5 Things to Do in Scottsdale with Kids

Scottsdale’s family outings range from miniature train rides at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park to rocky walking at Pinnacle Peak. Choose by what your children want to do, not just their age: play, spot sculptures, explore desert plants or take part in a guided ride. These five independent choices stay within Scottsdale, with outdoor activities best saved for cooler conditions and galleries offering short sheltered breaks.

Choose an outing by age and effort

Criterion	Railroad Park	Old Town art	Bajada	MacDonald’s Ranch	Pinnacle Peak
Suggested interests	Mixed ages, rides and play	Sculpture spotting, gallery browsing	Younger walkers, desert plants	Horse-interested children, ages 6+	Confident, sustained walkers
Family visit allowance	About 2–3 hours	—	—	—	About 2 hours, full out-and-backBest
Distance from Scottsdale Historical Museum	about 3.8 miles, driving	about 800 feet, walkingBest	about 15 miles, driving to Gateway Trailhead	about 20 miles, driving	about 21 miles, driving to trailhead

Pick one outing rather than treating these as a day’s circuit. The order moves from McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park’s rides and play through Old Town’s art, Bajada’s plant interpretation and MacDonald’s Ranch’s guided riding to Pinnacle Peak’s sustained hiking. The Scottsdale Historical Museum is the central Old Town starting point for the access distances. Short Main Street gallery visits offer shelter, while desert trails and riding remain outdoor choices.

McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park

Months	Hours
January	9am–5pm
February	9am–6pm
March	9am–6:30pm
April–May	9am–7pm
June–August	8am–1pm
September–December	9am–5pm

McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park is the strongest first choice for mixed-age children who want rides and play. The Paradise & Pacific Railroad gives younger children a train ride rather than a long walk, and the carousel adds another riding option. Train-interested children can watch the miniature layouts in the model railway building, then join siblings at the playgrounds.

A regular Paradise & Pacific Railroad ride costs $3 per ticket, and children aged 2 and under ride free with a paying adult. Buy tickets at Stillman Station for a walk-up ride. Each paying rider needs a ticket, so you can decide on the train after arriving rather than arranging the whole visit around a reservation.

If your children settle into playground time, allow closer to 3–4 hours. Leave room for that choice rather than promising another outing immediately afterwards. A cooler morning suits the outdoor rides and play, while the model railway building gives you a sheltered part of the visit without changing the train theme.

The drive from the Scottsdale Historical Museum takes about 11 minutes. Once there, alternate watching, riding and playing according to your children’s attention, rather than asking everyone to spend equally long at the model layouts.

Old Town’s public art and galleries

Turn Scottsdale Civic Center’s public art into a spotting game rather than a formal art lesson. Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculpture makes letters into a bold shape, while The Yearlings pairs young horses. Ask children which they recognise first and how the two sculptures differ. The civic park lets you look at art without requiring the sustained attention of a museum visit.

From the Scottsdale Historical Museum, the walk to Scottsdale Civic Center takes about 3 minutes. Choose cooler parts of the day for the outdoor portions, and let interest decide whether you also explore Main Street or the Scottsdale Waterfront, where a waterside stroll changes the focus from individual artworks.

Let older children choose a Main Street gallery to browse. Public-facing galleries generally welcome walk-in family visitors without an appointment, though individual galleries vary. A short look at paintings or sculpture can be enough, and these indoor stops offer shelter during rain without turning the outing into a lengthy gallery tour.

If browsing sparks more interest, Scottsdale art, desert and parks offers a broader choice of art and city sights for families with older children. Keep the short public-art outing as an option in its own right.

Bajada Nature Trail

Bajada Nature Trail suits children who want to discover desert plants without committing to sustained hiking. Reached through Gateway Trailhead in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, it uses interpretive signs to make a short Sonoran Desert walk about what you notice along the path. Stop at the plants that catch your children’s attention rather than treating the trail as a distance to complete.

