Romantic Things to Do in Scottsdale for Couples

Scottsdale is an easy place to be a couple. The desert runs a color show every evening, and a resort pool, a dark-sky town and a sand buggy trail all sit within an hour of each other. Anniversary, proposal or just a good weekend, here’s the plan: by time of day, then by season, with the one thing we’d never skip in the middle.

Morning: A Balloon at Dawn, Then Brunch

If you splurge once, make it a sunrise hot air balloon flight. Flights launch from the open desert north of the city at first light, when the air is calmest: expect a check-in well before sunrise, roughly an hour aloft and a landing by mid-morning.

Wind cancels flights, so book your first morning and keep a backup morning open. The basket is cold in December and hot by 9 a.m. in June, so bring layers. Afterward, our guide to Old Town brunch covers the patios worth the walk.

Midday: A Spa Afternoon in Paradise Valley or North Scottsdale

Spas are the best use of the hottest hours. The Paradise Valley resorts sit at the base of Camelback Mountain and the North Scottsdale resorts back up to the McDowells, so the view is part of the treatment.

Book a couples treatment for early afternoon and show up two hours early: at most resort spas a treatment includes the pools, steam rooms and lounges for the day. Not a guest there? Call ahead: many resorts sell spa access to non-guests, not all do, and couples slots go first in February and March.

Not spa people? Our roundup of things to do in Scottsdale beyond golf and spas has the alternatives.

Golden Hour: Where to Watch the Sunset

Phoenix-area sunsets run from about 5:20 p.m. in early December to about 7:40 p.m. in late June (Arizona doesn’t change its clocks), so check the day’s time and be in position 30 to 45 minutes early, then stay put: the best color usually comes 10 to 20 minutes after the sun is gone.

• An Old Town rooftop patio. Several rooftop bars and terraces in Old Town and the resort district face west. Arrive an hour early for a seat on that side and stay for the city lights.
• Pinnacle Peak Park. The first stretch of the 3.5-mile out-and-back around the granite spire climbs fast to big west-facing views. The gate closes on a seasonal schedule, at or before sunset, so check posted hours and start about 90 minutes ahead.
• Camelback Mountain. The Echo Canyon and Cholla trailheads lead to a steep summit scramble with over 1,200 feet of climbing, which isn’t a date. Do the first section for the view, turn around, and be off the trail by sunset, when the city closes it (and check for summer heat closures).

After Dark: Fountain Hills and the Stars

Fountain Hills is about 30 minutes east of Old Town on Shea Boulevard. Its fountain runs at the top of the hour for about 15 minutes, daytime into the evening, wind permitting, with a plume that tops 300 feet. Arrive just before the hour and catch an evening run lit against the dark.

Then drive a few minutes out of town. Fountain Hills is a certified International Dark Sky Community, and the sky shows it. Bring a blanket and a warm layer (the desert can drop 20 degrees after sunset) and aim for a night near the new moon; winter skies are the crispest. Our guide to stargazing in the Arizona desert has the spots and timing.

Evening: Old Town Dinner and a Wine Bar Walk

Old Town is the one part of Scottsdale you can do entirely on foot. Book a patio table with a mountain or waterfront view and eat as the light goes, then walk it off: the Arts District along Main Street and Marshall Way (galleries stay open late for the weekly Thursday ArtWalk), the Scottsdale Waterfront along the canal, and a cluster of wine bars and tasting rooms within a few blocks of each other, so the car stays parked. In season, book a weekend patio a week or more ahead and ask for the sunset side.

The Centerpiece: A Sunset Buggy Tour for Two

This is what we’d build the trip around. Our sunset desert tour puts the two of you in one 2-seat 800cc side-by-side sand buggy, roll cage and seatbelts included, on Tonto National Forest trails as the light turns gold over Four Peaks. You drive, a guide leads the whole route, and the tour runs 2+ hours. Helmet, neck gaiter, bottled water, snacks and a safety briefing are included, and so are free adventure photos, so nobody has to hold a phone out of the buggy.

• Where: Butcher Jones OHV Staging Area, past Saguaro Lake via the Beeline Highway (AZ-87) and Bush Highway. It’s 45 minutes from Old Town and central Scottsdale, 50 from downtown Phoenix and 45 from Sky Harbor.
• Cost: $299 per 2-seat buggy for the two of you ($150 per person, or $199 for a solo rider).
• Who drives: anyone 16+ with a valid driver’s license. Passengers ride from age 8.
• Wear: closed-toe shoes, sunglasses and a layer for after the sun drops in the cooler months.

For a proposal where you want the trail to yourselves and the start built around the moment, a VIP private tour runs from $349 per buggy with a 2-buggy minimum and a custom start time, which suits a second couple or a friend with a camera. Guides are CPR-certified, we’ve run these trails since 1997, and the 4.9-star average across 1,700+ reviews is mostly what the sunset does to people. More in our guide to romantic desert tours for couples.

Summer vs. the Cooler Months

Summer (June through September) means highs over 100 most days, so the daylight plan is water. Salt River tubing on the Lower Salt River, in the Tonto National Forest about 30 to 45 minutes from Scottsdale, runs roughly May into September. A float takes two to five hours depending on the put-in, wild horses graze the banks, and the lots fill fast on hot weekends, so go early. Our summer tours run early morning or at sunset, so tube in the morning and ride at golden hour. Monsoon season (July into September) brings afternoon storms, and the sunsets after them are worth the wait.

October through April swaps the river for the road. Take the sunset drive: Shea Boulevard east through Fountain Hills to the Beeline with Four Peaks ahead of you, Bush Highway past Saguaro Lake for the last light on the cliffs, then back through Fountain Hills for the fountain’s evening run. With a spare day, Sedona’s red rocks are about 2 hours north; go midweek.

The Best Months for a Romantic Scottsdale Trip

• October and November: warm days, cool nights, sunsets around 6 p.m. (closer to 5:30 by late November) and thinner crowds than spring. The sweet spot.
• December and January: the earliest sunsets (about 5:20 p.m.), so a sunset tour still gets you back for a normal dinner. Nights drop into the 40s, so pack a real jacket for stargazing.
• February through April: peak season. Patio weather daily, but spring training and the big events fill the town, so book everything early.
• May through September: early mornings, sunsets and pools, with resort rates usually at their lowest.

What to Book Ahead

• The sunset tour: as soon as your dates are set, on your first or second night so a delayed flight or a storm has a backup evening.
• The balloon: first morning, backup morning open for wind.
• The spa: couples slots, weeks ahead in February through April.
• Dinner: weekend patio tables in season, a week or more out.
• Stargazing: nothing to book. Check the moon phase.

Build the Perfect Couples Day

Pair one shared adventure with a slow evening: balloon at dawn into brunch and a spa, or the river in the morning into a sunset tour and the stars on the way home. The desert sets the mood. You just show up with the right shoes.

Planning something special? Call us at (480) 837-3966 or book a sunset tour for two, and we’ll help you get the timing right.