16 Best Things To Do In Safford, Arizona

1. Dankworth Pond State Park

If you’re particularly keen on fishing, then Dankworth Pond State Park is a must-visit for you. Known for its bass lake among the locals, the park boasts of having a relatively larger variety despite being a small lake. But if bass fish doesn’t catch your fancy, you can schedule a visit in winter or spring and try your hand at fishing some rainbow trout.

Winter visits are particularly popular as a large variety of birds migrate to this area. You can also experience the wildlife seen within the small park, mostly desert animals such as mule deer, javelina, and foxes.

Dankworth Pond State Park

Address: Swift Trail Junction, AZ 85546, USA

Website: Dankworth Pond State Park

Opening hours: Oct - Apr: 6am - 9pm (daily); May - Sep: 4:30am - 8pm (daily)

Price: 10 USD per vehicle (1-4 adults); 3 USD per individual/bicycle

2. David M. Player Center for the Arts

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

David M Player Center for the Arts is a multi-use facility purely dedicated to enhancing the art experience for the residents of Gila Valley and tourists visiting Safford, Arizona. The center mainly focuses on education-based fine arts and bringing in world-class artists and their performances.

The performing arts exhibition is one of the premier offerings of this event center. The beauty and creativity of these fine artists are not to be missed so if you want to catch a visual treat, make sure to look up any upcoming shows around your visit.

David M Player Center for the Arts

Address: 980 S 14th Ave, Safford, AZ 85546, United States

Website: David M Player Centre for the Arts

Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 9am - 3pm (closed on Sat & Sun)

3. World Famous Salsa Trail

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

The World Famous Salsa Trail is a salsa-tasting tour covering over 700 mi (1127 km) of the south-western United States. It includes six distinct salsa regions where Mexican restaurants offer a variety of delicious salsas with quirky twists and blends of flavors. If you want to be a part of the Salsa Trail, enter any of the participating restaurants and pick up a ‘salsa passport’, and notify the host of your participation. You’ll earn a stamp for dining at each restaurant, followed by a collection of prizes for each stamp tier. You will also get a complimentary selection of the restaurant’s chips and salsa, subsequently dining on the restaurant’s signature dish. Some restaurants also offer shopping and accommodations. Safford is the headquarters of this popular trail.

Salsa Trail

Address: 1051 W Thatcher Boulevard Safford, AZ 85546

Website: Salsa Trail

Opening hours: Mon -Thu: 9am - 5pm (closed from Fri - Sun)

4. Mount Graham International Observatory

The Mount Graham International Observatory (MGIO) is an astrophysical research site run by the University of Arizona. You can enjoy public tours conducted by Eastern Arizona College. The tour features a walk up to scenic Mount Graham, focusing on the mountain’s rich geology, history and diversity of life. It also includes lunch near the mountain summit and a guided tour of the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, the Submillimeter (Radio) Telescope, and the Large Binocular Telescope, the world’s most powerful telescope. Public tours on advance registration begin at Eastern Arizona College’s Discovery Park Campus and include packed lunch. Children must be at least 8 years old for the tour.

Mount Graham International Observatory

Address: 1480 W. Swift Trail, Safford, AZ 85546

Website: Mount Graham International Observatory

Opening hours: Tue - Sun: 9am - 5pm; Mon: 9am - 4:30pm

Price: 40 USD

5. Safford Bowl

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Safford Bowl is a popular hangout place in Safford, Arizona with a bowling alley. This place is a fun place for family and friends to relax, drink a few beers, eat, and enjoy bowling. Along with varied drinks, the menu has innovative sandwiches, burgers, hot wings, nachos, and French fries. Enjoy watching games on the TV along with food and drinks. The place offers happy hour specials and it is also available for events such as birthdays and anniversaries.

Safford Bowl

Address: 410 E 4th St, Safford, AZ 85546

Opening hours: Mon - Thu: 11am - 8pm; Fri - Sat: 11am - 9pm; Sun: 12pm - 4pm

Price: 2 - 100 USD

6. Old Safford Bridge

Set across the Gila River, the Old Safford Bridge is a popular picnic spot. It is located in Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area near Black Hills Back Country Byway. Built in 1918, the bridge was built of concrete owing to restrictions on the use of steel during World War I. You can enjoy views of this historic bridge from a cliff, accessible from Owl Creek Campground. The south end of the bridge is a popular launch site for boating and enthusiasts. It is also a good spot to fish for catfish. The north end of the bridge has a small picnic area.

Old Safford Bridge

Address: Safford Field Office, 711 14th Avenue, Safford, AZ 85546

Website: Old Safford Bridge

Opening Hours: 24 hours (daily)

7. Dry Lake Park

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

When visiting Safford, check out the Safford Dry Lake Park for an array of outdoor activities not found in a gym. At the park, you can not only hike and camp but test your marksmanship on the archery range. A small pistol range is also on site for the modern marksman, as well as a trap and skeet shooting range. For a friendly—or not so friendly—competition between friends, Safford Dry Lake Park has an excellent paintball range with tires, drums, and other objects to dive behind. When you’re done shooting things and assassinating your friends, head to the park’s landing strip where you can fly and land radio-controlled airplanes.

Dry Lake Park

Address: Dry Lake Rd, Safford, AZ 85546

Website: Safford Dry Lake Park

8. Discovery Park

Open to the public Monday through Saturday, the EAC Discovery Park Campus brings space exploration to the public with the Gov Aker Observatory. In the Observatory you’ll find multiple galleries with artifacts from early Gila Valley history, including a heliograph that was used in the late 1800s by the army to send Morse code signals using the sun. Other exhibits teach visitors about the composition of light from many colors, the sun and sounds from space, and the history of astronomy.