The hard surface is stabilised decomposed granite, with an average gradient of 3.0% and a typical cross slope of 1% or less. Those gentle conditions make it a more manageable choice for younger walkers and families with a pushchair than Pinnacle Peak’s rocky, uneven trail. It is still an outdoor desert outing, so choose a cooler morning rather than relying on the easy surface to make hot conditions comfortable.

Access is daily from sunrise to sunset, with the window changing seasonally. The drive from the Scottsdale Historical Museum to Gateway Trailhead takes about 23 minutes, and Gateway is the place to begin this walk.

Carry water and sun protection onto the trail. Water, toilets and shade are available at the trailhead, so use those facilities before setting off. Trailhead shade is a useful pause, not shelter for the whole walk. Keep the outing nature-focused, with time to read a sign or look at a plant, and choose Bajada over Pinnacle Peak when curiosity matters more than a longer physical challenge.

MacDonald’s Ranch

Choose MacDonald’s Ranch for children who want to take part in a guided desert horseback ride. This is a more involved outing than watching model trains or spotting public art, so enthusiasm for horses matters as much as eligibility. The introductory group ride lasts one hour, making riding itself the focus rather than an extra activity fitted between other sights.

The riding price includes taxes and gratuities. The minimum riding age has no exceptions, so younger siblings need a different activity. Reserve a guided ride by phone, arranging the ride time and availability as part of that conversation. Wear closed-toed shoes, such as trainers or boots, rather than sandals.

The separately reserved stagecoach tour offers a guided alternative for all ages, including infants and toddlers. Choose it when the family wants to go together without everyone riding a horse. Its minimum reservation price makes it a different spending decision from individual horseback places.

Stagecoach tour

45 minutes

Capacity

Up to 8 guests

Minimum reservation price

$300 plus tax

The drive from the Scottsdale Historical Museum takes about 26 minutes. Favour cooler conditions for either activity, since both take you outdoors rather than into a sheltered attraction. Weather and private events can affect the ranch’s availability, making the reservation conversation especially useful when arranging the family’s visit.

Pinnacle Peak Trail

Dates	Hours
1–14 January	7am–5:45pm
15–31 January	7am–6pm
1–14 February	7am–6:15pm
15–28/29 February	6:45am–6:30pm
1–6 March	6:30am–6:45pm
7–14 March	6:15am–6:45pm
15–31 March	6am–7pm
1–14 April	5:45am–7pm
15–30 April	5:30am–7:15pm
1–14 May	5:15am–7:30pm
15 May–14 June	5am–7:45pm
15 June–14 July	5am–8pm
15–31 July	5am–7:45pm
1–14 August	5:15am–7:30pm
15–31 August	5:30am–7:15pm
1–6 September	5:45am–7pm
7–14 September	5:45am–6:45pm
15–30 September	5:45am–6:30pm
1–14 October	6am–6:15pm
15–31 October	6:15am–6pm
1–14 November	6:30am–5:45pm
15–30 November	6:45am–5:30pm
1–31 December	7am–5:30pm

Pinnacle Peak Trail is for children who already enjoy sustained walking. Its natural desert path crosses rocky, uneven mountainous terrain, with moderate elevation changes and some steep sections. You follow a trail through the landscape rather than making a continuous climb to the summit. Choose Bajada instead if your family would prefer gentle walking with plant interpretation.

Leave extra time for frequent stops or a relaxed pace on the full out-and-back. A chosen shorter stretch is a worthwhile alternative to completing the trail. Turn back while your children still have the energy to enjoy the return.

The drive from the Scottsdale Historical Museum to the trailhead takes about 30 minutes. Start in a cooler morning, carry water and sun protection, and wear shoes suited to uneven ground. The terrain asks more of children than Bajada, even when you shorten the walk.

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: fares and charges, services, closures, opening hours, and key figures.

• MacDonald’s Ranch — service
• MacDonald’s Ranch — closures
• McDowell Sonoran Preserve
• City of Scottsdale — opening hours
• City of Scottsdale — service
• McDowell Sonoran Conservancy — key figures
• Rules and Safety; Pinnacle Peak Annual Opening and Closing Times
• City of Scottsdale Parks & Recreation Department — fares and charges
• City of Scottsdale Parks & Recreation Department — opening hours