What are the best things to do in Scottsdale with kids?

Family favorites include a guided desert tour where kids ride along in a side-by-side, McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, OdySea Aquarium, Butterfly Wonderland, the Phoenix Zoo, easy hikes in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, and Old Town's splash pads and museums. Mix an outdoor adventure with an indoor, air-conditioned stop to balance the day, especially in summer.

Can kids go on an ATV or UTV desert tour in Scottsdale?

Yes. Children can ride along as passengers in a side-by-side sand buggy from age 8, while the driver must be at least 16 with a valid license. It's a guided, all-ages way to see the desert, and the team can tailor the ride to your family's ages and group size.

What is there to do with kids in Scottsdale when it's hot?

Plan outdoor activities for early morning or evening and save midday for air-conditioned stops: OdySea Aquarium, Butterfly Wonderland, museums, or a resort pool. Splash pads and early-morning desert tours are great ways to enjoy the outdoors before the heat peaks.

How much does a family desert tour in Scottsdale cost?

Desert Dog Offroad Adventures' guided U-Drive sand buggy tours are $299 per 2-seat buggy or $150 per person. A family of four takes two buggies, with a licensed adult driving each one and a kid aged 8 or older riding beside them, so budget $598 for the group. Helmets, water, snacks and adventure photos are included. VIP private tours start at $349 per buggy with a two-buggy minimum.

How long is a desert buggy tour, and can kids handle it?

Tours run 2+ hours guided, which is about the right length for kids: long enough to feel like a real adventure, short enough that nobody melts down. Passengers must be 8 or older, so under-8s stay back with a grown-up at the railroad park or aquarium. Everyone wears a helmet and a seatbelt inside a roll cage, one guide leads the whole group, and the route includes stops for water and photos.

When should I book a Scottsdale desert tour for spring break?

As soon as your dates are set. March is peak season in Scottsdale because spring break overlaps with Cactus League spring training, and the popular slots go first. The same goes for Thanksgiving week and the days between Christmas and New Year's. Tours run year-round, and in summer they run early morning or at sunset to stay out of the midday heat.

Things to Do in Scottsdale With Kids: A Family Guide

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

Scottsdale is a genuinely great place to travel with kids: sunshine nearly every day, wide-open desert, and family attractions packed into a short drive. The trick is matching the day to your kids’ ages and to the clock, since the desert has strong opinions about midday. Here’s the plan, sorted by age and time of day.

Get Out in the Desert Together

Kids love the Sonoran Desert, and a guided desert tour is the standout family activity, the kind they talk about for weeks: your kid rides shotgun in a 2-seat side-by-side sand buggy with a roll cage and seatbelts, you drive, and one guide leads the whole group, pointing out saguaros, wildlife and the best views. Passengers ride from age 8; drivers must be 16 or older with a valid license.

Tours run 2+ hours guided in the Tonto National Forest, from the Butcher Jones OHV Staging Area past Saguaro Lake, about 45 minutes from Old Town via the Beeline Highway (AZ-87) and Bush Highway. Two hours is the kid sweet spot: a real expedition, over before patience runs out. Helmets, neck gaiters, bottled water, snacks, a safety briefing and free adventure photos are included, and every guide is CPR-certified.

Our family-friendly ATV and sand buggy tours are built for exactly this, and our first-timer safety guide covers the briefing if anyone’s nervous.

The Buggy Math for a Family of Four

Each buggy seats two and needs a licensed driver, 16 or older. For two parents and two kids aged 8 and up, that’s two buggies at $299 each, one adult driving each with a kid beside them: $598 for the group. The per-person rate is $150, which comes to $600 for four, so book by the buggy.

A VIP private tour keeps your crew together at a kid-friendly pace, from $349 per buggy with a two-buggy minimum (a family of four is exactly two), and you pick the start time, handy around naps and jet lag.

For cooler afternoons, book the sunset tour: it runs toward golden hour with views of Four Peaks, and the temperature drops as you ride. Tours run year-round; in summer they go early morning or at sunset only.

Easy Hikes for Little Legs

You don’t need a hard trail to enjoy the desert. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve has gentle, well-marked options:

Bajada Nature Trail at the Gateway Trailhead: a short, flat, stroller-friendly loop with signs explaining what a saguaro is.
Gateway Loop: about 4.5 miles with modest climbing, right for kids 8 and up who’ve hiked before.
Lost Dog Wash: an easy, sandy wash walk from a trailhead with restrooms and shade.

Pinnacle Peak Park is an out-and-back with an easy lower stretch: climb as far as the kids are happy, then turn around. Go early, with water and sunscreen. Our hiking prep guide has the safety basics; fit teens can find Tom’s Thumb in our best hikes near Scottsdale roundup.

