Neighborhood 48H guide
Arcadia & Camelback East: Where to Stay & What to Do in 48 Hours
Echo Canyon up Camelback, Papago’s Hole-in-the-Rock and the Desert Botanical Garden.
Arcadia is the leafy Phoenix neighborhood on Camelback’s south side, with citrus-lined streets and good restaurants. Papago Park, the Desert Botanical Garden and the Phoenix Zoo are a few minutes south.
Photo gallery
Photo: Chris English · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: mbaylor · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Visitor7 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Why stay here
Trailheads, gardens and Arcadia’s restaurants all within a short drive.
Who it's for: Hikers, foodies and families.
Pros
- Camelback trailheads
- Desert Botanical Garden and zoo nearby
- Neighborhood restaurants
Cons
- Car needed
- Trailhead parking fills early
- Spread out
48H in Arcadia
A summit, a garden, wine and bruschetta.
06:30 – Echo Canyon Trail
Steep climb up Camelback; start early. From May to September, hike at sunrise; Phoenix closes some trails on Extreme Heat Warning days.
11:00 – Desert Botanical Garden
Desert plants from around the world in Papago Park.
17:30 – Hole-in-the-Rock
Short climb for sunset through the sandstone window.
19:00 – Postino Arcadia
Wine and bruschetta boards.
Named recommendations
Real places with links to their official site or a Maps place page. We do not invent hours, prices, or ratings.
Eat
Eat
The Henry
4455 E Camelback Rd
All-day neighborhood restaurant and coffee bar on Camelback Road.
Official site / map →
Drink
Drink
Postino Arcadia
3939 E Campbell Ave
The original wine café, in an old post office.
Official site / map →
See / do
Outdoors
Outdoors
Camelback Mountain — Echo Canyon Trail
4925 E McDonald Dr
Phoenix’s classic steep summit hike.
Photo: Visitor7 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →Outdoors
Desert Botanical Garden
1201 N Galvin Pkwy
Trails through thousands of desert plants.
Photo: mbaylor · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
Sunrise / sunset
Sunrise / sunset
Hole-in-the-Rock (Papago Park)
Papago Park
A short scramble to a sandstone window over the city.
Photo: Chris English · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
Where to stay
Specific named properties—not vague city-wide searches. Expedia stays use tracked Creator links; others open the hotel's official site.
Roam48 may earn a commission when you book a stay through Expedia or Vrbo links on this page, at no extra cost to you. All commercial stay links use rel="sponsored nofollow".
Hotel · Expedia
Royal Palms Resort and Spa, part of Hyatt
5200 E Camelback Rd
Intimate 1920s Spanish-style estate turned resort at Camelback’s base.
Check rates on Expedia →
Vacation rentals
Prefer an apartment or whole home in this neighborhood? Browse Vrbo listings for Arcadia & Camelback East.
Arizona cities, including Scottsdale and Phoenix, require short-term rentals to hold a local permit or license. Look for the license number on the listing before you book.
Browse vacation rentals in Arcadia & Camelback East on Vrbo →Other ways to spend 48 hours in Scottsdale/Phoenix
- Old Town Scottsdale — Western Spirit museum, SMoCA and the Rusty Spur Saloon.
- Paradise Valley — Camelback resorts, Elements at Sanctuary and Cosanti’s bronze bells.
- Biltmore — The Arizona Biltmore, Wrigley Mansion and the Piestewa Peak summit.
- Downtown Phoenix — Pizzeria Bianco, a Diamondbacks game and the Arizona Science Center.
- Roosevelt Row & Midtown — Murals, First Friday, the Phoenix Art Museum and the Heard.
- Tempe — Tempe Town Lake, A Mountain and Mill Avenue by ASU.
- Kierland & North Scottsdale — Kierland Commons, Scottsdale Quarter and Taliesin West.
- Troon North & Pinnacle Peak — Pinnacle Peak, Tom’s Thumb and the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.
- Carefree & Cave Creek — The Carefree Sundial, Harold’s Corral and Cave Creek Regional Park.