Driving from Phoenix Airport, the surrounding landscape is spiked – quite literally – with saguaro cacti, towering as high as 32ft above the ground. These desert giants grow slowly, tending not to sprout their first arms until they’re between 50 and 75 years old.
I’m all for it: slowing down is exactly what this trip is all about. As for slow growth, well, in contrast, my children’s development seems to have accelerated rapidly. My own arms (two), which once seemed inadequate for the number of them (three), are, with increasing regularity, yearningly empty. I chance a quick squeeze of the youngest as the sky turns pink and, happily, am not rebuffed.
Water babies as we are, Scottsdale may not have seemed like the most obvious destination for a family holiday, but it was the call of the outdoors – any outdoors, whether aquatic or terrestrial – that we’d primarily been drawn to.
Thanks to the variety of activities on offer, Scottsdale ranks as one of the healthiest cities in the US – and we were keen to avoid the issue of kids who tend to slump into device-induced stupors when they’re not physically stimulated.
Not that Scottsdale’s Sonoran Desert setting precludes anyone from engaging in water-based activities, and the arid heat – by no means unbearable in the winter months, but still warm enough to make cooling off desirable – made us even more keen for a get-wet refresh.
Salt River answered this call admirably and, although none of us were particularly adept paddleboarders, our guide from Cliff Creek Outfitters took us to calm sections of the river to familiarise us to steering and, critically, standing up. (I really should have worked on my core exercises.)
That’s not to say we (OK, that I) didn’t fall in – but it was just as fun to float along in the water, rest my arms on my board and simply admire the wildlife. We spotted elegant deer and snouty javelinas, and admired the considered strut of great blue herons. At dawn and dusk, our guide explained, guests floating downstream frequently witness wild horses cooling their hooves by the water’s edge.
For us, the more temperate early mornings were ideal for hiking, and there was no end of trails from which to choose. The rocky and aptly named Sunrise Trailhead, located just beyond a residential enclave, was a highlight. Its gradual increase in steepness and difficulty yielded impressive views in every direction, sweeping towards the Superstition Mountains under a pale blue sky.
After a few days of warm-up hikes, we were ready for the double black diamonds (that is, rated ‘extremely difficult’) of Camelback Mountain’s Echo Trail. A seemingly puny 1.14 miles, it more than compensated for its lack of distance with a staggering 1,264ft elevation and sections of steep scrambling.
Then there was the issue of dodging the so-called ‘jumping cholla’, a type of cactus that delights in sinking its spines into anything that dares to brush past it. Yet again, the views from the top, surrounded by ochre rocks from which spindly yellow wildflowers and scrubby vegetation protruded, made it all worthwhile.
We’d certainly earned the breakfast that awaited us at Proof, the on-site restaurant at our Four Seasons resort accommodation. Signature dishes, such as the smoked Texas short rib biscuit benedict (which should possibly be renamed “short work”, because that’s what the boys made of it) provided post-hike fuel.
Actually, we barely had to move from our adobe-style casitas to stay occupied, since there were loads of activities on offer. While golf is at the heart of the resort, there was yoga and sound bathing with which to unwind, as well as more niche wellness experiences such as aroma alchemy, which saw my daughter and I designing and blending our own spa products.
Beyond the resort, there were more ways to explore the mountainous Sonoran landscape than on two legs – two wheels, for instance. Not my personal forte, but all of those weekends spent at the local BMX track seemed to pay off for the kids, who took to the trails with enthusiasm.
After an initial two-hour guided session booked via the resort, we returned to our pals at Cliff Creek Outfitters to set up a desert trail ride, which was not only challenging and fun enough for my kids’ tastes, but also informative.
It’s hard not to feel you’ve had your money’s worth when buzzing children return to base camp recounting the geographical facts they’ve learned: although the Sonoran Desert is one of North America’s hottest – they assured me – it’s also the wettest, with two rainy seasons annually.
Such trips are only available to those aged over 12 but, for those with younger offspring, Scottsdale still offers plenty of family-friendly activities, with various offerings sure to enthral.
Arizona Boardwalk, for example, is home to nine different attractions, including an aquarium and butterfly conservatory, while the Desert Botanical Garden – which also has a butterfly house – gives children space to roam while providing an educational framework, with discovery trails to explore and craft activities designed with nature in mind.
If budget-blowing and bucket-listing are part of your travel vocab, then Scottsdale can certainly help you to die poor and happy: some of the aerial adventures on offer looked utterly stupendous, whether a hot-air balloon or helicopter ride. Sadly, such lofty views of striated rocks and cacti-studded earth weren’t an option for us, but we contented ourselves with summit-hiking lookouts to appease our FOMO.
But a FOMO of a different type was niggling at me – even though I’d long ago, on safari, sternly schooled myself about the realities of actually seeing what you’re geared up to see, and about the desire for nature to perform on demand, simply because you’re there and excited.
It was the horses. I desperately wanted to witness the wild horses (cue a Mick Jagger warble), but it wasn’t until the children expressed their dismay at not having seen them that I felt vindicated in driving the 30 minutes to Coon Bluff, a spot popular with summer tubers, in the late afternoon.
Sure enough, as the Arizonan golden hour cast its glow over the scene, they appeared, stepping into the river to drink, before raising their heads, water beading their muzzles.
“Childhood living is easy to do,” sings Jagger, at the start of ‘Wild Horses’ by The Rolling Stones. In Scottsdale, it feels not only easy to do, but also – even with older children – genuinely wondrous.
Need to know: Scottsdale
Getting there: Fly to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and take an airport taxi or shuttle to Scottsdale (approx 20 minutes) – or pick up a hire car when you land.
Getting around: Your best bet is to rent a car if you want to explore further afield. Alternatively, you can
catch a Waymo driverless taxi. Yes, a self-driving car.
Best time to go: From October to April, you’ll get warmth without oppressive heat – ideal for outdoor adventuring.
Where to eat: Scottsdale’s lively and varied culinary scene means that it’s hard to put a foot wrong when it comes to eating out. Two standouts? Farm & Craft (ilovefarmandcraft.com) combines satisfying portions with healthy ingredients, while Carlsbad Tavern (carlsbadtavern.com) serves up the flavours of the Southwest with flair, toning down the spice for the under-12s.
Where to stay: Four Seasons Resort (fourseasons.com); Westin Kierland Resort & Spa (marriott.com).
Further information: experiencescottsdale.com / cliffcreekoutfitters.com
