Cactus League Spring Training Road Trip: Grand Canyon
Double the fun of Cactus League spring training with a road trip to Grand Canyon National Park.
Baseball is an American icon, so it’s only fitting that when you’re in the vicinity of another great American icon – the Grand Canyon – you add it to your travel itinerary.
links to the Cactus League schedule so you can plan the best time for your spring training side trip,
a variety of activities beyond baseball,
choices for cultural, recreational and natural explorations using Flagstaff as the hub.
Between games, get out and discover the amazing outdoor experiences that Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon offer. When you do, you’ll be batting a thousand with your family and friends.
Your family will be in a league of their own when they come home telling stories of their Southwest discoveries.
STEP UP TO THE PLATE: GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK
The friendly mountain and college town of Flagstaff makes a perfect base camp for your Grand Canyon road trip.
Take the 90-minute drive from Flagstaff to stand at the edge of the amazing abyss for some of the planet’s most picturesque scenery. We have heard some visitors refer to the enjoyable drive as a “one cup of coffee” cruise.
Spending the night in Flagstaff after your return from the Grand Canyon, you’ll experience a million points of light in the sky over the world’s first International Dark Sky City.
Step out of your Flagstaff hotel room to be wowed by the night skies. Better yet, visit Lowell Observatory, where Pluto was discovered.
Open noon to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday during Cactus League 2024 spring training, Lowell Observatory offers night viewing of celestial objects through telescopes and historic tours that include the Pluto Discovery Telescope. During the day you can view the sun through a telescope with a special filter.
Lowell opened a 40,000-square-foot Astronomy Discovery Center in 2024 that offers a new way for adults and children to explore the cosmos and origins of the universe. Packed with hands-on exhibits, the new space was listed among the most anticipated new museums in the world by Smithsonian magazine. Top off the evening reclining in heated seats in the third-story, open-air planetarium under Flagstaff’s famously dark skies.
KNOCK THE COVER OFF THE BALL: FLAGSTAFF FOODIE SCENE
The Flagstaff food scene has taken off in recent years, now boasting four James Beard semifinalists within walking distance of one another downtown. Flagstaff’s young, innovative chefs are opening fresh new restaurants alongside old favorites.
Check out Forêt, where Sam Greenhalgh, a James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef Southwest 2024, conjures French-styled pastries and coffees.
Then there’s the lauded Shift Kitchen + Bar, a 2023 James Beard Emerging Chef nominee. Proper Meats + Provisions earned a James Beard nod as Outstanding Restaurant nominee that same year. The meatery is sustainably committed and locally sourced.
You’ll hit a home run at Atria with Chef Rochelle Daniel, the 2022 James Beard Emerging Chef semifinalist inducted into the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame.
Or simply belly up to the bar at one of Flagstaff’s eight fun breweries, such as Beaver Street Brewery.
EXTRA INNINGS: FLAGSTAFF BREWERY TRAIL
Flagstaff offers a Brewery Trail for visitors to explore this leading craft beer city’s award-winning ales, including a passport app with prizes for checking in at stops along the way.
A special note to Chicago Cubs fans: take selfies with real bear cubs in the background at Bearizona, a 160-acre animal park.
2025 CACTUS LEAGUE SCHEDULE
Plan your spring training side trip with the 2025 Cactus League schedule. Please note that Cactus League 2025 times, dates and opponents are subject to change.
Stacey Wittig’s adventures have led her up the Inca Trail in Peru eating fried caterpillars, across the plains of Spain enjoying steamed barnacles, and through the vineyards of Cinque Terre sipping Chianti Classico. “The Grand Canyon State is a remarkable place to call home,” declares the wandering writer, who writes from her home in Flagstaff.
