This Scenic 83.85-Mile Highway In Arizona Is One Of America’s Most Spectacular Drives To Take In 2026

I still remember the moment I turned onto that ribbon of asphalt winding through Arizona’s red‑rock canyons, the desert sun painting the sky a brilliant gold.

In 2026, this 83.85‑mile stretch feels like the state’s best‑kept secret-an ever‑changing kaleidoscope of towering cliffs, pine‑scented forests, and hidden waterfalls that seem to leap straight out of a postcard.

As I drove, the road whispered stories of ancient pueblos and modern adventure, inviting anyone who loves the open road to press the pedal a little deeper and let the landscape become the soundtrack of the journey. If you’re looking for a drive that makes every mile feel like a discovery, you’ve just found it.

Every twist in the road seems designed to make you gasp, pull over, or at least grip the wheel a little tighter. Planning a road trip for 2026 means looking for routes that deliver drama, beauty, and a sense of wonder, and this checks every box with room to spare.

Winding Through Oak Creek Canyon

Oak Creek Canyon grabs your attention the moment you dip below the rim, and it refuses to let go for the next dozen miles. The road snakes alongside the creek, hemmed in by cliffs that rise so high they block the afternoon sun earlier than you expect.

I found myself stopping at nearly every pullout, not because I planned to but because the light kept shifting and painting the rock faces in new shades of copper and rust. The sound of water tumbling over boulders becomes the soundtrack, and you can roll down the windows to let the cool, pine-scented air fill the car.

Slide Rock State Park sits about halfway through the canyon, offering natural water slides carved into the creek bed that have been polishing smooth for thousands of years. Families wade in the shallows while more adventurous visitors let the current carry them down the slick chutes.

The canyon feels like a secret passageway, even though thousands of drivers navigate it every year, and each curve reveals another postcard-worthy view that makes you question why anyone would choose the interstate instead.

If you ask me Arizona‘s State Route 89A is where Mother Nature shows off her best work.

Jerome’s Cliffside Charm

Climbing Mingus Mountain on SR 89A, you suddenly encounter Jerome clinging to the hillside like a stubborn barnacle that refused to wash away when the copper boom ended. This former mining town sits at 5,000 feet, its Victorian buildings stacked on slopes so steep that some front doors open onto the roof of the building below.

I wandered the main street, poking into galleries where local artists display pottery, paintings, and metalwork that capture the Southwest’s raw beauty. The town reinvented itself as an arts colony after the mines closed, and now quirky shops and studios occupy spaces that once housed saloons and boarding houses.

Views from Jerome stretch across Verde Valley all the way to Sedona’s red rocks, creating a panorama that shifts from green farmland to russet cliffs in a single sweep. The town’s narrow streets and steep staircases make exploration feel like a treasure hunt, with each turn revealing another century-old building or overlook.

I grabbed lunch at a cafe with outdoor seating, watching hawks ride thermals above the valley while the afternoon breeze kept the temperature comfortable despite the Arizona sun beating down on the exposed mountainside.

Sedona’s Red Rock Spectacle

Sedona announces itself long before you arrive, its crimson rock formations rising from the desert floor like ancient cathedrals that time carved instead of human hands.

SR 89A runs right through the heart of town, giving you front-row seats to geological formations with names like Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock that actually look like what they’re called.

The light here behaves differently than anywhere else I’ve driven, bouncing off iron-rich sandstone and painting everything in warm tones that photographers spend entire careers trying to capture.

I pulled into a trailhead near the highway and hiked just twenty minutes to reach a viewpoint where the entire valley spread out below, dotted with juniper trees and bisected by the green ribbon of Oak Creek.

Downtown Sedona balances tourism with genuine charm, offering Southwestern galleries, Native American crafts, and restaurants where you can eat on patios facing those famous rocks.

The town draws visitors seeking spiritual energy, outdoor adventure, or simply stunning scenery, and SR 89A delivers access to all three.

Driving through Sedona at sunset transforms the experience completely, as the rocks seem to ignite from within, glowing with an intensity that makes you understand why people call this place magical.

Prescott’s Historic Downtown

Prescott marks the southern end of SR 89A with a downtown that feels more like Colorado than the Arizona desert most people imagine. The Courthouse Plaza anchors the town center, surrounded by Victorian buildings that survived fires and boom-bust cycles to create one of the Southwest’s most walkable historic districts.

