Scavenger Hunt Phoenix – 48 Finds, Capitol to Papago Park

How it works

A battleship's mast on a lawn, a net sculpture over a park and a hole worn through red rock: this scavenger hunt in Phoenix holds 48 finds, each free to see.

Read the full guide

Beat the heat

Papago Park is open desert, so hunt it early. State Capitol and Downtown Phoenix both lie on Washington Street, and Encanto Park has shade and a lagoon. Choose an area in the menu, then press Print this list.

Written proof

Each find wants a count, a color or a word copied down. What a team writes is its proof; the note beside it is the rule.

Tips

The capitol plaza has 30 memorials, so a team can finish that area without leaving the grass.

Questions and answers

Can you do a scavenger hunt in Phoenix in summer?

Yes, in the early morning or after sunset. Carry water for every person, keep Papago Park for the cooler months or first light, and use Encanto Park's shade at midday.

Is any of it ticketed?

No. The capitol plaza, Civic Space Park, the trails and the lagoon are free. The basilica, the theater and the old houses are ticked from the sidewalk, and the little train is watched, not ridden.

Is it good for kids?

Yes, with an adult in every team. The battleship pieces, the ducks and the hole in the rock go down best. Stay on marked trails in Papago Park and off the rocks.

All 48 finds

State Capitol 12

A 14-inch gun barrel from the Arizona Pace its length beside it and write the number of steps.
A 16-inch gun from USS Missouri Stand between it and the Arizona's gun. Write which barrel looks longer.
A battleship anchor on the lawn It also came from USS Arizona. Sketch its shape.
A copper dome on the 1900 capitol The old capitol was handed to the territorial government on May 1, 1900, and its dome is Arizona copper. Write the color it looks today.
A memorial to the Navajo Code Talkers Copy one word from it.
A monument to the Bill of Rights It is said to be the first built for that purpose. Write one right named on it.
A statue of Father Kino Write what the figure holds or carries.
A winged figure on top of the dome The weather vane is modeled on the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Write which way it points.
Capitol walls in more than one kind of stone Tufa, granite and malapai, all from Arizona, went into the building. Write two colors you see.
The marker for Governor Wesley Bolin The plaza was named for him in 1978, five days after he died. It holds 30 memorials in all. Write one word from his marker.
The mast of the battleship Arizona It stands in Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, in front of the capitol. Tick it and write what is at the top.
Round bullseye windows high on the old capitol They were built to let heat out of the legislative chambers. Count the ones on one side.

Show all 48 finds (36 more)

Downtown Phoenix 12

A 1920s car dealership turned park building The A.E. England Building now holds a community room at Civic Space Park. Write the color of its walls.
A 1929 theater in Spanish Baroque style The Orpheum seats 1,364 and reopened in 1997 after a 12-year restoration. Write the name on its sign.
A 20-story city hall with a crown on top Phoenix City Hall, 368 feet, was finished in 1994. Sketch the crown.
A balcony on the basilica's front Pope John Paul II spoke to crowds from it in 1987. Count the windows beside it.
A basilica with two onion-domed towers St. Mary's, dedicated in 1915, is the only basilica in Arizona. Count the domes you can see.
A colored net floating over a park Her Secret Is Patience hangs from three poles in Civic Space Park, the tallest 145 feet. Its night colors change with the seasons. Write two colors in it.
A lattice pavilion on Heritage Square The Lath House Pavilion dates from 1980 but copies the gazebos of early Phoenix. Write what shape its roof makes.
A painted wall on Roosevelt Row The arts district north of the core has held First Fridays, a monthly art walk, since 1994. Write the main color of one mural.
A street named for a US president Write the name, then look for a second one.
A Victorian house with an eight-sided turret Rosson House, built in 1894 and 1895, is named for a doctor who became mayor. Count the turret sides you can see from the sidewalk.
The last houses of the original townsite Heritage Square holds the only group of homes left from the first Phoenix town site. Count the old houses on the block.
Solar panels on top of shade canopies The park's canopies make 75 kilowatts together. Count the canopies you can see from one spot.

Papago Park 12

A giant saguaro cactus Count its arms.
A hole worn through red sandstone Hole-in-the-Rock is made of tafoni, openings worn into rock formed some 6 to 15 million years ago. Tick it from the marked trail.
A lizard on a rock Write its color and do not follow it.
A small white pyramid on a hilltop Hunt's Tomb, built in 1931, holds Arizona's first governor and his family. Tick it from the path; it sits behind a fence.
A spiny desert plant that is not a saguaro Sketch it.
A spot where sunlight falls through the rock Some evidence says the Hohokam used the openings and the sun to track the solstices. Write where the light lands.
A trail marker with a name on it Copy the trail name.
A turtle sunning at the ponds Red-eared sliders live at Papago Ponds. Write what it is resting on.
A view east from the tomb's hill The hill looks out over the eastern Valley of the Sun. Write the farthest thing you can name.
Gray granite among the red rock Signs of Precambrian granite show in parts of the park. Write where you found it.
Pockets eaten into a red boulder Geologists call them tafoni. Count the pockets on one rock.
Ponds where a fish hatchery once stood The governor started a bass hatchery here in 1932. Write one fish or bird you see.

Encanto Park 12

A bird that is not a duck Write its color or its name.
A boathouse on the lagoon Write its color.
A duck on the water Count the ducks in one group.
A footbridge over the water Count the footbridges you cross.
A lagoon in the middle of the city Encanto's lagoon covers about 7.5 acres and is about 6 feet deep. Tick it from the bank.
A palm tree reflected in the lagoon Write how many palms you can see in the water at once.
A shaded picnic table Count the tables in one group.
A sign with the park's name Encanto became a city park in 1934. Copy one word from the sign.
A small train circling an island The park's little amusement area has a miniature railroad. Tick it from outside the fence; no rides.
A street at the park's edge The park runs between Thomas Road, Encanto Boulevard, 15th Avenue and 7th Avenue. Write the one you reached first.
A tree with peeling bark Write the color underneath.
Someone fishing from the bank The lagoon is used for fishing. Tick it without a photo.

How this list was compiled: Written for this page in September 2026: 48 finds on foot in Phoenix, Arizona, at the State Capitol and Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, downtown, in Papago Park and in Encanto Park, sorted by area, all scored from public plazas, trails, park paths and sidewalks with nothing bought and no ticket. Nothing was copied from another list; no team, brand, bar or business is named. Levels are our judgment. Names, dates, sizes and places in the notes were checked on 2026-09-24 against English Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ followed by Arizona_State_Capitol, Wesley_Bolin_Memorial_Plaza, Phoenix_Civic_Space_Park, Her_Secret_Is_Patience, Rosson_House, Downtown_Phoenix, St._Mary%27s_Basilica_(Phoenix), Phoenix_City_Hall, Orpheum_Theatre_(Phoenix,_Arizona), Papago_Park, Hunt%27s_Tomb and Encanto_Park. Licence: own work