Scottsdale stretches from Old Town’s galleries and restaurants north to the McDowell Mountains. Stay near Main Street and the Waterfront to do a city break on foot. Pick a northern resort for desert trails and golf.
Old Town is compact. The Arts District, Historic Old Town, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and Western Spirit are all within walking distance. The Waterfront runs along the Arizona Canal, and Fashion Square is just north. Stay central and you can walk between dinner, museums and shops.
McCormick Ranch and the Scottsdale Road resort corridor sit between Old Town and North Scottsdale. Families come here for McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park. Restaurants and golf courses are farther apart than the blocks in Old Town. Check the address before you count on walking to Old Town.
Farther north, Kierland Commons and Scottsdale Quarter have shops and restaurants near the Airpark. Taliesin West is at the foot of the McDowell Mountains. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve has trailheads along the city’s northern and eastern edge. You need a car or rideshare for these trips.
October through April is the comfortable season for walking and hiking. Summer afternoons regularly pass 100°F, so save desert trails for the cooler months or start very early. Scottsdale has buses and a free trolley on some routes, but no light rail. The city runs a long way north to south, and outside Old Town a car helps.