Daytime visitors can see an image created by one of the largest camera obscures in the world, and look at the sun through the telescope’s special lenses. Discovery Park is also home to the Space Shuttle Polaris, a virtual tour traversing the cosmos. The shuttle features visual, motion, and sound stimulation, launching visitors past Mt. Graham and into our solar system, making the attraction an educational—and fun—experience.

Before you leave the Discovery Park Campus, be sure to explore the trails in the habitat area. The trails are perfect for jogging and hiking, and are also great locations to spot some of Arizona’s wildlife, including roadrunners, rabbits, snakes, Gila monsters, coyotes, squirrels, and the occasional bobcat.

Discovery Park

Address: Eastern Arizona College’s Discovery Park Campus, 1651 W. Discovery Park Blvd. Safford, AZ 85546

Website: Discovery Park

9. Roper Lake State Park

If you’re looking for a place to cool off, head to Roper Lake State Park, located less than 6 miles (10 km) out of Safford. At the park, you can hike nature trails, swim, fish, and boat in the lake, and completely immerse yourself in nature by camping. With special events planned regularly, Roper Lake is the perfect place for a family afternoon or weekend getaway.

Roper Lake State Park

Address: 101 East Roper Lake Road, Safford, AZ 85546

Website: Roper Lake State Park

10. AZ Air Ventures

During your Safford visit, be sure to check out AZ Air Ventures for an experience above all others. At AZ Air Ventures, you will soar peacefully above Arizona in the basket of a hot air balloon, giving you a truly amazing view of the land and Arizona life. AZ Air Ventures stands out from similar balloon services by informing each visitor about the entire process of getting the balloon into the air and back to earth safely. At the end of your journey, you’ll be met with snacks and drinks that you can enjoy while re-living the adventure through photos and videos of the tour.

AZ Air Ventures

Address: 264 E. 24th Place, Safford, AZ 85546

Website: AZ Air Ventures

11. Kachina Mineral Springs

Surrounding the Safford area is a series of hot springs, perfect for relaxation during your vacation. At the Kachina Mineral Springs, you can experience the springs in a tranquil setting. Not only can you soak in the natural mineral water, but you can also treat yourself to massages, reflex therapy sessions, and sweat wraps. Upon your visit, Kachina’s talented therapists will massage the stress away, making you want to re-live your Safford visit in years to come.

Kachina Mineral Springs

Address: Kachina Mineral Springs, 1155 W Cactus RD, Safford, AZ 85546-9442

Website: Kachina Mineral Springs

12. Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area

At the center of four waterways lies the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area. Spanning over 23,000 acres (9,307 hectares), Gila Box combines beach fronts, pouring streams, cliff faces, and woodlands to make a perfect oasis in the desert. Besides wildlife watching, you can enjoy boating or drifting down the river, fishing, camping, and hiking in the diverse setting.

Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area

Address: 711 S 14th Ave, Safford, AZ 85546

Website: Gila Box Riparian National Conservation

13. Essence of Tranquility

If you’re looking for a place to just sit back and soak, head to Essence of Tranquility, a sauna equipped with multiple hot tubs perfect for washing your troubles away. Supplied by natural springs, and massage therapy available, the facility’s pools are perfect for an afternoon dedicated to relaxation. And don’t worry if one day at the springs isn’t enough: Essence of Tranquility also offers camping and overnight amenities to keep the perfect vacation going.

Essence of Tranquility

Address: 6074 S Lebanon Loop Rd, Safford, Arizona

Facebook: Essence of Tranquility

14. Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area

At the Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area, you can combine relaxing in a hot spring with an off-roading adventure. The recreation area, once a beach surrounding a lake around two million years ago, is now home to sand dunes perfect for off-roading vehicles. Built into Hot Well Dunes are two hot tubs, continuously supplying Safford, Arizona, with hot springs formed naturally. And when you’re done roaming the hills and soaking in the springs, pitch a tent at one of ten campgrounds onsite.

Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area

Address: Hot Well Dunes, Safford, AZ 85546

Website: Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area

15. Black Hills Rockhound Area

Before you leave Arizona, head to the Black Hills Rockhound Area for the perfect—and free—souvenir. At the Black Hills Rockhound Area, you can find fire-agates, a semi-precious gem only found in Mexico, California, New Mexico and Arizona, readily available. Other minerals are to be found when you dig up the desert soil, giving you an array of gems to keep or give away when you return home.

Black Hills Rockhound Area

Address: Safford Field Office, 711 14th Ave, Safford, AZ 85546

Website: Black Hills Rockhound Area

16. Frye Mesa Reservoir

Finally, for a rare fishing experience you are unlikely to experience anywhere else in Arizona, head to Frye Mesa Reservoir. At the reservoir, the cool location allows rangers to continuously stock the lake and streams with rainbow trout. But that’s not what makes it special. The site allows for targeting the Gila trout, an endangered fish that many a fisherman dreams of, and is unlikely to keep at other locations. Rainbow trout also call the reservoir home, but if you don’t fancy fishing, never fret. A beautiful waterfall and scenic hiking trails are waiting to be explored.

Frye Mesa Reservoir

Address: Frye Mesa Reservoir, Arizona, 85543

Website: Frye Mesa Reservoir

Visit Safford!

Equipped with everything from sand dunes to fishing holes to hot air balloon rides to saunas, Safford is the perfect place to go and relax or amp-up the fun during your Arizona vacation. With ample opportunities to have fun you won’t be left wondering what to do in Safford, Arizona. This gem of nature (and literal gems you can find) is the perfect destination for family fun and lone-traveler relaxation.