SCOTTSDALE

Every February and March, 15 MLB teams hold spring training in the Phoenix metro, the most compact spring training setup in baseball. Florida's Grapefruit League spreads teams across a state; here, every ballpark is within about an hour of every other, most within 30 minutes. Base in Scottsdale and you can see a different game every day, catch morning workouts for free, and still hike a mountain before dinner. The season runs roughly late February through late March; schedules are typically released in the fall, and popular matchups (and all weekends) sell out.

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• Scottsdale Stadium (Old Town Scottsdale): San Francisco Giants. The best location in the Cactus League: walk to Old Town's restaurants before and after the game. The classic spring training experience.
• Salt River Fields at Talking Stick (Scottsdale, near Loop 101): Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies. The nicest facility in the league, with mountain views and two teams' worth of practice fields to wander in the morning.
• Camelback Ranch (Glendale): Dodgers and White Sox. A beautiful desert-park setting; worth the cross-Valley drive for Dodgers fans.
• Peoria Sports Complex: Padres and Mariners, plus a surrounding restaurant district.
• Tempe Diablo Stadium: Angels, minutes from Scottsdale; Sloan Park (Mesa), the Cubs, and the league's biggest crowds and game-day buzz.

Team assignments can change between seasons, confirm your team's park and the schedule before booking travel.

• Buy ahead for: weekend games, Cubs/Dodgers/Giants home games, and any rivalry matchup. Weekday games at smaller parks are often available at the gate, but "often" is doing work in that sentence; advance purchase is safer for any game you care about.
• Lawn seats are the insider move: Most Cactus League parks have cheap outfield lawn seating. Bring a blanket, sit in the sun, and enjoy the most relaxed seat in professional sports. Arrive at gates-open for the best lawn spots.
• Morning workouts are free: Teams practice on the back fields from mid-morning before afternoon games. It's the best autograph and up-close viewing opportunity of the trip, no ticket needed. Check team sites for workout times.
• Day games dominate: Most games start around 1 p.m. Plan your day around it: hike at dawn, game at one, pool by five.

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• Old Town Scottsdale: Walk to Scottsdale Stadium and dinner. The pick for a Giants trip or a no-car weekend. Books out earliest and priciest in March, reserve as soon as schedules drop.
• North Scottsdale / Salt River area: Resort country near Salt River Fields, best if your trip mixes baseball with golf and spa time.
• Tempe or Mesa: Often noticeably cheaper, still 15–25 minutes from Scottsdale's parks, and home to the Angels' and Cubs' stadiums respectively.

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Spring training season is also peak everything-else season in the Valley, which is the point of coming. Morning Camelback or Papago Park hikes, an afternoon at the Desert Botanical Garden, Taliesin West tours, Old Town's Thursday ArtWalk, and the Valley's best patio-dining weather of the year. Golfers: this is prime tee-time season too, and it books like it. Our 2-day Phoenix & Scottsdale itinerary covers the non-baseball greatest hits, and Sedona is an easy add-on day or overnight if you're staying a week.

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One planning warning: March in Scottsdale is the most expensive hotel month of the year, and it overlaps with peak Sedona and Grand Canyon visitation. Flights, hotels, and rental cars all reward booking in the fall, the moment game schedules are announced.