Tombstone Day Trips: Top 5 Wild West Escapades

Tombstone, Arizona, is that place many know as “The Town Too Tough to Die,” and is truly packed with the stories and legends of the Old West. Yet, there’s a lot very close that you could see, turning a single visit into many adventures. Thinking about extending your Tombstone visit? Here are just five day trips that can add so much more to that Old West experience.

1. Bisbee: Mining History and Art

Bisbee, just about 30 minutes southeast of Tombstone, has somewhat transformed over time. Once a thriving copper mining center, it’s now a cool place to explore the arts, with a totally rich history. You can check out the Queen Mine Tour, which really takes you deep into the mining life way back when. Then, wander through that town. It’s stacked with art galleries, quirky shops, and really beautiful architecture climbing up steep hillsides. Stop and grab a bite to eat. You have a bunch of choices for food too; they range from casual cafes to spots that really show you how Bisbee got its second life, basically, after its mining days. It’s a super spot to get some cool photos, too, so don’t forget the camera.

Read our full review: Bisbee Arizona Mining Tour Full Review and Details

Highlight: Queen Mine Tour for an up-close view of Bisbee’s mining past.

See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Queen Mine Tour)

2. Kartchner Caverns State Park: An Underground Marvel

Kartchner Caverns State Park, nearly an hour’s drive northwest of Tombstone, and they give you a very different sort of Arizona landscape. These caverns, discovered kind of recently, hold some crazy cool cave formations that just look like something else. That Big Room is one part and has giant stalactites; they grow down and stalagmites, they go up. It’s that great view of geology at work. Check out those tours that happen all day. They’re very instructive. The park has trails all over the ground too. If you are a bird person, it might be very awesome cause of those bird watching spots and views all around. Just make sure you book ahead. The tours often fill up because a lot of folks want to come here. Too, those photos you see are usually not even the best version you can find there.

Read our full review: Kartchner Caverns State Park Arizona Full Review and Details

Highlight: Cave tours showcasing rare cave formations and unique geological features.

See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Cave Tours)

3. Sierra Vista: Nature and History Combined

Sierra Vista, just a little more than an hour from Tombstone, gives a good break if you’re wanting some place very nice away from town history alone. It’s that place a lot of hikers like to visit because there’s the Huachuca Mountains nearby. It’s got some pretty cool paths. Hikers, you know, love those spots around Ramsey Canyon Preserve. People love how the area has a lot of birds, or “birding,” that they can look at. Plus, there’s a little something for buffs out there. It’s really close to the Fort Huachuca Museum too. You see stuff to do with communications and how the place was used in the Army years. Stop there after doing stuff around nature. That makes it very balanced as far as doing some fun stuff in a short trip.

Read our full review: Sierra Vista Arizona Nature Full Review and Details

Highlight: Ramsey Canyon Preserve for great birdwatching and nature trails.

See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Ramsey Canyon Preserve)

4. Cochise Stronghold: A Natural Fortress

Cochise Stronghold, pretty much about an hour and a half away from Tombstone in that Dragoon Mountains locale, is just some really rugged mountain country full of rock peaks; it means this place felt tough for Native peoples, too, long back in time. Famous chief Cochise from Apache people really hid away with people right there, so those canyons have this big history, too, of being the final stop that the Apache bands really depended upon during the 1870’s Apache wars. There are sites you hike. Also, those sights are totally good to use and enjoy if that’s the scene, cause they will have big rock walls close to that location. Some people really use this space to feel free with how rugged and cut off that canyon looks compared to towns now.

Read our full review: Cochise Stronghold Canyon Arizona Full Review and Details

Highlight: Hiking and rock climbing in a historic natural rock shelter.

See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Cochise Stronghold)

5. Tucson: A City with a Southwestern Heart

Tucson, close to 1.5 hours driving from Tombstone. And it’s a fairly sizeable trip, yet that ride could open you up to a look into Arizona that’s more expansive than just gunfights. Very stop into that Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum spot out there. That space gives those native species around this southern slice a very high seat. The Saguaro National Park’s next-door neighbor, basically. And that area gets almost all those looks on media spots whenever they talk about things tied with Arizona’s spaces in media talks now. You know, it does have historical pieces also because of that San Xavier del Bac mission that exists still, holding that touch of the 1700’s architecture when folks from Europe got over to this bit in that area of time gone past.

Read our full review: Tucson Arizona Attractions Full Review and Details

Highlight: The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum combines a zoo, aquarium, and botanical garden.

See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Desert Museum)