Phoenix, Arizona is surrounded by sun-scorched mountains, canyons, rock and desert, perfect for exploring in style on one of these top ATV tours.
(Photo: Getyourguide.com)
All-terrain vehicles are a thrilling way to explore the American Southwest’s remarkable, yet precarious, wild spaces. Follow exciting dirt tracks through the cacti-studded scrubland, dusty arroyos and rocky escarpments of the Sonoran Desert in vehicles robustly built to handle the challenging terrain. These top, guide-led tours around Phoenix, Arizona, offer a range of locales, as well as the option to travel as a passenger or to get behind the wheel of the ATV yourself.
Guided Self-Drive ATV/UTV Tour
Head into the Bradshaw mountains north of Phoenix for desert wildernesses and impressive views of the arid countryside on this guided tour. You can expect at least two hours out in this wilderness; plenty of time to possibly spot resident wildlife such as deer and rattlesnakes. Prices listed are for guided drives. For self-drive ATVs, the price is roughly double. You can choose between an ATV, aka quad bike, or the more robust UTV, which has more protective metal bars around passengers and often holds up to four people. Discounts are usually available on this tour for advanced bookings. From $129 per person.
Phoenix ATV Tour
AZ ATV Adventures offers a brilliant, informative tour of the great outdoors around Phoenix. Grab a seat on one of their custom UTVs for a guided foray into an arid landscape that is anything but barren. Learn about Native American tribes who tamed this tough terrain that they called home, look out for the abundant desert wildlife, visit an abandoned mineshaft and enjoy the magnificent vistas afforded in Lake Pleasant Region Park. Tours last three hours and depart three times a day at 9am, 12 noon and 3pm. From $165 per person.
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Box Canyon and Pinal Mountains Half-Day ATV Tour
The immediately obvious benefits of a longer ATV tour near Phoenix are the opportunity to get deeper into the wilderness of the Sonoran Desert, to reach lesser-visited landmarks and get more experience for your money. But in addition to that, this tour covers 40 miles of dirt trails, stops by Native American petroglyphs, and an old waystation for stagecoaches that would pass through this hostile land. Box Canyon is a ravine to the southeast of Phoenix offering a perfect blend of arid landscapes, impressive rock formations and dilapidated old buildings to discover. From $211 per person.
Sonoran Desert Guided 2-Hour UTV Adventure
The vast wilderness of Tonto National Forest, with its large and characterful saguaro cacti, is yet another locale on the fringes of Phoenix where ATV tours can offer an abundance of thrilling sights and experiences. This tour is especially good for families and anybody travelling with a group of up to four people, looking to get behind the wheel of their own all-terrain vehicle. Explore the specialized dirt roads on this fun tour. A two-person ATV is also available to hire for $438. From $684 per group.
(Photo: Getyourguide.com)