Animals, Trains & Hands-On Fun

When you want a sure thing (or an escape from the heat), these classics deliver:

McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, the Scottsdale institution for under-10s: rides on the small trains and the carousel, playgrounds and a model railroad building.
OdySea Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the Southwest, with sharks, sea lions and a rotating underwater tunnel. Indoor and air-conditioned: the summer answer.
Butterfly Wonderland, next door, a rainforest atrium where butterflies land right on you. Both sit on Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community land at Scottsdale’s eastern edge; pair them for a full indoor day.
Phoenix Zoo and the Desert Botanical Garden, side by side in Papago Park across the city line. Both are outdoors, so in warm months they’re mornings only: arrive at opening, leave by 11.

Splash Pads & Cool-Off Spots

When the desert turns up the heat, water is your friend. Old Town Scottsdale’s splash pads, plus the ones at Scottsdale Quarter and Kierland Commons, keep little kids busy, and several resorts run lazy rivers and water slides (the Westin Kierland and the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, for two). Pool in the morning, shaded lunch, quiet afternoon: a proven formula.

Older kids get the bigger version: Salt River tubing, roughly May into September. Rent a tube on Bush Highway, ride the shuttle upriver and float back past wild horses. The outfitter sets a minimum age and height, so check before promising it to a 7-year-old. Our Salt River tubing guide has the details.

Beat-the-Heat Game Plan

The secret to a great Scottsdale family trip is timing:

Mornings: outdoor adventures: desert tour, hike, splash pad or zoo. On Saturdays in the cooler months, the Old Town farmers market makes a good breakfast run.
Midday: air-conditioned stops: aquarium, Butterfly Wonderland, a museum (the Children’s Museum of Phoenix and the Arizona Science Center are both downtown), lunch or a nap.
Evenings: back outside as it cools: a sunset tour, an easy walk, or Old Town’s public art walk (the horse fountain on Fifth Avenue, the LOVE sculpture at Civic Center).

More heat strategy: our guide to beating the heat in Scottsdale and Phoenix.

Heat and Hydration Rules for Kids

Dry air hides how much you’re sweating, so our house rules:

Water: a liter (about 32 ounces) per kid for every two hours outside, more for teens. Bottled water is included on our tours.
Hats and sleeves: a brimmed hat and light long sleeves beat sunscreen alone.
Midday indoors, May to September: highs run from the mid 90s into the 110s, so keep late morning to about 4 p.m. indoors.
Watch for the quiet kid: pale, headachy or suddenly silent means done for the day. Shade and water first, then air conditioning.

A Sample Family Day by Age

Under 8: Railroad Park at opening, Butterfly Wonderland and OdySea through the hot middle of the day, then a resort pool or splash pad and an early dinner. If an older sibling is buggy age, split up: one adult does the morning tour, the other does the trains.

8 to 12: morning buggy tour, then lunch and the aquarium, then the Bajada Nature Trail or Old Town’s art walk in the evening. In summer, flip it: aquarium at midday, sunset tour after.

Teens: Gateway Loop at first light, a tubing float or resort pool, then a sunset buggy tour where a licensed 16-year-old drives with a parent riding shotgun. They’ll have posted the free adventure photos before you’re back on the Beeline.

What to Pack

Refillable water bottles, one per person
Brimmed hats and sunglasses for everyone
Sunscreen, SPF 30 or higher
Closed-toe shoes for hikes and the buggy (the one non-negotiable; no sandals)
Clothes you don’t mind getting dusty; our what to wear on an ATV tour guide covers the rest
A change of clothes and a towel for splash pads and the river
A light jacket for winter mornings and any sunset tour

Booking Timeline for School Breaks

The good slots go early.

Thanksgiving week: highs in the 70s and cool mornings, perfect tour weather. Book the tour when you book the flights.
Winter break: highs in the 60s and mornings in the 40s, so a morning tour calls for a jacket and gloves. Christmas week is the busiest of the winter; book a few weeks out.
Spring break: March is peak season because it’s also Cactus League spring training, with the Giants at Scottsdale Stadium in Old Town and the Diamondbacks and Rockies at Salt River Fields, beside OdySea. Book the tour when you book the hotel; day games have early-afternoon first pitches, so a morning tour and a game fit in one day.

Make a Day of It

Scottsdale makes family travel easy: adventure and cool-off spots sit minutes apart, and the desert gives kids something they can’t get back home. One big outdoor moment plus an indoor backup is the formula. We’ve run these tours since 1997; a 4.9-star average across 1,700+ reviews says families keep coming back.

Want to add a desert adventure everyone can do together? Call us at (480) 837-3966 or book a family-friendly desert tour, and we’ll help you plan the perfect ride for your crew.