scottsdale, AZ 85250

Day 9 – Virtual Reality

We’ve all watched the commercials on TV, but not all of us have been lucky enough to have had a chance to try VR yet. At Velocity VR, you play the games you love without the wires and consoles. You are the controller. Transport yourself to another dimension and reality. Put all your survival skills to the test. From zombie apocalypses, killer drones, and space adventures to kid-friendly 3-D games, there is a VR experience for everyone.

Velocity VR
9119 Talking Stick Way
Scottsdale, AZ 85250

Day 10 – Indoor Skydiving

At iFLY, you’ll experience the excitement of skydiving without any of the risk. It’s also a great way to practice your techniques before you actually jump out of that plane. Gear up (they provide all your gear: jumpsuit, helmet, goggles, and earplugs), and after a short training session, you’ll be out soaring in their man-made wind tunnel. You’ll be floating on a cushion of controlled air. There’s no falling involved. iFLY is great for kids of all ages, from 3 on up!

iFLY
9206 Talking Stick Way
Scottsdale, AZ 85250

Day 11 – Whitewater Rafting Tour

Whitewater rafting in the desert? You bet! The Salt River is great for all kinds of outdoor activities, from swimming and fly-fishing to tubing and white water rafting. Salt River Rafting, one of many area tour companies, will guide you down the river for a day or half-day of exciting whitewater rafting and amazing scenery. They have trips for all experience levels and groups, from family-friendly to extreme wild rafting adventures. Arizona Rafting by Wilderness Aware and Advantage Grand Canyon also offers whitewater rafting adventures. If you’re not quite ready for whitewater rafting, Salt River Tubing offers a quieter, gentler Salt River experience.

Salt River Rafting
2827 E. Blanche
Phoenix, AZ 85032
800-425-5253

A Comfortable Reprieve from Scottsdale Adventures

What better place to return to after a long day of adventuring than the comfortable and spacious accommodations of a Parsons Villas vacation rental? Browse our available selection of villas and rentals today, and contact us today to find the perfect retreat for your next Scottsdale vacation!