Top Things to Do in Phoenix This Fall
Fall is when Phoenix comes back to life. The heat breaks, patios reopen, and the hiking trails stop being a survival exercise. If you are planning a weekend in the Valley or you live here and want to use the season properly, here are the best things to do in Phoenix this fall, from desert trails to art walks to a dinner worth booking ahead.
1. Hike Camelback Mountain before the crowds
Camelback is the signature Phoenix hike, and fall is the only sane time to do it. Echo Canyon is the steeper, more technical route with real scrambling near the top. Cholla Trail is longer and slightly gentler. Either way, start early, bring more water than you think you need, and expect a full view of the Valley from the summit.
If a summit push is more than you want, Piestewa Peak and the trails at Papago Park give you the same desert light with far less scrambling. Papago also puts you next to the Hole in the Rock formation, which is one of the easiest sunset spots in the city.
2. Spend an evening at the Desert Botanical Garden
The garden in Papago Park is at its best once evenings cool off. The Sonoran desert collection reads completely differently at golden hour, and the garden runs seasonal evening programming through the cooler months. Check their calendar before you go, since the popular evening events sell out well in advance.
3. Walk Roosevelt Row on First Friday
Downtown’s arts district opens its galleries, studios, and street vendors on the first Friday of every month, and it is one of the largest self-guided art walks in the country. Fall weather makes the walking part actually pleasant. Park once, wander, and plan on a few hours.
4. Wander Old Town Scottsdale
Ten minutes east of the Camelback Corridor, Old Town Scottsdale is compact, walkable, and built for a fall afternoon: galleries, the Thursday night ArtWalk, boutiques, and the Scottsdale Waterfront. It pairs naturally with dinner back in Phoenix, which brings us to the next one.
5. Book a proper fall dinner at Tarbell’s
Fall is the season Phoenix kitchens have been waiting for. At Tarbell’s on Camelback Road, chef Mark Tarbell has been cooking New American food in this neighborhood since 1994, and the menu follows what Arizona actually gives us this time of year.
The dish that says "fall" most clearly right now is the Confit Lobster Mushroom with popcorn polenta, crispy parsnip, and bacon jam. Lobster mushrooms are a seasonal item from the high country north of Phoenix, and the window is short.
“This is beet risotto, lobster mushrooms from up north, Flagstaff. They’re in season right now.”
— Chef Mark Tarbell
If you want something with a story attached, Mark’s Famous Meatball with pappardelle and organic tomato marinara came out of eighteen months of Sundays spent recreating a New Hampshire grocer’s recipe from memory.
Lobster mushroom season is short. Book your fall table or see what is on the menu now
6. Catch the Arizona State Fair
The state fair runs through the fall at the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix, and it is exactly what you want it to be: rides, livestock barns, concerts, and food that makes no apologies. Go on a weekday evening if crowds are not your thing.
7. Shop a Valley farmers market
Fall is peak season for local produce here, and the Valley’s markets are worth a Saturday morning. Uptown Farmers Market in Phoenix and the Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market both run through the cooler months with citrus, dates, local honey, and produce from Arizona growers.
The same Arizona growers show up on our plates. Read how we source
8. Take a day trip to Sedona or Tucson
You are two hours from red rock country and two hours from Tucson’s food scene. Sedona’s Cathedral Rock and Devil’s Bridge trails are genuinely spectacular in fall. Tucson, a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, is a full day on its own. Either one turns a Phoenix weekend into a proper Arizona trip.
9. Sit on a patio and drink something local
Patio season is the actual reason Phoenix people love fall. The wine side of Tarbell’s is built for it: The Wine Store is a retail shop and tasting spot where you can pick up a bottle or find out what is pouring.
Ask for a fall red and let them make the call. Visit the wine store
10. Plan a fall gathering while the weather holds
Fall through early spring is when the Valley does its entertaining, and the calendar fills fast. If you are planning a birthday, a work dinner, or a holiday gathering, private dining and catering at Tarbell’s covers groups of most sizes, and booking early in the season gets you the dates you actually want.
Make Tarbell’s part of your fall
Whatever your version of a Phoenix fall looks like, there is a seat for you somewhere in the family.
Tarbell’s on Camelback Road is the main room, open Monday through Saturday from 5pm and Sunday from 5pm, ten minutes from Old Town Scottsdale and built for a proper dinner. Reserve a table
The Tavern, next door at 3209 E Camelback, is the easier, more casual option when you want good food without making an evening of it.
The Wine Store is where to go when the plan is a bottle on a patio rather than a table. Pick something up, taste what is open, or join the Sprinkle Joy Wine Club and let us do the choosing.
Private dining and catering handles the fall and holiday gatherings, from a work dinner to a family celebration. The December calendar fills by October, so earlier is better. Start an inquiry
Thirty years on the same block in Phoenix, and fall is still the best time to be here.
Frequntly Asked Questions
When is the best time to visit Phoenix?
October through April. Fall brings daytime highs in the 70s and 80s, which makes hiking, patios, and outdoor events comfortable.
What are the best things to do in Phoenix besides hiking?
Plenty. Roosevelt Row’s First Friday art walk, the Desert Botanical Garden, the Arizona State Fair, farmers markets, Old Town Scottsdale, and the Valley’s restaurant scene all hit their stride in fall.
How far is Scottsdale from Phoenix?
Old Town Scottsdale is roughly ten minutes from the Camelback Corridor in Phoenix, so you can easily do an afternoon in one and dinner in the other.
Where should I eat in Phoenix in the fall?
Look for kitchens that actually change with the season. Tarbell’s on Camelback Road builds around what Arizona is harvesting, including Flagstaff lobster mushrooms while they are in season.Frequently
