What is the weather like in Scottsdale in the fall?

Close to perfect. October cools from the summer highs into the 80s and 90s early on, settling into warm, dry days in the 70s to 80s by November with cool evenings. It's some of the best weather of the year, ideal for hiking, desert tours, patios, and pools.

Is fall a good time to visit Scottsdale?

Yes, it's one of the best. Fall kicks off peak season: the heat breaks, the snowbirds return, festivals and events ramp up, and outdoor activities like hiking and desert tours become comfortable all day. Book ahead, October and November draw crowds.

What events happen in Scottsdale in the fall?

Fall brings the return of the events calendar: Canal Convergence at the Scottsdale Waterfront, the Arizona State Fair in Phoenix, film and arts festivals, Halloween and Día de los Muertos happenings, and the start of the holiday-lights season in late November. Confirm this year's dates before you plan.

What time is sunset in Scottsdale in October and November?

Sunset is a little after 6 p.m. at the start of October, slides to about 5:40 p.m. by Halloween, and sits between 5:20 and 5:30 p.m. for most of November. Arizona does not change its clocks, so there is no sudden jump in early November, just a steady slide. Plan sunset tours and outdoor dinners accordingly.

Is it still hot in Scottsdale in early October?

Often, yes. The first half of October typically brings afternoon highs in the low 90s with mornings in the 60s, so hike early, save the pool for the afternoon, and enjoy the evenings, which are already comfortable. By the last week of October, highs usually settle into the low 80s, and November brings the 70s.

Can you do a daytime desert buggy tour in the fall, or only sunset?

Both. By mid-October, afternoons in the desert are back in the 80s, and by November they are in the 70s, so a midday tour is comfortable again. Every tour includes a helmet, neck gaiter, bottled water and snacks. If you want golden hour over Four Peaks and free adventure photos in the best light, the sunset tour is the one to book.

Fall in Scottsdale: Best Things to Do in October & November

Name: Desert Dog Offroad Adventures
Address: 17212 E. Shea Blvd., Fountain Hills, AZ, 85268, US
Telephone: (480) 837-3966
Price range: $$
Rating: 4.9

Fall is when Scottsdale gets its outdoors back. After a summer of 110-degree afternoons and heat-closed trails, October and November hand you warm, dry days, cool evenings and a calendar that fills up fast, all before the winter crowds arrive. Here’s how the season unfolds week by week, what reopens, and how to plan around it.

The Weather Arc, Week by Week

The number-one reason to visit in fall is the weather, but it doesn’t flip like a switch. It slides, and the week you pick matters.

First half of October. Afternoons still reach the low 90s and mornings sit in the 60s. Hike at first light, swim in the afternoon, eat outside at night. Sunset is a little after 6 p.m.
Second half of October. Highs drop into the mid 80s and the first crisp mornings arrive, with lows in the upper 50s by Halloween, when sunset is about 5:40 p.m.
First half of November. Highs settle into the upper 70s with mornings in the 50s: comfortable at noon, jacket-optional at dinner.
Second half of November. Highs in the low 70s, mornings around 50, and sunset near 5:20 p.m.

One quirk worth knowing: Arizona doesn’t change its clocks. When the rest of the country falls back on the first Sunday of November, nothing happens here, just that steady slide toward 5:20 sunsets. From then on, Scottsdale matches Denver and runs an hour ahead of Los Angeles.

Hiking Season Reopens

Cooler temps reopen the desert for all-day hiking, including the trails that are brutal (or closed) in summer.

Camelback Mountain. Phoenix closes Camelback’s trails on extreme-heat-warning days in summer. Those closures end with the heat, and by mid-October you can climb Echo Canyon again: roughly 1,200 feet of gain in a little over a mile, with scrambling near the top.
Pinnacle Peak. Scottsdale’s own park at the north end of town: about 1.75 miles each way, well graded and well signed, with views over the McDowells.
McDowell Sonoran Preserve. More than 30,000 acres and over 200 miles of trail. The Gateway Loop (about 4.5 miles) is the easy classic; Tom’s Thumb (roughly 4 miles round trip) is the steep one, ending at a granite spire.

Start early even in November: trailhead parking at Camelback and Pinnacle Peak fills fast on fall weekends. See our best hikes near Scottsdale guide to pick your trail, and our 5 best fall hikes near Scottsdale for autumn-specific picks.

Patios, Pools and Old Town After Dark

Patio season starts in October: by the second half of the month you can sit outside in Old Town from lunch to last call without a misting system doing the work. Book weekend patio tables ahead.

Pool weather lingers through most of October, and a swim after a morning hike is one of the great fall moves; by November the water cools, though many resorts heat their pools. Thursday nights, the Scottsdale ArtWalk fills Main Street and Marshall Way with open galleries, and it’s a pleasant stroll again once the evenings dip into the 60s.

