Print link

Cactus League

Road Trip

View on Map
Willard/iStockphoto.com
116.2 miles: 3 hours, 31 minutes
Peanuts, Cracker Jack and the crack of a bat signal the start of Major League Baseball spring training in the 10 Cactus League ballparks dotting the Phoenix area. Here's your chance to see obscenely overpaid ballplayers shed their winter beer bellies and gear up for the regular season in small-stadium settings where hope springs eternal (we feel your pain, Cubs fans).
Map pin
Drive trips stop
flickr/Michael J
1
Avondale to Phoenix
34.1 miles: 1 hours, 14 minutes
The Indians and Reds train for the 162-game grind at Goodyear Ballpark. Up the road in Glendale, the Dodgers and White Sox share facilities at attractive Camelback Ranch, one of the league's newer stadiums. The Brewers play at nearby Maryvale Baseball Park. Downtown, take a guided tour of mammoth Chase Field, the regular-season home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Drive trips stop
flickr/Maggie
2
Phoenix to Mesa
23.5 miles: 39 minutes
Next, you'll take in a ballpark doubleheader featuring two trusty veterans. At old-school Tempe Diablo Stadium, home of the Angels, the rugged desert hills beyond left field make for the league's most beautiful baseball backdrop. In Mesa, the A's launch homers out of once-slumping Hohokam Stadium, completely renovated in 2015 to the tune of $26.9 million.
Drive trips stop
flickr/Don DeBold
3
Mesa to Scottsdale
11.1 miles: 24 minutes
Windy City pilgrims will feel at home in the Cubs' Sloan Park. From the stadium light towers to the brick wall behind home plate, this 15,000-seater is reminiscent of Chicago's Wrigley Field. Up the road, Scottsdale Stadium attracts the Giants fans to the league's most accessible park, situated amid the restaurants, nightlife, shops and resorts of tourist fave Scottsdale.
Drive trips stop
flickr/Michael J
4
Scottsdale to Surprise
47.5 miles: 1 hours, 12 minutes
No surprise the hometown Diamondbacks, along with the Rockies, inhabit what's routinely ranked as the area's finest park, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. On the west side of town, catch the Padres or Mariners in action at the Peoria Sports Complex. Nearby, your hardball drive wraps at Surprise Stadium, where the Rangers and Royals rock the diamond. Play ball!