Neighborhood 48H guide
Carefree & Cave Creek: Where to Stay & What to Do in 48 Hours
The Carefree Sundial, Harold’s Corral and Cave Creek Regional Park.
Carefree and Cave Creek are neighboring desert towns north of Scottsdale: Carefree is quiet, with desert gardens and a giant sundial, and Cave Creek is a Western town of saloons and trails.
Photo gallery
Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Scotwriter21 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Why stay here
Desert trails and small-town saloons, 30 minutes from Old Town.
Who it's for: Wellness seekers, hikers and fans of Western bars.
Pros
- Desert trails
- Western saloons
- Quiet resort
Cons
- Far from Phoenix
- Car required
- Limited dining
48H in Carefree & Cave Creek
Trails, a sundial, a saloon.
07:00 – Cave Creek Regional Park
Desert trails and a nature center.
11:00 – Carefree Desert Gardens & Sundial
Free gardens downtown and the 1959 sundial.
19:00 – Harold’s Cave Creek Corral
Western saloon with live music.
Named recommendations
Real places with links to their official site or a Maps place page. We do not invent hours, prices, or ratings.
Drink
Drink
Harold’s Cave Creek Corral
6895 E Cave Creek Rd
Cave Creek’s classic Western saloon with live music.
Photo: Scotwriter21 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
See / do
See / do
Carefree Desert Gardens & Sundial
101 Easy St, Carefree
Free desert garden and one of the largest sundials in the U.S.
Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
Outdoors
Outdoors
Cave Creek Regional Park
Cave Creek
County park with desert trails and a nature center.
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
CIVANA Wellness Resort and Spa
37220 Mule Train Rd, Carefree
Wellness resort in the desert at the edge of Carefree.
Check rates on Expedia →
Vacation rentals
Prefer an apartment or whole home in this neighborhood? Browse Vrbo listings for Carefree & Cave Creek.
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 Carefree & Cave Creek 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.
- Arcadia & Camelback East — Echo Canyon up Camelback, Papago’s Hole-in-the-Rock and the Desert Botanical Garden.
- 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.