The Fall Events Calendar Wakes Up

Fall is when Scottsdale and the Valley come back to life:

The Arizona State Fair in Phoenix runs in the fall, with rides, fair food, livestock and concerts at the fairgrounds west of downtown.
Halloween brings costume nights to Old Town’s bars and family events across the Valley; Día de los Muertos celebrations follow in early November with ofrendas, face painting and mariachi.
Canal Convergence lights up the Scottsdale Waterfront in November: free, large-scale light art along the Arizona Canal, best seen on foot after dark.
Film and arts festivals ramp up across the Valley.
Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest travel windows of the year; flights, hotel rooms and tour slots all tighten up.
The holiday-lights season starts in late November. Our guide to Scottsdale at Christmas and the holidays picks up where this one leaves off.

Dates shift each year, so check our events calendar before you plan around one, or go straight to the October and November pages.

The Desert Comes Back Into Play

For desert tours, fall is peak season. The cooler air makes an open-air sand buggy ride comfortable in the middle of the afternoon again, and the light gets richer as the season turns.

Our trailhead is the Butcher Jones OHV Staging Area in Tonto National Forest, past Saguaro Lake via the Beeline Highway (AZ-87) and Bush Highway, about 45 minutes from Old Town. You drive a 2-seat, 800cc side-by-side sand buggy with a roll cage and seatbelts, and a CPR-certified guide leads the whole route for 2+ hours. Helmet, neck gaiter, bottled water, snacks, a safety briefing and free adventure photos are included. Drivers must be 16+ with a valid driver’s license; passengers ride from age 8.

A daytime tour works again once mid-October afternoons drop into the 80s (and November’s into the 70s). Our U-Drive guided tours run year-round, but fall is when the midday slot stops being a compromise.

A sunset tour is the easy evening plan once the sun sets before 6. Leave Scottsdale mid-afternoon, ride toward golden hour with Four Peaks catching the last light, let your guide shoot the photos, and still make a normal dinner reservation in Old Town. That’s the sunset ride, and here’s more on why fall is the best season for a Scottsdale ATV tour.

Pricing: $299 per 2-seat buggy, $150 per person, $199 solo. VIP private tours from $349 per buggy (2-buggy minimum, custom start time) if you want the trail to yourselves.

Booking Pressure: Fall Is the Start of Peak Season

Fall kicks off Scottsdale’s busy season, and it runs straight through spring. Snowbirds return in October and event crowds stack up behind them.

What fills first: weekends (especially the Saturday sunset slot), holiday weeks (Thanksgiving above all), and event weekends.

The practical answer: book the tour when you book the hotel. Weekday tours are the easiest to get, and a Tuesday sunset over Four Peaks looks exactly like a Saturday one. Set on a specific date? Call (480) 837-3966 and we’ll tell you honestly what’s open.

What to Pack for Fall

The swing between a 50-degree morning and an 80-degree afternoon is the whole packing problem. Solve it with layers.

A light jacket or fleece for early hikes and post-sunset evenings.
Closed-toe shoes for the desert day: sneakers or trail shoes, not sandals.
Sunglasses, sunscreen and a brimmed hat. The sun is still strong at noon in November.
A refillable water bottle for the trail, about a liter an hour. On the tour, water and snacks are on us.
Clothes you don’t mind getting dusty, with a zipped pocket for your phone and keys on the ride.

Our what to wear on an Arizona ATV tour guide goes deeper on the ride itself.

A Sample Fall Weekend

Friday. Land at Sky Harbor, check in, and head to Old Town for a patio dinner. In November, walk the Waterfront after dark; if Canal Convergence is running, that’s your whole evening.

Saturday. Hit the Pinnacle Peak or Gateway trailhead not long after sunrise (roughly 6:20 to 7:10 a.m. across the two months), while it’s still cool and parking is easy. Down by 10, brunch by 11, then a pool afternoon in October or a slow lunch in November. Head east mid-afternoon for the sunset buggy tour and be back in Old Town for a late dinner.

Sunday. Sleep in, then pick your month: the State Fair in October, or the Main Street galleries and a Waterfront walk in November. Fly out in the evening.

Make the Most of the Sweet Spot

Fall is the Valley at its finest: the heat’s gone and the desert is wide open, so this is the window to be outside all day. Pair a festival or a hike with a desert tour and you’ve got the perfect autumn day. We’ve run these tours since 1997, and 1,700+ reviews average 4.9 stars.

Ready to ride in the best weather of the year? Call us at (480) 837-3966 or book a desert tour, and we’ll show you why fall is our favorite season in the Sonoran Desert.