Temperatures are soaring across the west, with a heat wave currently hitting Arizona, California and Nevada. If you are looking for ways to “cool off” across the state — from visiting Great Wolf Lodge’s 84-degree indoor water park or heading to Sedona for lower temps and splashy programming — here are seven resorts where you can cool off in Arizona this summer.
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Great Wolf Lodge, Scottsdale
Great Wolf Lodge Arizona offers a perfect climate all year ’round with their 84-degree, indoor water park. The 85,000-square-foot indoor water park with slides and water features for every age coupled with the 27,000-square-foot Great Wolf Adventure Park with endless attractions including MagiQuest, Family Bowling, and Oliver’s Mining Co. Guests are also invited to enjoy engaging entertainment like character shows, dance parties and delicious dining, including Ben & Jerry’s for an extra sweet (and cool!) treat. Families know what to expect with this weather-proof vacation, so no heat wave or thunderstorm can put a damper on their plans, making it an ideal escape from the scorching temperatures.
Sanctuary Camelback Mountain, A Gurney’s Resort & Spa, Scottsdale
Sanctuary Camelback Mountain, A Gurney’s Resort & Spa is a luxury, historic resort set upon 53 acres of lush desert featuring manicured grounds, gardens, and award-winning facilities. In addition to three separate swimming pools, cool off with a variety of immersive Watsu Therapy treatments. This deeply relaxing and nurturing experience is a passive form of aquatic therapy that supports and gently cradles, rocks and stretches the body through water in graceful fluid movements. The support of the water provides relief from compression forces on the joints and promotes enhanced range of motion for the spine and extremities.
Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Phoenix
Now through Labor Day, beat the heat with Sheraton Phoenix Downtown’s NEW Summer Pool Party Saturdays from 11am-5pm. These events are open to all ages, and guests and locals alike are invited to enjoy live music, DJs, and a wide variety of food and beverage offerings from a weekly rotating menu with delicious bites and seasonal agua fresca, frozen margaritas, micheladas, and a paloma and sangria bar! Summer Pool Party Saturdays entry is free for hotel guests and also available on ResortPass for $40/person. Booking link here. Stay the night in the heart of downtown Phoenix and enjoy the perfect summer cool down with Sheraton Phoenix Downtown’s Stay & Sip: Urban Summer Retreat Package, complete with overnight accommodations, a Supergoop! sunscreen kit filled with the brand’s favorite products, a bucket of local seltzers, and a 4 p.m. late check-out. Booking Link: here.
JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, Phoenix
Cool off at the new AquaRidge WaterPark, a 1,400-square-foot reimagined and expanded pool complex designed with water-filled adventures for all ages. Following a $16 million transformation, the pool embraces the destination with renewed areas, offering an enhanced lazy river, the refreshed Wildfire Grove featuring two pools and a waterfall, the new Sedona Springs and the exclusive adults-only Sky Island. The lively Havasu Playground features three new exhilarating water slides, including:
- Gullywasher: The only dual-person vertical wall tube slide at a resort west of the Mississippi, Gullywasher combines a traditional serpentine with a heart-racing plunge that launches riders up a vertical wall for a show-stopping finish and jaw-dropping photos.
- The Drop: This high-speed slide accelerates riders with twists and turns from top to bottom with a straight steep drop. Perfect for thrill-seekers!
- Little Eddy: A beginner body slide for younger kids or adults with gentle slopes and tiny turns.
Enchantment Resort, Sedona
Enchantment Resort, a 218-room resort nestled amidst the iconic red rocks of Boynton Canyon, welcomes travelers and locals to indulge in Sedona’s cooler temperatures, paired with the launch of its newly-renovated pool and poolside food and beverage concept, The Edge. The new pool environment boasts a reimagined signature aesthetic complete with a dedicated pool host, along with spacious cabanas with natural wood finishes, ample seating with plush couches and built-in fans, all while engulfing guests in the stunning 360-degree red rock views. Guests will also enjoy inventive dishes and sips with a summertime twist that are perfect for cooling off in the sun. Once the sun sets behind the canyons, unwind with a cocktail in the poolside firepit lounge.
Sky Rock Sedona, Sedona
Sky Rock Sedona, a newly renovated boutique hotel that just debuted this Spring, just launched a The Hotter, The Better package, where at check-in, the front desk will calculate the difference in temperature between the Phoenix airport and the hotel, and that difference will be extended as an F&B credit while on property.
Under Canvas Grand Canyon, Valle, Arizona
Located just outside Valle, Arizona on 160 acres of beautiful piñon and juniper forest, a tent at Under Canvas in the Grand Canyon offers a cooling 10 degree drop in temperature from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tucson. Not to mention, Under Canvas Grand Canyon is located just 25 minutes from the South Rim entrance to Grand Canyon National Park, and guests can book a wild water rafting trip down the Colorado River to permanently cool off from the heat for an afternoon. This one-of-a-kind glamping destination is the perfect way to experience the beauty and adventure of Arizona, while enjoying upscale, safari-inspired accommodations that perfectly embrace their natural surroundings yet feature indoor luxuries, allowing everyone to discover their outdoor self in comfort and style.