I spent an afternoon exploring Whiskey Row, a block of buildings where saloons once lined the street and now house shops, cafes, and businesses that maintain the old facades while serving modern needs.

The town sits at 5,400 feet elevation, surrounded by pine forests that keep temperatures moderate even when Phoenix swelters.

Granite peaks ring the valley, creating a backdrop that changes character with the seasons, snow-capped in winter and green with summer monsoons.

Prescott’s history as Arizona’s first territorial capital shows in the careful preservation of buildings and the pride locals take in sharing stories about the town’s past.

The plaza hosts events throughout the year, and on the day I visited, a farmers market filled the space with vendors selling everything from local honey to handcrafted furniture. Prescott offers a gentler finale to the SR 89A journey, a place to catch your breath after the dramatic scenery of the canyon and red rocks to the north.

Midgley Bridge Overlook

Midgley Bridge appears suddenly as you navigate SR 89A through Oak Creek Canyon, a graceful steel arch spanning 300 feet across the gorge with a confidence that makes the 1939 construction date seem impossible.

The bridge rises 200 feet above the creek, and parking areas on both ends let you walk out onto the span for views that drop away so dramatically your stomach does a little flip.

I stood at the midpoint, watching water glint far below while swallows darted through the canyon, riding air currents between the cliffs. The bridge replaced an earlier route that switchbacked down into the canyon and back up the other side, a journey that tested early automobiles and their drivers’ nerves.

Hikers use the bridge as a trailhead for paths that descend into the canyon or climb toward the rim, and on busy weekends you’ll see a steady stream of people with daypacks heading out for adventures.

The structure itself deserves attention, its steel beams and concrete deck engineered to handle modern traffic while maintaining the elegant lines that make it a landmark rather than just infrastructure.

Photographers camp out here at sunrise and sunset, when the light turns the surrounding cliffs into a symphony of color and shadow that makes the bridge seem to float between earth and sky.

Verde Valley

Between Jerome and Sedona, SR 89A descends into Verde Valley, where an unexpected tasting scene has taken root in soil and climate that turn out to be perfect for growing grapes.

The valley floor sits at a moderate elevation with warm days, cool nights, and just enough rainfall to support vineyards that produce surprisingly sophisticated pours.

I pulled off the highway to visit a tasting room where the owner explained how the combination of volcanic soil, elevation, and Arizona sunshine creates conditions similar to parts of Spain and southern France.

The flight leaned from bold reds to crisp whites, and every glass carried that high desert signature you can’t fake.

Cottonwood serves as the hub for this grape growing corridor, a town that has transformed from agricultural backwater to destination for food and beverage enthusiasts.

Several vineyards offer tours where you can walk the rows, learn the growing process, and sample what’s in the glass while gazing at red rock views that remind you this is definitely not Napa.

This stretch adds an unexpected flavor to the SR 89A experience, proof that Arizona’s diversity extends beyond scenery into tastes and traditions that surprise visitors who thought they already had the state figured out.

Flagstaff Mountain Gateway

Flagstaff caps the northern end of SR 89A at 7,000 feet elevation, where ponderosa pines replace red rocks and the air carries a mountain crispness that feels worlds away from the desert below.

The town grew up around the railroad and Route 66, developing a character that blends Old West history with college-town energy from Northern Arizona University.

I walked the historic downtown, where brick buildings house brewpubs, gear shops, and restaurants that cater to both locals and the steady stream of visitors using Flagstaff as a base for exploring the region.

The San Francisco Peaks loom to the north, Arizona’s highest mountains and a sacred site for multiple Native American tribes, their summits often snow-covered even when the town basks in sunshine.

Flagstaff offers a completely different vibe than Prescott at the southern terminus, cooler temperatures and alpine character that make it feel more like a Rocky Mountain town than a Southwest city. The Lowell Observatory sits on a hill above town, where astronomers discovered Pluto and continue studying the cosmos under some of the clearest skies in the continental United States.

Ending or beginning your SR 89A journey here provides perfect symmetry, bookending the drive with towns that share historic charm while offering distinct personalities shaped by their unique settings.